The Persuadables℠;  the consumer segment with the highest ROAI.

Essentially, it’s a narrowing of your target from a broad-based approach to those consumers who already have a likelihood of choosing your brand.  And because they already have a predisposition towards your brand, they are more responsive to advertising, easier to move and ultimately return a higher ROAI.  Identifying those consumers and then what message will pull them towards your brand is the key.

The concept is relatively straight forward – of course, like most other things, the devil is in the details.

Fortunately, MSW has been doing this since the early 1960’s. The idea grew out of our early work on Brand Loyalty and is actually related to the old debate of which is a more efficient way to increase sales; a strategy of penetration (increasing your user base) or a strategy of increased usage (getting those who already use to use more).  The answer in most cases is increased usage.  Getting non-users, who express no interest in future use, to choose your brand is the least efficient strategy (they don’t use it, are not interested in using it and aren’t likely to be convinced, and if you can convince them it’s going to cost a lot).  The next least efficient strategy is getting loyal users to increase their usage (they already use it, how much more can they buy).  The most efficient way to target is in the middle; to get repertoire users (those who rotate through your brand and other brands) and non-users who are “attracted” to increase their use of your brand over others (increased loyalty or increased share of requirements) or buy for the first time.  It’s this last group that some people are now calling the “Movable Middle”, but what we refer to as the “Persuadables℠”.

The genesis of the thinking was that…  The nucleus of a brand’s franchise are the consumers who are loyal to it – but every brand also has a proportion of consumers who are “Persuadable”.

 And in order to bring about favorable sales results, the advertiser must accomplish two main objectives: 

1)  ATTRACT new buyers

2)  RETAIN possible defectors

Now, identifying who to ATTRACT and RETAIN is one thing – activating them is another.  Some people refer to this group as the “Movable Middle”; identify them using a traditional type of segmentation analysis, heavy on demographics, and then use that segmentation to target media buys.

While identifying and targeting is a good start, it doesn’t provide the most effective framework because it leaves out the most important piece.

At MSW, we do it different and better.  Our framework for a truly actionable and effective process is four-steps:

Yes, we identify and enable targeting of media buys, but we also inform our clients “HOW” to Persuade (or Move) this target – what messaging will have a positive impact on sales.

Including the “HOW” comes from our heritage in advertising and communications research –research centered on “HOW” to persuade these “Persuadables” to buy or buy more of your brand.

How we do it; Step 1, Identify Persuadables℠.

We have two techniques that we use in combination to identify the Persaudables℠.

• We don’t define the Persaudables℠ as others do, as consumers with a 20-80% probability of choosing your brand, as the result of purchase interest question. Purchase Interest, by itself,  is actually one of the least accurate ways of predicting brand choice.  MSW’s CC Brand Preference is the most proven and sales validated measure available to predict brand choice.
• We combine our proven and sales validated CC Brand Preference™ and our Brand Franchise Analysis™ to more accurately identify and segment consumers relationship with, and likelihood to purchase your brand.

How we do it; Step 2, Identify HOW to Persuade Them.

• Then we use our Persuasion Driver Analysis™ to inform HOW to move the Persaudables℠.

How we do it; Step 3, Test Messaging.

• Testing messaging and communications to ensure ad impact on future sales volume and market share.Messaging and Creative is the one thing that has the most impact on both short-term sales lift and long-term brand equity.
• MSW’s suite of advertising assessment and creative guidance tools used to test messaging and ensure impact on Persuadables.

How we do it; Step 4, Target Media.

• And finally, targeting the Persaudables℠ using the segmentation analysis completes the process. While MSW Research is not a media buyer, we do provide our clients’ buyers with segments, definitions, targeting and everything they need to effectively execute and buy.

Some final thoughts…

• Roughly 1/2 of category users are Persuadables℠
• 2/3rds of new penetration comes from Persuadables℠
• Only 1/3 of new penetration comes from all other segments
• Persuadables℠ are twice as important as all other segments; as they deliver 2/3rds of new penetration

In What MSW Research Products/Services is this Persuadables℠ Segmentation Analysis available?

We offer the Persuadables℠ Segmentation Analysis throughout the communication development process.

1. It is available in early stage Foundation & Purpose research as part of our Brandscape℠ product which is a category and brand equity analysis that deconstructs equity into base pillars for marketing planning. It is the first step in our communications development process that includes rational and emotional measurement that’s hard-linked within our brand equity improvement paradigm.

We build the Persuadables℠ Segmentation Analysis into Brandscape as an integrated analysis to understand your brand’s position relative to direct and indirect competitors, as well as your place with regard to mission, vision, core values, niche markets, strengths and weaknesses.

Identify the strongest brand claims/benefits to find those which are worthy of building communications around.

Determine if you have the opportunity to leverage and/or increase existing brand equity by extending or spinning-off your brand.

Explore the interaction between a brand and it’s customers over the duration of the relationship.

Understand your customers’ state of mind, complete experience and interaction with every brand touch point they encounter from awareness and need generation to usage and loyalty.

2. It is available in Screening & Development research as part of all our Early-Stage Message Screening (Sifter™) and Copy Testing (TouchPoint™) products.

Again, we build the Persuadables℠ Segmentation Analysis into these products as a fully integrated analysis to bolster the actionability of the outputs – insuring in-market impact.

3. And finally Persuadables℠ Segmentation Analysis is built into our tracking services as a fully integrated analysis to; a) confirm that historical communications strategies are on target and performing as predicted and, b) be viewed as a leading indicator to guide future decision making with regard to messaging and targeting. 

​Contact us today to discuss identifying and activating your Persuadables℠ with one our senior executives.