The challenge
The at-home car care market was highly saturated with a lot of products that worked well, but it lacked customer engagement with any individual brand. The team at a market-leading auto care brand wanted to update and expand their product lines to drive greater appeal and brand engagement among car wash DIYers.
We knew that merely asking about current products and unmet needs wasn’t enough to uncover a truly innovative idea: we needed to see consumers in action.
The method
We put boots on the ground across the country to watch DIYers wash their cars and talk shop, then we quantified it.
On-driveway Ethnographies: We witnessed the successes, the frustrations, and the product benefits (or lack thereof) while watching care care live. We also examined how these products live in their garage and what that means for packaging.
Ideation Workshop: Problem solving and brainstorming exercises over the course of a live, full-day session turned ethnographic observations into big ideas.
Quant Evaluation: We tested the top 12 new product ideas among a broad range of target consumers to assess brand fit, appeal, relevance, believability, and price elasticity.
The impact
The team had clear direction for their next year’s product innovation roadmap, and two of the ideas made it onto the shelves the following year. The company was able to leverage equity in their two top brands but expand into a previously uncharted aspect of car care
Here to listen, ready to help
Questions, ideas, or something you’d like to talk through? Our team is just a click away, ready to listen and help you find the right next step.
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