Consumers have difficulty recalling new products published May 2003 Consumers cannot recall many new products, and those that can are less influenced by advertising than might have been expected, according to a new US study on new products launched in 2002. The Harris Interactive/Schneider 2002 Most Memorable New Product Survey polled consumers throughout the US on 25 new products launched in 2002 by companies such as Coca Cola, Pepsi, Heinz, Dockers, Haines and BMW. The findings included: Of 25 major new products only three made a strong memorable impression. When asked to provide three factors that influenced their purchase decision: 46 percent said that advertising influenced purchase 33 percent said they had bought the product because they "found it intriguing/had to have it" 11 percent were influenced by a "recommendation from family/friends" 10 percent "needed the item" One third of respondents could not recall the name of one new product launched in 2002. The sponsors of the study commented that those products that were recalled and were memorable used a diverse mix of integrated marketing tactics in addition to advertising, including public relations, events sampling, coupons, partnerships, promotions and endorsements. Tactics used included: Haines held retirement parties across the US with celebrities asking consumers to retire their old tagged T-shirts. Cool Mint Listerine PocketPaks aggressively sampled their new innovative, convenient product to generate strong word-of-mouth. BMW mounted their tiny Mini Cooper cars atop giant SUVs to drive home the size issue, or lack thereof. The study was a follow-up to a Boston University/Schneider study of 91 companies in 2001 to discover what were the ingredients of a successful product launch.

PR Influences Australian Public Relations Newsletter. Article: Public Relations Research: Consumer recall new products. Information Content: Marketing, Reputation & Research