Have you ever been burned by a survey?
It happens a lot. Brands survey customers about a new product they’re working on. Customers say they love it. The new product launches.
But, after the launch, sales are anemic. No amount of marketing moves the needle. The product is a flop, probably an expensive one.
That phenomenon—the difference between survey results and what happens in the real world—is called the ‘say vs. do’ gap. People say one thing and do something altogether different.
And it’s not just surveys. It’s the whole category of question-based research: panels, focus groups, discrete choice analysis, customer interviews, and synthetic personas are all about posing questions rather than observing actions and behavior.
--
Bridge the Gap
Real-world experimentation solves a lot of the problems with survey-based research.
Think about it: in a real-world experiment, people encounter something new as they are going about their day. Collecting data about whether and how they engage tells you what people do, not what they say they’re going to do.
Experiments offer an opportunity to compare the impact of different variables on behavior. Is Feature A more important than Feature B? Knowing the answer via experimentation can help prioritize what to emphasize and where to invest.
--
Experiment With Us
Spark No. 9 has provided multivariate experimentation services to B2B and B2C brands for years, primarily by using advertising as a natural medium.
Historically, we’ve worked on a project basis, but we're piloting something new: Lab No. 9 is an Experimentation-as-a-Service platform. It offers a way to runrapid-fire market tests for a flat fee,with minimal set-up on your end.
Agility is the name of the game right now. Trend cycles are shorter. Competitive moves happen faster. The cost of waiting for certainty is high.
As a result, there are new pressures on strategy. In fast-moving markets, strategy isn’t something you finalize.
Lab No. 9 reflects how strategy works now. Lab helps teams constantly calibrate strategy and find new audiences using real-world evidence. New products, brand strategy, positioning—any big move is better with experimentation.