Old product development

OPD focuses on the improvement of products that are already in circulation. Incremental changes that *hopefully* make the product better.

Many big brands are now using Watch Me Think to see how their current portfolio of products are being used in home. They’re doing this because they want to see what problems customers are running into. We’ve all cursed at the ready meals plastic seal tearing into 50 pieces before we eventually get it off the pack, the excessive packaging used on a product, or just shouted ‘why’ at the ceiling as we open a pack of something and the pack rips and half the contents end up on the floor.

Here’s an example of what we provide: I challenge you to watch this video (yes she is doing that with a knife) without wincing – just imagine how the brand manager felt!

In addition our clients what to see what changes the customer makes to the products when they get home. Do they get rid of all the packaging and store it another way, how do they reseal the pack, have they adapted how they can use a product. Consumers have lots of different ways of doing things, all of which are interesting to our clients.

Another example: A simple task of feeding the cat becomes extremely interesting when the packaging adaption that is used becomes clear.

Watch Me Think videos made by those consumers are showing exactly that. Clues as to how people use the current product enabling them to adapt and change the current product and make the old product a better product.

It’s fascinating to see the reactions of brands as they see how their customers are using their products in their natural environment. As one of our clients said, ‘watching our customers is a bit like getting foil stuck in your teeth!’.

So it’s uncomfortable, but if they now know about it, at least they can do something about it.