The Landmark Blog

Corporate Strategy - What Do You Do When You Lose...BIG?

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I have a passion for soccer that I inherited from my dad.  I tell my sons that soccer runs in their blood, that it’s part of their heritage.  My sons play soccer, I play(ed) soccer, my brothers played, my dad and his brothers played, and my grandfather played soccer.  My grandfather actually played for his local professional team, the Garth Rangers (Wales, UK). 

My dad is a Welshman who moved to the U.S. when he was about seventeen years old.  Growing up, I was very interested in U.S. sports, especially baseball and football.  My dad didn't understand.  Football...wasn't really football, didn't use feet much, was covered in pads, seemed over-complicated, unorganized, and just wasn't rugby.  Baseball...was...just...boring (to him).  Nevertheless, I loved to play and watch both. 

In fifth grade, I was a pretty small kid.  On my football team, I was a linebacker.  One day, a much larger (probably slower) kid knocked me out of the circle used to test who started the game (the test was to hit each other until someone fell down or was knocked out of the circle).  I lost my starting spot and couldn't regain it for most of the season.  At that point, football became particularly boring for my dad and as a player, I was frustrated.  One day, my dad came to me and told me a story of magic, of glamour, of heritage and family, a story of the beautiful game, the world’s game, of George Best and European football...real football.  I was hooked.  At ten years old, I knew that as a half Welshman I could be the greatest American soccer player EVER (oh…if it were that simple…boy did I suck to begin with).

I began playing soccer in fifth grade and haven't stopped playing since.  If you know me you understand that soccer has become a part of who I am.  I'm passionate about it...bordering on nerdy.  In my "spare time," I coach competitive youth soccer.  I've been coaching youth soccer for about fifteen years.  I coach two teams and they are good (in the top-10 at each age group for the state of Utah, U.S.)  Last night, one of the teams had an experience that I hope to never repeat.  We lost...BIG...REALLY BIG.  When you hit the top levels of competitive soccer, most games are 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 3-1, etc.  A BIG loss would be something like 4-0 or 5-1.  We lost 10-0.  It was UGLY...REALLY UGLY...EMBARRASINGLY UGLY.  The biggest joke around soccer communities is how bad the referees suck.  This referee was terrible (they all are), he didn't call a thing (there were four different fights that I was aware of during the game...one that even turned into a shoving/kicking/swinging match...the referee had no control...and didn't call fouls on any of it).  The referee, in spite of his poor performance, was not the reason for the 10-0 loss.  We just took a drubbing to a team that we played 3-2 the last time we competed against each other.  It was frustrating...and sad. 

If you've ever coached through a situation like this, you go through some moments that are similar to the stages of grief…though significantly sped up (yeah…I told you I was a little nerdy…maybe the word is CRAZY is more in line).

1 – Denial and Isolation: “Really, are we going to get beat like this”…I walk up and down the sideline muttering…eventually I sit down and shut up completely.

2 – Anger: Bark at the players from the sideline, through half time, on the field, off the field, eventually no barking at all (which is even worse).

3 – Bargaining: “Please boys, just get your heads up, shake it off, and go out and play the way you know how.  Show some heart…if you work hard, good things will happen."  As I’m thinking (at 7-0)…"Just don't let it go in to double digits...I'll be a good person for the rest of my life if it just doesn't go into double digits."  I guess I'm off the hook.

4 – Depression: I was so shaken by the loss last night that all I could do was stutter…I was ready to stop coaching…didn’t sleep well…couldn't think of anything else.

5 – Acceptance: Today I realize that there’s nothing I can do to change last night.  I’m not going to quit on those boys.  I feel a little idiotic (ok - a lot idiotic...it is JUST A GAME...right?  Have you heard the saying "Soccer is Life"?).  We really are a good team.

So here’s the inevitable point.  As companies, or as employees, managers and professionals, we all take our losses from time to time.  Sometimes we even get our butts kicked.  Occasionally, we get our butts kicked badly.  Social media has done some wonderful things for “getting the word out”.  When you’re doing well, it quickly becomes apparent.  Social media has also expedited the speed at which everyone else finds out that you just got your butt kicked (the 10-0 drubbing hit Facebook before I even returned home for the night).  Most losses aren’t always public knowledge.  Maybe you lost a big proposal, a big job you’ve always had on hand, a key staff member, a client, or had some negative press, and maybe it’s impactful…very impactful.  We’ve all been there.  In business, when you lose…BIG…what do you do?  Here are some suggestions, along with some great quotes by the late great UCLA head coach John Wooden:

• “If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” Flawless execution is one key way of succeeding consistently and minimizing the losses.  If you’ve just experienced a loss, meet with your staff…reset…then teach your staff (or yourself if appropriate) to execute cleanly from the start.  The first goal scored in my soccer game was within two minutes of the starting whistle.  It started a very bad precedence and was the start of a very long night.  Start with clean execution in mind.
• “Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”  Do you know why you lost…or are losing?  If not, figure out the cause of the loss, do some market research, especially if your losses are consistent.  A good market research organization will help you figure out how to fix it.  If you aren’t prone in that direction, figure out how to fix it yourself.  Some things are difficult to change.  Make the changes that make sense to change.  Then ask yourself, is that enough?  If it’s not, do something about it.  Be a player rather than a spectator.
• “Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.”  Evaluate your losses.  Did you just experience one loss, or have you experienced many losses in a row?  These are two different issues.  Is there a trend?  What are you capable of?  Are you competing at that level of your ability?  If not, why?  Evaluate whether you need to make tweaks in your product or service offerings that align more cleanly with your ability.  Do some product research.  Or, make tweaks in your ability to align more cleanly with your product or service offerings.
• “A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.”  After our loss, a close friend gave me this sage advice.  “The best time to teach is right after a loss.” At the time of the loss, I was so worked up I couldn’t see this simple principle.  It’s worth remembering that a good coach (or manager or mentor) is one who can identify areas of improvement, help you see what needs to improve, and show you the path to improvement or how to accomplish it.  Improvement means more wins.
• “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” It’s important to remember that once things are done, when the final whistle blows, there’s nothing else you can do about the situation.  If you’ve worked your hardest, made the appropriate corrections, followed these steps for the next opportunity, improved yourself as a result of the loss, the final step is to let the loss go.  Walk away, don’t repeat the mistake(s), and move on.  This just might be the toughest step.

Any suggestions on what to do when you lose...BIG?  How do you turn losses into wins down the road?

Questions, Bands, Musicians and Market Research

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I love questions, especially the unique ones.  It's probably one of the reasons I enjoy market research so much.  When I was young and working myself through college and graduate school I worked a series of menial jobs that ranged from fast food worker, pizza delivery guy, big box store associate (that was quite the promotion from fast food worker), and wound up with a job chasing a developmentally disabled individual around a learning facility, primarily to "discourage" him from touching people.  My "college enlightened" brain was BORED.  To entertain myself, I'd ask questions that not only entertained me but made the folks I worked with think...and passed the time more quickly.  I loved to ask questions like: 

• If you HAD to live the life of a Brady Bunch character...who would it be?  Why?
• If you could only drive one TV car for the rest of your life, what car would it be?  Why?
• If you woke up in the morning morphed into a superhero, who would you want it to be?  Why?
• If you had to marry a cartoon character, who would it be (this was prior to "adult cartoons"...other than Heavy Metal or parts of The Wall.) And, Why?
• If you were going to work in a job, that wasn't "White Collar" and wasn't for the money, what would it be?  Why? 

I would entertain myself for hours thinking about and engaged in conversations surrounding topics like this...not exactly saving the world...but at least my brain wasn't turning to Lime Green Jello.

I was listening to some music this morning as I was going about my work.  I love placing my Ipod on shuffle and seeing what comes out.  Music has a fascinating way of putting you in a place, a time, an event, a frame of mind.  One song can flash you to different events in your life...and you're there...for better or for worse...only for a moment.  Music has meaning.  For instance, if you ever walk into my office and I'm listening to show tunes...bust your butt to get out of there as quickly as you can...Don't get me wrong, I like show tunes and it could be one of those really upbeat songs that may sound really happy...it's still not a good sign.

This morning, due to some music I was listening to, I started thinking about this time in my life.  The time when I had much less to do and much less responsibility...and I ran across one of THOSE questions...so I mandatarily asked my staff (no opt-in). 

• If (Insert Your Company Here) were a band, a musician, or a musical group, who would it be and why.  

If you've never asked a question like this of your staff, you should try it.  In fact, I'd encourage you to ask this specific question of your staff.  The answers are insightful.  Is your company like: 

• A Reggae Band - Doesn't get worked up over much, everything is always peaceful, and very little conflict exists?
• A Country Western Band - Down on your luck, always running into trouble...lost your wife, your horse, and your money.
• A Speed Metal Band - Loud, frantic, unorganized.
• A Lounge Singer - Solid for years, but struggling as the world outgrows you.
• A Classic Rock Band - The band that continues to evolve over time to meet the needs of the current listeners, but really has to work at it.
• An Alternative Band - New products, new ideas, new ways of delivering your message.
• A Pop Band - Smack in the center, not really trying to make any waves, but trying to continue as long as the song/group/market will hold out.
• A Hip-Hop Group - New and exciting, pushing the envelope, trying to make people think, maybe in it for the money...and the creativity...and the money.
• A Choir or Symphony - regimented but organized, inadequate as an individual, but brilliant when placed together. 

The list can go on and on...but every answer has an underlying meaning.  These types of organizational personality tests can say a lot without saying a lot.  In a non-confrontational way, you can better understand your staff, the macro view of your company, and the view of what you spend most of your time doing.  Take the following market research litmus test.  The results may surprise you. 

• Call your shot - If your company were a band, a musician, or a musical group, who would it be and why.  Give me your company, the musician or group, and why it describes you.  ENTER IT ON THIS BLOG...RECORD IT!
• Now ask - Ask this same question to those that report to you, your staff, your department, your company.  TELL THEM WHAT THEY SAID...THEY'LL ENJOY IT!
• Evaluate the results - Does it match?  Does the view of those in your organization align with what you've recorded here?  Is it better or worse?  Do you have work to do to improve your organization so that your view of the company matches the view of those that report to you (don't answer this question here).

Social Media Market Research Methods are REALLY Unevolved

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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. 

Hanging With The Locals - Regional Tastes and Market Research

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Enough is Enough...Market Research Fans, Groups, Wires & Websites?

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This will likely be the last of my string of posts that take pot-shots at the numerous sub-structures within the market research industry.  If you're a manager of one of these sub-structures, you can give a sigh of relief here (ENTER SIGH OF RELIEF). Two weeks ago, my article focused on the usefulness of market research directories.  Last week's article addressed the helpfulness of market research associations.  Finally, I think we need to turn to the numerous miscellaneous market research related news wires, websites, blogs, fan pages, communities, groups, etc.  Maybe you didn't realize all of these things existed...if not...ignorance may be bliss in this case.  There's a lot of stress involved with avidly keeping up on it all.

There's been quite a bit tweeted recently about the abundance (abundance may be an understatement...sheer volume) of market research related sites, groups, blogs, communities, etc. available to the market researcher.  For some of us, it's extremely difficult to keep a watchful eye towards everything that's going on and all that is posted with any kind of regularity.  It all becomes a little bit overwhelming (STOP THE MADNESS...KIDDING...KIND OF).  My RSS Feed alone contains fifteen market research related news wires and blog posts, not to mention all of the groups on LinkedIn and Facebook, the lists on Twitter, and the other "non-association" market research websites available that AREN'T in my news feeds.  Has enough become enough?

Don't get me wrong.  I'm glad that there are relevant sources of information for our industry.  What I'm saying is that I may have (HAVE) reached a threshold where it's becoming extremely difficult to keep track of it all without some additional technology to sift through it...UNLESS I ignore a bunch of what's available and focus only on my favorites.  Here they are:

If you haven't done this already, I have a recommendation for those who are trying to filter through all their "feeds."  Get an application to consolidate your Twitter, Facebook, and Linked In accounts.  Here are a couple of sites to check out.  I'm sure there are A LOT more of these...maybe some that are even better, however a quick analysis of the people I follow showed these two as most prevalent.  I'm not sure of the advantages or disadvantages each has over the other.

• HootSuite - I've signed up for this service to test it but don't have a lot of experience with it yet.  It's largely an online application, however it does look like it has desktop browser plug ins and can be loaded on a Mac.  It has an IPhone application.
• Tweetdeck - I use this software on both my desktop and on my mobile phone.  It's been very helpful in allowing me to quickly eye what's being posted without a lot of searching around...and it's desktop and IPhone applications are free. 
  

• Blogs - In an attempt to avoid repeating what has already been done.  I won't say much about blogs.  Research Rockstar put together two excellent articles on market research blog sources.  Their titles are Great Market Research Blogs: Part 1 and Great Market Research Blogs: Part 2.  This blog was lucky enough to get a quick mention.  Overall, the blogs that I found interesting from these two lists make up most of my RSS Feeds. 
• Aside from the folks you "follow" on Twitter.  It's probably worthwhile to consider following these Twitter hashtags (#MR, #MarketResearch, #LatinMR, #MROC).  Hashtags have been created for just about any topic.  I haven't really seen a comprehensive list of hashtags but hashtags.org is an interesting next best thing.  If you have a twitter application like Tweetdeck you can follow hashtags to your heart's content without having to figure out how to "dig" through them using the standard Twitter interface.
• Twitter lists are also being created for just about everything.  If you really want to dig deep, search some of them out related to Market Research.  I've kind of drawn a line in the sand for myself personally at this point.  Too much info (TMI).  On the other hand, take a look at this list on wefollow that id's the "most influential" market research tweeters.

Website market research news wires are easy to keep up on because you can set them up as an RSS feed in Outlook or other e-mail package, in your browser, or using a stand-alone application.  I mentioned that many of my RSS feeds are blog related.  Here are a few of my "non-association" favorite wires:

• Market Research World
• MR Web
  
• Research

The number of market research communities and market research groups seems to be exploding.  Increasingly, these are becoming much more difficult to track.  A quick search on "market research" under the groups section of Linked In generated 377 search results.  I'm able to get some value out of the following Linked In groups:

• Market Research
• Market Research Bulletin
• Market Research Global Alliance (MRGA)
• Next Gen Market Research (NGMR)
  

In addition to Linked In, market research related Facebook fan pages are popping up all over.  Companies have their own Facebook pages, but more non-company specific pages are also emerging.  Personally, I'm a "fan" of "Market Research Rocks! (hell yeah it does)" but I haven't jumped in to any others.

Phew...I feel like I've just thrown up...purged all of this information from my system into an article.  Sorry it was so long but I had to get it out and move on.  If someone is aware of a MASTER AGGREGATOR that will feed all of these sources, maybe provide information on "retweet" content (a frequency of "retweeted" articles would be nice), organize it into an easy "desktop" interface, all for "free"...please clue me in.  Until that time, I'll continue to overwhelm myself with the daunting task of "keeping up" in a very fast evolving industry with great content (actually I put limitations on the time I spend with these outlets...which is the first step in the information addiction).

• I'm sure I've missed someone, snubbed one of my "followers" or ignored something impactful.  Feel free to comment and add additional insight as you see fit.  The more the merrier...Right?

Love 'em or Lump 'em...Market Research Associations?

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I recently wrote an article about the usefulness (or for some...the uselessness) of Market Research Directories.  In the course of the conversation, a similar question was implied regarding the benefit gained from the numerous market research associations.

Before we continue, it's worth noting that I have a bias that I should put OUT THERE.  I have been volunteering with the MRA (Marketing Research Association) for several years and find market research industry associations helpful.  Melissa Pepper, an awesome industry friend, and I, are two "first-time" board nominees for the upcoming MRA election and have created the "Committee to Elect Melissa Pepper & Vaughn Mordecai to the MRA Board".  The committee is aimed to have some fun and see how (if) social media can impact the MRA election...MROC the vote so to speak (ha - that seemed like a shameless plug that wasn't really intended as a shameless plug)  Please keep reading now...

In a recent discussion on the Tom H. C. Anderson moderated LinkedIn group, "Next Gen Market Research," the question was asked "Which trade organization membership would you miss least?"  It's a very interesting question.  I started to think about it and concluded that the question should probably be flipped on its nose.  Maybe the question should be "Which trade organization do you value the most?" And why?

I personally believe that these associations are necessary for the future survival of the market research industry.  This is especially true for small to mid-size companies that may not have the resources of their much larger competitors.  Industry associations bring benefits to market research companies that are very difficult or very costly to acquire elsewhere.  They even benefit "non-members" of the association without the "non-member" ever realizing it.  For instance:

• Market research industry associations provide us with legal interpretation and representation as an industry.  Where would we be if our industry associations were not lobbying for us when legislation is considered that could eliminate or severely inhibit the ability to provide our products and services.  Just because YOU PERSONALLY may not pay specific attention to these developments, doesn't mean they are NOT a benefit to you.
• Related to this are best practice guidelines that not only outline legal requirements in bulleted form, but also provide standardized quality practices.  Following these association requirements for membership significantly diminishes the probability that an organization will violate some legal guideline or get itself into "trouble" having a negative impact on the entire industry.
  
• My personal opinion is that the training and educational elements of our industry associations are significantly under-utilized.  This is a valuable part of what these associations offer and shouldn't be overlooked.
• For many, networking opportunity is the most visible element of association membership.  Unfortunately, the value placed on any membership is oft-times ONLY associated with the robustness of the networking available.

• You get out what you put in.  Many of us spend a significant amount of time maintaining and managing our social media, staying connected to trends, and watching for insight that can help us evolve our businesses.  What kind of time are we spending invested and involved in our industry memberships?  Would you see a real-world, revenue-based, ROI benefit from your industry associations if even one-fourth (or less) of the time we spend on social media was actually spent on volunteering with the association(s) you belong to?  The connections you build when you volunteer are tighter, the relationships stronger, and the benefit just as robust.  Not to mention the good karma you get by giving back to those that contribute to your success (ok...so I did mention the good karma).
• If you don't know...you don't know what you don't know.  Many members subscribe to association membership simply to say that they are a member and so they can put the association logo on their website.  The complaint is then raised that the association brings nothing to them.  If you are not engaged in the association and understand what it brings to the table, how do you expect to reap its benefits.

• You're only as irrelevant as you allow yourself to be.  I've heard some say that the associations may not bring the benefit that they once did.  For whatever reason the benefit has decreased due to social media, TMI - too much info available, information is moving too quickly for associations to keep up, etc.  If you want your membership to be valuable, PARTICIPATE IN THE ELECTION PROCESS...I don't care which association it's for, or who you vote for...but place representatives in the associations that are forward thinking and capable of transforming the association with the new technology and methods available.

Whether you love 'em or would like to lump 'em, market research associations seem to be here to stay.  Could the associations provide more value and be more effective?  The answer is yes?  Could members get more value from their memberships?  The answer is also yes.  The million dollar question is "How do you encourage these two paths to converge?"

So I ask you...

• What market research industry associations do you value the most? Why?
• How can market research industry associations be more valuable to their membership base?
• How can members of market research associations get more value from their memberships? 

Out of Sight...Out of Mind...Market Research Directories?

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Disclaimer: This blog post is not intended to sell you on a market research industry listing.  And, I'm not trying to sell you on a product that will "get you noticed".  I'm not attempting to get you to list your market research company with some random market research directory that I've created, and I'm not trying to sell you on the idea that you should eliminate your industry listings.  I'm not trying to provide a value proposition, or make any kind of editorial comment (...ok maybe I am making an editorial comment).  So if you are looking for that type of thing...STOP READING NOW!

Around this time each year, I renew our market research industry listings in the market research services directories.  I'm sure you do too.  It's always the same group of directories.  It's like clockwork and, with some regularity, the cost of the listing increases.  Here are the directories that my organization lists in each year...along with their "perceived" advantages:

• Bluebook - This is published by the MRA (Marketing Research Association) and has an online listing on their website.  It's kind of an "out of sight...out of mind" thing for me.  If you aren't listed here, than people may forget you exist (at least in my piece of the industry). 
  
• M-Guide - This is published by the AMA (American Marketing Association) and has an online listing on their website as well.  Hopefully, this gets your business in front of a different group than the Bluebook...but I'm unsure.
  
• Greenbook - I'm a little confused about the relationship between the Greenbook and the AMA and how it relates to the M-Guide.  Greenbook also appears to be published by the AMA.  It has a cool feature that allows you to see who's clicked on your listing.  The other directories should get a clue from the Greenbook as it appears to have the best feature set available among all directories I've seen.
• Quirks - Has a pretty robust set of listings, the published version is free, and is tied to their free market research magazine "Quirks Marketing Research Review."  I like free...although when I list here, it typically costs because I upgrade the listing.

Other companies may also list in these two additional sources with regularity:

• QRCA's Directory - For the qualitative researcher in you...They also have an online listing...and a way to evaluate experience with your facilities (either you'll love it or hate it).
• ESOMAR's Market Research Directory - If you're into the international market research world.
  

As I've gone through my renewal process each year, I've started to wonder if there are really any differences between these listings and if there's some better option or approach out there.  I'll admit that I get a handful of requests for information from these sources each year, but I get far more requests for information by maintaining a website that is easy to find.  I wonder:

• What really differentiates these listings?  I understand ESOMAR & QRCA, but is there really any difference between Bluebook, Greenbook, M-Guide & Quirks?
• Am I missing a directory that I SHOULD be paying attention to, but I'm not?
  
• Who uses these? How often are they actually used to find market research companies (especially by end-users of market research services), or are the users of these market research directories mostly other market researchers like me?
• Are companies and individuals that are looking for market research services more likely to go to these directories, or run an internet search and scan their social media networks (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogs) to find the appropriate company? 

There's a lot to be said about NOT being "Out of sight and out of mind".  For that reason, I'll continue listing every year.  BUT, and it's a BIG BUT (notice the double entendre)...is there or can there be a better way to connect your organization with someone who is looking for your products or services.  It's very difficult to differentiate yourself in a directory...there's only so much that searchees will pay attention to.  It leaves me wanting more...(without a bunch of calls or e-mails from people with *.gmail accounts claiming to have the Big Bang solution to search engine optimization (SEO)...which I'm already doing.)  Do you agree?

I'm looking forward to your thoughts and replies to the questions I've posed.

Voter Apathy and the MRA (Marketing Research Association) Election

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I've been involved with the MRA (Marketing Research Association) and more specifically, the SWMRA (Southwest Chapter) for quite some time.  I always look for ways to volunteer, get involved, and to try to help the association as best I can.  I believe that when members volunteer, good Kharma comes back seven-fold.  In the course of this volunteerism, I've run across a concerning trend.  VERY FEW PEOPLE VOTE IN OUR ELECTIONS...Few people seem to vote for our chapter leaders, our bylaw changes, and the processes that alter the make up of the association.  Granted, most of my experience with this has taken place at the chapter level, I'd assume that the same "problem" exists nationally.  I don't claim to know what the actual figures are...but I find this SHOCKING.  At the chapter level, bylaw changes typically have to go through more than one voting cycle as a result of low participation in the approval process.  It makes me wonder why so few members vote for the leaders and guidelines that represent them and their companies in the market research industry.  I came to a few conclusions:

1.  Voter Apathy - members may not be interested or do not care.

2.  Members may not see a difference between any of the candidates...or don't know them to begin with.

3.  Members may not understand the value of the MRA for anything more than networking purposes...they may not know what the MRA brings to the table.

4.  The members are too darn busy to vote or the process is confusing and just isn't any fun.  

What do you think?  Am I correct in my conclusions?

I'm unaware of anyone who has EVER...ACTUALLY...staged a campaign for the MRA national election process.  To that end, Melissa Pepper, Tammadge Research's CSO & Vaughn Mordecai, Discovery Research Group's President, have formed "The Committee to Elect Melissa Pepper and Vaughn Mordecai to the MRA Board of Directors".  The name of the committee is intended to be long and "tongue-in-cheek", as is the slogan "Brought to you by 'The Committee to Elect Melissa Pepper & Vaughn Mordecai to the MRA Board of Directors' - you know you want them (on the board)."  Among other things...yet to be announced...Pepper & Mordecai are running on the assumption (aka...the platform) that it's important for the membership to vote, that we can have some fun with the election process, and that the process will result in good "representation" of the MRA membership at the National MRA level.  Simply, we are experimenting with social media to see if it can have any impact whatsoever on the MRA election process...the jury's still out. 

If you'd like to join our committee, we've set up a couple of social media avenues for folks to have some fun with...knock yourself out:

Our Facebook group is located here!

Our LinkedIn Group is located here!

Whether you love us...whether you hate us...whether you know us or not...vote...for someone...in the MRA election in the upcoming months.  Come on...it takes like five minutes!

I look forward to your comments.

Enhancing your Market Research...through free software

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I'm constantly looking for a good deal.  If the features and flexibility are available in a product, there's nothing better than "free".  For the holidays...and in preparation for 2010...Here are five software packages that I've run across that, with some thought and some tweaking, could enhance your market research product or market research service offerings.  

(Warning - Some of this may take some involvement from your IT staff...be prepared.)

• The Standard Social Media platforms - Faceboook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. Many market research organizations are using these to simplify some pretty standard market research tasks.  Increasingly, I've seen organizations use them as market research recruiting platforms for face-to-face (or ear-to-ear) research respondents, using them as a launching platform for online surveys, gathering qualitative information about a product or a brand, etc.  If you haven't set your company up on these media platforms...you should think about it.
  
• SocialSeek - Along those lines is a fun little piece of software called SocialSeek.  SocialSeek is loaded on your hard drive and allows you to run a search on any subject you can imagine, in any city.  The software returns all of the content on the Social Media webosphere related to that search.  It's easy to download and install and the software is worth taking a look at. 
• LimeSurvey - Speaking of online surveys...There are a million free (or very inexpensive) online survey platforms out there...with very little difference between them.  For the most part they are commercial ASP products housed on the internet.  LimeSurvey is different.  LimeSurvey is an Open Source online survey platform, housed on your own internal servers, with many of the features of the full-blown (and expensive) research platforms sold in the Market Research industry.  It's features are constantly growing because of the nature of open source software, it allows for translation into a host of different languages, and provides the security of housing your data at your own facility instead of through someone's online survey platform.  
• Ning or Elgg - You've heard of MROC's (maybe you haven't)...MROC stands for Market Research Online Community...also called ORC...Online Research Community.  These are market research communities that are created to address the qualitative (and sometimes quantitative) research needs of specific brands, companies, topics, or subjects.  Members of these MROC's are typically interested, engaged, and willing to interact with others regarding the brand, company, topic, or subject which allows companies to collect market research information from engaged research respondents. Ning and Elgg are different software packages that help facilitate the creation of these communities.  Ning is an ASP platform housed online, while Elgg can be housed on your local network and made available online.
• Rapidminer - I have to admit I'm new to this one and haven't explored it to the extent that I'd like.  I stumbled on it while I was looking for something else.  Rapidminer is a "Data Mining" software that appears to have a very wide selection of features.  It also has a strong user-based forum that addresses concerns for the novice to advanced user.

I've been searching for two types of "free" or open-source market research software. 

• The first is a qualitative response...open end...verbatim...coding software.  More than once, I've thought I was very close to finding what I was looking for (RapidMiner...for example). 
  
• The second is a way to pull content off the web, social media, blogs, etc. for qualitative research purposes.  This is a slightly...taboo...subject because most "Content Scrapers" have been historically used for malicious purposes and are not easy to use.  I'm looking for an "easy to use," free, scraper to be used for non-malicious purposes.  

That's all for now...so...

• Have you run across any free software that would be intriguing for the market research industry to examine?
• What are they?
• What's missing from this list?
  

"Easter Eggs" For the Holidays

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This article is probably not what you think.  It is not about the Easter Bunny assisting Santa Clause in delivering toys and easter baskets to good children during the Holidays (I never have understood the Easter Bunny...shouldn't it be an Easter Chicken..?)

In media, software, and online, an "Easter Egg" is something embedded in the website, the DVD, the software code, etc. that isn't made public or included as an "advertised feature".  To uncover an Easter Egg, you really have to know about it already, have someone tell you about it, be seriously lucky, or have quite a skill at discovering them.  Revealing Easter Eggs usually requires some series of pointing, clicking, typing, etc. that would not "normally" happen.  As my Holiday gift to you, here are ten Easter Eggs, I've tracked down online that I've enjoyed (out of a ton I've looked at).  Give some (or all) of them a try...they may be a little silly, but they are still fun.

1.  Pirate & Upside Down Language on Facebook - Many people know about this feature of Facebook already.  To access it, log in to Facebook, go to the bottom of your home page where it says English (US) and click on it.  It opens a "Select Your Language" option.  From the language options, choose "English (Pirate)" or "English (Upside Down)"...then see what happens.

2.  Flares on Facebook - This is a Facebook trick that you probably don't know.  Log into your Facebook page, then press the following combination of arrow keys and letters  on your computer (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, b, a, and then hit the "Enter" key).  Click around and see what happens.  The only way to stop the Egg is to log off.

(NOTE: The (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, b, a, Enter) code has significance and is a reference to old-school Nintendo games.  A bunch of video games that take advantage of this code can be found here.) 

3.  Konami Code Site - An entire website has been dedicated to revealing other websites that include "Easter Eggs" associated with the Konami Code.  It's really interesting...to enter the actual site, you have to enter the Konami code.  Go to the site.  To get in, type (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, b, a, Enter).  There are more sites listed than you'd think.  

(Google is well known for their "Easter Eggs".  Here are a few of them)

4. Google Languages - The search engine language in Google can be changed by clicking on "Language Tools" in the text right next to the search box.  Just about any language you can imagine is included.  What you may not have known is that if you type the following items into the search box...and hit "I'm Feeling Lucky"...magic happens:

• xx-piglatin (Changes the search into Pig Latin)
• xx-pirate (Changes the search into Pirate Speak)
• xx-Klingon (Changes the search into the Klingon language from Star Trek)
• xx-hacker (Changes the search into the "H4x0r" Hacker language)
• xx-elmer (Changes the search into Elmer Fudd's dialect from Looney Tunes)
• xx-bork (Changes the search into the Swedish Chef from the Muppets)
• google bunny ("Easter Egg" theme with an Easter Bunny game) 

5.  Google Pages - Take a look at these two Google sub-pages, I wouldn't guess that many people know they exist.  Funny information about Google products & technology.  

• Google Gulp - How would you like to be this product manager, in charge of marketing, or the market research group responsible for researching this product?
• Pigeon Rank - Provides information on why Google works as well as it does, and why it is soooo fast.  I've always been a Skinnerian at heart.

6.  Google Earth - You've probably downloaded the free software Google Earth.  If you haven't, take a look at it...it's free...and pretty cool.  What you probably don't know is that this software includes an "Easter Egg".  To uncover it, launch the latest version of Google Earth and hit Ctrl, Alt, A (Mac users hit Cmd, Opt, A) - all at the same time (not separately).  It launches a flight simulator that lets you fly around within Google Earth.  

(Note: Google has done such a great job with their search that a bunch of "knock-off" Googles have emerged.)

7.  Take a look at these search engines called "Google Parodies".  Simply type the term in a Google search box and hit "I'm Feeling Lucky"...act quickly on these...because they are often shut-down as fast as they emerge.  Makes you go "hmmm"...I wonder why that happens.

• Google Epic
• Weenie Google
• Elgoog (Google Backwards)
• Google Gothic (My Favorite)
• Shmoogle (Returns Google results in random order)

8.  Yahoo's Yodel - Go to the Yahoo homepage and click on the Yahoo logo's exclamation point (you can actually click on it)!  Make sure your computer speakers are turned on.

9.  Mini Cooper Website - On the Mini Cooper car website, type "reverse" (no quotes) into the search bar at the top of the main page.  A small gear shift will show up at the bottom left-hand corner of the page. Press and hold down your computer's "Shift" key and click the gear shift to see what happens.

And last, but never least... 

10.  Find Chuck Norris - Type "Find Chuck Norris" into a Google search, hit "I'm Feeling Lucky" and see what happens.  This one is a shout-out to my friends and associates in the SWMRA.

So what does all of this have to do with market research, market research surveys, general business trends, etc.  Very little...maybe nothing...but...Here's to surprising and delighting our clients and customers in 2010.  Happy Holidays!

• I didn't even begin to approach DVD "Easter Eggs".  Do you look for "Easter Eggs" when you buy DVD's...Have you seen any great ones?
• Do you have other "Easter Eggs" to add to the list?
• What is your favorite "Easter Egg"?