Converting Consumer Insights Into Actionable Results

Converting Consumer Insights
Into Actionable Results
- Breaking through the language
barrier on nutritional
information

Alastair Fairgrieve
Chief Insight Officer - McDonald’s Europe

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NUTRITION INFORMATION PROJECT

• Consumer-driven approach to the provision of
nutrition information on meals eaten away from
home

• Iterative “fast learn” applied research

2


Goal – A nutrition information system

Which - Is informative
- Has nutritional validity
- Is engaging
- Is fun and intuitive
- Non language dependent
- Industry and brand-relevant

Timescale - one year (!)

3


Key thought-partners - NSG

- 2cv research (Consumer Insight)

- The Marketing Store (brand / industry
relevance)

- Boxer (packaging design)

Key enabler: Direct senior management engagement
with project

4


Method: “Rolling Learning” qualitative and quantitative research with
consumers of informal eating out across three major
European marketplaces

Validation in: - USA
- Asia
- Latin America

5

NUTRITION
PROJECT PROCESS
OVERVIEW

6


7


Objectives
• Benchmarking of consumer attitudes to nutrition and balanced diet

• Exploring consumer awareness and understanding of current guidelines

• Examination of current examples of nutrition information

• Examination of proposed FSA nutrition information concepts:

• Examination of new McDonald’s labelling concept (GDA)
8


Phase one: Method and sample

• 24 x 2 hour qualitative discussion groups: 6-8 people
• Consumers of IEO 16-55
• 50/50 male/female
• B, C1, C2, D, E seg
• 50% with children under 12 in household
France UK Spain

4 groups: Paris 4 groups Edinburgh 4 groups Madrid
4 groups Glasgow 4 groups Barcelona
2 groups Manchester
2 groups London

9


Consumer response to nutrition dialogue

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- Dependent upon national food culture

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- Confusion abounds! : Mixed messages!

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- Confusion abounds! : Mixed messages!

- Language of science / consumer needs to be resolved

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Nutrition awareness

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Nutrition awareness

• Kcal / cal. is the anchor of consumer’s understanding

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Nutrition awareness

• Kcal / cal. is the anchor of consumer’s understanding

• Most aware: Women
Mothers
Age group 21-35
Consumers with dietary issues
Younger children
Higher socio-economic groups

16


General consumer benchmarks

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- Calories more = “bad for you”
less = “good for you”
- Fat
- Salt

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less = “good for you”
- Fat
- Salt

Local consumer benchmarks

- France, Spain: balanced diet / Mediterranean diet

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- Fat less = “good for you”
- Salt



- UK: salt, sugar, saturated fat

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- Fat less = “good for you”
- Salt



- UK: salt, sugar, saturated fat

- Spain: vitamins / fibre (+ve) – cholesterol (-ve)

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How consumers balance their diet

• On a 3 main meals per day basis

• “If I have a heavy lunch – I’ll eat less for dinner”

• “For most, food intake appears to be a series of
compensations rather than a pre-planned dietary
regime”

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Conclusion: Nutrition information currently has little
resonance with the consumer

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Conclusion: Nutrition information currently has
little resonance with the consumer

Contributing factors: - Lack of background knowledge
on role of nutrients

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Contributing factors: - Lack of background knowledge on role
of nutrients

- Lack of a consistent framework for
product comparison

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Contributing factors: - Lack of background knowledge on role of
nutrients

- Lack of a consistent framework for product
comparison

- Lack on continuity in approach

- Terminology (cal/kcal/kjoule)
- Market sector
- Manufacturer
- Product
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- Brands


The solution: what did consumers tell us?

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• Consumers agree a more universal solution is
needed

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needed

• Labelling should eliminate the guesswork from
balanced eating in and out of the home

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needed


• Consumers make a distinction between eating in and
out of home

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needed


• Consumers make a distinction between eating in and
out of home

• For most, eating away from home was an occasional
family treat which would be “spoiled” by over
prescriptive or alarmist “tobacco-style” labelling
31


Consumer evaluation of existing nutrition information
concepts and graphics:
Standard nutrition panel

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“Low fat / low salt” labelling

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“Green keyhole”: Sweden

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3 band “traffic light” system (simple traffic light)

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Key nutrients “traffic light” system

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Trial approaches developed by McDonald’s in context of NSG
input and consumer feedback on existing approaches

McDonald’s: roundel version one

Frite Moyenne (Medium fries)

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McDonald’s: Roundel version two

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McDonald’s: roundel version three

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McDonald’s: Roundel version four

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McDonald’s: Nutrition table based on portion size
and RDA/GDA

41


McDonald’s: “Signpost” icons

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McDonald’s: The “bar chart”

43


McDonald’s: Refined “bar chart”

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Conclusion: Move ahead with development and testing of “bar
chart” format

45


Objectives
• Evaluation and further development of bar chart concept
• Checking meaning and relevance of nutrient icons with consumers, staff and stakeholders
• Evaluation of colour choice
• Evaluation of communication mediums and materials

46


Phase two: method and sample

• Qualitative “sense check” on “bar chart” route
• 7 x 1.5 hour qualitative discussion groups
• 4x qualitative paired depth interviews
• Consumers of IEO 17-55
• 50/50 male/female
• B, C1, C2, D, E seg
• 50% with children under 12 in household
Spain UK
3 groups 3 groups Edinburgh
Madrid
2 paired depths 1 group London
2 paired depths London

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Bringing nutrition information to life:
- mediums + materials

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Web/kiosk approach: In restaurant interactive kiosk

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Pilot tests in Scotland and Spain

* Phases one and two of research led to a high
expectation that the “bar chart” and
communication vehicles would have resonance
with the IEO consumer: To assess the
approach further a pilot test of nutrition
information materials was launched in 14
restaurants (Spain & Scotland) between July-
September 2005.
51


Objectives
• Assessment of consumer, staff and opinion formers’ perceptions and responses to he
nutrition information initiative and communication materials

• Fine-tuning of bar chart concept and the supporting communication materials

• Development of a fact-based case for the implementation of a consumer-driven NI
strategy

• Assessment of any potential impact on sales and consumer purchase dynamics

52


Phase three: method and sample

Pre-pilot: Scotland and Spain (June 2005)

• 3 restaurants each country: qualitative depth interviews with
managers and staff
• In restaurants: each country: 370 quantitative interviews
• Stakeholder qualitative in-depth interviews

Post-pilot: Scotland and Spain (Sept/Oct 2005)

• 7 restaurants each country: qualitative depth interviews with
managers and staff
• In restaurant: each country 500 quantitative interviews
• Stakeholder qualitative in depth interviews

53


Quantitative consumer headlines

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Nutrition Information Project


• 60% of respondents thought the initiative a “really good
idea”

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idea”

• 88% of respondents thought initiative a “good idea”

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idea”


• 20% of respondents said the initiative might enable
them to visit more often

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idea”


• 20% of respondents said the initiative might enable them
to visit more often

• 30% respondents said that the initiative might enable
them to make more balanced choices

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• 60% of respondents thought the initiative a “really good idea”


• 20% of respondents said the initiative might enable them to visit
more often

• 30% respondents said that the initiative might enable them to make
more balanced choices

• Consumers with children and those in higher segs showed the most
positive response

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• 60% of respondents thought initiative a “really good
idea”


• Consumers with children and those in higher segs
showed the most positive response

• Consumers claimed that the information may have a
positive effect on behaviour

60



idea”


• Consumers with children and those in higher segs
showed the most positive response

• Consumers claimed that the information may have a
positive effect on behaviour

• Would like to see a similar system adopted at other
IEO places and other sectors

61


Stakeholder / opinion former input

• Initiative well received

• Consumer orientation and engagement helped the credibility and
practicality of the solution

• Staff engagement with the project appreciated

• Suggested more emphasis on pre-purchase signposting

• Suggested extending BMI customisation on web/index facility

• Overall, fun/engaging aspect of approach may well succeed in
building consumer resonance over time

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Other validation

• “Bar chart” nutrition information approach tested with the
consumer in over 300 McDonald’s restaurants outside Europe
- 4 cities in USA
- In Colombia, Latin America
- In Hong Kong, Asia

• Tested nutrient “icons” for cultural and ethnographic sensitivity in
over 100 countries worldwide

• Pilot market versus control group sales impact test in UK, Spain
and USA revealed not to be a sales driver, however reached its
objective to increase awareness in nutrition.

63

PROCESS: PHASE 3 “PILOT TEST”
Testing nutrient icons for cultural sensitivity

• With iconographic and ethnographic experts in 100 countries
worldwide: ENLASO

• Reality check with local representatives in global advertising agency
networks through Leo Burnett, TBWA and DDB International;

• Course-correction in creative route made where necessary;

• Example of “course-correct” feedback.

Fiber Icon Option #2 – This icon generated many negative comments,
primarily centered around associations with “scary” aliens (47 countries).
According to the supplier, this is a relatively rare result in that so many countries
came up with similar associations. Their theory is that “this is the influence of
pop culture spread through the media, because the alien connotation was so
consistently prevalent not just in one area, but in countries representing all parts
of the globe. “ The icon apparently symbolized Greenpeace activity in Russia
and ghosts in the Virgin Islands.

64


Learning: Sales tests in UK, Spain and USA

• During operational pilots (in over 300 restaurants) sales and product-
mix effects were monitored to identify any significant impact of the
presence of nutritional information on business patterns;

• Sales and product-mix movement were monitored against a control
group of comparable size;

• Influence of nutritional labelling (over a three month period) on sales
and product-mix was not uniform, although influence over incidence of
some product categories was more marked than with others.

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Nov 2005, a workshop was organised under auspices of EU Platform on Diet,
Physical Activity and Health: Approach and insight made openly available to
IEO/food industry entities

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GLOBAL LAUNCH OF NII

• Launched 9 February 2006 in Italy in conjunction with the Torino Olympic
games;

• NII is now rolled out in EU 25 (5788 restaurants), Romania and Bulgaria
and 14 other European non-EU markets representing a total of over 6,300
restaurants, reaching in excess of 10 million customers a day;

• In 2006 around 2 billion pieces of NII packaging will be used in European
restaurants (41 countries). In 2007 this figure will increase to
approximately 10 billion pieces;

• By end 2007 over 30,000 restaurants world-wide plan to have rolled out
NII.

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Goal – revisited

A nutrition information system which:

- Is informative
- Has nutritional validity
- Is engaging
- Is fun and intuitive
- Non language dependent
- Industry and brand relevant

We think we’re getting closer!

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Thank you for your time!

Questions?!

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Converting Consumer Insights Into Actionable Results

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