CASE STUDIES

Post Cereal Business Challenge

Post Cereal needed new products in the children’s cereal market. Concept testing via traditional means produced high top box scores for new concepts, but products failed in the marketplace.

How was Linescale used

Linescale Concept Testing was used to discover which concepts were directly rated higher than current favorites, not just rated highly.  Once Flintstones concept was identified as winning concept, extensive product testing using Linescale both measured product acceptance, but more important, matched product color, taste and texture performance to what was expected of the concept.

Outcome

Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles Cereals have become the mainstays of the Post children’s cereal business year after year, and a recognized leading brand. First licensed established media character used as the fundamental concept of a children's cereal product.

Underoos Children’s Underwear Business Challenge

Entrepreneur’s goal to create a breakthrough concept in children’s underwear.

How was Linescale used 

Linescale Concepts and Product Prototypes R&D testing directly against alternatives revealed high interest Superhero costume designs.

Outcome

Fruit of the Loom purchased entrepreneur’s business. First successful use of licensing in Children’s Underwear category. Underoos sales hundreds of millions. Created the licensed underwear category.

Jenny Craig Business Challenge

Venture Capitalists bought Jenny Craig, a failing business, for $65 million. Customers continued to abandon program at unacceptable rates.

How was Linescale used 

Linescale brought in as R&D Consultant. Customer Satisfaction studies found program worked, but was seen as very expensive, particularly cost of food. Concept Testing guided development of program where tenure and weight loss success was rewarded with increasing discounts. Linescale Staff Morale testing showed renewed confidence. Advertising testing revealed spokesperson weakness. Storyboard and rough video testing produced breakthrough Ad scores.

Outcome

Business turned around from unprofitability to $40 million plus earnings. VC group sold business to Nestlé for $850 million.

Priceline.com  Business Challenge  

High trial and low follow-through by many initial triers caused poor leverage of marketing expenditures and negative word of mouth.

How Linescale was used  

Linescale brought in as R&D Consultant. Dissatisfaction stemmed from first time customers trying out system with “fantasy” bids on desired flights which were rejected. Rebidding was disallowed by airlines without change in date or destination.

Outcome

Linescale pointed to development of Artificial Intelligence bid pre-submission evaluation to warn of likely rejection unless bid raised. Customers raised bids until bid had reasonable likelihood of acceptance. Priceline survived and prospered.

Citibank Business Challenge

In late 1970’s consumer banking was hampered by long teller lines and high operations costs. Early commercial ATM’s rejected by bank customers as intimidating and anxiety-provoking.
 

How was Linescale used 

Citibank Linescale Lab set up in New York City and around the world for iterative user experience R&D for both hardware and applications for proprietary ATMs and other electronic banking. Linescale Customer Satisfaction, Concept and Product Prototype Testing guided global Citibank development of proprietary ATM’s, proprietary 24-hour vestibules with multiple ATMs, integrated banking products, home banking, integrated accounts with cash, information, bill payment, credit cards, deposits, borrowing and securities purchase, sale and borrowing on ATMs and other electronic media. Linescale system used by Citibank during ten year creation and development of Citibank Global Consumer Bank.

Outcome

Citibank Global Consumer Bank went from negative profitability to $3B annual profitability.

U.S. Postal Service Business Challenge

USPS experienced repeated failure to introduce low cost self-service kiosks and web postal products due to complexity of products.
 

How was Linescale used 

Operating as Acme Consulting, Linescale R&D User Experience Lab performed iterative R&D Concept, Application Prototype, Customer Experience and Customer Satisfaction testing to design and develop successful Automated Postal Centers, Online Postal Information and application design for touch-screen teller terminals.

Outcome

Automated Postal Centers lower service costs. Simplification allowed for online consumer purchase and printing of postage paid labels. New generation of touch screen point of sale terminals manufactured by IBM and NCR run teller and consumer applications designed by Acme/Linescale.

Natural Marketing Institute Business Challenge

NMI is the leading advocate of natural foods, and has a highly successful syndicated research business among leading food companies. The challenge was to come up with a ground-breaking concept testing and product development system that could let their clients directly act on NMIs segmentation breakthroughs.

How was Linescale used

The Linescale system is private labeled as the NMI “LENS” system to deliver product, concept and communications development testing compatible with NMI’s insightful segmentation.

Outcome

NMI is able to deepen their client relationships by carrying forward projects beyond market understanding stages. This has increased NMI scope, depth and profitability.