As Vance stated previously on LinkedIn, Syracuse gets a lot of publicity for its winter weather and college basketball, but it also has a long history of being one of the best test markets in the U.S. In fact, Syracuse has such a good reputation as a test market, he wrote about it through a prior blog post here and we again wrote about it here.

syracuse test market

Vance and I recently had a comment discussion on LinkedIn about the topic of test markets and whether they were worth it or not? Below is the dialogue from that feed:

George: Many clients veer away from test markets because they are costly and would rather launch the product without further incurring more expense. I also think there is some fear about test markets dragging out timelines which can often add months (if not years) to a launch, in addition to the potential of making competitors aware of their efforts. Just curious to know your thoughts on these objections and how you would respond?

Vance: As you mentioned, there are definitely drawbacks to test marketing. I would point out that even marketers that skip formal test marketing still should and usually do conduct some form of concept testing before going forward with a new offering. A lot of the considerations that make an area a good test market will also make it a good place to do concept testing, especially the qualitative stages. So, while it is definitely time-consuming, costly and perhaps tips your hand to competitors to do a full-blown test market, it’s fairly quick, inexpensive and under-the-radar to do a series of focus groups, taste tests or in-home use tests in some markets that are representative of the target.

George: Good points. I agree, it’s not always necessary to do a full-blown test market. You can obtain similar insights that are less expensive, more confidential, and take less time through basic concept testing research.

Are you interested in concept testing or conducting a test market in Syracuse NY? Contact our Business Development Director Sandy Baker at SandyB@RMSresults.com or by calling 1-866-567-5422.