How to test images, messages, packaging, and product concepts with surveys

Did you know that surveys are an effective, cost-efficient way to test design concepts including ad messaging, logos, packaging mock-ups, and product concepts?

It’s true! A concept testing survey helps you gather valuable feedback about an idea before you launch it. You can test any marketing idea, from logos to messages to new product concepts, with a survey.

Let’s say, for example, you’re trying to decide between a couple of package designs for your product—and you want to figure out which one would really move the needle for your business.

Package A has your logo and a picture of the product—and Package B just has your logo. Which will perform better with consumers?

Here’s how you could use a concept test survey to do your research to find the best packaging concept:

Write down the goal for your research. In other words, what decision do you want to make? In this case, your goal could be something like, “I want to know which package design resonates most with consumers.”

What do you think the outcome will be…and why? Write down your hypothesis (predicted outcome) first. Your hypothesis helps guide your question-writing. What do we mean by this?

For example, your hypothesis could be, “The package design with both a picture of the product and the logo will outperform a package with just our company logo because consumers 1) recognize and trust our brand but 2) want to see what they’re getting.”

Now you have guidance for which questions you should be asking—the hypothesis forces you to consider the factors that drive your success (e.g., brand loyalty, trust, transparency) and guides you to ask the right questions.

For a packaging concept test to be successful, go back to your original goal to think about the questions you want to ask.

Speaking of memory, remember you can also ask customers why they responded a certain way. In other words, why is the design with the product image more appealing than just the logo? Is it because customers want to see it before they pick the box up off the shelf? Does it help them make a purchase decision more quickly?

Are you targeting a specific demographic (e.g. 18-24 year olds, moms, etc.)? Or maybe you want to reach your competitor’s customers? Sourcing respondents for your survey can be tricky. That’s why we built SurveyMonkey Audience, home to our community of more than 3.5 million people to help you reach the exact people to provide you the answers you need.

You sent the survey: Great! Now what?

Depending on who completed the survey, you may want to review insights in aggregate or by segment (e.g., age, gender, etc). In many cases, segmentation can drastically affect what you uncover from seemingly ordinary data.

This can help you understand how different target demographics respond to your packaging design—and can inform which decisions you ultimately make about developing new product packaging.

For example, when looking at your data in aggregate, it might appear that Concept A was the most appealing. But when you segment the data, you might discover that Concept B was significantly more popular with 18-24 year olds than older demographics. Therefore, you likely want to use Concept B packaging in stores frequented by young adults.

Survey data analysis takes time and careful consideration. Here’s a handy guide to analyzing survey data:

Once you have your initial results, you may have even more questions. Your initial results showed that customers prefer the version with the product image, but how big should the image be? Should you show additional product shots on the sides or back of the package? How prominent should the logo be? Before you make a final packaging decision, be sure you have asked and answered all of your questions.

Generally, you need to consider many factors, including weighting segments against one another, when performing concept testing data analysis. Here’s how you can run your own concept test on paid advertisements.

Want help running your concept testing survey? SurveyMonkey Audience can create, send, and analyze your survey results for you—or just find you the right people to get you the results you need.