For years, Energizer batteries used the Energizer Bunny in its television commercials. The bunny was cute, always beating a drum with the tagline, "The Energizer Bunny keeps going and going and going." Several of the ads were humorous. Viewers could remember the battery ad with the bunny, but for a long time, people could not name the brand of battery. In response, Energizer started putting the bunny on the packaging and using it in point-of-purchase displays in stores, even going so far as to let consumers enter a drawing to take home the bunny that was on top of the battery display. The creative team that worked on this campaign spent considerable time researching consumers' usage of batteries as well as the problems they had with them. The team learned that people dislike batteries that don't last long, and because Energizer batteries lasted much longer than competitors' brands, they decided to feature that idea in the execution of the ads. In which step of the creative process did the creative team read, research, and learn everything they could about Energizer batteries and their competitors?
a. immersion
b. ideation
c. incubation
d. illumination
e. evaluation