METHODOLOGIES

Inundation/Deprivation™ experience –

beyond words and into the heart of consumer Perceptions

Are you perplexed about a consumer behavior or attitude? Is your typical research protocol not uncovering the reasons for declining sales or a shift in purchasing patterns? Do you need rich consumer language for advertising, or ideas to create an emotional connection with your consumers?

Sounding House’s Inundation/Deprivation™ experience, pioneered in 1997, uncovers deep and often latent feelings and attitudes that are virtually impossible to elicit in the typical discussion-format qualitative research.  

  • Exposes product and brand truths
  • Uncovers the tangible and intangible benefits of a particular product, brand or service
  • Reveals rich language about product meaning and value

For heavy users of your products and services, Inundation/Deprivation™ allows you to capture the experience of loyal customers who temporarily do without the products and services they love. When used with current non-users, it provides you with a unique opportunity to hear the responses of  non-consumers by immersing them in your products or services.

How Inundation/Deprivation™ Works

The Inundation/Deprivation™ experience is a three-phase process. Phase One is conducted as a discussion with a moderator, and is an in-depth exploration of current perceptions, attitudes and behaviors. Respondents are given instructions for how they are to use/not use a specific product or service, as well as how to enter their experiences in a diary. Phase Two takes place over a two to three week period.  Respondents experience two weeks of use or non use, and record their experiences in a diary.  In Phase Three, after their period of inundation or deprivation, respondents participate in a discussion with the moderator to explore their experiences. The deprivation groups explore fully what they missed, when they missed it and what strategies or products they used as substitutes. In the inundation groups participants share their first-hand experiences with the product, brand or service.

Some of the top companies in markets such as greetings/social expressions, frozen chicken, dessert products and teas have used Inundation/Deprivation to get to the heart of their sales and advertising questions. 

what do you need to know?

Contact us and we’ll be pleased to tell you more.

sounding house 4200 somerset drive, suite 200 • prairie village, ks 66208 • 913.236.4775