The Landmark Blog

Mobile Market Research: Love or Hate the Box?

Do you remember a time when you or your children were young and you or they received a gift...a really big gift...a gift that was big enough that it came in a huge box?  Or, maybe you've purchased a new refrigerator, or a TV, something contained in a really big box to avoid damage.  What impact did the box have on you as a child, or your children if you have them?  I could be a little left of center (very probable) but often times the box holds more entertainment value than the gift or purchase itself. 

Let me give you a couple of examples.  Recently, my family purchased a new TV.  My youngest son took the box it came in, threw a sleeping bag in it, and slept in it for three nights in a row.  A little strange.  When I tried to throw the box out, he raised royal @#$@, enough that the box remained in his room for about a month.  The thing just sat there and took up space in his room.  In the background of my mind, maybe I actually understand this more than I'd like to admit.

I remember a time growing up when my parents had to buy a new refrigerator.  Along with the refrigerator came the ultimate, the magnificent, the grand of grand, biggest box ever.  We lived in a rambler house with two levels.  We found many amazing uses for this box (breakdance pad for one).  Eventually though, we placed it on the stairs and used the box as a sled.  We started at the top of the stairs and slid down the stairs on top of the box.  After some time doing this, we realized that if we got a couch cushion, and opened up the box as big as it would go, we could surf down the stairs on the cushion and the box.  It was quite an adventure.  

Do you love or hate the box?  I loved it as a child.  As an adult, I don't like it so much.  As a child, a box felt warm, comforting, and downright fuzzy and enjoyable.  Now, as an adult, when I climb into a box it feels...cold, smelly, lonely, and claustrophobic?  Something has fundamentally changed...I guess I could get all Freudian on this, but I don't think that's what it is. 

The box has taken on a new meaning for me as an adult.  The box now refers to "THE BOX".  Like...are you in the box...the figurative box not the physical box (I'm a little too big...as in large...to fit in most physical boxes now days).  Are you in the box?

I've been doing a lot of work recently on Mobile Market Research.  I'm finding that this part of our research industry is really underdeveloped and is poised to make some pretty significant shifts and changes in the next few years.  My goal with this work has been to do two things...

1.  Figure out the best solution for this type of research (oh yeah...and implement a solution).

2.  Establish a policy and best practices for Discovery Research Group, my organization, so that we're positioned to be a leader in this area moving forward.

In the process, I've experienced a couple of eye openers that I'm not so sure about.

1.  There are some current thought leaders in this area that may be trying to force mobile research into a box that is a little to constraining for my taste.

2.  This forced boxdom (boxdom is probably not a word...but makes sense for this post), is largely dependent on the software these thought leaders sell, have on hand, or are most comfortable using.

There are emerging conferences that focus on conducting Mobile Market Research.  I believe that what they are doing is extremely important as they are bringing together organizations that have an invested interest in doing this type of market research correctly, accurately, and with as few quality concerns as possible.  In fact, later this year, the Merlien Institute will be holding a conference titled "Market Research in the Mobile World 2010: The Next Frontier".  My challenge is not with these conferences or what they are promoting, but with organizations that specifically "boxify" (again not a word) the Mobile Market Research market. 

Two different camps exist in this niche.  The first is filled with traditional vendors that define mobile market research as simply "dialing mobile phones from your market research telephone center," while the second camp snubs this group entirely, warns against them, and defines mobile market research as "conducting survey research using SMS, MMS technology" and even warns users of simplifying smartphone or mobile phone market research to only online surveys using mobile devices.  While a quieter third group focuses specifically on their proprietary mobile panels as the best or only "good" solution.

This is where my aversion to the box comes in.  I propose a mixing of these camps to one that focuses on using internet capable mobile devices to collect market research, regardless of the method of collection, in whatever way best suites the needs of the respondent...and to box it up as Mobile Market Research...because that is the device the respondent used to participate.  The brilliance and importance of mobile devices is their immediacy, their "in the moment" access, and their ability to use multiple technologies, telephone, IVR, internet capability, SMS, MMS, picture, video, etc. to accomplish a wider spectrum of research that has potential to consolidate both Qualitative and Quantitative methods.

I guess I just don't like the box...

• What do you think?  Too grand an aspiration, too simplistic, maybe too cynical?  Interested in your thoughts.

Don't Lose Your Patients: Healthcare and Patient Satisfaction Surveys

My first real career goal, the first one I really worked at, the first... "When I grow up I want to be..." was a stunt man.  I had a fascination with Evel Knievel (had his action figure and motorcycle...it's not a doll), as a teenager I loved Super Dave Osborne, and in my youth, I idolized Lee Majors in "The Fall Guy."  If a kid in elementary school could really work toward a career, it was me, I was serious about it.

I had a best friend who egged me on as frequently as he could.  He was my "Agent and PR man" (we were in grade school).  We spent many a day on his Idaho farm practicing for my stunt man career.  I'd dive headfirst off his fifteen foot high haystack to the ground and land in a small pile of loose hay.  Under his watchful eye, I learned how to gracefully "roll out" of falls from high places, backflip out of swings, fall out of trees, and ride pigs.  I even crashed his motorcycle and lived to tell the tale (it was the first time I had ever ridden one.)  Stuntmen need to be able to ride horses, motorcycles, and snowmobiles.  I learned how to do those things from my "Agent".

We often got into trouble, but along with the trouble came plenty of crashes, burns, scrapes, sprains, bruises, and at one time, a broken bone (or two).  The home I lived in while growing up was in the country and had a revolving outside laundry line.  You'd place your wet laundry on the lines, as the wind blew (the wind always blows in Idaho), the lines would spin around in circles, and your clothes would dry faster...ingenious.  My parents had a clothes dryer so the revolving laundry line was unnecessary for its original intent.  As youth looking for an adrenalin rush, my friends and I took down the long extensions (keeping the stronger short "arm" that spun) and tied a rope to the apparatus.  We also tied an old inner-tube to the rope and would sit in the contraption.  Someone would push, while the rider sat in the inner-tube and spun.  You'd swing around in circles a million miles an hour horizontal to the ground and get dizzier than you could imagine.  I'm sure you see where this is going.

One morning while waiting for the school bus, a friend and I were messing around on the "swing".  My friend was a year older than me and kind of a big guy.  He was able to really get that thing rotating very quickly.  In the corner of my yard was an old tractor tire that my mom had converted into a plant box to grow strawberries.  That morning, we swung especially fast, the rope broke, I went airborne, and when I landed my arm slammed into the tractor tire.  My arm hurt pretty badly so I went in the house to tell my mom what happened and that my arm hurt.  When she took off my coat, you could tell my arm was broken because it was shaped like the tread on the tractor tire.  We headed to the doctor's office and found it was broken in two places through both bones.

Each year, hundreds of thousands (millions) of healthcare patient satisfaction surveys are completed ranging from patients that have broken bones or been to the doctor for a cough, to long-term home health and hospital stays.  Patients with terminal illnesses are surveyed and in some cases surveys are done with the families of those that have passed.  Discovery Research Group conducts a large number of these healthcare related satisfaction surveys, health services satisfaction, or patient satisfaction surveys each year.  We work with some of the largest healthcare research organizations to conduct this work for hospitals and health plans, and work directly with some of the small or middle sized clinics and local companies who do not have the research budgets to implement the full scale healthcare research initiatives that these large healthcare research organizations provide.

I was in a conference session several months back with a number of researchers who were interested in healthcare research.  When the speaker surveyed the audience about how many were doing healthcare work on a large scale there were very few of us.  I was a little surprised that our expertise in this patient satisfaction survey arena was as unique as it was.  Along those lines, here are ten suggestions for surveying healthcare respondents (especially patients and participants) the next time your research calls for it:

• Be sensitive to the patient being surveyed.  But, focus on being unbiased in the process.  It's a fine line.
• Be painfully aware of HIPAA and privacy related issues.  And, monitor the entire process from front to back (interviewers, online methods, IVR, etc.) for compliance to law, rules, and training agendas.  Include the sponsor of the survey in the compliance plan.
• Find an effective way to juggle the need for good response rates with the need to be sensitive to respondent’s ailments.  It can be difficult.
• Consider multiple methods of collection. Multiple survey methods will help maximize response rates and provides the patient with different ways to vocalize their experience.
• Avoid barriers in survey programming that cause a choppy interviewing process (too many screens before "actual interview", surveys that are too long, survey process that doesn’t make sense, not enough information, too much information, etc.).
• Track your patient sample closely, down to the respondent level.  Healthcare research is very rigorous and a reporting at the patient level should be available for every sample record, without compromising the patient's personal information.
• Provide detailed instruction to technical and interviewing staff on the information that can and cannot be disclosed to the household while getting patient on the phone, while speaking with family members, while interview is completed, etc.
• Clear answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) are very important.  Provide information on how to answer the difficult questions that will inevitably come up (Where did you get my name?  How do I reach someone at the hospital?  Who should I talk to about…? Why are you interviewing me when I’m sick?  I'm feeling like...should I go to the doctor?).  There is a lot of sensitivity surrounding healthcare related issues and the probability of escalation increases when staff is unable to answer patient questions clearly and concisely.
• Help lines should be established for verifying the legitimacy of survey calls.  Also, make a decision in advance on how to approach the "feedback" you’re provided that is directed to the practitioner, the survey sponsor, the research company, etc.
• A lot of patient and healthcare survey work is done using telephone methodologies for privacy related issues.  Be careful of the dialing times.  Don't dial too late or too early in case the respondent is still recovering.  Also, try dialing at different times during the day and on weekends.  With recovering patients this is critical as they are often in appointments, home during the day, and sleeping earlier and longer.

This is NOT an inclusive list for interviewing patients.  Feel free to add additional recommendations to this post.

Practices from the Field: Telephone Surveys and Mobile Phones

I'm dating myself here, but do any of you remember party lines?  And no, I'm not referring to dialing up your friend and organizing a party by calling everyone that you know...and that your friend knows...and that his friend knows...etc.?  Though social meanings change drastically in short periods of time, I'm talking about something else.  If you do an internet search on "party line," the first response actually generates an adult content web site.  Look past that to the Wikipedia posting of "party line" for the "traditional" meaning of the word. 

Party lines date back to the days when underground lines (Local Loops) weren't available to everyone, and households had to share telephone lines rather than being directly connected to digital lines in a million different possible ways.  A party line was when two or more households shared one telephone line.  In a party line, different houses had unique rings (now that's an old-school ringtone) that identified which household was being dialed.  For instance household #1 would have two short rings, while household #2 would have a long and a short ring, household #3 would have two long rings, etc.  Though almost obsolete now, party lines held out in the "country" much longer than they did in urban areas and may still exist in some very rural areas that aren't easily connected directly to the "local loop."

The real disadvantage to a party line is the ability to eavesdrop on your neighbor (some would call that an advantage).  If you were quiet enough about it, you could listen in on any conversation you wanted (take that all you folks whose entire jobs are aimed at protecting PII).  Remember when your younger brother or sister, or your parents would listen in on your phone conversation (before you had a cell phone), party lines took "listening in" to a whole new level. 

Aside from the eavesdropping aspect there were other disadvantages.  For instance, in the early days of internet...could you imagine what your dial-up would have done to the party line?  For that matter, a long conversation (a simple phone interview) could tie up the other household's line for what would seem like years.  In the heydays of party lines, early market research interviewing was mostly conducted door-to-door (face-to-face) and the market research sampling was address based.  As telephone technology evolved, better digital capabilities emerged, and households were able to connect directly to a line without sharing it with their neighbors, RDD Sampling was a more feasible option and telephone interviewing took off.

As a market research industry, we're back to a tipping point for survey interviewing and collection.  Online interview growth has started to level off (an exciting development for those of us that have huge banks of phones for telephone interviewing).  But, wireless households are growing very quickly.  The last CDC measurement of wireless only households fell out at 25%, while wireless "mostly" households add another 16%, totaling 41% of households who are wireless dominant.  Contrary to the last few years that they tracked this, the Pew Research Center has started to see some coverage response bias related to the data they collect, though still relatively minor depending on the demographic characteristics of those being interviewed.  For phone interviewing to stay relevant to the future of our industry, we must deal with cell phone interviewing and representation NOW.  It's our responsibility as providers of these services to provide solutions and best practices for cell phone interviewing.

Under that assumption, here are a few sampling solutions that are gaining traction in this arena:

• A return to the address-based sampling methods of old.  With the ability to port numbers, eliminate landlines, etc. address based sampling is emerging as a very good option for telephone interviewing and is obtainable through many sample providers.
• Supplementing RDD samples with Cell Phone samples is a good idea to consider.  Although, it's worth mentioning that just because a number is a cell phone, it doesn't necessarily mean that it comes from a cell-only or cell-phone dominant household.
• Client lists that include cell phone sample, seem to be more prevalent than in previous years and a much larger part of the industry.  This solution though used more and more, doesn't address market research projects whose methodologies rely on RDD based sampling frames.

Assuming that we will see an increase in cell phones in our market research samples, here are some suggestions for telephone interviewing cell phones moving forward:

• Ensure TCPA compliance by running samples up against cell-phone lists like Neustar (ported numbers from home to cell) and Telcordia (provides information on cell phones and allows you to identify cell phones against your sample list).
• Hand dial records that are identified as cell phones through these sources.
• Provide multiple methods for completing surveys (telephone, online, IVR, inbound, etc.).  This will help you reduce costs associated with telephone interviewer-only methods.
• Consider incentives for samples that are heavily aimed at cell phones.

And, here are some evolving suggestions for telephone interviewing as a result of this trend toward increasing cell-phone representation:

• Limit the length of the interview.  You've heard it before, you'll hear it again.  The shorter the interview, the less it will cost to complete for you, your supplier, and the respondent.  
• Screen for respondent safety.  Ask a quick question about whether the respondent is in a safe place where they are free to talk.  If they are driving or are operating heavy machinery, terminate the interview.
• Be sensitive to subject matter.  Respondents who are participating in surveys over cell phones are more likely to be in public places than when using landlines.  Be considerate of their location when doing surveys where PII (personal identifiable information) is a concern.
• Screen for age.  Many cell phones are owned or dominated by under-age users.  Consider the ethical issues associated with interviewing respondents who are under 18 years of age.  Ask the respondent before you consider the interview.  
• Consider interviewing during "free-periods"...nights and weekends.
• Provide local numbers.  Many forward thinking telephone long distance providers are now supplying the option to provide a local number on caller id.  It's worth considering a local number as opposed to a toll-free 800 based number.  They're both free to the respondent if called back and the local one is more likely to be answered.

Surprisingly, in the study linked to above, Pew is finding that response rates for cell samples are very similar to the response rates for landline samples.  In addition, they are finding that in some cases, cell samples are more cooperative than are their landline counterparts.  Cell phone interviewing can be done as effectively as "standard" historical land-line interviewing.  It will take some thought, some evolution, and some commitment to doing it right.  What's new?

I'm sure I've missed many suggestions.  Please provide them if you'd like to add to this list.

Robots and the Uses for IVR in Market Research Surveys

Did you ever used to watch the TV show "Mystery Science Theater 3000"?  The show was extremely funny and very creative.  The basic premise was to take a bunch of old, corny, black and white science fiction and horror movies, play them in the background on a large screen while a couple of "robots" and a human make fun of them.  Sounds like a strange premise, but it works.  If you've never seen it, make the jump (after you read this blog) to their website and check it out.  Very funny stuff.  

The thing that every person knows about robots is that, like Mystery Science Theater 3000, all good robots should have the ability to speak.  Market Research has speaking robots of their own.  If you're involved in doing telephone market research, you've heard of "robo-dialing" or "auto-dialing" and "interactive voice response - IVR".  Take a look at this picture...now you know who's making these automated research calls.

It's been a while since I really geeked out and posted an article that was extremely focused on methods of collecting market research data.  This one has been rolling around in my brain for some time.  For awhile now, I've wondered why more people don't use IVR with more regularity as a method for data collection.  I've come to the conclusion that researchers may be less familiar with the process, probably don't completely understand how it operates, and don't really make the connection to its benefits.

IVR or Interactive Voice Response has been around for quite some time.  About once a week, I receive a phone call from one of my children's schools telling me that they were absent from a class (most times we knew about it).  Candidates in the political arena often use the technology for "Get out the Vote" campaigns. Though it can't be used for research purposes, basic IVR phone technology is built into the structure of most company's telephone systems (ex. when the "phone tree" asks for the extension, your voicemail, etc.)  

The 2009 version of Rockhopper's "Research Industry Trends" report shows us that only 11% of companies actually use this market research data collection method.  I really wonder why the technology is used so infrequently, especially given that it has many of the same advantages as online research, and overcomes some of the barriers.  Here are some advantages to using IVR as a method of collection: 

• IVR deals very effectively with the self selected sampling methods comparable to what you see online (inbound calls from "current customers").  This is the IVR use that most people are familiar with. 
• Most IVR systems have the ability to make outbound calls.  IVR is a capable method for Random Digit Dialed (RDD) or client listed outbound studies.
• Because IVR is automated, the labor associated with the job is minimized.  The net result is a cost per interview that is much less expensive than "typical" phone studies and similar to online costs.
• Similar to online research, the turnaround time on IVR studies can be much faster for outbound dialed projects, with many of the same benefits of phone dialing and fewer of the "risks" associated with online research.
• IVR is particularly capable of generating qualified responses on low incidence studies.  Most systems can be set up to dial through the records and giving the respondent the choice between being transferred to a telephone interviewer (called a Warm Transfer) or completing the interview with the automated system.
• Many IVR systems store data in databases which are easily plugged in to data or research dashboards.

What are your thoughts.  Why don't more people use IVR in their arsenal of market research methods of collecting market research data?  Are there uses for IVR that I've missed?  What about barriers I've overlooked?  I look forward to your responses.

Social Media Market Research Methods are REALLY Unevolved

Sometimes you just run out of things to say.  We've all experienced it.  When you're engaged in conversation with a group of people, it's the lull in conversation between the end of one topic and the beginning of another.  The quieting of the chatter.  Then something happens, it's a little bit difficult to define what it is, but a stimulus occurs that shoots the conversation down a whole new track, a micro conversation that invigorates the macro conversation.  I believe that this happens in social media, and I experienced it recently with this blog. 

For the first time since starting this blog, for the past couple of weeks, I've frankly had very little to say.  It was a very interesting experience for me.  I'm not a rabid talker to begin with, but I typically have some thought...some idea...some topic for this blog...gestating in my head.  I had nothing.  A lapse in the conversation...

Until last night...

Last night I was given a very simple illustration of the impact social media can have on the conversation.  I've mentioned this before, but I have teens in my household.  Two of them began to argue last night about whether cheerleading is actually a sport.  One of them is a cheerleader, the other a soccer player.  The soccer player posted this simple question to his 300 friends on Facebook..."Who agrees that cheerleading isn't a sport? Sorry Sis."  Incidentally, the cheerleader had just returned from a two-hour tumbling session, was tired, sore, and feisty.  Chaos ensued.  The simple question resulted in 42 Facebook comments (not to mention the internal "conversation" going on in my household).  Both sides of the controversy chimed in with blistering frequency (over an hour and a half) and then the conversation stopped very abruptly when the parents of these teens sent them all to bed around 10:30pm.  

In the process of the conversation, I Googled whether cheerleading was a sport and didn't really come to a definitive answer.  When I didn't get a resolution to the question from Google, I consulted the mother of all immediate answers...ChaCha.

If you've never heard or used this service, it's very unique (and for the most part free).  The teens I know use this service A LOT.  You text ChaCha a question (242242 - spells "ChaCha")...any question...and ChaCha will text you the answer.  You can send some N number of questions per month (data & txt messages apply) without being charged (I don't text them often enough to know what the limit is).  The slogan on their website is "Real people answering your questions!  Crazy Huh?"

I texted this simple question to ChaCha.  "Is cheerleading a sport".  As always, ChaCha came back with a reply in less than 30 seconds.  "ESPN Court rules cheerleading is contact sport, yet many states for high school sports are not ruling it a sport, it depends who you ask.  I would say Cheerleading is a sport."  An ESPN Court ruled that cheerleading is not only a sport but a contact sport.  If you've seen many cheerleading competitions, you'll understand.  In the past several years that I've attended these competitions with my daughter, I've seen more people fall out of "stunts", more girls kicked or inadvertently punched in the face, fallen or dropped from 15-20 feet in the air, and/or hurt than I've seen in most other "sport" activities.  At one point I actually tried to start videoing when these athletes "took a whipper."  I agree with ChaCha.  Cheerleading, at least competitive cheerleading, is a sport.

In connecting the dots from this experience to the market research that many of us provide, something occurred to me.  Social media market research methods are REALLY UNDERDEVELOPED and VERY UNSTANDARDIZED.  As I've followed the #MarketResearch hash tag on Twitter, I realized something.  The way that most of us operating in the market research industry define market research, and the way that a lot of "other" businesses often define market research are very different.

You'll often see this post pop up on Twitter "Conducting #MarketResearch on...".  The interesting point here is that this person is typically not doing any kind of Qualitative or Quantitative research as the market research industry has defined it.  No focus group, no ethnography, no MROC, no survey, no statistical analysis, but is simply "looking stuff up".  They're "looking stuff up" using Google, and Facebook, and Twitter, and article sites, and possibly...when they just can't get the answer, they're shooting the question over to ChaCha...all in the name of market research.  Not exactly our market research methods...or are they?  Are these our evolved research methods for conducting social media market research?

A few years ago I ran across an article in Quirks by Tim Macer.  He was doing an evaluation of a number of industry software packages.  Since then, when I run across his published articles, I try to take a look at them.  Recently, he and an associate published their "Globalpark Annual Market Research Software Survey 2009".  This was their sixth annual survey and well worth a look.  Pertaining to this post, a small part of this study was an evaluation of the online communities being managed by his sample.  The results were a little surprising given the amount of "chatter" that goes on regarding social media and research methods.  He found:

• "Communities are still very rare."
• "Early adopters are still operating very few communities."
• "Over half of companies have no plans to operate an online community."
• Of the companies that were running communities most were using the same software to run their communities that they were using to run their panels.

This recent "cheerleading" experience and the lack of established and solid social media based research tools, leads me to the conclusion that I stated earlier.  Social media research methods, and their accompanying technologies, are REALLY UNDERDEVELOPED and VERY UNSTANDARDIZED.  In fact, I'm not even sure that they are completely defined yet or even exist with any level of sophistication...they are EXTREMELY UNEVOLVED.  I appreciate the efforts by a few early adopters in our industry who have started writing about how to do this work more effectively.  If you've seen or written one of these articles, please post the link to your article here as a reference for the readers.  

Before we face the challenges of the unrepresentative online panel, we as a market research industry, should define what social media research is to begin with (even though the definition will evolve...much like the conversation evolves), and establish best practices for doing good, quality, social media market research that can be analyzed and/or evaluated in reportable ways that represent the opinions of engaged participants willing to add to the conversation. 

• Are you aware of a great article on how to conduct social media research?  If so, please link to it on this post.  For the good of the market research community. 

Actionable Market Research: How's your marriage?

As I was driving into work this morning, a story came on the radio that I found very interesting.  A group of Sociologists in Switzerland had conducted a study of a "representative and longitudinal sample of 1074 cohabiting and married couples living in Switzerland" to identify traits that would predict success in marriage.  I tracked down an abstract of the research article "Optimizing the marriage market: An application of the linear assignment model" scheduled to be released April 16 in the European Journal of Operational Research.  The title sounds pretty...

 boring...really...academic, but the results will surprise you.  Though the authors of the study would never have intended it, the results of the study were pretty humorous, may have some merit, would require a fundamental change to "dating", and don't reflect very well on those of us who are male.  For example: 

• It was recommended that women marry men that are five years older than they are.  My take on this is that maybe it would give those of us who are male a chance to "GROW UP!" before we hear it repeatedly from our wives.

• They recommended that men marry women who are 27% smarter than they are.  You always hear about men trying to "MARRY UP", now there is statistical evidence that validates why men should do this.  Women...find someone who is clearly less intelligent than you are and your success in marriage will increase.  I'm assuming this is because of the ongoing need to have someone smart enough in the marriage to compensate for the stupid things men do, their reluctance to ever ask for directions, and their inability to use a map.

• The researchers also recommend cultural similarity...aka a cultural "MATCH UP".  Specifically, they recommended that the Swiss marry other Swiss.  I find this somewhat insensitive, but do the statistics lie?  Can this be applied to the US...if you are looking for a marriage partner, should you avoid the Swiss entirely?  What about locally, should a Utahan marry a Mississippian?  It's probably a good idea for Utahan's to marry other Utahan's, no one else understands them anyway (I'm actually from Utah so I have every right to say that).  Does this mean that my Utahan sons have no shot at successfully marrying (and hanging on to) amorous French women because their potential for a successful marriage is statistically unlikely to succeed (even if they could find one to court to begin with)? 

Growing up Idaho - A Market Research Story

I grew up in the state of Idaho in a town of 50,000 people called Idaho Falls.  Idaho Falls is not known for much.  It has a lot of rural area, farms full of potatoes, and a Budweiser plant.  The primary employer in the area is the Idaho National Laboratory, who hires about 8,000 employees and stores spent nuclear fuel.  I wasn't very adept at storing spent nuclear fuels (heaven forbid I'm in charge of THAT...we'd have all been doomed) so I got involved with market research.

If you've ever traveled the I-15 freeway north, you may have driven through Idaho Falls on your way to Yellowstone National Park.  Growing up in a fairly small town had its ups and downs.  Generally, aside from the dollar movies, we were forced to find our own forms of entertainment.  We didn't occupy our time with the "luxuries" of today, i.e. video games (it only took so long to beat Pitfall), computers, the internet, mobile phones, texting, etc. that seem to suck every spare minute from today's teens.  We spent a lot of time exploring our surroundings, playing sports, and getting into trouble. 

It's funny how things change.  As a youth, I spent time at a swimming pool and waterslide called "Thunder Ridge" that was located in the foothills on the east side of the city.  My high school graduation party was located at this pool.  The graduation party had to have been one of Thunder Ridge's last major events because within a matter of a year after the party, the operation was closed down.

For many years after its closure, Thunder Ridge and it's waterslide continued to stand in an increasingly dilapidated condition.  In an attempt to find something to do, my buddies, brothers, etc. and I used to go to Thunder Ridge and ride down the slide on a skateboard and an ice-block.  Here's how it worked.  We'd go to the slide at night (police would kick you out if they found you there) and sneak, quietly, up to the slide (neighbors would call the police if they noticed you there).  We'd make sure that we had a couple of safety equipment items...Converse All-Stars, Levi's 501 Jeans, long sleeved flannel shirts, gloves and a flashlight.  The flashlight was placed at the bottom of the slide.  You'll recall from your own waterslide experiences that at the end of any waterslide is a drop into a pool.  It was extremely important to know when your ride was about to end so you weren't shot off the ledge into the empty, muddy, abandoned pool (happened more than once).  We'd hike to the entrance of the slide and lay on our stomachs on the skateboard.  We'd ride the skateboard down tail-end first, placing the ice-block under the tail so that we didn't get "death wobble".  The ice-block was slippery enough to allow for the curves and transitions in the waterslide.  We'd ride the skateboard/ice-block combination down headfirst so that we could hold the ice-block under the skateboard as we rode (using the gloves).  The long-sleeve shirt and Levi's jeans were important to avoid road rash if/when we fell off the screaming-fast contraption.  The Converse All-Stars were used as brakes.  The instant that you saw the flashlight at the bottom, or sped up too fast, you dragged your All-Stars on the edges of the slide.  You can imagine how scary-fun this experience was as we'd scream down the slide a million miles an hour, hoping that we could stop in time to avoid being shot out the end...falling four feet into a muddy, dirty, trash-filled, pool.

As you manage and work at your business or for your employer (whether you're a market research group or any other type of company), as you conduct your market research, your healthcare research, or operate your MROC (Market Research Online Community), as you survey your customers or patients, etc. do you ever feel like you have been placed in a business situation like this?  Do you ever go through your business life feeling like you are being sucked down a path that is going too fast and that you can only hope turns out well in the end?  If so, I have a few suggestions:

• Slow Down - Many of us take on WAY too many things at once.  At some point or another, we've all done this.  Slow down and focus, prioritize and accomplish the items that will have the biggest impact on your business first, especially if they are the easiest to knock out.  When you're learning how to ride a skateboard down a waterslide, it's important that you slow down...at least the first time so you understand the process.

• Learn How to Steer - You can actually steer a skateboard and an ice-block. Have you learned to steer your business?  Market research will help steer you to informed decision making.  If your business sells a product or services a client (we all do), collect customer feedback, understand your patient satisfaction, do your product research.  If you are involved in a market research organization, work on your market research techniques so that you can effectively deliver the results of your market research data collection in concise ways that answer your customer's research needs.

• Use the "Right" Equipment - Just like it is extremely important to wear gloves, jeans, long-sleeve shirts, and sneakers on this kind of "ride", it's important that you use the right equipment when conducting your market research.  There are some really great market research products and services available in the industry...and there are some really crappy ones.  The crappy ones will steer you in directions you don't want to go, gather information that doesn't represent your target audience, and lead you to decisions that may not have the impact on your business that you'd hoped.  For those of us that are involved in market research, it's extremely important for us to have stable platforms, that produce accurate results, and deliver on what is expected.  We should evaluate our platforms for "fit" regularly.

• Check for Obstacles - I'm embarrassed to admit that on one occasion I did NOT check for obstacles in the slide.  Idaho Falls has a tremendous amount of wind.  As it aged, the slide dilapidated and the wind actually blew one of the slide's top pieces inside the slide.  I ran into this "slide-part" at a million miles an hour breaking four of my fingers.  The best equipment in the world couldn't offset my own stupidity.  The obstacles that you need to consider when conducting market research projects are your market research methods.  It is important that you understand the method that will best answer your market research question.  Whether your market research study should use quantitative market research vs. qualitative market research depends on what you're trying to accomplish.  Whether you should collect customer or patient surveys vs. conducting a focus group vs. using an MROC (Market Research Online Community) depends on what you're trying to accomplish.  Whether you should use online vs. face to face vs. telephone or IVR methods also depends on what you're trying to accomplish.  Don't automatically assume that a specific method "fits" your research question...simply because it's a "hot" collection method at the time.  Each method of collection has its obstacles and advantages. 

• Use the Buddy System - It's important that you surround yourself with people who know what they're doing and have your best interest in mind.  When I broke my four fingers my "buddy" had to drive me home.  Not all market research companies are the same.  Each has a specific group of methods, experiences, and foci.  Has your market research provider ever said "No - I don't think we're the best fit for that particular project?"  Surround yourself with a group of people that you trust and that can and will deliver and will be honest with you when they can't.  Market research companies need to be that buddy.

I look forward to your comments!

Telephone Market Research...Its demise has been greatly exaggerated!

I am a Mark Twain fan.  At one point when Twain had been traveling in Europe and the Middle East, he was reported to have passed away (although he was consistently writing and sending articles to a publisher within the United States.)  On return to the US, in a conversation with reporters, he smugly announced (and it has become one of my favorite quotes by Mark Twain)..."The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."

This year, I think that, among other things, the telephone side of the market research industry is feeling a little like Mark Twain's quote...The rumors of its demise have been greatly exaggerated.  Yes, it has been a challenging year for a lot of market research organizations...even for the best of us.  The economy has had an impact on market research in ways that were very difficult to predict.  It has impacted our industry in general and the market research methodology used to conduct many market research projects.  It has even had an impact on whether market research projects are conducted at all.  

I like Thomas Edison's quote when he said, "Keep on the lookout for novel ideas that others have used successfully. Your idea has to be original only in its adaptation to the problem you're working on."  This coming from the man who is credited for inventing the lightbulb, when really it was invented by a couple of guys in Canada who couldn't find a market for it (it's true...look it up here). 

The market research industry is evolving.  Many of us use online methods in many forms, we continue to collect large-scale telephone surveys (though many have announced their demise), we have found new and innovative ways to conduct our market research, and we're adapting to new and everchanging demographic shifts.  Most importantly, we're figuring out how to use all of these available methods and technologies simultaneously in ways that are relevant to the business landscape and current market research needs.  

We are not the archaic manufacturers of the buggy whip used in Twain's era, but professional organizations that understand the market research process, can minimize costs using multi-modal market research techniques that are fiscally responsible and provide important answers to market research questions.  We have become adept at thinking outside of the box to ensure that the right methods are being used for each project...whether that is a mixture of quantitative market research & qualitative market research, automated market research, online market research, telephone market research, the use of panels or communities, or a host of other research techniques.  We have and will continue to adapt our techniques...adapt or die.  Some time ago, Mark Twain announced that the rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated.  I'd say that the rumors of telephone market research's demise have also been greatly exaggerated...although...I must admit that they are evolving and adapting and, for the best of us, are not as they once were.

1.  Do you agree with this statement?  Why or why not?

2.  Do you think telephone market research is here to stay (at least for a while)?  Why or why not?

Market Research Technology - The next thing coming?

I have to admit I'm a bit of technophile.  I'm not one of those guys or girls (usually guys) that locks himself away in his room at night and games until four in the morning and then tries to balance his job.  However, I do seem to have a morbid fascination with technology and, more specifically, market research technology.  It stems from an experience I had at a previous employer.

In the early '90's before so much of our market research had turned to using online research methods, I had a couple of coworkers who were very bright (I still have bright coworkers at my current company...but I digress).  We did a lot of telephone interviewing at the time (still do), but telephone research as a quantitative method was, by far, the most used method of data collection.  At the time, these two coworkers started to develop the notion and idea that survey research could potentially be conducted using the internet as a method of collection.  They felt that with the use of e-mail addresses, growing use of e-mail and websites (in the early phases), they could figure out a way to collect data without ever having to reach out to people over the phone.  In retrospect...seems like a good idea.  The leader of the company at the time basically told these two individuals to get back to their jobs and that telephone research was "the way we do it." Others folks (not this organization) in the market research industry followed through and developed some wonderful online research products and methods.

As the leader of a market research organization, I'm bound and determined that I won't be that guy.  In the subsequent years, the organization slowly slipped away (you've heard the term adapt or die).  A lot of very competent individuals emerged from the company, but very few of them stayed.  One of these two individuals went on to start his own IT company, the other went to work for one of the early online research and business intelligence companies (now works with me at Discovery Research Group).

Lately, I've been working on ways to continue to expand our research capabilities (never really ends), looking closely at Social Media outlets, attending as many technology sessions as I can, and trying to create an organization based on quality, agility, and flexibility, all with the goal in mind of seeing the "next thing coming"...technology that will impact society and market research...So here's what I'd like to know:

1.  Is there even a "next thing coming"?  Something so revolutionary that it completely changes the landscape?  What do you think it's tied to?

2.  Do you think it is somehow associated with the unprecedented Social Media growth we're seeing right now?  If so...how?

3.  Do you think you know how it will impact Market Research methods?

I look forward to your responses.