American Demographics Breaks Tradition With Groundbreaking Special Report; Out of Academia and into Business; A Secret Tool of the Social Sciences Finally Graduates.

Business Editors

WEST NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 3, 2002

Primedia's American Demographics today reported that ethnographic research is gaining traction as a strategic business tool for predicting consumer behavior. The October 2002 issue of American Demographics features a Special Report entitled "Watch Me Now," which delves into the reasons why people buy new products and how research, design and development firms like Design Continuum Inc. get to the heart of fulfilling unstated consumer needs.

"American Demographics chose to cover ethnographic research because it is gaining so much traction and coming across so many of our readers' desks as a credible research tool," said Alison Stein Wellner, Editor-at-Large at American Demographics. "Our goal was to tell them what ethnography is, how it works, and when to use it to better understand the needs of people in their market segments."

Originally developed by anthropologists, ethnographic research is defined as an observation technique that involves the systematic study of people as they go about their daily lives. Continuum uses insights and intelligence uncovered through ethnographic research to guide new product innovation and development toward improving people's lives.

"People can't always tell us what they want in a new blender, or car interior, or stereo," says Ellen Di Resta, Principal Design Strategist at Continuum. "Continuum uses ethnography techniques that include observing and videotaping people in their homes, in their cars, in stores and wherever their daily routine takes them. And we innovate new products that make them say, `Wow - that's just what I needed!'"

What Women Want

American Demographics' Special Report includes a research project called "Test Drive" in which the publication chartered three firms including Continuum to "Tell us how women really feel about lipstick and how they use it, and uncover for us untapped business opportunities in the women's lipstick market." The research results validate how conducting ethnographic research can reveal insights, or rich nuggets of data, that not only fall beneath the radar of other research techniques but can also lead to business success in bringing new products to market.

"The most surprising result is that three different firms using three different research techniques in three different areas of the country generated markedly similar results," commented Stein Wellner, author of the report. "This demonstrates a very positive and encouraging outlook for the value ethnography can provide to businesses as a research tool - especially in the areas of new product development, marketing and branding."

The results appear in the October 2002 issue of American Demographics, on newsstands now.

About Continuum

Design Continuum Inc. is an international design firm that identifies opportunities and brings consumer, technology and medical innovations to a state of market readiness. The company leverages user-focused research to guide product design and development toward successful commercialization. Since 1983, Continuum has extended the research, design and development capabilities of companies worldwide including Andersen Windows, Aspect Medical Systems, BMW, Master Lock, Moen, Procter & Gamble, Roche Diagnostics, Samsung, Sunbeam, and Zeiss. Continuum has offices in Boston, Milan and Seoul. For more information, visit www.dcontinuum.com, e-mail [e-mail] or call 1.800.625.5115.

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