Stage Two: Quantifying the Influence of the Senses
In some respects this was the most challenging phase of the research. We now wanted to prove that the memory of a brand's sensory associations led to a higher intent to buy the brand.
To do so, we created and tested a unique, online questionnaire, as described in Chapter 6. In conjunction with our sister company, Lightspeed Research, we interviewed over 2,000 people in the U.S., UK, and Japan. They provided feedback on their sensory associations, imagery and purchase intent for 18 brands and much more.
We then used a statistical methodology called Structural Equation Modeling to test hypotheses (from Stage One) on how the senses might affect brand loyalty. Several models based on the varying hypotheses of how the variables interrelate were developed for the same set of data. Each model was then evaluated by a combination of diagnostics associated with its individual paths as well as an overall Goodness of Fit Index. The one with the best overall fit and intuitively sensible paths was chosen as the best representation of reality.
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