“Working with Gridwise was a very smooth, very quick process. We wanted to attract a specific demographic to be product testers, and our Gridwise campaign successfully drew in exactly who we needed more efficiently than any other channel.” – Heather, Director of Digital Marketing, Curion

What is Curion?

Curion is an innovator in the field of market testing. This cutting-edge company combines fresh thinking with industry-defining methodologies and technologies, which results in a deeper understanding of the consumer and more successful products brought to market.

Curion sees itself as an industry disruptor, going beyond the usual scope of market research to encompass innovations such as applying science to packaging.

Curion conducts product testing by inviting consumers to sample various offerings, and then evaluate their experiences. In addition to sensory research such as taste-testing, Curion leads focus groups composed of the demographic groups customers wish to reach with their products and services. 

At present, Curion works in five areas: Chicago, Redwood City, Central New Jersey, Dallas, and Atlanta. While some testing takes place remotely, most of it is held at Curion’s on-site facilities during business days.

The Challenge

Curion’s consumer population, the pool of people used for product testing, is predominantly female. Not all of Curion’s customers’ products are targeted at women, so Heather needed a way to bring in more males. 

Most consumers come to Curion through referrals or through job listings on Career Advisor. Advertising is a secondary means of getting the right people, and initial efforts were not producing the desired results. Although Heather was using social media to attract more people to participate in studies, the population that responded and eventually became consumers was still lopsided. There were still a lot more females than males in the group of respondents.

Attracting a greater number of males was difficult while using the comparatively nonspecific reach of Facebook, Instagram, and Craigslist. Also, many of those responding to the ads were unable to participate during the business day, and didn’t always have reliable ways of getting to the testing sessions on time. 

How could Heather find more male respondents? And once she did, how could she be sure their hours would be flexible, and that they’d be able to reliably transport themselves to the sessions?

During the fall of 2020, Heather found her answer. One of Curion’s corporate investors told her about Gridwise and the male-dominant rideshare and delivery driver population, and she was certain this would be the ideal way to find the people she needed.

Approach

Gridwise is deeply familiar with the gig-driver demographic, and knows how to speak to them in language that will catch their attention. Even more, the Gridwise app can target drivers by region and demographics, with banner ads as well as email and blog posts.

Along with her excitement over the prospects of attracting this population, Heather was thrilled with the experience of working with Alex and Clay of the Gridwise Brand Partnership team. They offered simple solutions, and came back with prices that were in the range Curion had hoped to spend. She was especially pleased that the whole package was ready before her scheduled launch date.

“I presented Alex and Clay with a brand kit, and they produced banner ads almost instantly. The email and blog post came soon after, and we were ready to roll before our launch date.”

After starting in the larger markets and finding great success, Heather is excited about rolling out the campaign to cover Curion’s other locations on the East Coast, West Coast, and in Atlanta.

Strategy

Banner ads were rolled out through the app to Curion’s two largest target markets: Chicago and Dallas. An email and blog post, which gave drivers more details about the opportunities at Curion, followed shortly thereafter.

As the campaign rolls out to Curion’s other locations, the ads will become more specific. Heather finds that the engagement rate is greater when people know the kinds of products they might be testing. For instance, an ad about opportunities to test an energy drink or a phone mount might appeal more than a more generic product.

Results

The results of working with Gridwise were immediate and impressive.

Not only did Heather report conversion rates that were comrable to Curion’s other channels, but they were able to target and attract the demographic they needed most.

Heather and the Curion team believe that once they begin testing their offers they’ll see even better results.

“Before we worked with Gridwise, it was difficult and expensive to attract the population we needed. With Gridwise, we were able to do so more efficiently than ever.