LBG’s clinical expertise enabled a client to launch a line of companion animal products that was “clinically tested.”
Challenge:
A large global manufacturer of companion animal over-the-counter products was in the process of developing and marketing a new line of “clinically tested” products and needed review by a third-party veterinarian with clinical expertise in the areas in which they were developing the products. They needed to get their products into the hands of veterinarians and clients in a timely manner and to understand what veterinarians and pet parents were seeking from these products.
The client wanted a single vendor to help design the product evaluation questionnaire and find veterinarians, clients, and pets to use their new products in a “field setting.” This required expertise and a proven ability to conduct this type of market research and coordinate it with a list of appropriate contacts from one service provider. The challenge was unique to this new product line since the client truly wanted to develop a line of products that had been in the hands of veterinarians and was therefore “clinically tested.”
Solution:
LBG worked with the client to ensure that appropriate veterinarians and clients/pets were identified to conduct the product testing—making sure that the people using the products knew that their feedback was important and conveyed to the client in an organized and timely manner. We placed the products in the field, regularly followed up with the product testers, collated all of their responses, and shared them with the client.
We began reporting results to the client within 30 days of project initiation, allowing the client the ability to implement changes in their product line immediately in order to improve it prior to launch. These small changes ensured that their products were not only backed by veterinarians but were also user-friendly for pet parents.
Results and Impact:
The feedback from the organized outreach for product testing achieved the client’s goals of obtaining real world data and feedback from the end user. They were then able to make slight modifications to ensure that the products met the expectations of veterinarians and clients. As a result of our assistance, the client was able to develop additional user-friendly products that provided a competitive advantage in a crowded marketplace. In addition, the outreach provided an introduction to marketplaces that were previously unaware of the client’s products. Ultimately, they were highly satisfied with the feedback and its timeliness, which allowed product line changes during pre-production to ensure that the product met the needs of its end users.
