Situation Overview + Initial Challenge

A major national brand faced a significant operational crisis that affected multiple locations in specific regions nationwide. The situation demanded immediate action as a government announcement was scheduled for release within hours, with anticipated national media coverage. The goal was to rapidly assess and understand consumer trust in the client’s brand as a baseline in the hours before the news was made public, with an emphasis on identifying potential behavior changes among key customer segments. 

By tracking these metrics as the crisis unfolded, CivicScience enabled the client to quickly gauge the severity of the crisis, where and among what segments the issue was gaining traction, and how to allocate resources and communications to address it. In the following days and weeks, our data equipped the client to track the proliferation of the issue, its impact on consumer behavior, and the effectiveness of messaging, communications strategies, and other tactics to support customer retention and advertising focus. 

Response and Methodology

The CivicScience research team demonstrated exceptional agility by implementing a comprehensive consumer study within minutes of the initial request. By launching a series of new questions across our platform and gathering large representative samples in a matter of hours, we could establish a consumer sentiment baseline before the government announcement was made public. As the news broke and proliferated, we were able—in real time—to track how consumer sentiment was shifting, where, and among whom relative to the pre-announcement baseline. 

Key Research Components

Impact Assessment

  • Quantified the percentage of U.S. adult population likely to modify their consumer behavior
  • Identified specific demographic and psychographic profiles of impacted consumers
  • Analyzed potential changes in consumer engagement and purchasing patterns
  • Measured potential loss of core customer base
  • Informed customer retention strategies and spend

Customer Segmentation Analysis

  • Evaluated category participation rates among affected groups
  • Assessed engagement patterns pre-crisis
  • Developed detailed profiles of at-risk customer segments

Strategic Response Testing

  • Targeted survey deployment to reach segments of affected customers

Media and Communication Analysis

  • Measured social media influence on target segments
  • Mapped primary news sources for affected customer groups
  • Evaluated message receptivity across different communication channels

Value Proposition

Speed and Agility

  • One-hour deployment capability
  • Real-time data collection and analysis
  • Rapid insights delivery for crisis management team

Precision Targeting

  • Detailed audience segmentation
  • DMA-level deployment
  • Gen Pop comparison
  • Custom research solutions
  • Actionable insights for specific customer groups

Strategic Communication Testing

  • Message effectiveness evaluation
  • Channel optimization
  • Response strategy refinement

Outcome Metrics

The research enabled the client to:

  • Quantify potential business impact
  • Identify at-risk customer segments
  • Develop targeted recovery strategies
  • Optimize crisis communication approaches
  • Monitor and adjust response effectiveness
  • Inform customer retention strategies and implementation

This case study demonstrates the crucial role of rapid, sophisticated market research in managing major corporate crises and maintaining customer trust and retention. 

CivicScience enables you to use to-the-minute consumer data to get ahead of crises.

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