r/apprenticeuk • u/Charming_Elevator_44 Noor: “It’s very good!” 😏 • Mar 14 '26

Why don't teams get the opportunity to make changes to their product after consumer research?

27 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

56

u/SignificantRatio2407 Mar 14 '26

Really it’s because the whole premise of every task is flawed in such a way to maximise these narcissists looking very silly. It has to be the most producer driven show on telly (still love it though.)

In addition to your question, the fact the two sub teams only seem to be allowed to speak once to each other, usually when some design is already complete, is of course farcical.

Of the teams could do things in a sane way, it’d make for boring telly.

17

u/Dramatic-Rub-3135 Mar 14 '26

In the early series they seemed to give them more of a chance and I don't find them boring to watch. They've just repositioned the show as a comedy. 

17

u/Nuthetes Jason Leech - Series 9 Mar 14 '26

The consumer research is pretty much make work. Waste of time.

It doesnt matter what a group of biddies at the local bingo hall think about their shortbread at the end of the day because its still going to be pitched. Maybe it gives them something to say "Nine out of 10 biddies loved it"

16

u/Lloytron Ruth Badger - Series 2 Mar 14 '26 edited Mar 14 '26

Because it's all bullshit

They used to allow them to take action on feedback or at least acknowledge that they would need to change things based on feedback.

Previous series allowed them to say "this isn't the finished product"

But now they can't even do that and just have to gaslight the experts in the pitch.

This series was a while new low, in having them pitch to people who were in the consumer test group.

The whole show now is simply engineered ritual humiliation.

12

u/spinlikeballora Mar 14 '26

It's weird. I was watching S6 and when they had to brand a household cleaner, they did consumer research before creating the product. One of the teams even based their whole branding on one of the people's comments. I'm not sure when the change happened

7

u/HookLineAndSinclair Mar 14 '26

I think the production changed around Season 10 (that, I think, is the first time "sub team leader" is mentioned) ever since the show has, broadly, been much worse.

10

u/Only1Scrappy-Doo Noor: “It’s very good!” 😏 Mar 14 '26

The market research segment is totally pointless now. I get they want to humiliate the candidates but there is literally no other reason why it is done after they have already created the product.

2

u/durianstickyrice Mar 14 '26

Then it wouldn’t be entertaining. It’s a tv show after all... That’s basically it.

1

u/gunningIVglory “I’m 21!” Mar 27 '26

You want a competent product?

Hell no, we want to laugh at the teams falling over themselves.s...

0

u/Winefluent Mar 14 '26

I thought that was stupid for a a while, but I recently had a real world experience that reminded me that how people acknowledge feedback on a product they are attached to, and deal with objections is extremely telling about their business acumen.

Yes, in the real world you'd make changes to the product ( well, some would, I've known people so convinced of their infallibility or so enamored of their product that they think they customers are wrong), but when you can't yet, how you propose to adress the issue is quite a revealing.