Case Studies
Why Surgeons Choose One Surgical Hemostat Over Another
The Business Problem
A major manufacturer of surgical and healthcare products asked New Perspectives to help solve a persistent puzzle within its adjunctive hemostat portfolio: why do some surgeons rely on a single product from the line, while others use several products across the family, and why do some surgeons bypass the line altogether in favor of competitive brands?
Our Approach
New Perspectives Marketing Research, LLC designed and fielded a 3-day asynchronous online bulletin board — a methodology that let time-pressed surgeons log in and respond to roughly 30 minutes of questions and activities each day, on their own schedule.
The discussion guide combined direct questioning, projective exercises (including a ‘Dear John letter’ exercise in which surgeons wrote a breakup letter to their go-to hemostat brand), and a video stimulus comparing the legacy product to a newer product in the line to gauge switching intent under real product conditions.
What We Uncovered
Involvement drives understanding — and satisfaction
Surgeons who used multiple products from the line were not just heavier hemostat users overall — they had a measurably deeper understanding of when to reach for each form, reported higher satisfaction with the line’s performance, and held a more favorable view of the manufacturer’s customer service, responsiveness, and innovation than single-product or competitive users.
Non-use is an awareness gap, not a rejection
Competitive users were, by definition, using non-manufacturer brands — but when asked directly, most still used the legacy product regularly and showed low awareness of the rest of the line. This reframed the client’s growth opportunity: the barrier was largely a knowledge gap and hospital-contracting limitation, not a product performance judgment.
Brand loyalty is really form loyalty
Surgeons overwhelmingly told us it was the form of the product — sheet, powder, or flowable — rather than the brand.
A simplified line can still work — if it spans three forms
Surgeons converged on an ideal adjunctive hemostat portfolio built around three forms — a patch/sheet, a foam or liquid, and a powder — each solving a distinct bleeding scenario.
The Impact
New Perspectives delivered a detailed, segmented report that gave the manufacturer’s brand and sales teams a clear, prioritized playbook:
- A validated case for the portfolio-simplification strategy, backed by stated switching intent and the specific value messages (efficacy data, safety profile, cost parity).
- A ranked list of the levers most likely to move competitive users.
- Specialty-level nuance on where and why each product form is chosen, informing more targeted sales rep conversations.
- A ranked attribute framework — ease of use, visible indication of hemostasis, and precise multi-site application — to guide future product development and messaging beyond speed of hemostasis alone.
Why It Worked
The asynchronous bulletin board format gave New Perspectives something a traditional focus group couldn’t: candid, reflective input from practicing surgeons on their own time, paired with projective techniques that surfaced emotional and behavioral drivers behind brand switching. This research didn’t just describe current behavior — it identified the precise, actionable conditions under which that behavior would change.
New Perspectives Marketing Research Consultants connects clients to the customers who are critical to their success — turning candid clinical voices into a clear roadmap for product strategy.
Church & Dwight, Co. INC.
Consumer Empathy Mapping & New Product Development
The Business Problem
This global consumer products powerhouse wanted to understand consumer sentiment around stain treatment and delicate
fabrics. The research goal was to create concepts based on empathy mapping around consumers sentiment around stains on
their favorite garments and uncover opportunities for new products.
How New Perspectives Helped
New Perspectives led research into:
- Attitudes and pain points about current garment care processes and the products used.
- Ethnographies around: laundry and stain removal processes, how consumers maintain “favorite” items, the balance between efficacy and garment care, and satisfaction levels with current products.
Business Impact
savvas learning company
Science Curriculum Product Development and Testing
The Business Problem
This learning solutions leader wanted to develop a new, more relevant science program. The research goal was to uncover student & teacher needs and explore ways to close the greatest gaps. Additionally, Savvas engaged New Perspectives to craft, test and optimize prototypes and provide insights into compelling sales positioning.
How New Perspectives Helped
New Perspectives collaborated on the product development process:
- Creating parameters for ideal programs by grade levels via sessions with internal stakeholders & educators.
- Testing prototype iterations to refine layout/organization of products.
- Providing recommendations to optimize sales materials and messaging.
Business Impact
New Perspective’s research and insights enabled the development of a new and more experiential program, outpacing competition to become the #1 selling product in its category nationwide.
ETHICON
Voice of Customer & Product Testing
The Business Problem
This market leader wanted to understand ways to better optimize products and engaged New Perspectives to lead its annual Innovation Summit, in which renowned surgeons gather to evaluate and test potential concepts and products.
How New Perspectives Helped
New Perspectives collaborated with Ethicon to:
- Uncover product usage expectations & unmet needs across specialties.
- Provide use challenged for competitor products & identify new opportunities.
- Test & optimize sales positioning and communications for products.
Business Impact
New Perspectives identified new product opportunities, provided insights into product optimization to increase satisfaction and loyalty, and uncovered ways to increase product value proposition and optimize sales positioning to better reflect surgeon’s needs.
CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE
Package Testing and Optimization
The Business Problem
This Winery of the Year award-winner wanted to update a key brand in their collection via understanding the shopping behavior of wine-drinkers and those new to the category and label architecture hierarchy needs and test potential designs.
How New Perspectives Helped
New Perspectives collaborated with Chateau Ste. Michelle to:
- Unearth insights about the elements that contribute to purchase beyond occasion, including need/states the wine is intended to address.
- Determine label design impact on the shopping experience and understand the hierarchy of elements shoppers use to consider and purchase.
- Evaluate new labels to uncover elements that produce stopping power and telegraph a compelling story to new & existing users.
Business Impact
New Perspectives’ mapped out the wine shopping journey, providing insights into:
- New user purchase behaviors, the evaluation criteria they seek from labels, and ways to optimize them.
- Messaging criteria and hierarchy that appeal to both new and current customers, allowing the winery to confidently rebrand and update other offerings.
