In conjunction with the Better Homes and Gardens Best New Product Awards, Toronto based Brand Spark International surveyed more than 50,000 U.S. consumers on topics such as "recessionary shopping behavior, healthy eating, future spending priorities, private labels versus premium brands, organic and natural foods, environmental accountability, and money-saving strategies.

"We can see the impact of the recent recession on attitudes towards the environment and health-with both losing ground in terms of importance," said Robert Levy, president and CEO of Brand Spark International and founder of the Best New Products Awards, in the press release. "People have made a big shift to eat at home more and as a result are spending more time and money in the grocery store. Finding new products that really deliver is more important than ever, especially with shoppers demanding greater value for money."

The Brand Spark American Shopper Study included questions about individual product appeal, intent to repurchase, consumer confidence level, and expected future spending habits, among other topics.

A few of the winning best new products were: Health and Beauty: Olay Professional Pro-X Wrinkle Protocol. Best in food and beverage category: Yoplaits Smoothie. Best in household care category: Cascade Complete All-in-1 Action Pacs.

A complete list can be found at bestnewproductawards.biz. What are the top five purchase drivers for consumers? In the food and beverage category

The survey also gathered opinions on two other much-discussed topics: green marketing and organic foods.

"Over the past number of years, we have seen environmental accountability grow to be a major concern for American consumers," said Levy. Seventy-seven percent of Americans still feel that companies are exploiting green claims for marketing purposes. Packaging remains a top environmental concern for consumers, with 75 percent believing that manufacturers still have a long way to go to reduce the amount of packaging. Fifty-two percent of Americans feel it's important that a new product is better for the environment.

While interest in organic foods continues, consumers also place a value on foods that are free of artificial flavors or colors. Half of the consumers surveyed believe "It is important that a new product is made from all-natural ingredients" and 37 percent believe "It is more important to me that a product is natural than organic." Levy attributed part of this to consumer skepticism.

Among the consumers who didn't purchase organic products, 39 percent said they "don't trust that all products labeled as organic are actually organic" and "are confused by what the term organic actually guarantees." "It appears that further consumer education is required in the natural versus organic debate," said Levy.13

Question

1. What types of survey research could have been used to gather this data? Which one would you have recommended? Why?

2. Carefully ready through the case and then list the various types of questions that may have been used to gather the data.

3. Create a questionnaire that could provide the information discussed in the case.