““how is it that almost all research is conducted in the test environment? It would seem to me that we would have some interest in the user environment, especially if there is a substantial difference in the assessment under the two perspectives. We don’t, after all, sell to the world’s testers but to users. It is they who dictate a brand’s success or failure. Actually, I like using both the tester and the user environment when assessing a brand’s potential. I generally prefer to use testers in the upstream research and, as I get closer to market, I use the user perspective. I have found that very few companies use the latter when assessing a brand’s potential. Why? I think that few companies realize that two perspectives exist. Among those who do, many don’t use the users because few field services offer both options, and it is perceived to be difficult and expensive””
