Solutions and tools

Solutions and Tools

Our solutions and tools provide findings to understand the marketing world: the market situation, brand performance, creativity and media effectiveness – and overall success of your marketing strategies.

Each of the solutions is created to address specific questionings about your ideas, projects and brand.

MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean uses international proven methodologies, to measure the value of brands. These analysis models have proven their usefulness and applicability in any category and context, achieving a higher quality of analysis. We analyze the value of brands based on the functional or emotional perceptions that consumers have about them, allowing us to understand the consumer’s relationship with the brand from knowledge to bonding. The assessment tools we use allow us to compare brands across markets, which is why our clients generally evaluate several countries simultaneously.

Miriam.Mestre@mercaplan.com

For MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean the purpose of conducting a U&A is to obtain full knowledge of the use and consumption habits around a category and the role of brands in such behavior. Considering these aspects, we achieve a full optic of the category, the consumer/buyer and brand interaction, which is a source of useful insights in planning processes, opportunity or problem solving.

Ileana.Tejeda@mercaplan.com

In MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean this study is used to evaluate campaigns / commercials after they are launched to understand the impact of advertising based on recognition, branding, communication and persuasion. Post-testing evaluation can be done for television commercials, print, radio, non-traditional and digital media. Their databases have norms per country and category against which we can compare the results. This allows us to clearly conclude on the effectiveness of the advertising and its ROI.

Miriam.Mestre@mercaplan.com

Within MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean this study allows the monitoring of marketing activities of both your brands and competitors, based on awareness, purchase incidence, and product usage as well as advertising recall. Metrics can also be incorporated to track post-launch or re-launch product acceptance and consumer reaction. The studies are usually continuous to gather information on a weekly basis, although in some cases field work can be carried out in a specific time frame according to the client’s objectives.

Miriam.Mestre@mercaplan.com

At MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean we work on the brand’s essence and identity, focusing on its main values ​​and principles in an effort to make it coherent and authentic. That’s why we help you discover emotional and intangible associations seeking a long-term connection with the client.

Miriam.Mestre@mercaplan.com

MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean provides specific solutions to measure brand advertising concepts. We obtain first-hand the reaction of consumers to these new concepts and creative ideas, identifying the possible impact, involvement and message resonance with consumers.

Gabriela.Silva@mercaplan.com

MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean uses this study to evaluate campaigns / advertisements before their release. We have internationally proven solutions for pre-testing in TV, print, radio, and non-traditional media. Our database has standards per country and per category to which we can compare results. This allows us to reach clear conclusions when evaluating an advertising piece in terms of attention, branding, communication, and persuasion.

Gloria.Perez@mercaplan.com

MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean is equipped with tools that help clients and media agencies develop a more efficient media strategy by identifying ideal moments / touch points that occur where / when the target audience is in the right mood for interaction with the brand.

Gabriela.Silva@mercaplan.com

MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean implements tools to measure the impact of multi-media communication campaigns based on key brand indicators. These tools help to answer the following questions:
What was the overall performance of the campaign?
What role did each channel/media play?
How did the different channels/media worked out together?
What is the profitability of each channel/media?
How can I improve media mix in the future?

Gabriela.Silva@mercaplan.com

MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean relies on its technical capacity and expertise to implement online studies in Latin America offering specific methodologies to suit local market conditions and the profile of their digital consumers. It has a portfolio of solutions for the evaluation of the effectiveness of digital advertising through measuring the effects of digital activities in all online formats, micro -sites, web and mobile applications, social networks, games, search and much more.

Gabriela.Silva@mercaplan.com

MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean applies segmentation models that transcend classification aspects such as age, sex, region and socioeconomic status. We consider market behavior, perceptions, motivations, and consumer behavior. We delve into consumer attitudes, psychographics, and other variables to establish clear differences among consumer groups and identify insights to design specific strategies.

Miriam.Mestre@mercaplan.com

In MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean this study helps to evaluate the potential of new ideas / products / brands within the market. It allows clients to verify the needed changes before moving on to other development stages and helps them select the most promising concepts. MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean has a standardized methodology for concept and product testing following a complete line of questions that are then compared with standards in order to generate better final recommendations.

Kevin.Oliva@mercaplan.com


As branding experts, MERCAPLAN Central and the Caribbean understands the role of price both in the marketing mix, and its impact on consumer decisions. Therefore, we have a diverse collection of tools and analysis such as conjoint (which allows us to understand how consumers / clients react in different price scenarios), price sensibility, price perception, or price behavior comparison. These frameworks allow us to adapt to any given situation, using advanced price evaluation analysis.

Kevin.Oliva@mercaplan.com


MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean has a highly trained staff with experience in evaluating various services including fast foods, automotive, supermarkets, and mobile among others. This tool’s objective is to evaluate the different aspects of the service against the company’s strategies, standards, and planning. These programs can be permanent or for a specific time period. We have an online platform where clients can see the results of the assessments at the level of detail they require. Actually we belong to the Mystery Shopping Providers Association – MSPA, remaining at the forefront of the latest trends and adhering to international ethical codes.

Maria.Jurado@mercaplan.com


In MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean these tests are based on the continuous checking or verification of the products available in the household. This tool has the purpose of providing information to plan, implement and monitor marketing decisions. This study can be carried out continuously or for a period of time.

Kathryn.Viera@mercaplan.com


Our customer satisfaction survey helps MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean evaluate the level of satisfaction of our internal and external clients. In a market where it is highly difficult to differentiate yourself from the competition, it is the customers’ experience and satisfaction with the service what makes the difference. We identify and quantify the current situation in terms of customer satisfaction levels, consolidating it in a metric that allows us to determine over time whether or not the ability to satisfy the customers is improving.

Kathryn.Viera@mercaplan.com


MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean conducts corporate reputation studies that emerge from the need of our clients to evaluate and understand the image their company projects to the general public. Aspects such as overall knowledge of the company, image, social responsibility, cooperation in the economy of the countries, environmental responsibility among others, are evaluated in order to analyze whether these have an active impact on product purchase. Additionally, we evaluate which attributes should be communicated to the clients according to the industry in which they operate and what points should be improved.

Maria.Jurado@mercaplan.com

At MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean we explore the associations, meanings, emotions, habits and routines related to a category, and we also understand attitudes and behaviors, needs and how these may be satisfied.

Karina.Molina@mercaplan.com

At MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean, we know that brand success requires a deep understanding of the factors that drive and influence consumer satisfaction. Therefore, we understand brand perception from all angles: emotional, cultural, psychological, economic & social.

Emma.Bonilla@mercaplan.com

At MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean, we understand in depth the potential of an advertising piece or campaign through the evaluation of key indicators such as impact, identification, brand associations, credibility, differentiation & motivation. We deliver results focused on specific optimizations to make the piece work effectively.

Karina.Molina@mercaplan.com

MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean, understands that successful innovations involve growth in sales. Because of this, we qualitatively evaluate concepts, ideas, packaging, and names to obtain valuable recommendations for optimizations that can be subsequently evaluated in a quantitative research. In order to obtain an innovation that truly attracts, identifies, and connects with the consumer.

Emma.Bonilla@mercaplan.com

MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean customizes and conducts the research under the approach that children’s decision-making dynamics change as they grow up. This approach ensures relevant information for this profile through different techniques, stimuli, and games according to the children’s age range.

Karina.Molina@mercaplan.com

MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean understands the customer experience at the point of contact, through accompanied shopping, home visits or escorted outings. Ethnographies enable us to observe consumer behavior first-hand and reveal opportunities to connect with them.

Emma.Bonilla@mercaplan.com

At MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean, we create reliable online communities through a user-friendly platform that generates relevant information about consumers’ lives through photographs, videos, stimulus evaluations, texts, among other creative and interactive activities.

Karina.Molina@mercaplan.com

Within MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean we understand users and their experience using websites or applications through in-depth interviews and real-time observations. Understanding their unique user experience results in actionable recommendations to optimize these platforms in order to align the interaction/transaction with the user’s expectations.

Emma.Bonilla@mercaplan.com

Our MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean virtual workshops bring together stakeholders and consumers for specific debates and activities to guide business decision-making. Our expert moderators use engaging techniques to streamline insights: pre-tasks, energizers, activities, work groups, voting, among others.

Karina.Molina@mercaplan.com

At MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean we focus on adding value to support agencies and development organizations through high quality, context-specific research, evaluation, and consulting in a wide range of areas in developing countries throughout the region. We work closely with governments and development agencies to optimize the design, implementation and impact of their projects and programs.

Asis.Arechavaleta@mercaplan.com

At MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean our objective is to understand public opinion trends at the local, regional, and global levels. We analyze the effectiveness of public policies and anticipate changes, construct appropriate messages, and use suitable communication channels and media. We work in partnership with national or supranational institutions to optimize the design, implementation and impact of public policies and the programs that support them.

Asis.Arechavaleta@mercaplan.com

At MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean, our political polling and voting intention experts accurately measure and analyze electoral preferences to provide strategic advice to candidates and political parties. We lead the market in evaluating the potential of candidates or political parties by providing accurate estimates of actual votes cast. We offer historical electoral data, electoral segmentation and strategy testing of campaign materials and concepts, campaign monitoring, voting intentions, exit polls, and post-election research.

Asis.Arechavaleta@mercaplan.com

At MERCAPLAN Central America and the Caribbean we understand that corporate sustainability is vital for business growth. Through this practice, we offer solutions to help our clients to establish a sustainable strategy, pinpointing the most relevant concerns for this category, the expected role of the brand in working over and around those concerns, and how it can become an agent of change generating long-term behaviors. Then, we accompany the entire transformation path which includes:

  1. Develop and apply the necessary innovation
  2. Activate and amplify the strategy
  3. Monitor and adjust the results
Julia.GonzalezTreglia@mercaplan.com


This is a tool that enables us to identify the associations that are being generated by a brand either through a creative idea or a stimulus in an intuitive way (System 1). It allows us to know which attributes or emotions are being intuitively related to brands; thus, messages can be strengthened within communication.

Ana.Ochoa@mercaplan.com


With this tool, we can learn how quickly consumers intuitively associate a brand’s assets, since an asset is the main evoker of a brand. When a consumer correctly identifies an asset with the brand, he/she is more likely to select it when thinking about the category.

Ana.Ochoa@mercaplan.com


With this powerful tool we can determine the attention and visibility that a stimulus awakens through the visual journey. It can be used to evaluate packaging, shelves, apps, advertising, among others. When a piece is more attractive and intuitive, the greater chance of attention it achieves, thus standing out at the point of sale and increasing purchase probability.

Ana.Ochoa@mercaplan.com


It is a technique that captures and records facial movements through different positive and negative expressions of a person in response to a visual stimulus, such as an advertisement. It enables us to evaluate the most emotional and positive moments that support and build a brand.

Ana.Ochoa@mercaplan.com

Brand equity

MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean uses international proven methodologies, to measure the value of brands. The analysis models used have proven its utility and applicability in any category and context, achieving a higher quality of analysis. We analyze the value of brands based on the functional or emotional perceptions that consumers have about the same, allowing us to understand the consumer’s relationship with the brand from knowledge to bonding. The assessment tools we use allow us to compare brands across markets, which is why our clients generally evaluate several countries simultaneously.

Miriam.Mestre@mercaplan.com


Awareness, usage and attitudes

For MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean the purpose to make a U&A is to obtain full knowledge of the use and consumption habits around a category and the role of brands in such behavior. Considering these aspects, we achieve a full optic of the category, the consumer/buyer and brand interaction, which is a source of insights useful in planning processes, opportunity or problem solving.

Ileana.Tejeda@mercaplan.com


Advertising post-testing

Advertising post-testing evaluates campaigns and commercials after its launching to understand the impact of advertising basics – such as recognition, branding, communication, and persuasion. This study is suitable for television, radio and print media, as well as digital and non-traditional channels. Each channel database has its own set of rules per country and category, whichs allows us to compare results and conclude about the effectiveness and ROI of the campaign.

Miriam.Mestre@mercaplan.com


Brand tracking

In MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean this study allows the monitoring of marketing activities of both, their brands and competition, based on knowledge, incidence of purchase, and product usage in addition to advertising recall. Also, you can incorporate metrics to measure the acceptance of a product after launch or re- launch and consumer’s reaction. The studies are usually continuous to gather information on a weekly basis, although in some cases fieldwork can be done in a given time according to the clients’ objectives.

Miriam.Mestre@mercaplan.com


Essence or brand identity

At MERCAPLAN Centroamérica & Caribe we work on the essence and identity of the brand, identifying its main values ​​and principles looking for making it coherent and authentic. That is why we help you to discover emotional and intangible associations searching for a long-term connection with the client.

Miriam.Mestre@mercaplan.com


Advertising idea and concept evaluation

MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean has specific solutions to measure brand advertising concepts. We get firsthand consumer reaction to these new concepts and creative ideas, looking for the possible impact, involvement and message resonance with consumers.

Gabriela.Silva@mercaplan.com



Advertising pre-testing

In MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean this study is used to evaluate campaigns / advertisements before their release. We have internationally proven solutions for pre-testing in TV, print, radio, and non-traditional media. Our database has norms per country and per category to which we can compare results. This allows to clearly conclude when evaluating an advertising piece in terms of attention, branding, communication, and persuasion.

Gloria.Perez@mercaplan.com



Touchpoints identification

MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean has tools that help clients and media agencies develop a more efficient media strategy by identifying moments / touch points ideal for the brand that occur where / when the target audience is in the right mood for brand interaction.

Gabriela.Silva@mercaplan.com



Media effectiveness

MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean has tools to measure the impact of communication campaigns in multiple media based on key indicators of brand. These tools help to answer:

  1. How did the campaign perform at a general level?
  2. What role did each channel/media play?
  3. How did the various channels/media worked out together?
  4. How profitable is each channel/media?
  5. How can I improve media mix in the future?

Gabriela.Silva@mercaplan.com



Digital media evaluation

MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean has the technical capacity and expertise to implement online studies in Latin America offering specific methodologies to suit local market conditions and the profile of their digital consumers. It has a set of solutions for the evaluation of the effectiveness of digital advertising through measuring the effects of digital activities in all online formats, micro -sites, web and mobile applications, social networks, games, search and much more.

Gabriela.Silva@mercaplan.com

Segmentation studies

MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean applies segmentation models that go beyond classification aspects such as age, sex, region and socioeconomic status. We consider market behavior, perceptions, motivations, and consumer behavior. It deepens into consumer attitudes, psychographics, and other variables to establish clear differences between consumer groups and identify insights to design specific strategies.

Miriam.Mestre@mercaplan.com


Concept/product testing

In MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean this study helps measure the potential of new ideas / products / brands on the market. It allows clients to verify the need to make changes before moving on to other stages of development and helps them select the most promising concepts. MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean has a standardized methodology for concept and product testing following a complete line of questions that are then compared to standards in order to generate better final recommendations.

Kevin.Oliva@mercaplan.com

Price studies

As the experts in brands, MERCAPLAN Central & Caribbean understands the role of pricing in both the marketing mix, and its impact on consumer decisions. Therefore, we have a diverse group of tools and analysis such as conjoint (that allows us to understand how consumers / clients react in different price scenarios), price sensibility, price perception, or price behavior comparison. These tools allow us to adapt to any given situation, using advanced analysis of price evaluation.

Kevin.Oliva@mercaplan.com


Mystery shoppers

MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean has staff highly trained and with experience in evaluating various services including fast foods, automotive, supermarkets, and mobile among others. The aim of this tool is to evaluate the different aspects of the service against the strategies, standards, and planning of the company. These programs can be permanent or for a certain period of time. We have an online platform where clients can see the results of the assessments to the level of detail required by them. Actually we belong to the Mystery Shopping Providers Association – MSPA, remaining at the forefront of the latest trends and adhering to international ethical codes.

Maria.Jurado@mercaplan.com


Pantry check

In MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean these tests are based on the continuous checking or verification of the products available at home. This tool has the purpose of providing information to plan, implement and monitor marketing decisions. This study can run continuously or for a period of time.

Kathryn.Viera@mercaplan.com


Satisfaction study

In MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean, this study helps clients determine the level of satisfaction of their internal and external clients. In a market where it is highly difficult to differentiate from the competition, it is the customers’ experience and their satisfaction with the service what makes the difference. We identify and quantify the current situation in terms of customer satisfaction levels, consolidating it in a measure that allows us to determine with time, if the ability to satisfy the customers is improving or not.

Kathryn.Viera@mercaplan.com


Corporate reputation studies

MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean conducts corporate reputation studies that emerge from the need of our clients to evaluate and understand the image their company projects to the general public. Aspects such as general Company knowledge, image, social responsibility, cooperation in the economy of the countries, environmental responsibility are evaluated, among others; in order to analyze whether these have an active impact on product purchase. Additionally, it evaluates what attributes should be communicated to the clients according to the industry in which they operate and what points should be improved.

Maria.Jurado@mercaplan.com

Encuesta de opinión pública

MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean does not publish its public opinion polls, political surveys or vote intention. However, it performs a variety of these surveys for government agencies, political parties, NGOs, trade, and economic groups. It also supports specialized political consultants with information that enables them to create better strategies for their clients.

Asis.Arechavaleta@mercaplan.com

At MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean we understand that corporate sustainability is vital for business growth. From this practice, we have solutions to help our clients to define a sustainable strategy, identifying which are the most relevant concerns for this category, the expected role of the brand in working over and about those concerns and how it can become as an agent of change generating sustainable behaviors. Then, we accompany the entire transformation path which includes:

  1. Develop and apply the necessary innovation
  2. Activate and amplify the strategy
  3. Track and adjust the results

 

Julia.GonzalezTreglia@mercaplan.com

Qualitative research

At MERCAPLAN Central America & Caribbean, qualitative studies are conducted using various collection techniques such as focus groups, mini groups, triads, in-depth interviews, ethnographies, and participant observations. These studies can be conducted in-person or virtually through digital platforms. These studies allow for the discovery, understanding, and comprehension of different categories of products, services, and brands in a market, from the perspective of the consumer. Additionally, it facilitates exploring associations, feelings, emotions, perceptions, motivations, fears, and conflicts towards the market and brands.

Karina.Molina@mercaplan.com


Neuroscience

Neuroscience tools can track eye movement and quantify the intuitive and facial reactions before stimuli. All our quantitative and qualitative offers can be complemented with our neuroscience tools. This opens the door to a richer understanding of consumer responses to advertising campaigns, concepts/ideas and a better understanding for clients on how to optimize their communication to generate perceptions and actions that make their brand grow.

Ana.Ochoa@mercaplan.com