converting consumer insights into actionable results

Converting Consumer Insights Into Actionable Results

- Breaking through the language barrier on nutritional information

Alastair FairgrieveChief Insight Officer - McDonald’s Europe

• Consumer-driven approach to the provision of

nutrition information on meals eaten away from

• Iterative “fast learn” applied research

NUTRITION INFORMATION PROJECT

Goal – A nutrition information system

Which - Is informative

- Has nutritional validity

- Is engaging

- Is fun and intuitive

- Non language dependent

- Industry and brand-relevant

Timescale - one year (!)

Key thought-partners - NSG

- 2cv research (Consumer Insight)

- The Marketing Store (brand / industry relevance)

- Boxer (packaging design)

Key enabler: Direct senior management engagement with project

Method: “Rolling Learning” qualitative and quantitative research with

consumers of informal eating out across three major

European marketplaces

Validation in: - USA

- Asia

- Latin America

NUTRITION PROJECT PROCESS OVERVIEW

Objectives

• Benchmarking of consumer attitudes to nutrition and balanced diet

• Exploring consumer awareness and understanding of current guidelines

• Examination of current examples of nutrition information

• Examination of proposed FSA nutrition information concepts:

• Examination of new McDonald’s labelling concept (GDA)

Phase one: Method and sample

• 24 x 2 hour qualitative discussion groups: 6-8 people

• Consumers of IEO 16-55

• 50/50 male/female

• B, C1, C2, D, E seg

• 50% with children under 12 in household

France

4 groups: Paris

4 groups Edinburgh

4 groups Glasgow

2 groups Manchester

2 groups London

4 groups Madrid

4 groups Barcelona

Consumer response to nutrition dialogue

- Dependent upon national food culture

- Confusion abounds! : Mixed messages!

- Language of science / consumer needs to be resolved

Nutrition awareness

• Kcal / cal. is the anchor of consumer’s understanding

Nutrition awareness

• Kcal / cal. is the anchor of consumer’s understanding

• Most aware: Women

Mothers

Age group 21-35

Consumers with dietary issues

Younger children

Higher socio-economic groups

General consumer benchmarks

- Calories

- Salt

more = “bad for you”

less = “good for you”

- Calories

- Salt

Local consumer benchmarks

- France, Spain: balanced diet / Mediterranean diet

- Calories

- Salt

- UK: salt, sugar, saturated fat

- Calories

- Salt

- UK: salt, sugar, saturated fat

- Spain: vitamins / fibre (+ve) – cholesterol (-ve)

How consumers balance their diet

• On a 3 main meals per day basis

• “If I have a heavy lunch – I’ll eat less for dinner”

• “For most, food intake appears to be a series of compensations rather than a pre-planned dietary

regime”

Conclusion: Nutrition information currently has little resonance with the consumer

Contributing factors: - Lack of background knowledge

on role of nutrients

Contributing factors: - Lack of background knowledge on role of nutrients

- Lack of a consistent framework for product comparison

Contributing factors: - Lack of background knowledge on role of nutrients

- Lack of a consistent framework for product comparison

- Lack on continuity in approach

- Terminology (cal/kcal/kjoule)

- Market sector

- Manufacturer

- Product

- Brands

The solution: what did consumers tell us?

• Consumers agree a more universal solution is needed

• Labelling should eliminate the guesswork from

balanced eating in and out of the home

• Labelling should eliminate the guesswork from balanced eating in and out of the home

• Consumers make a distinction between eating in and out of home

• Labelling should eliminate the guesswork from balanced eating in and out of the home

• Consumers make a distinction between eating in and out of home

• For most, eating away from home was an occasional family treat which would be “spoiled” by over prescriptive or alarmist “tobacco-style” labelling

Consumer evaluation of existing nutrition information

concepts and graphics:

Standard nutrition panel

“Low fat / low salt” labelling

“Green keyhole”: Sweden

3 band “traffic light” system (simple traffic light)

Key nutrients “traffic light” system

Trial approaches developed by McDonald’s in context of NSG

input and consumer feedback on existing approaches

McDonald’s: roundel version one

Frite Moyenne (Medium fries)

McDonald’s: Roundel version two

McDonald’s: roundel version three

McDonald’s: Roundel version four

McDonald’s: Nutrition table based on portion size and RDA/GDA

McDonald’s: “Signpost” icons

McDonald’s: The “bar chart”

McDonald’s: Refined “bar chart”

Conclusion: Move ahead with development and testing of “bar chart” format

Objectives

• Evaluation and further development of bar chart concept

• Checking meaning and relevance of nutrient icons with consumers, staff and stakeholders

• Evaluation of colour choice

• Evaluation of communication mediums and materials

Phase two: method and sample

• Qualitative “sense check” on “bar chart” route

• 7 x 1.5 hour qualitative discussion groups

• 4x qualitative paired depth interviews

• Consumers of IEO 17-55

• 50/50 male/female

• B, C1, C2, D, E seg

• 50% with children under 12 in household

3 groups

2 paired depths

3 groups Edinburgh

1 group London

2 paired depths London

Madrid

Bringing nutrition information to life:

- mediums + materials

Web/kiosk approach: In restaurant interactive kiosk

Pilot tests in Scotland and Spain

* Phases one and two of research led to a high

expectation that the “bar chart” and

communication vehicles would have resonance

with the IEO consumer: To assess the

approach further a pilot test of nutrition

information materials was launched in 14

restaurants (Spain & Scotland) between July-

September 2005.

Objectives

• Assessment of consumer, staff and opinion formers’ perceptions and responses to he

nutrition information initiative and communication materials

• Fine-tuning of bar chart concept and the supporting communication materials

• Development of a fact-based case for the implementation of a consumer-driven NI

strategy

• Assessment of any potential impact on sales and consumer purchase dynamics

Phase three: method and sample

Pre-pilot: Scotland and Spain (June 2005)

• 3 restaurants each country: qualitative depth interviews with managers and staff

• In restaurants: each country: 370 quantitative interviews

• Stakeholder qualitative in-depth interviews

Post-pilot: Scotland and Spain (Sept/Oct 2005)

• 7 restaurants each country: qualitative depth interviews with managers and staff

• In restaurant: each country 500 quantitative interviews

• Stakeholder qualitative in depth interviews

Quantitative consumer headlines

• 60% of respondents thought the initiative a “really good

idea”

Nutrition Information Project

idea”

• 88% of respondents thought initiative a “good idea”

idea”

• 20% of respondents said the initiative might enable them to visit more often

• 60% of respondents thought the initiative a “really good idea”

• 30% respondents said that the initiative might enable them to make more balanced choices

• Consumers with children and those in higher segs showed the most positive response

• 60% of respondents thought initiative a “really good idea”

• Consumers with children and those in higher segsshowed the most positive response

• Consumers claimed that the information may have a positive effect on behaviour

• Consumers with children and those in higher segsshowed the most positive response

• Consumers claimed that the information may have a positive effect on behaviour

• Would like to see a similar system adopted at other IEO places and other sectors

Stakeholder / opinion former input

• Initiative well received

• Consumer orientation and engagement helped the credibility and practicality of the solution

• Staff engagement with the project appreciated

• Suggested more emphasis on pre-purchase signposting

• Suggested extending BMI customisation on web/index facility

• Overall, fun/engaging aspect of approach may well succeed in building consumer resonance over time

Other validation

• “Bar chart” nutrition information approach tested with the consumer in over 300 McDonald’s restaurants outside Europe

- 4 cities in USA

- In Colombia, Latin America

- In Hong Kong, Asia

• Tested nutrient “icons” for cultural and ethnographic sensitivity in over 100 countries worldwide

• Pilot market versus control group sales impact test in UK, Spainand USA revealed not to be a sales driver, however reached its objective to increase awareness in nutrition.

Testing nutrient icons for cultural sensitivity

• With iconographic and ethnographic experts in 100 countries worldwide: ENLASO

• Reality check with local representatives in global advertising agency networks through Leo Burnett, TBWA and DDB International;

• Course-correction in creative route made where necessary;

• Example of “course-correct” feedback.

Fiber Icon Option #2 – This icon generated many negative comments,

primarily centered around associations with “scary” aliens (47 countries).

According to the supplier, this is a relatively rare result in that so many countries

came up with similar associations. Their theory is that “this is the influence of

pop culture spread through the media, because the alien connotation was so

consistently prevalent not just in one area, but in countries representing all parts

of the globe. “ The icon apparently symbolized Greenpeace activity in Russia and ghosts in the Virgin Islands.

PROCESS: PHASE 3 “PILOT TEST”

Learning: Sales tests in UK, Spain and USA

• During operational pilots (in over 300 restaurants) sales and product-

mix effects were monitored to identify any significant impact of the

presence of nutritional information on business patterns;

• Sales and product-mix movement were monitored against a control

group of comparable size;

• Influence of nutritional labelling (over a three month period) on sales

and product-mix was not uniform, although influence over incidence of

some product categories was more marked than with others.

Nov 2005, a workshop was organised under auspices of EU Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health: Approach and insight made openly available to

IEO/food industry entities

• Launched 9 February 2006 in Italy in conjunction with the Torino Olympic games;

• NII is now rolled out in EU 25 (5788 restaurants), Romania and Bulgaria and 14 other European non-EU markets representing a total of over 6,300 restaurants, reaching in excess of 10 million customers a day;

• In 2006 around 2 billion pieces of NII packaging will be used in European restaurants (41 countries). In 2007 this figure will increase to approximately 10 billion pieces;

• By end 2007 over 30,000 restaurants world-wide plan to have rolled out NII.

GLOBAL LAUNCH OF NII

Goal – revisited

A nutrition information system which:

- Is informative

- Has nutritional validity

- Is engaging

- Is fun and intuitive

- Non language dependent

- Industry and brand relevant

We think we’re getting closer!

Thank you for your time!

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