Ethno case study – Cooking habits

SEE THROUGH THE EYES OF THE CONSUMER

weseethrough is a technology-driven market research company, leveraging

wearables and a proprietary video

curation platform, Haystack, to fill the gap between what consumers say versus

actually do.

REINVENTING QUALITATIVE RESEARCH FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Wearable technology Haystackvideo curation platform

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WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAYCMI Manager

“…one of the most natural

investigation techniques.

We now know things about

the consumer that we simply

didn’t have before.”

Consumer Market Insight VP

“Using technology, the team

have been able to give us real

insights by understanding real

consumer behaviour.”

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAYSenior Manager

“We managed to roll it out to 10 countries

across the globe and captured 120 odd

occasions in record time! This is a very

powerful tool and will become an

integral part of consumer research

going forward.”

Global CMI Manager

“We estimate these

findings will optimise up

to 25% of our annual

spend on advertising …

Tremendous work.”

A top FMCG company wanted a kitchen-level understanding of people’s meal preparation across 20 countries.

Ethno case study Cooking habits

They wanted a first-hand view of meal life cycle – from key meal

decisions and food preparation – to plating meals, cleaning, and storing

leftovers so they could witness first-hand WHAT people are doing, HOW

they are doing it, and use this to understand more deeply the WHYs

behind behaviours.

• Truly experience meal preparation from the eyes of the person

• Examine claimed versus actual behaviour

• Search for clues on emerging trends or behaviours

• Compare and contrast behaviours and beliefs across many

countries

• Understand topics relevant to internal objectives – cooking, baking,

use of particular ingredients

GLOBAL OBJECTIVES

• Understand regional consumer segments

• Consider local questions and hypotheses as part of the research

LOCAL OBJECTIVES

75PEOPLE

300MEALS

20COUNTRIES

200HOURS OF FOOTAGE

OUR METHOD

75 people across 20 countries were asked to record themselves preparing and consuming food

throughout the day. This included breakfast, lunch,

dinner, and a baking or snacking activity.

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Google Glass recorded first-person video and audio of these 300 meals, with people narrating as

they cooked2

200 hours of global footage analysed by weseethrough’s coding team and uploaded onto the

video curation platform, Haystack. Haystack’s

advanced behavioural coding and transcription capabilities helped unearth rich quantitative data and

bring-to-life examples of behaviour for the team to see

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Haystack allowed weseethrough researchers to mine for unarticulated nuances that could inform

new product ideas, ways of communicating,

emerging behaviours, or future trends

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12

Online interviews were conducted to probe further into habits and further compare claimed and actual

behaviour, providing additional texture to the

learnings

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FINDINGS AND IMPLICATIONS

When asked to recall the time it takes to cook, or the actual amount

of ingredients they use, the people were often wildly inaccurate.

These differences suggest a desire to be healthier, appear more

knowledgeable about recipes and ingredients, or do what they

‘should’ be doing. In reality, the people want and need great taste,

flavour, and texture.

1. DISCONNECT BETWEEN SAYING AND DOING

Implications included: new product innovation, packaging structure, on-pack communication

Consider product-based strategies that help people

eat healthier, without compromising on taste

12

Laptops and phones were being used to access Internet destinations – right in the kitchen.

Implications included: digital marketing, campaign creative / brand messaging

2. THE WORLD’S KITCHENS – ONLINE

weseethrough saw examples of a sauce from one culture being used widely in a second country for yet a third purpose.

[Illustrative example: Like a Moroccan using Jamaican jerk

seasoning while preparing a ‘traditional’ English Sunday roast*]

3. PRODUCTS FROM ONE ‘CULTURE’ INTO ANOTHER

Implications included: new product innovation, portfolio management

Consider how products from other parts of the

global portfolio can be introduced to new regions*Not the actual example

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Across the world, many people customised the amounts of pre-made sauces and seasonings – even if not the

manufacturer’s intent. They did this for taste, health, recipe

size reasons, and for some, financial reasons.

4. CUSTOMISING AMOUNTS TO SUIT

Implications included: new product innovation, packaging structure, on-pack communication

Consider packaging and delivery innovation that

allows people to ‘right size’ premade sauces or spices for health, taste, or household size

CONTACT

AMAR CHOHAN Head of Client Relations

t: +44 207 938 0849e: amar@weseethrough.com