BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–While it is no surprise that the iPad secured the number one spot as the Most Memorable New Product Launch of 2010, a host of equally interesting product introductions garnered consumer attention in this year’s Most Memorable New Product Launch survey. Technology products took five spots, with the Windows 7 coming in a close second to the iPad and compensating for the failure of Vista in 2007. Rounding out the tech trend were Motorola Droid (#4), iPod Nano (#6) and Samsung 3DTV (#8). Quick, low cost breaks were also a theme, with consumers remembering small indulgences in the form of small but tasty impulse purchases like Pretzel M&Ms (#3), McDonald’s Smoothies (#5), and Starbucks VIA instant coffee (#7).
“The results show that an integrated marketing campaign has the highest impact on new product recall, but for companies that don’t have large budgets, we’ve found that a mix of public relations and grassroots tactics such as sampling and couponing can produce the biggest bang for your buck.”
As always, a few innovative and nontraditional product offerings made memorable impressions, with Huggies Jeans Diapers (#9), Kleenex Hand Towels (Tied #10) and the KFC Double Down Sandwich (Tied #10) rounding out the list.
“Every year the Most Memorable New Product Launch survey teaches us about where our culture is headed.” says Julie Hall, Executive Vice President of Schneider Associates. “From the app-revolution evident in the iPad and Droid, to 3D televisions to tiny touch screen devices like the Nano– consumers respond to and love what’s ‘next and new’ in technology.”
In what may be a sign of an uptick in consumerism, Americans paid more attention to new product launches this year, as only 45 percent could not recall a single new product launch from memory – compared to 51 percent in 2009 and 69 percent in 2008. The last time that consumers had such a high level of recall was 2007, when the Apple iPhone and Microsoft Vista topped the list–a fitting comparison to Apple’s and Microsoft’s 2010 finish.
Consumers say “more media, please.” The survey shows that on average, consumers look for 5.62 sources of information about new products, up from 4.89 in 2009, while 18-34 year-olds are seeking out 6.56 sources. Seniors are also seeking more sources of information, up to 4.83 sources from 3.74 in 2009.
Even though television perennially ranks as the #1 source of new product information, paid media does not rank highly when it comes to influencing consumer purchase. People rated free samples (86 percent), receiving a coupon (82 percent) recommendations from friends and family (82 percent) and coupons (82 percent) as highly influential. This year, couponing showed a significant spike of 10 percent over 2009, up from 72 percent.
“This year, we’re excited about the findings that come from a first-ever ‘deep dive’ into the consumer subconscious,” says Aaron Reid, Ph.D., chief behavioral scientist at Sentient Decision Science and the lead researcher behind the MMNPL Survey. “The results show that an integrated marketing campaign has the highest impact on new product recall, but for companies that don’t have large budgets, we’ve found that a mix of public relations and grassroots tactics such as sampling and couponing can produce the biggest bang for your buck.”
John McIndoe, senior vice president of marketing at the SymphonyIRI Group, a world leading consumer packaged goods insights consultancy, adds “Every year the MMNPL Survey shows us how product innovation and creative marketing are so important to the ultimate success of a product. Breaking through to capture mind share can be as simple an idea as Huggies putting a designer jean print on a baby diaper or Mars putting a pretzel inside an M&M.”
The online MMNPL survey, conducted by Schneider Associates, Sentient Decision Science and Symphony IRI Group during October of 2010, polled a national, census-balanced sample of consumers age 18 and up, and uncovered data related to awareness of new consumer product launches, influential trends, media usage, and purchasing behavior. This is the ninth consecutive year that the Most Memorable New Product Launch survey has been conducted.
For more information on the survey, or to learn more about the results, visit www.mmnpl.com
About Schneider Associates
Schneider Associates is an integrated marketing communications and public relations agency that launches and sustains products, services, companies and communities. www.schneiderpr.com
Sentient Decision Science, LLC is a full service market research and consulting firm. The firm was founded by Aaron Reid, Ph.D. in 2007 in response to a need for more advanced, practical and precise research methods in the market research industry. www.sentientdecisionscience.com
The SymphonyIRI Group is a global leader in providing consumer, shopper, and retail market intelligence and insights supporting 95 percent of the FORTUNE Global 500 consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail and healthcare companies. www.symphonyiri.com
