Exploratory Research Reinforces Performance Advantages; Results Convert Top 25 Home Builders!
Exploratory Research
Investigated damage that occurs during construction ( ˜27,000 bath/shower installations) and how builders track damage rates and repair costs; assessed damage rates/costs associated with competitive products; recommended tools for sales force to sell product advantages to builders; created series of product concepts to reduce/ eliminate damage during construction.
“M Force team provided us with invaluable, actionable information that ultimately allowed us to displace a significant number of competitors with the nation's leading builders and generate incremental revenue and profit. The information, study, research, and analysis provided by them was precise, effective, timely, and actionable. Their personnel are of the highest caliber—they are intelligent, creative, analytical, practical, and knowledgeable about our industry.”
Wally Schwartz
Director—Sales, Builder Channel
Kohler Company, Plumbing Americas
Concept to Commercialization
Development Extends Brand into
New Phase of End User Experience!
Design Development
Provided turnkey development for new line of surface preparation tools, including program management, concept exploration, concept refinement, engineering development, prototyping and testing; conducted upfront market assessment; created all marketing and sales materials required for market launch.
“M Force was instrumental in driving the development of a new line of surface preparation tools for the Purdy brand. Despite this being a competitive category, the team was diligent in developing a high-quality competitive product that was widely accepted in end-user testing. As a result of these tests, the full line was successfully launched nationwide beginning in 2008. The individuals that make up M Force provide a wealth of knowledge and experience in the areas of research, design and implementation. They embrace the products and people they are working for and provide a professional, yet friendly, approach. I would highly recommend their services to any marketing or brand professional looking to form a strategic partnership to grow their business.”
Tom Hatcher
Former Senior Brand Manager
Purdy Brand
The Sherwin-Williams Company
Validation Research Maps Out ‘Real World’ Construction Environments; Provides Strong Direction for Future New Product Development Efforts!
Validation Research
Studied installation process in variety of “real world” construction environments and from perspective of various tradesmen; gauged interest and acceptance of new product concepts; completed time and cost evaluation to quantify installation benefits associated with concepts.
“I feel fortunate to have known the principals of
M Force for 10 years, first as work colleagues and then as consultants on a number of new product development exploratory and validation research initiatives. We hired them as consultants because they really understood our 'professional' customers—builders, remodelers, plumbers and other trades—better than most firms.
For each project, they customized their research methodology to meet our needs. They assembled multi-disciplinary teams for the in-field research, with experienced and passionate individuals representing marketing, sales, design, and engineering backgrounds. With each project, they excelled and delivered results which we were able to use immediately to either determine which concepts to develop or refine those further along in the process.
On this particular project, I remember the final report titled 'installation variability'. The findings helped us validate certain product concepts in development. The findings also aided our development of future products. We were so impressed with this body of work, that we had them come back and present to a large group of people involved in new product development at Kohler.
I look forward to my future NPD projects with the M Force team. I highly recommend them to other companies."
Raul Paredes
Former Design Manager
Bathing and Showering Products
Kohler Company, Plumbing Americas
Currently Manager Innovation &
Product Development
Owens-Illinois, North America
Integrated Launch Planning and
Execution Prove Valuable in
Successful Launch of 7 New
Product Platforms!
New Product Launch
Provided comprehensive launch plan for 7 new product platforms; managed development of updated brand look and feel; developed literature, advertisements, direct mail and launch kit components; created in-store merchandising; and designed menu of consumer/customer promotions.
“As we were preparing for a major new product launch effort for the Swingline brand, we searched for a company that could provide integrated new product launch planning and execution support.
M Force was our 1st choice. They had extensive experience in planning and executing new product and brand launches – both from the agency side
as well as from within corporate marketing environments. They had also developed a thorough understanding of our products and channels, having worked closely with our team on 20+ past channel, product and brand marketing initiatives. The outcomes associated with this launch effort clearly exceeded our expectations. As a result, M Force continued to serve as an extended member of our marketing team and for other ACCO business units over a 6-1/2 year period.
If you need external resources in the product, channel or brand areas, I would highly recommend the M Force team. You can insert them at any stage of the development process and they will deliver. They will assemble a very capable and experienced team of individuals, and work closely with you to help you meet your objectives.”
Jeff Ackerberg
Former President
Workspace Tools Division
ACCO Brands
