The prevailing business climate these days is increasingly competitive, pushing marketers not only to innovate but also to do this faster than the competition. International competition, fragmented and demanding markets, diverse and rapidly changing technologies, and increasing parity products, are all placing intense pressure on companies to shorten the innovation process and speed up time to market. Superior performance in product development and innovation is one of the main sources of competitive advantage in the modern market place. This paper addresses the issue of speeding up and improving the contribution of consumer research to the innovation process by using QualiQuant methodology on the internet.
Using a quasi-experimental design in which data collection methods and recruitment techniques as influencing factors were varied Ipsos Germany conducted a comparative investigation for Langnese/Unilever to assess the validity of online-panel surveys. Against the background of both the debate on methodological standards of online research and the popularity of online panels, empirical findings are required for an objective and thorough assessment of the possibilities of using this instrument. The results of this survey are therefore relevant for the further development of online research based not only on the panel approach.
Everyday in Japan huge numbers of mobile users access the web from their mobile phones. This presents a unique opportunity to researchers and marketers alike to use the mobile internet as a research platform. This paper illustrates with three case studies where the mobile internet is a viable tool used to carry out innovative research. The reach and speed of the mobile internet allows researchers to devise new research techniques. This paper highlights the approaches used as well as gives pointers to the possible future application of this technology to market research.
The paper describes the work that has been carried out to test a set of existing marketing research methodologies applied to the internet environment. One of the objectives of this project is to test how spontaneous opinions can be used as a valuable input for marketing research activities, mainly in customer satisfaction research. It also describes the early stages of building an internet consumer panel out of an already existent internet community. The results at this stage of the project are based on the analysis of opinions already given and rated by the virtual community members, without being asked any additional questions.
This paper envisions the market research industry within the changing online and interactive future, providing a description of a possible future fuelled by the impact of the internet, and the effects this might have on the market research industry. Key developments and trends are highlighted, and the effects on industry are illustrated. Additionally industry changes anticipated within the next five years are reviewed, and examples of new research techniques that may be available as the technology develops are provided.
This paper introduces several new methods aimed at improving ad testing. The power of interactive television and scientific statistical techniques are leveraged to create a unified methodology to test ads. The methodology makes three specific improvements, including the utilization of a random probability sample, the development of a system that allows for self-administered ad experiments given in a respondents own home, and the employment of a fully randomized, panel experimental research design. The paper draws on empirical evidence from the Yale Advertising Study, focusing on measuring the effect of political ads on voter attitudes and behavior. The study included 12,350 interviews.
This paper presents a case study involving a leading pharmaceutical information company that uses internet-based research as a means of gathering primary data from physicians and other subjects. The company, MORPACE Pharma Group, is now moving toward linking its global network of physicians with wireless technology to increase the speed, accuracy, and comprehensiveness of research results. The following paper outlines the companys experiences as an early adopter of this technology, including its impact on company operations and on the cost and quality of research.
The web provides researchers with a gold mine. Every click, response, page movement and delay can be logged and used for analysis. The amount of data that can be captured from web surveys is vast and comprehensive. This paper aims to explain the reasons why Paradata should be collected and analysed. Paradata is a vital partner to the other sorts of data from surveys, response data and metadata. It provides a valuable tool to both compensate for inadequacies of web surveys and provide an advantage that web surveys have over more traditional surveys.
Two streams of online research have developed. In the first (largely adopted by traditional research agencies), traditional survey and/or question-based techniques are undertaken across digital media (rather than face-to-face or by phone). The second (largely adopted by new economy companies) uses techniques based on observation and measurement uniquely possible in digital media and is often based on census measurement of activity and linking of events separated by time and location. Combining the two streams offers marketers a level of detail and certainty in their research that has never previously been possible. This new research empowers the marketer to make decisions based on knowledge, and hence escalates the importance of research in the marketing mix. Traditional research companies should establish where they add value in this process or risk being disinter-mediated. New economy companies should integrate the relevant expertise from established research and analysis techniques. Two case studies are provided.
This paper provides a prognosis for the future of internet research based on the attitudes, experiences and opinions of the buyers of research within the FMCG sector. The paper provides an understanding of the dynamics involved in the possible adoption process from conventional to interactive research. Given their work within the marketing research industry part of the information economy and involvement in the collection and dissemination of bits of information rather than physical products, the authors hypothesised that the marketing research industry will be more heavily impacted by this transformation than most. There are two ways of addressing this transformation. The first is from the supply side, measuring the extent to which research agencies are investing and responding to this challenge. However, the supply side was already well covered by papers at this and other conferences. Consequently, the authors felt a more valuable approach would be from the demand side, testing their hypotheses with empirical research to explore what users actually think about the future of research.
Technological advances are engendering debate on the survey production line, but the process is only part of the story. Are we in the grip of a drive not towards insight but towards mere automation? Do we want our data deeper or just cheaper? Much existing online research tries to recreate a comfortable environment for researchers (i.e. controlled focus groups, moderated email groups, sampled and/or panel surveys, etc.). Perhaps this is because we tend to work in an experimental, quasi-scientific way and in control of the data collection process. Nobody would disagree that these initiatives represent excellent practical applications of the new media. This paper argues that such control is often not necessary nor desirable. It is time to put the participant in control of the process via hypercontext. There are a number of opportunities opening up via the internet to collect and interpret information in a way fundamentally different from traditional methods. The internet gives the opportunity to shift perceptions in the same way as did new qualitative methods of the 1960s.
The authors provide a case study that gives an inside view of the evolution, set up and implementation of an on line continuous customer experience monitor. This paper examines the process, the challenges and key learnings resulting from this experience. It addresses how to maximise value from it, and how it sits alongside more traditional market research techniques.