How strongly is Thuisbezorgd.nl anchored in the minds of consumers?

Blauw examined which "moments" in the lives of Dutch, German and Polish consumers TakeAway can capitalize on to create more awareness. These moments or situations translate into Category Entry Points in the research. By getting a better sense of the context and thus the moments and situations that are triggers to the category in which TakeAway operates, the mental availability of the brand can be worked on. An important basis for growth of the brand.

Mental availability research

Previously, Blauw researched "brand awareness" using the traditional Brand Funnel method. For about 5 years, however, Blauw has been working with a research method it developed itself based on recent behavior, knowledge from How Brands Grow and implicit measurement tools. This new method not only yields interesting results about the actual, context-driven familiarity of brands, or "mental availability. The method also enables insights around brand positioning within different markets.

Mental availability stands for: to what extent the brand is present and embedded in the consumer brain during certain moments and in the perceptual perception of brand elements such as the logo or, for example, colors of the brand. In applying How Brands Grow, we use Category Entry Points (CEPs) and Distinctive Brand Assets (DBAs) to measure the mental availability of brands. For this study, CEPs were particularly important: the moments when TakeAway should want to be mentally present in consumers' minds.

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Research method: focus groups, questionnaire, workshop sessions

Blauw investigated the mental availability of TakeAway in the Netherlands, Poland and Germany. The first step was to organize live focus groups in the three countries. We then organized a workshop in which TakeAway itself selected the final CEPs. The next step was a quantitative study in which a questionnaire was sent to 500 respondents (per country). Finally, Blauw presented all results to TakeAway and during a workshop session we discussed all possible action points.

Step 1: Focus group trainings, live local surveys

First, Blauw organized three live focus groups with Dutch consumers. These focus groups each consisted of 6 participants. The participants were selected from various target groups, from people who have food delivered regularly to people who have not ordered a single meal in the past year. The interviews went well and the prepared interview guide ensured that the right insights came to the surface. For the next step, we contacted research agencies in Poland and Germany. They conducted the focus groups in the countries in question. Blauw gave a number of training sessions in advance to a designated researcher at each research firm so that this expert could set up, lead and moderate the focus groups effectively. In the process, the researchers received an output format so that they could easily process the results of the focus groups.

Step 2: Focus groups, Memory of the consumer

A total of 3 different focus groups were organized in all 3 countries. In each focus group there were 6 people with very different profiles: from highly educated to less educated and ages from young to old. These participants were collected through a recruitment partner. The consumers did not initially know what they would be talking about. The researchers struck up a conversation with the participants about dinner:

• How do you decide what to eat?
• What are the steps or thoughts about it throughout the day?
• What are you running into?
• What about lunch?

For many Dutch people, it was important to eat hot in the evening, but in other markets where TakeAway operates, this is not always a given. We went through the entire decision-making process in the category. In addition, we traced the spontaneous associative network of the category in the consumer's memory.

• What does this network look like?
• What position does TakeAway take in this?

Using all the results and insights, Blauw was finally able to compile a list of possible CEPs and brand associations.

Step 3: Workshop, Choose Category Entry Points (CEPs).

The next step in the research was: a workshop. Blauw organized a workshop with TakeAway employees to choose the right CEPs for quantification together from the huge long-list. Which CEP domains did TakeAway want to measure and map among a larger group of respondents? Blauw had all employees present from the Netherlands (and employees from Poland and Germany via an online video link) perform all kinds of assignments in order to learn to make the right estimations in choosing the CEPs. The goal of the workshop was, on the one hand, to share the insights from the first phase of the research and, on the other hand, to jointly make choices for the next phase. In addition, TakeAway got a better sense of the brand's mental position in the consumer's brain.

Step 4: Quantitative research: questionnaire

The fourth step was: a quantitative survey. Using the How Brands Grow methodology, including the CEPs and brand associations chosen during the workshop, Blauw prepared a questionnaire. We had this questionnaire translated into Polish and German. In all three countries, 500 respondents completed the questionnaire. These respondents consisted of a general public aged 16 and older and ranged from people who regularly order food online to those who never order food through digital means. Using implicit measurement tools, we examined the extent to which certain moments (the CEPs) are unconsciously linked to TakeAway in the respective countries, or to a competitor brand. Based on the results, we read which CEP domains emerged strongly with TakeAway and which less so. Where competition is lurking or where growth opportunities are possible.

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