Before and after completing a Topic Exploration for Revlon, we sat down with their Manager of Consumer Insights, Joycelyn Chen, to better understand the value of the the solution from an outside perspective. The following interview details some of this information, and we hope this can be helpful for those looking to learn more about Topic Explorer.
Q: What type of topic did you choose to explore using Topic Explorer?
Answer: “One of our brands has been going through this brand repositioning project, so it was really important for us to explore how consumers feel about this topic we’re really interested in owning.”
Q: Why was understanding this topic on a deeper, more emotional level important for Revlon?
Answer: “We wanted to dive deeper into this topic because it’s an area that we think our brand can really own the conversation in. We wanted to be able to use whatever insights we got to brief the agencies that we’re working with. When they do their brand repositioning work for us we want these insights to inspire some of those different creative directions”
Q: Topic Explorer pairs behavioral science with Convo, our conversational AI interviewer, to deliver insights that spark action. Have you had a chance to try Convo yet?
Answer: “Yeah. Before even diving into this project, I got to do a little demo preview of it. I thought it was a really great way to tease out things that I wouldn’t necessarily be able to using standard research methods. It asked really insightful questions and had really good follow-ups that extracted interesting insights from me. It was a much different method than what I had seen out in the market.”
Q: How does it compare to other research tools you’ve seen in the past?
Answer: “So far, I’ve mostly seen chat conversational tools… while they are pretty good at asking follow-up questions, I think the fact that Protobrand has that conversational aspect—you actually speak into it as opposed to typing it out—allows the respondents to be a bit more organic with the way they want to share their stories or memories. So I think it is able to extract better information from consumers. That was the differentiator that I saw.”
Q: Why did Topic Explorer feel like the right fit for this research?
Answer: “I think the quick turnaround is always really appreciated because this was a project that came to our research team very last minute, and so being able to have results within just a week was amazing and a huge unlock because we’re always in a rush… it really helps when we’re a really agile and fast type of company.”
Q: How do you plan to use the results of the behavioral science-based study?
Answer: “I’m interested to see what the different elements within that topic are and why the consumers care about it… I’m hoping we can get a bit more distilled with some of the key areas within that broader topic, and have a more relevant connection with as a brand.”
Q: What were the most surprising or insightful findings from your Topic Explorer study?
Answer: “What stood out to me was how in-depth the insights were, just from a simple five-minute conversation with the AI tool… I was also surprised to see how vulnerable some of the respondents got, sharing really personal things that I don’t think a traditional methodology would be able to tease out. It was really cool to see how much it was able to gather from participants.”
Q: How did the findings from Topic Explorer compare to what you’ve seen from other research methods?
Answer: “Other methods are more rigid… you usually have to do a preset set of questions. But this kind of balances the two: it gives us the speed we want from quant but the rich insights we want from qual. And we were able to get all this information in under two weeks.”
Q: How did using Convo enhance the quality or depth of insights?
Answer: “It mimics a natural conversation, you naturally get respondents to talk more in-depth and dig deeper… One participant shared something very personal and super vulnerable— ironically, I don’t know if they would have shared as much with an actual person. It was cool to see that kind of insight come out of using this AI tool.”
Q: What was your experience with the speed and efficiency of Topic Explorer?
Answer: “I was really satisfied with it. From the kickoff call to actually getting the results back, the overall turnaround time was fantastic… I couldn’t be happier with the timeline of it.”
Q: How did the behavioral science aspect of Topic Explorer add value to your understanding of the topic?
Answer: “The question your team provided to start the conversation was intentionally broad but just targeted enough… it allowed people to really open up and draw from deeper memories and more emotional associations that are a little harder to tease out with traditional methods.”
Q: In what ways have you already used, or plan to use, the insights from this study within Revlon?
Answer: “We already shared the results with our brand teams… it got their minds jogging and is inspiring them to think about brand repositioning in a different way. It might also help the creative agency with executional ideas too.”
Q: Would you recommend Topic Explorer to other teams or companies?
Answer: “I would recommend it […], especially if they’re not getting inspired by their rudimentary research. I think it helps to really understand the mental model and thinking of their audience…”
Q: What would you say to someone considering Topic Explorer but unsure if it will deliver actionable insights?
Answer: “The sample size is large enough—we’re speaking to 200 people… it does have statistical significance, and the level of depth companies need is something you’re able to get from this research. You can gain insights that are really different from a typical survey.”
Q: Can you share how the final deliverables helped bring clarity to your decision-making process?
Answer: “The summary page of the five top subtopics and their salience was super helpful… It helps us understand what most of our target audience is thinking about within this topic and allows us to prioritize which could have a broader reach. The AI summary part helped summarize and consolidate all the findings into one statement or proposition.”
Q: Summarize your overall experience with Topic Explorer in a sentence or two.
Answer: “Overall, I was really happy with the experience… It was really insightful and provided fast qualitative results for us.”
While we won’t reveal the specific topic that Revlon studied, our team loved diving into this interesting use of our newest solution pillar and the nuanced themes that emerged among 200 general population respondents. If your brand wants to own a certain topic, concept, or construct, but aren’t sure how it may be received by consumers, you can learn more about Topic Explorer here. Special thanks to Joycelyn and team for the feedback!
Interested in learning more about Topic Explorer or our AI + Behavioral Science approach? Book a demo today to learn more.
