Delving deep into the charm of Tatty Teddy, Carte Blanche Greetings has completed the first phase of a major consumer research programme into its Me To You brand which confirms its high standing with the public both in awareness and their purchasing decisions.
“It was back in 2016 when we last embarked on a major consumer research project into what Me To You meant to consumers,” CBG’s marketing manager Grace Elphinstone said, “which gave so many valuable insights that we put to good use.
“However, so much has changed in the world in the intervening period, at both a macro and micro level, that we felt it was important to undertake what is effectively an up-to-date brand health check on Me To You which would help inform our own product development as well as that of our licensing partners, plus, of course, our retail customers.
“The scary thing is, when you commission an independent research project you never know what results you are going to get, but it’s better to be in the know than deluding yourself in the dark,” added Grace candidly.
This phase of the research involved 1,000 members of the public, picked as a fair representation of the UK adult population.
Each committed 15 minutes of their time to completing a questionnaire which delved into whether they were aware of the Me To You brand, how it compared to other similar brands, whether they had bought a MTY gift product or greeting card in the last year and, if so, what were the main considerations when making their purchase. They also answered whether they were likely to purchase MTY in the future and, if so, which retailer or type of retailer would they be most likely to make that purchase and for what occasion or buying need.
“Having been around for 30 years we expected consumer awareness of Me To You to be high, but it was so gratifying to see that 75% of our respondents, equating to 40m adults in the UK, are aware of the brand and that 30m of them had purchased a Me To You product in the last three months. Additionally, almost 23m UK adults see Me To You as their first choice when selecting a gift or greeting card,” revealed Grace.
The findings also endorsed how the Me To You brand is most closely associated with relationships, reinforcing the need for CBG’s ranges of gifts and cards to include a strong mix of relationship and familial captions, ranking highly as what brand consumers would look for when buying for birthdays (62%), Mother’s Day (41%), Valentine’s Day (40%), get well/sympathy (40%) and anniversary (39%).
A second phase of research, which will be qualitative and involving 4,000 adults, is due to be completed by the end of July, which Grace said will give even greater insights into the brand and its continued relevance in modern society.
Carte Blanche Greetings, along with Tatty Teddy himself, will be on Stand 222 at Progressive Greetings Live which takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday, 6-7 June, at London’s Business Design Centre. To register click here.
Top: A suite of point-of-sale items that Carte Blanche has developed for independent retailers.
