HCP TREATMENT ALGORITHMS
Best Suited For:
Positioning, market landscape
Appropriate For:
Healthcare professionals
How It Works:
Treatment algorithm research requires HCPs (most often physicians) to systemically identify each treatment decision point in their management of a particular condition. As the physician builds his/her algorithm, s/he will come to a point where the key product (or a competitor) is mentioned. At this point, the probing is focused on understanding who is and who is not the “Product X patient,” the “Product Y patient,” etc. This type of questioning reveals the natural positioning of the key competitive products in the minds of the physicians. It can also gauge the success of marketing efforts—in other words, to what extent have physicians embraced the key product’s positioning?
Last, for a product in development, treatment algorithms can also be used to identify and size market gaps and, through a profile exposure, assess whether or not the new product would fill these gaps.
WARGAMING
Best Suited For:
Early-stage message or creative development, ideation
Appropriate For:
Respondents with an in-depth knowledge of the subject area (e.g., physicians who regularly treat the condition of interest; sponsors who make benefit decisions for their employees)
How It Works:
Wargaming pits two groups of respondents against each other to develop opposing arguments for or against the use of a particular product or service (often grounded in the context of persuading a colleague to use this product or service). In addition to presenting the most compelling arguments for their side, respondents are instructed to anticipate arguments used by the other side and to develop counterarguments. After completing the exercise, the respondents review all the arguments presented and identify those that are most compelling.
Understanding the driving strengths and weaknesses of each side helps to direct message or creative development. Second, this approach provides insights around message durability (e.g., identifying strong arguments than can be easily overshadowed by a compelling counterargument). Third, all arguments (which can be easily converted into messages) are phrased in the respondents’ own language, aiding in credibility.
CREATIVE CONCEPT TESTING
Best Suited For:
Mid- to late-stage creative development
Appropriate For:
All respondent types
How It Works:
There are many ways to successfully test creative concepts qualitatively. Lucid Health recommends an approach that has respondents first review the concepts and rate each of them numerically on a give set of metrics (e.g., overall appeal, fit with positioning, etc.). Then, respondents discuss the concepts one at a time, explaining the rationale behind their ratings.
Capturing both numeric and qualitative ratings allows for a complete analysis of the concepts. The numeric analysis provides a clear ranking of the concepts on each metric and exposes variability. Variability is critically important to understand. One might decide that it is best to use a consistently positively concept in lieu of an even stronger concept that can also polarize a minority of respondents. Equally important, the qualitative analysis elucidates the whys behind the ratings and provides a better understanding of the specific strengths and weaknesses of each concept.