The Product Effect: a new technique for automotive market research

In competitive markets the appearance of a product is crucial to its success. In the automotive industry, where competition is fierce, market research is customarily conducted as part of new product development. The methods used are predominantly variants of the focus group and the survey questionnaire. A common feature is their focus upon the product per se and how people perceive and evaluate it. An alternative method, and the subject of the research described here, focuses upon the person associated with the product: in other words, the effect the product has upon how people perceive its owner. This method derives from environmental psychology. Termed the 'room effect', it explored the effect the setting had upon perceptions of the person. This method has not until now been applied to products. The research described shows its use with both cars and motorcycles, and in application in Malaysia and Australia. The results indicate a distinct product effect and one subject to both nationality and gender differences.