Product A or B? Consulting young children

Our Client

A global food company

The task

To assess the relative appeal to children (aged 6 – 12) of an existing sweet corn product and a potential new product that was cheaper to produce.

What we did

Given the age of the children, it was particularly important that the research experience was fun, intuitive and easy. So we interviewed via computer terminals in internet cafés, and used highly visual avatar-based Metaphorix® questions that the children could respond to intuitively.

Each child chose whether to test the two products hot or cold.

What we learnt

When the two products were tasted hot, the existing product was judged to taste sweeter, a key parameter. Given that the majority of sweetcorn eaten by children is served hot, the research identified the level of risk associated with switching that would need to be weighed carefully against potential cost savings.