Market research that doesn't let the respondee know enough about what they're responses mean is essentially a tick box exercise that is rigged to get the responses the company wants to hear.
It doesn't give you a realistic view of what people actually feel. So then it's no surprise that when you deliver the product that was seemingly asked for, it doesn't sell.
Purslow taking the blame for this one? It does feel like he worked wonders getting us to this level, but then his efforts to push us beyond it were a all a bit rubbish.