When a firm chooses a location to research a new product launch, it wants a representative sample. Some might think that means an $“$average$,”$ place. But according to Alex Fischer of the Columbus Partnership, companies choose Columbus, Ohio, not because it is average but because it$’$s not. With more than a dozen universities $($The Ohio State University included$),“$you have this interesting blend of a funky culture, creativity, diversity, and a corporate culture that really mix it up$.”$

That$’$s why Columbus was a great choice for Wendy$’$s International as the perfect place to experiment with several new upscale sandwiches, the Black Label burgers. Black Label burgers are the newest sandwiches in Wendy$’$s strategy to capture business from fast casual restaurants like Five Guys. Wendy$’$s has already bypassed Burger King as the second$-$largest fastfood

chain behind McDonald$’$s$.$ The research that is launching the Black Label burgers includes volunteer testers in a lab setting rating a burger prepared by lab technicians to precise specifications on numerous attributes, including such things as onion flavor and messiness.

This is followed by tweaking of recipes and then an in$-$store test where actual customers taste the sandwiches and provide a set of performance scores. $“$We$’$re still waiting on our consumer scores, but I$’$m anticipating $...$ that they$’$re going to be great,$”$ shared senior vice president Lori Estrada.

www$.$wendys.com

Compare the advantages of experiments with the advantages of survey and observational methods. When a firm chooses a location to research a new product launch, it wants a representative sample. Some might think that means an $“$average$,”$ place. But according to Alex Fischer of the Columbus Partnership, companies choose Columbus, Ohio, not because it is average but because it$’$s not. With more than a dozen universities $($The Ohio State University included$),“$you have this interesting blend of a funky culture, creativity, diversity, and a corporate culture that really mix it up$.”$

That$’$s why Columbus was a great choice for Wendy$’$s International as the perfect place to experiment with several new upscale sandwiches, the Black Label burgers. Black Label burgers are the newest sandwiches in Wendy$’$s strategy to capture business from fast casual restaurants like Five Guys. Wendy$’$s has already bypassed Burger King as the second$-$largest fastfood

chain behind McDonald$’$s$.$ The research that is launching the Black Label burgers includes volunteer testers in a lab setting rating a burger prepared by lab technicians to precise specifications on numerous attributes, including such things as onion flavor and messiness.

This is followed by tweaking of recipes and then an in$-$store test where actual customers taste the sandwiches and provide a set of performance scores. $“$We$’$re still waiting on our consumer scores, but I$’$m anticipating $...$ that they$’$re going to be great,$”$ shared senior vice president Lori Estrada.

www$.$wendys.com

Compare the advantages of experiments with the advantages of survey and observational methods.