TURF Analysis: The Ultimate Strategy for Maximizing Market Reach

In an increasingly competitive business environment, the ability to reach the maximum number of potential customers is crucial for the success of any enterprise. TURF analysis (Total Unduplicated Reach and Frequency) has proven to be an indispensable tool for marketing professionals aiming to optimize their strategies and enhance the reach of their products, services, or advertising messages.

What is TURF Analysis and Why is it Relevant?

TURF analysis is a market research technique designed to identify the optimal combination of options to reach the largest possible audience. Unlike traditional methods, which emphasize the individual significance of each option, TURF considers cross-consumer preferences, minimizing redundancies and expanding total market coverage.

Key Benefits of TURF for Marketing Professionals:

Practical Applications in the Business World:

The TURF Algorithm

The TURF algorithm is quite simple, although it can be challenging to implement manually. For this reason, data analysts prefer to utilize software tools or systems that automate its application. Commercial platforms like SurveyMonkey, QuestionPro, Qualtrics, and RotatorSurvey have already incorporated TURF as a fundamental tool in their portfolios.

Let us illustrate the algorithm with a practical example. Imagine you are a yogurt manufacturer with a facility capable of producing various flavors. Traditionally, you have been producing 'Sweet Natural Yogurt' and 'Strawberry Yogurt,' maintaining a stable and loyal customer base. However, your company now seeks to expand its market by offering additional options to capture new market segments and grow within the yogurt industry.

The question we ask is: How should your new product portfolio be structured to attract new customers while retaining your current loyal base? To address this, your research and development team has proposed 10 new flavors, each targeting different market segments.

CURRENTLY EXISTING:

• 1) Strawberry Yogurt
• 2) Natural Yogurt

PROPOSED NEW FLAVORS:

• 3) Unsweetened Natural Yogurt
• 4) Greek Yogurt
• 5) Skimmed Unsweetened Natural Yogurt
• 6) Yogurt with Blackberries
• 7) Yogurt with Pineapple
• 8) Yogurt with Almonds
• 9) Yogurt with Rum and Raisins
• 10) Yogurt with Dried Plums
• 11) Yogurt with Granola
• 12) Yogurt with Chocolate

What we will do next is design a survey with only 5 questions.:

• 1. Age
• 2. Gender
• 3. City
• 4. Lifestyle

5. From the list provided, select the yogurt flavor(s) you would definitely purchase (Multiple choice question)

• 1) Strawberry
• 2) Natural
• 3) Unsweetened Natural
• 4) Greek
• 5) Skimmed Unsweetened Natural
• 6) Blackberry
• 7) Pineapple
• 8) Almond
• 9) Rum-Raisin
• 10) Dried Plum
• 11) Granola
• 12) Chocolate
• Other, specify________________________________

After collecting the data, we will create a 'Reach Gap' chart (Gap Analysis), which evaluates what percentage of the market we would serve if we were to sell just a single flavor. This is calculated by determining the percentage frequency of each flavor and identifying the flavor with the highest frequency. From this analysis, we would find that the most preferred flavor is 'STRAWBERRY YOGURT,' with a 60% preference.

Next, we ask: if we were to create combinations of two flavors, what maximum percentage of the market could we reach? For instance, if we combine Sweet Natural + Strawberry, Sweet Natural + Unsweetened, Sweet Natural + Greek. This process involves analyzing all possible combinations of two flavors at a time and determining the maximum frequency for each pair (Reach).

To calculate the Reach value, we must evaluate each individual to determine whether they are covered by the pair of flavors being tested—whether they prefer both or just one of the two. As a result, we find that the winning pair is 'STRAWBERRY' + 'PINEAPPLE,' achieving a Reach of 70%. This means that if we produced only strawberry yogurt, we would reach 60% of the market. However, by adding the 'PINEAPPLE' flavor, we increase our coverage by an additional 10%, bringing the total Reach to 70%.

Now, we must repeat this procedure for triple flavors, that is, combinations of three flavors, then for combinations of four flavors, and so on, until we cover the maximum combination of flavors. Finally, we can plot the results on a gap analysis chart.

With the TURF gap analysis chart, it becomes easy to decide how many flavors we should produce. At this point, we observe that offering only 4 yogurt flavors in our portfolio allows us to achieve a market Reach of 98%, and it is not worthwhile to pursue the remaining 2%. Producing 5, 6, or 7 flavors would increase costs without generating additional revenue, making it unnecessary to exert this extra effort. Now that we know the optimal number of flavors is 4, the next step is to determine which flavors they should be.

We will evaluate all possible combinations of 4 flavors and analyze the Reach of each combination. That is, we will test each individual with each generated combination to determine whether their preference is covered or not by the combination. For example, with the combination PINEAPPLE-STRAWBERRY-NATURAL-GREEK, individual 1 is covered because they prefer "STRAWBERRY and GRANOLA"; individual 2 is covered because they prefer "GREEK and STRAWBERRY"; individual 3 is covered because they only prefer STRAWBERRY; individual 4 is NOT covered because they prefer ALMOND and RUM-RAISIN; individual 5 is covered because they prefer PINEAPPLE and CHOCOLATE, and so on. In other words, the TURF algorithm must iterate through each combination and, within each iteration, through each individual to determine the Reach of each combination. The total Reach is an accumulated value that indicates, at an individual level, whether the preference is satisfied by the presented combination. After completing these iterations, we rank EACH GROUP, listing them from the highest Reach to the lowest, which will guide our selection process. For example:

We obtain two combinations with 98% Reach: STRAWBERRY-PINEAPPLE-PLUMS-NATURAL and STRAWBERRY-PINEAPPLE-PLUMS-GREEK. In addition to Reach, we calculate the average "Frequency" of each combination—how many flavors each person has access to on average. If we find that the Frequency of the first group is 1.2 and the Frequency of the second group is 1.9, we should definitively opt for the latter, as it represents the combination we should produce and market. Thus, the combination STRAWBERRY-PINEAPPLE-PLUMS-GREEK provides a Reach of 98% and an average Frequency of nearly 2 flavors per person, which will enhance loyalty to our brand.

TURF in Political Marketing

In the political sphere, TURF finds significant applications in identifying the most effective combination of messages, strategies, or campaign promises to maximize a candidate's reach across different voter groups. By analyzing which subsets of messages resonate with voters across various demographics, TURF enables strategists to allocate resources efficiently and craft targeted communications that appeal to the largest possible audience.

Practical Case in Political Marketing:

In a past presidential campaign in Brazil, TURF analysis played a pivotal role in helping the campaign team of one candidate identify key themes that resonated with undecided voters across different regions of the country. By prioritizing messages on sensitive topics, the campaign significantly expanded its reach.

Furthermore, when multiple candidates or political parties joined forces to present a unified proposal, TURF proved invaluable in assessing how the coalition resonated with various voter groups. The analysis identified the most inclusive and persuasive aspects of the shared platform, refining communication strategies and eliminating redundancies by highlighting the most impactful elements of the unified proposal.

Summary:

TURF analysis is a powerful tool that enables marketing professionals to make informed decisions and maximize the reach of their strategies. In an increasingly competitive market, leveraging tools like TURF can be the determining factor between the success and failure of a business.

Video 1 to broaden the discussion:

Video 2 to broaden the discussion: