Case Study: Major Haircare Company achieves rapid, iterative adcept optimization across U.S. & Japan with GutCheck

GutCheck Delivers Iterative & Global Messaging Optimization

A major haircare company needed to expose a new brand vision and story to consumers in the U.S. and Japan and wanted a way to reveal stimuli, gather quick feedback, and iteratively refine creative before launch. The challenge was to evaluate clarity of the brand and line, identify key message takeaways, test a tagline and product positioning, and surface testable elements for a subsequent quantitative phase.

GutCheck ran a two-phase, international qualitative program using its Instant Research Group—Phase I (U.S. adcept refinement, n=30) followed by Phase II (U.S. & Japan optimization, n=60)—with rapid 7–10 day turnarounds and real-time client viewing. The team delivered prescriptive refinements (e.g., de-emphasize models, increase product imagery, clarify sub-branding, add technical “reasons to believe”), optimized adcepts, and fast executive reports that enabled the brand to move confidently to quantitative testing and a successful launch.