Trade Magazine by Erynn Szewczyk

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MARKETING RESEARCH ASSOCIATION

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June 2011 • Vol. 51 • No. 6

www.MarketingResearch.org he Web • MRA’s New Home On The n • Complete Site Redesign • Easy Navigation • New Member Forums • Insights & Strategies On Demand • Real-Time News & Info Feeds • New Jobs Board • New Member Profiles • Exciting Networking Opportunities • Lots More Fun

MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

MRAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

Editor-in-Chief Tara M. Cantore (860) 682-1000 Fax: (888) 512-1050 tara.cantore@ MarketingResearch.org

Editorial Board Nancy Cearley, PRC Sherri Dansby, PRC Amber Leila Esco, PRC Steven Gittleman Pat Graham

Alert! June 2011 7

Content Editors

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Erynn Szewczyk

June 2011 • Vol. 51 • No. 6

www.MarketingResearch.org g

Fertile Ground for Acculturation By Juan Ruiz

David Almy Kristen Darby Lisa Lockwood

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MARKETING RESEARCH ASSOCIATION

• MRA’s New Home On The he Web • Complete Site Redesign n • Easy Navigation • New Member Forums • Insights & Strategies On Demand • Real-Time News & Info Feeds • New Jobs Board • New Member Profiles • Exciting Networking Opportunities • Lots More Fun

Bias in Hispanic Survey Research By David Dutwin

By Kate Kenski, Ph.D.& Marisa Enriquez, M.A.

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Submissions to Alert! are welcome and should be sent to Tara Cantore at MRA, 110 National Dr., Glastonbury, CT 06033 or to tara.cantore@ MarketingResearch.org. Articles are edited for content, length and interest to MRA members.

Attitudes Toward Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Why Marketing Researchers Shouldn’t Treat Hispanics as a Homogeneous Group By Kenneth L. Strickland

Advertise in Alert! If you are interested in getting your name out to the leaders in the profession, contact Tara Cantore for advertising opportunities. E-mail tara.cantore@ MarketingResearch.org or call (860) 682-1000. The views expressed in Alert! are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of MRA. Visit us online at alert.MarketingResearch.org

Quality BlackJack: 21 Ways to Implement Quality Controls in Online Surveys By Melanie Courtright, PRC

How to Create a Questionnaire that Meets the Research Need Without Driving Respondents to Distraction

From the Editor By Tara M. Cantore

Welcome New Members

President’s Perspective

14 16 35 38 40 42

By Jackie Lorch, PRC

MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

On this month’s cover we debut MRA’s new logo and new Web URL. Read how we came to our final new logo in this month’s Message From MRA’s CEO column on page 14.

By Elisa Galloway, PRC

Message From MRA’s CEO By David W. Almy

Business To Do List For June Legislative Update By LaToya Rembert-Lang, J.D., LL.M.

Business Perspectives By Paul Kirch, PRC

MRA Chapter Update Research Standards By Patrick Glaser

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By Tara M. Cantore

From The Editor

Great Things Ahead at MRA! Welcome to the June issue of Alert! Magazine. As I mentioned in last month’s issue of Alert!, there have been a lot of changes for the Association over the past several months, including our new Web site, which with a little delay is now officially launched! If you haven’t checked it out yet, please go to www.MarketingResearch.org to see the new look and MRA’s new member forums. With the new Web site MRA also debuts a new logo. A lot of work took place between staff and volunteers over the past year to develop a new logo that accurately represented the Association as a whole. Our CEO, David Almy explains the process to come to our new and improved look! In other news, this September the Marketing Research Association is teaming up with Quirk’s Marketing Research Review and the Corporate Executive Board (CEB) to debut a brand-new event. MRA has retired its traditional “Fall/First Outlook Conference,” and will now push all efforts towards this collaborative conference. The Corporate Researchers Conference (CRC) is a unique event that represents an extraordinary opportunity for corporate researchers, executives and marketing research providers to gather together in a collaborative environment. I know some members have questioned if the conference is only for client-side researchers, and the answer to this is no. This conference is open to the entire marketing research industry, and will be beneficial to everyone from the corporate researcher, the data collector, full service researcher, marketing research services provider and educator. Education will be geared towards the corporate researcher, but this special learning environment will provide an opportunity for everyone to learn how to conduct research better and service the industry. Three new and unique tracks have been created to explore issues that researchers face everyday. These tracks include: Real World Research; Directing Marketing Research Projects; and Leading the Corporate Research Function. The event will reach a new audience, and many members of the research community that MRA members have yet to meet. It is an amazing opportunity to learn and network with new potential clients and partners. Several speakers have already been booked for the event, and include presentations from companies such as J.D. Power and Associates, Amex, Motorola, Microsoft, Taco Bell, T-Mobile, Batesville Casket, Competitive Futures, Cambiar Consulting, Extreme Presentation, Openet and many more! In addition to the great education and networking, all conference attendees that register at the full conference rate of $1,899 by August 19 will receive a free Apple iPad. As part of the Corporate Researchers Conference we want you to be able to experience

new technology, as well as stay-up-to-date on sessions and conference happenings. There will also be a CRC App for all attendees to download onto their new iPads and phones for information on sessions, speakers, exhibitors and last minute conference updates. I think the iPad gift is a great added bonus to the conference attendance. For the latest details on CRC visit crc.MarketingResearch.org. Also, follow the CRC conversation on Twitter with the CRC hastag #CRC2011 or follow CRC @CRC_2011. Stay tuned to next month’s issue of Alert! Magazine, which will feature a technology/software directory. The issue will also feature the 2011 Volunteer Award Winners for Honorary Lifetime Member, Distinguished Service Award and Award of Excellence.

Tara M. Cantore is MRA’s communications & sales manager. She can be reached at tara.cantore@MarketingResearch.org.

MRA’s new Web site offers new and improved features, rich with automation, resources and online communities to help you stay connected with other MRA members.

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New Features Include: Member Forums Insights & Strategies On Demand Real-Time News Easy Navigation New Job Board Enhanced Member Directory Networking Opportunities Explore the NEW MRA Web site Today www.MarketingResearch.org MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

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MRAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

Fertile Ground for Acculturation by Juan Ruiz Yes, it is happening! The ethnic landscape in the United States is changing. The latest U.S. Census figures being released are confirming the U.S. is becoming a multicultural country and the current growth rate among minority populations is changing the landscape much sooner – and much more quickly – than anyone would have expected. The population growth is mostly fueled by the Hispanic market. This segment accounted for 56 percent of the nation’s growth from 2000 to 2010! The impressive growth the Hispanic segment is experiencing definitely has implications in the way marketers and researchers will have to approach the market as a whole. There are many unknowns that are worth exploring. Understanding and foreseeing the impact this new ethnic landscape will have on your product category is key to remaining competitive. And there are many opportunities that are waiting to be uncovered. The sooner we start to pay attention to this, the better. The latest U.S. Census numbers are MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

painting an interesting picture about the growth that the Hispanic market is experiencing: ` It is happening pretty much across the entire United States and is not limited to traditional Hispanic states or Hispanic markets. For example, nontraditional Hispanic states like South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama are the top three states with the highest Hispanic children population growth over the decade. ` The growth is birth-based rather than immigration-based. One in four children entering school is of Hispanic origin. Overall, Hispanics account for 16 percent of the U.S. population,

however, among children ages 17 and under, Hispanics are 23 percent. The Hispanic market is important, not only due to its size and purchasing power (some estimates place it already above $1 trillion), but also because it is changing and, with the next generation, it will look very different from how it looks today. The fact that the Hispanic market is significantly younger and growing up exposed to the American culture hint that the next generation of Hispanics will be more acculturated than the current one. However, far from merging with the U.S. general population, there are many reasons to believe that this market will continue to have unique and complex characteristics.

“The impressive growth the Hispanic segment is experiencing definitely has implications in the way marketers and researchers will have to approach the market as a whole.” This is interesting, but, why is this relevant? Based on our LatinoEyes® Acculturation proprietary model, we estimate that about a third of the current Hispanic population is unacculturated; half are bicultural, and the remaining two in 10 Hispanics are acculturated. With this new Hispanic generation, we will see the bicultural segment grow at the expense of the unacculturated segment. But we’ll also see sub-segments among bicultural Hispanics gain in importance. Time will tell how these new segments evolve; however, right now we can envision two significant groups emerging and gaining importance among bicultural Hispanics; 1) the bicultural by birth and 2) the bicultural by choice. ` The bicultural by birth segment includes U.S. born Hispanics who are bicultural only because they were born in a Hispanic household. They will

share some of the Hispanic values and have some understanding of Spanish; however, they won’t see the Hispanic culture as a dominant force in their lives. Most likely these kids are being born to bicultural parents. ` On the other hand, the bicultural by choice segment will include those Hispanics, born in the U.S., who identify themselves fully with their Hispanic roots and make an effort to learn more about them. They are very proud of their Hispanic roots and love its culture, music, food, etc. They are also making an effort to maintain their knowledge of the Spanish language. This segment most likely has foreign born parents. These segments exist already in the Hispanic market. Our experience tells us that bicultural Hispanics today lean more towards the “by choice” than “by birth” segment. However, the coming

generation, with a majority of U.S. born Hispanics may change this balance and because of their size, these two segments will be more relevant in marketing plans. At this point, since acculturation is a personal journey, it is hard to predict the size of each segment and the likelihood of Hispanic children going one way or the other. It will be interesting to see how other variables like country of origin, U.S. region, neighborhood, friends, etc., will play in this complex equation. Now, regardless of which sub-segment Hispanic children fall into, they are already having a significant impact in the American society and are changing the family dynamics inside their own homes. The fact they are born in the U.S. starts shaping them differently since the beginning. They are learning Spanish and the Hispanic culture from their parents in their first years at home. As soon as they start attending preschool and kindergarten, they begin to experience a whole new world firsthand. It’s not that the Hispanic culture stops influencing them, giving the right of way to the American culture; they start living in both worlds, mixing them, going back and forth from one culture to the other depending on the circumstances. Hispanic parents start noticing the changes and try to react/adapt to them. Hispanic parents are faced with the daily task of teaching their children to

MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

“One in four children entering school is of Hispanic origin. Overall, Hispanics account for 16 percent of the U.S. population, however, among children ages 17 and under, Hispanics are 23 percent.” balance their worlds outside home and the Hispanic culture and values they want to teach them. For Hispanic parents, it is very important to pass their values to their children, as well as keeping the language. They think these values will better equip their children for a world that is drastically different from the one they grew up in. At the same time, education is very important to Hispanic parents, so they tend to support their children in their educational efforts. They want their kids to succeed in life and part of that includes allowing them to adapt to the American culture. As with all households, Hispanic kids are influencing purchase decisions made for the entire household. Hispanic children tend to participate actively in grocery shopping trips with their parents. They don’t hesitate to ask for new products and brands that they have seen their friends consume or that they have seen on TV. In many cases, parents tend to accept these requests, because their children’s requests make them curious, and because they like to make their kids happy. If they like the product, chances are they will also recommend it to their friends and family. Hispanic children’s influence has changed the family’s shopping list and is opening the door to new products in their own households, and possibly those of family and friends. And with one in four children growing up in Hispanic households, their influence is no doubt spreading to their non-Hispanic friends, too. Children’s influence is not limited to grocery shopping. We have seen that they are also influencing decisions in almost every category (clothing, restaurants, vacation destinations, electronics, etc.) and have an important influence in media exposure too. Children are dictating many of the programs that are watched on TV, are influencing the language in which the TV programming is watched and are also opening their homes to the world of the Internet. It is not uncommon to see Hispanic families purchasing computers and connecting to Internet so that their children can do their homework. Parents are learning about the benefits of using MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

the Internet through their children. For Hispanic households, particularly unacculturated, having school age children increases the pressure to become more acculturated. So, tomorrow’s Hispanics won’t be the same they are today. However, this doesn’t mean Hispanics will lose the characteristics that have differentiated them from the general market over the years. We see them evolving as a market – i.e., they will be more educated, with a higher purchasing power, – but at the same time, the Hispanic influence will still be there. Things like family gatherings, Hispanic traditions, “quinceañeras,” the food, the way to express love and respect to one another, etc., won’t go away any time soon.

So, when you’re working on your next marketing strategy or developing your research plan, think about your audience and if that audience does, or should, include the growing Hispanic population – in most cases it does! Take the extra few minutes to think about what that means to your product or brand and how you should start incorporating this exciting and growing segment in your marketing and research plans. It will be well worth your time!

Juan Ruiz is a senior research analyst at C+R Research.

Welcome New Members Mike Anderson Ixaris Seattle, WA

Stremtan Filimon, Ph.D. Universitatea 1Decembrie 1918 Alba Iulia Alba Iulia, Romania

Kavita Aneja Market Xce; Data Matrix Pvt Ltd New Delhi, India

Carol Fitzgerald BuzzBack Market Research New York, NY

Bridget Bachmann CINT Princeton, NJ

Mayra Garcia Expert Research Pesquisa de Mercado Ltda Melanie Rivera County College of Morris Me Randolph, NJ Sao Paulo, Brazil

David Baltaxe Current Analysis, Inc. Sterling, VA Aakash Bhasin Market Xcel Data Matrix Pvt Ltd New Delhi, India John Bird Annik Technology Systems Portsmouth, NH Jordan Bloom Luth Research, LLC San Diego, CA Mario X. Carrasco Offerwise Ashburn, VA Michael Chavarria Luth Research, LLC San Diego, CA John Coleman Authentic Response, Inc. New York, NY Sarah Cook Ventura County Research Camarillo, CA Chris Crothall Transatlantic Translations Rye, NY Jeffrey Davis KRC Research Washington, DC Jana De Anda TrendSource, Inc. San Diego, CA Zoe Dowling Added Value Los Angeles, CA Gregory Dunn University of South Florida Sarasota, FL

Demian Piva Expert Research Pequisa de Mercado Ltda Me Sao Paulo, Brazil Brian Poltonavage Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. Scottsdale, AZ

Jill Gordon TNS-North America Operations Troutdale, OR

Sean Robertson Fordham University New York, NY

Maleica Grant Focus Suites of Philadelphia Bala Cynwyd, PA

Antonio Rodriguez IMCS SA De CV Estado de Mexico, Mexico

Bette Griffen Salt River Project Phoenix, AZ

Ursula Saqui Saqui Research, LLC Crown Point, IN

Daniel Griffin Ventura County Research Camarillo, CA

Steven Simpson Gannett McLean VA

Tristan Hagmann Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. Scottsdale, AZ

Sudha Shah Atlanta, GA

Lauren Hougas Capella University Minneapolis, MN Sandy Intraversato BuzzBack Market Research New York, NY Julia Jenks MPAA Sherman Oaks, CA Brittany Johnston O’Keefee & Company Alexandria, VA Gavin Knapp SEMA Diamond Bar, CA Thomas Littlejohn CINT Encino, CA Grant Miller CINT Toronto, ON

Sara Sprague Takeda Pharmaceuticals Deerfield, IL Richele M. Springer, PRC PetSmart, Inc. Phoenix, AZ Jim Topitzes Portland, OR Yadira Vences IMCS SA De CV Estado de Mexico, Mexico Anna Whiteman Cranbrook Search Consultants Indianapolis, IN Joshua Whitman Matrix, LLC Montgomery, AL

To join or renew visit www.MarketingResearch.org/membership or call 860-682-1000 today!

Erica Nelson Netflix Los Gatos, CA

MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

MRAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

President’s Perspective

A Reflection on the Past Year One of my favorite activities is to immerse myself in nature. I am a hiker at heart, and one of my repeating personal goals each year is to hike at least two new national parks – more if I can get time away. I find peace when surrounded by what nature has to offer. I find I am able to reflect deeply on my life, and at times make life changing decisions. I find clarity in my surroundings. I share this with you because for the past year as MRA’s president, I have had a similar experience. I’d like to share with you a bit about those I worked with closely this past year, how through their vision and dedication, I found my peace. Vision and bold leadership laid the foundation for this year’s changes. Kim Larson of Information Alliance, and current MRA past president, had the foresight and strength to begin a process of change, setting the path I was able to continue on. I am thankful to the Board for their wisdom and dedication. From day one we questioned all aspects of MRA. As a group, we redefined who we are, who we want to be, and who we want to serve. We had many decisions to make, and this Board was willing to work hard to assure we were right with our decisions. Each of the Board members are supported by the following companies: Opinions…of Sacramento; Discovery Research Group; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; Cooper Roberts Research, Inc.; Adept Consumer Testing; Tammadge Market Research, Inc.; Jackson Associates Research, Inc.; Aflac, Inc.; Information Alliance; Baltimore Research; Online Survey Solution; Schlesinger Associates, Inc.; Nestle Purina PetCare; KL Communications, Inc.; and Metro Research Services, Inc. I am thankful to our CEO David Almy. We began our year together, both new in our positions. As with any new business relationship that works so closely together, we have learned much

MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

about each other. David’s ability to align MRA values and mission along with the desire of the Board with actual product deliverables, as well as how we operate as an organization day-to-day will continue to impact the organization positively. Supporting David and the Board, as well as running the day-to-day operations is Kristen Darby, our COO. Her professionalism, hard work and long hours, along with ability to understand the organization and bring her vast organizational knowledge to the table wins her the respect of all, including the Board and her staff. If you haven’t become more involved with the Association, I encourage you to experience the new MRA. I would also like to mention another new change MRA will have this September. As many of you may already know, the traditional MRA Fall Conference will no longer be offered. There is a new conference – the Corporate Researchers Conference – which MRA will be debuting along with Quirk’s Marketing Research Review and Corporate Executive Board. I encourage all of you to attend, as this conference is for the entire research industry. At the beginning of this article I mentioned life changes and being at peace. As I end my year as MRA’s president, I know the changes the MRA Board made were right and good for you the member, as well as the entire research industry. I am proud of all the volunteers and the work they accomplished. I end the year, knowing the reins are in good hands under the leadership of Ken Roberts. Thank you for the “hike,” it was enjoyable.

Elisa Galloway, PRC is MRA’s president and president of Galloway Research Service.

Message From MRA’s CEO

What’s in a Marque? Wandering the halls at MRA last summer, I asked someone, “Hey, what do you think of MRA’s logo?” Long story short: Nobody responded favorably. Turns out that MRA’s logo dated back to about 1981, give or take, so it’d been around a while. Some said it was dated. Some were repulsed by the color (an unpopular blue-green). Some, well, hated it. Given that I wasn’t a fan either, the notion was hatched that the logo probably was overdue for a refresh. Oh boy, I thought, in a dark way. The odyssey that ensued probably is familiar to anyone who has been through the logo development process, with equal parts joy and aggravation. Art isn’t easy. First stop, we created a new logo in-house. It was sharp, modern, kewl. It reused (from our old logo) the rising trend line concept inside a red triangle sitting on one of its sides. It used both the letters MRA and the words spelled out. I thought it had a lot going for it, but MRA’s marketing committee gave it mixed reviews. Some liked it, some didn’t, with those disliking it really disliking it. The use of red was a decided negative, they reported. So back to the drawing board we went. If not internally generated, where could we source a successful marque externally? One member knew of a designer with whom she had had great success. We contacted her, and a detailed questionnaire was completed by a new committee consisting of former MRA President Merrill Shugoll, current MRA Treasurer Kevin Lonnie and yours truly. You probably are familiar with what’s contained in questionnaires like this, used by designers to get a feel for what a client is looking for in a new logo. Were we progressive, conservative, classic, modern, avant garde, silly, fun, bold or quiet? – and many others. We three answered as best we could, mostly in agreement I might add, taking care to avoid any dreaded qualitative vs. quantitative bias, and several weeks later were summoned to see the results: 10 new designs in several families. These were narrowed down to two or three as we debated internally which were good and which were less so. Some tentative front runners were quietly circulated among MRA’s Board and the results came back – drum-roll please – mixed. Groan. The audience was underwhelmed. One suggested we try logotournament.com, a commercial Web site which has the client fill in a questionnaire (here we go again) from which designers from literally around the world propose designs, competing for an honorarium. And the suggestions started rolling in, eventually numbering about 125 from dozens of graphic designers from places like Italy, England, India, Indonesia, China and elsewhere. You rank the results, which provides guidance to the designers, as the week-long “tournament” progresses. Toward the last day, the refinements and new designs were coming in fast and furious. And then we were done.

“Well, let’s ask our members,” someone suggested, triggering ace-MRA staffer Patrick Glaser to work with KL Communications Chief Kevin Lonnie to take the top six logos from logotournament.com and field a survey – incorporating hundreds of responses – to find a winner, with two results. One, there was a relatively strong winner – a design that included a blue/green upward swooping arrow surrounding four upward trending bar chart bars – a double positive. It tested relatively well across all ages and segments. Had we finally found the “winner?” Two, I received an e-mail from MRA member Steve Kalter, PRC, president of Acumen Marketing Research, Inc., of Groton, Massachusetts. Steve said something just under the radar of the front line survey results – that all of the logotournament.com designs were less than optimum. Steve suggested that a better answer was possible and nominated yet another designer, Scott Wilson, also of Groton. After another series of creative discussions with Steve and Scott, Scott produced six distinctively new designs, of which one – to us – stood out. It was conservative with an edge, used both “MRA” and the spelled out words, while emphasizing MRA over any graphic embellishment. It was, to my eye, strong yet comfortable with up/down triangles illustrating the paradoxes we face daily. Tweaking this standout design, we added the winner of the logotournament.com contest and the best of the original designer’s work, rolling these three finalists into a new and streamlined member survey. In this second survey, Wilson’s design (above) was the clear winner. It required a final tweak, however, in that the surveyed blue and green triangles were muted. Given their small size – they add sparkle more than anything as the design’s “color” is really black – I felt that they needed to be stronger, brighter and more positive, so we tweaked the colors to be clean and clear. A bright, pure blue and a clean, vibrant grass-green added punch. And we were done. The new logo has since been folded into our new Web site at www.MarketingResearch.org, where the site’s color scheme has been designed to match the new logo. There’s also a new page set up to allow you as an MRA member to download and post the new logo on your own Web site. After almost a year in development, it’s been met with a strongly positive reaction, which I hope is yours, too.

David W. Almy is MRA’s CEO. He can be reached at david.almy@MarketingResearch.org.

MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

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Business To Do List For June Update your profile on MRA’s new Web site at www.MarketingResearch.org. Register for the Corporate Researcher Conference, which takes place September 21-23, 2011 in Chicago. Visit crc.MarketingResearch.org for more details. Renew your MRA membership with the new membership pricing structure. The more members you add, the more you save. Visit www.MarketingResearch.org/membership for details. Attend the free webinar sponsored by ClearAction on June 15 at 1 p.m. EDT – Why Customer Satisfaction Surveys Aren’t Customer-Centric & What to do About It. Register at www.MarketingResearch.org/education. Sponsor or exhibit at the Corporate Researchers Conference. Contact tara.cantore@MarketingResearch.org for details. Create your own personalized user dashboard on MRA’s Blue Book Web site at www.bluebook.org. Save the date for MRA’s 2012 CEO Summit February 27-29 at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle in North Miami.

MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

Bias in Hispanic Survey Research By David Dutwin Latinos, now the largest minority in the United States, present special challenges for survey research. In addition to posing the same difficulties inherent in polling any ethnic or racial group, Latinos are also comprised of subgroups representing many different countries of origin. Some Latinos have lived in the United States for several generations, while others have only just arrived, and the ability to speak English and Spanish varies widely.

Figure 1 MRAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today, over 35 percent of Hispanic households do not own a landline telephone, making surveys utilizing only landline telephones problematic.â&#x20AC;?

Hispanics have also taken to cell phones more avidly than any other group. Today, over 35 percent of Hispanic households do not own a landline telephone, making surveys utilizing only landline telephones problematic. While the issue of cell phones may provide an argument for the legitimacy of online Internet panels, the fact remains that such online research is not probability based (that is, is not based on random selection, the bedrock principle of survey research), and as such one can never be certain as to the accuracy of the estimates attained from such sources. Online panels are inexpensive for sure, and significant effort is taken to ensure that research obtained from such sources is properly weighted. However, the

striking difference is the fact that nearly two-thirds of non-users do not speak English. Correlated with this is the fact that non-users of the Internet are twice as likely to be foreign born. Conversely, Internet users are over twice as likely to be registered to vote and under 30 years of age. Other differences not represented in these charts abound, but the differences here make it clear: These are different populations, different segments of the overall Hispanic population. Given these differences, one can easily see the danger of deciding business strategy based on Internet panels. Such panels may be useful for research particular to “plugged-in” Hispanics, but is entirely inappropriate if one is particularly intent on understanding first-generation Latinos. As for the overall Hispanic population, Internet panels have some utility when

Figure 2 potential for inaccuracy in such panels is well documented for the general population. With regard to Hispanics specifically, the concern is even more acute, given that only three out of five Hispanics say they use the Internet, even occasionally. That means that at least 40 percent of all Hispanics are never going to be part of an Internet panel. There are substantial and striking differences between Hispanic Internet users and nonusers. Perhaps the most

“At least 40 percent of all Hispanics are never going to be part of an Internet panel. ”

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Figure 3 one is conducting embedded experiments (for example, testing one advertising message to an alternative message). But clearly, as a client who is quite amenable to online research once said to me, if you have a question you need to absolutely get right (for example, how many Hispanics are even aware of your product), probability samples are still the only option. No degree of weighting can fully account for every difference between Hispanics who use and do not use the Internet. One can weight, for example, foreign-born Hispanics to their proper proportion in the population in an Internet panel. But no amount of weighting will correct for the fact that all the foreign-born Hispanics in these panels use the Internet, and cannot represent the nearly two-thirds of foreignborn Hispanics for whom the Internet is an alien concept. So if probability sampling is a prerequisite to attaining reasonably accurate survey estimates of Latinos, what can we say about how one attains probability samples of Hispanics? How are such samples gathered the “right” way? The first thing to consider is the source. Probability samples are attained by either telephone or address-based samples. Address-based sampling (ABS) has recently garnered much attention, and has increasingly been utilized for a range of surveys. Nevertheless, if one asks any major sampling corporation how many requests they get for ABS compared to telephone samples, the answer is less than 10 percent. ABS tends to be more expensive when incidences are low, as is the case with the Hispanic population. It is also a more complex sample to operationalize in multiple languages. So for the purposes of this paper, let us focus MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

on the mainstay of probabilistic methods, telephone interviewing. Perhaps the most important, and unfortunate, feature of telephone interviewing of Hispanics is that it tends to be an expensive endeavor. Regardless of their increasing numbers, Latinos still currently comprise only 14.2 percent of the population, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. This means that initial screening will encompass the

lion’s share of cost in most Latino telephone surveys. In fact, a survey that costs $50,000 to interview any adult age 18 and older could cost three times as much when screening only for Latinos, overall sample sizes being equal. For most researchers, this constitutes a significant cost concern that often spurs them to look for alternative sampling options. However, it is important to note that each of these sampling options vary greatly in terms of not only cost, cut the quality of the data as well. One method of sampling Latinos is the use of listed samples consisting of people with distinctive Latino surnames. However, a comparison of Latinos by surname status finds significant concerns with the validity and reliability of this type of sampling procedure. Surname sampling is an attractive option because it can cut the cost of a survey in half compared to a disproportionate stratified sampling design, a procedure widely used for hard-to-reach populations (and described shortly). However, there is a price to pay for the use of surname sampling in terms of coverage. Currently, approximately 65 percent of U.S. households that own a landline telephone have a listed telephone number. However, again,

“Surname sampling is an attractive option because it can cut the cost of a survey in half compared to a disproportionate stratified sampling design, a procedure widely used for hard-to-reach populations.”

Figure 4

Table 5 only 65 percent of all Latino households even own a landline telephone. Therefore, only 42 percent of all Latino households both have a landline and a listed telephone number. And while my own internal research and Census data show that 80 percent of Hispanics have a recognizable Hispanic surname, the number of households that surface in listed sample that have a distinctive surname will be less due to intermarriage of Hispanics with surnames to Hispanics or non-Hispanics who do not have surnames. Even if this were not true, overall, the use of surname sampling only covers 33 percent (80 percent surname on 42 percent with a listed landline) of all Hispanic households in the U.S., and again due to intermarriage the rate is likely quite lower. So like our previous discussion of Internet panels, the key question here is whether respondents who can be reached via surname sample are significantly different from individuals who cannot be reached by such sample. As shown in the Figure 2, there are substantial gaps between surname sample and non-surname sample Hispanics. While differences are not as severe as they were in the Internet use comparison, there are still a number of substantial differences. For one, surname sample respondents are two and a half times more likely to be under the age of 30, and nearly twice as likely to attain an income of under $20,000 per year. They are, unsurprisingly, Spanish language dominant. A final comparison of interest is by religion, where surname sample respondents are 18 percentage points more Catholic than non-surname respondents. Again, weighting can correct for a

number of these factors, such as age, educational attainment, and gender. But such weighting only covers up the wound, and does not tackle the root causes. Such weighting again, for example, by proxy, correct for the skew in income. But it will not fix the fact that the study has no non-surname interviews, nor change the reality that non-surname Hispanics of the same income bracket surely hold very different attitudes and engage in different purchase practices than do Hispanics with a surname, on a host of metrics. If surname sampling is a poor choice for getting the “right” answer to survey questions, then what alternatives do we have? The primary answer is a disproportionate stratified design. Simply put, one can place every telephone exchange into one of a number of “strata,” each of which is based on a different range of incidence of reaching a Hispanic household. Thanks to the ability of sampling companies to affix known Census data to telephone exchanges, we know for example that for households in telephone exchange 610-667-xxxx, the incidence of reaching a Hispanic household is under 3 percent. Conversely, some exchanges associated with Little Havana in Miami will have an incidence of over 80 percent. The strategy

here is to sub-divide all Hispanic households into four equal strata, each containing 25 percent of the Hispanic population. The first strata will attain an incidence of reaching a Hispanic household of perhaps 65 percent, the second, 30 percent, the third, 15 percent and the fourth, 3 percent. If we were to dial numbers randomly, then 25 percent of all interviews would come from each one of these strata. But we do not. Rather, we can attain 50 percent of our interviews from the strata of the highest incidence, and only 10 percent from the strata with the lowest incidence. In this way, we increase the incidence of reaching an Hispanic household from 14.2 percent to something much greater, depending on the aggressiveness (the disproportionality) of the stratification plan. Typical plans can attain close to 30 percent incidence, thereby saving tens of thousands of dollars. Weighting corrects for this disproportionality of selection. However, unlike weighting that has been mentioned before, the weighting is not trying to account for respondents who never have a chance to be interviewed. Here, it is simply that some Hispanics has less than an equal chance, and others, more: But all have some probability of selection. So the weighting is being “asked” to do much less, and to do something that it was originally designed to accomplish. An important caveat to this, however, is again the issue of cell phones. For a variety of reasons, cell phone interviewing tends to be at least twice as expensive as landline interviewing. The main culprits of this are the fact that the FCC does not allow computer dialers to dial cell phones (they must be dialed by hand), and that nearly 30 percent of the time the person who answers the cell phone is under the age of 18 and is typically screened out from being eligible to do the survey. What skew does a landline-only survey of Hispanics create? Again, this is best represented graphically, as with Figure 3. These comparisons show just how different Latino cell phone only households are from other households. They are on

“Surname sample respondents are two and a half times more likely to be under the age of 30, and nearly twice as likely to attain an income of under $20,000 per year.” MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

Table 6 average over half as likely to be non-Mexican and registered to vote, while twice as likely to be under the age of 30. They are connected with regard to social networks, and more likely to be born in the U.S. The largest difference, however, is with regard to income, as landline owning Hispanic households are two and a half times more likely to earn at least $50,000. Luckily, cell phones can be stratified in the same manner as landlines, though at present this can only be done at the area code, rather than the exchange, level. Nevertheless, because Hispanics have so readily moved to cell phone ownership, the efficacy of interviewing Hispanics on cell phones is quite good, such that while cell phone interviewing is still more expensive than landline interviewing, the gap is less than it is with surveys of other ethnic groups. Overall, then, the best design to attain the lowest relative cost to the highest relative measure of data quality is the dual-frame (landlines and cell phones) disproportionate stratified design. But regardless of the design, both vendors and End Users of Hispanic data need to be concerned with other sources of bias in Hispanics studies as well. One of the principal potential sources of bias has to do with the degree to which interviews have been conducted in both English and Spanish. As one might expect, there are substantial differences on Hispanic demographics, attitudes and behaviors across their ability to speak English, Spanish or both. Spanish dominant Latinos, unsurprisingly, do not use the likes of Facebook and MySpace. Over nine out of 10 are foreign born, yet only one out of 10 claim to have voted in MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

the last election, while even fewer earn at least $50,000 per year. Spanish dominant Hispanics tend to be predominantly Mexican and Catholic. So clearly, one has to be concerned with the degree to which their sample is well represented by all three groups. This is often easier said than done. Many survey shops interview largely in English. When an interviewer is met with a Spanish speaking potential respondent,

the interview is terminated and set up for callback at a later time with a bilingual interviewer. This saves the cost of maintaining a staff where the majority of interviewers are bilingual from the start, since bilingual interviewers tend to command a higher salary given their linguistic skills. However, it is very difficult to design interviewing computer programs to create situations whereby that household is afforded a near immediate callback. While some claim to have “instant handoffs” of surveys to bilingual interviewers standing in the wings, clearly one can understand the economic expense of such a practice (one interview for the price of two interviewers). As such, the typical situation is one where such “language barrier” households are given a callback no earlier than 24 hours after the original call. And unfortunately, this typically translates into only getting around half of such households to answer the phone a second time. The net result: fewer interviews in Spanish. There are methods to minimize the skew toward an English dominant sample. In stratified designs, one can strategically place bilingual interviewers into working strata with high Hispanic incidences. Language dominance is highly correlated

“ Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic/racial group in the United States.” with Hispanic household incidence. Simply put, Hispanics living on Park Avenue tend to speak English fluently, while Hispanics in Los Angeles barrios can more often than not speak Spanish fluently. Moreover, as suggested earlier by the table of surname sample, only 17 percent of surname sample Hispanics do not speak Spanish well enough to conduct a telephone interview. A final area of consideration with regard to bias in surveys of Hispanics is concerned with effort. This is specifically measured by both the character of Hispanics based on how many call attempts it takes to get an interview, as well as whether the respondent initially refused to be interviewed, but then later agreed to the interview during a “refusal conversion” attempt. Though differences are not as stark as with some of the earlier comparisons, they nevertheless underscore that quality is important. For

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certain, surveys that only make a few call attempts will have some skew toward being too Mexican, which is not optimal given that other groups are small enough in size in the first place, without a call attempt skew making matters worse. In conclusion, Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic/racial group in the United States. While their overall share of the U.S. population is still relatively small, two factors play into their assured future importance to survey researchers. First, they are young and therefore interested in today’s modern products and services more than perhaps any other group. And the second related factor is that analyses of future purchase power of every ethnic and racial group finds that Hispanics will have the capital to acquire these products and services at an ever increasing rate. Therefore, it is clear that where there is population size, particularly young population size, and where there is

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purchasing power, survey researchers will have work to do, measuring and tapping into knowledge, attitudes and behavior. It is important to note that quality research of Hispanics requires special skill and experience. They require sophisticated sampling strategies, liberal use of cell phone interviewing, smart and strategic allocation of bilingual interviewing, and an eye toward quality interviewing techniques such as refusal conversion attempts and at least a modest number of call attempts. Such techniques can deliver data that attain a high degree of reliability and validity, and get the right answers and accurate survey estimates. Note: This article does not reflect the opinions or positions of the Marketing Research Association, and the views expressed are solely those of the author.

David Dutwin is vice president and chief methodologist at SSRS/Social Science Research Solutions.

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MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

Attitudes Toward Comprehensive Immigration Reform By Kate Kenski, Ph.D.& Marisa Enriquez, M.A.

On May 25, 2006, the U.S. Senate passed the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (S. 2611). Because the bill did not pass the congressional conference committee to reconcile differences between it and its sibling H.R. 4437 (passed in the U.S. House in December 2005), neither became law. News discourse about immigration between 2005 and 2007 was focused on the idea of comprehensive reform. The issue was charged as bipartisan efforts resulted in dissatisfaction from both sides. For those on the far left, comprehensive reform involved stipulations to citizenship that were considered too rigid. For those on the far right, comprehensive reform was tantamount to amnesty. The complexities of the issue make it difficult to assess public attitudes easily. While immigration has rarely been considered the “most important problem” facing the nation in public opinion polls, its connection to potential national security concerns and relationship to economic development have made it a concern to elected officials, especially in the aftermath of September 11. The public’s interest in and recognition of immigration as an important political issue fluctuates depending on how often it is discussed by political and media elites. Above, Figure 1 demonstrates these fluctuations by tracking the relative interest in immigration on Google’s search engine. Spikes in “immigration” search requests coincide with media coverage. For example, May 2010 searches increased after the passage of Arizona’s SB1070, which allows state and local officials to request identification from persons arrested or stopped. Mid-term voters appear to use immigration as a factor in their vote decisions. In November 2006, a Pew Research Center poll reported that one in five mid-term voters reported that it was a top issue affecting how they voted in the congressional elections. In October 2010, approximately one in seven registered voters said it was an important issue affecting their voting decisions. Although a January 2011 Pew Research Center for the People and the MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

Figure 1: Relative Interest in “Immigration” Topic on Google Across Time

Data: Google Trends “immigration” search in U.S. region. Note: The dependent measure is a relative index created by Google Trends normalized against 1. Press poll did not have immigration coded as one of the top issues, meaning that it did not have enough public support to constitute its own category, it is an issue being discussed by elected officials. In May 2011, President Obama spoke about immigration in El Paso, maintaining that he supported a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants that would require them to come forward, pay taxes and a penalty, and learn English, suggesting that political elites will once again attempt to address this issue in the upcoming years. A June 2007 Pew Research Center for the People and the Press poll found while opinions over the proposed path to citizenship legislation were divided, there was widespread agreement that immigration reform was needed. Only seven percent of Americans said that no immigration reforms were needed. Although the public may have endorsed the general idea of immigration reform, that does not mean they were sold on particular pieces of proposed legislation, much like the recent healthcare reform legislation signed into law by President Obama in March 2010. There is difficulty

in assessing attitudes toward comprehensive immigration reform because the comprehensive nature of the reform means citizens may like some parts of it but not others. Consequently, people on opposite sides of the ideological spectrum may be united in their opposition, but for philosophically different reasons. To complicate matters, how one uses language to discuss immigration reform has the potential to influence attitudes. Language makes some aspects of a topic more salient than others. The same policy, described with different adjectives, can yield different opinions. For example, the previously mentioned Pew Research Center study found differences in support for the 2007 legislation on immigration depending on whether the proposal was characterized as “a way to gain legal citizenship” for immigrants versus providing “amnesty.” While 63 percent of adults supported providing “a way to gain legal citizenship” if certain conditions were met, support decreased to 54 percent when the proposal was framed as providing “amnesty” if certain conditions were met. The immigration debate has increased

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Table 1: Favorability Toward a Path to Citizenship Proposal by Wording Conditions

Total

Hispanic

Illegal Alien 52.3% 41.7% 6.0% 1,875

Illegal Immigrant 51.8% 41.9% 6.3% 1,972

44.4% 52.2% 3.3% 90

41.6% 55.1% 3.4% 89

Favor Oppose Don’t know

Undocumented Immigrant 53.9% 38.9% 7.2% 1,927 X2=6.034, df=4, p>.15 41.2% 41.2% 17.5% 97 X2=17.334, df=4, p<.01

Data: 2008 National Annenberg Election Survey; citizens interviewed between February 8 and March 2, 2008 (n=5,828) Question Wording: Respondents were randomly assigned to one of three versions of a question regarding a path to citizenship, “I’m going to read you a proposal some have made regarding immigration. Please tell me whether you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose it: provide a path to citizenship for some __________ who agree to return to their home country for a period of time and pay substantial fines.” The randomly assigned question wordings were: (1) illegal aliens, (2) illegal immigrants, and (3) undocumented immigrants. awareness over how language can be used as a tool by affecting portrayals of the immigrant. In early 2010, National Public Radio transmitted a conversation around the “power of [the] word[s]” undocumented and illegal. This conversation was the result of Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor using the term “undocumented” in a Supreme Court case. The resulting debate focused on the connotations of the word “illegal” and the potential effects when people hear the word attached to the immigration debate. While immigration advocates and opponents have made efforts to secure the framing of immigrants as undocumented versus illegal, little research has studied the impacts of immigrant framing on public opinion. The word “alien” sounds more abrasive and strange than does the term “immigrant.” Considering that people generally prefer the familiar to the strange, the term “alien” conceivably primes negative feelings toward the issue position more so than would the term “immigrant.” The word “illegal” is a synonym for illegitimate, criminal and dishonest. “Undocumented” may come across as an oversight or mistake. Yet, our research based on data from the 2008 National Annenberg Election Survey (NAES) shows the framing of immigrants as either “illegal aliens,” “illegal immigrants,” or “undocumented immigrants” does not significantly change opinions toward the proposed path to citizenship MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

among citizens overall as shown in Table 1 above. When attitudes toward the path to citizenship proposal by question wordings were disaggregated by demographic and political characteristics, the

results showed that the question wording conditions had no significant relationship to proposal attitudes by gender, race, education, household income, ideology or party identification. One group affected by question wording, however, was Hispanics. Although we had suspected Hispanics would be more resistant to question wording in comparison to non-Hispanics due to the resonance of the immigration issue for the Latino community, the results suggest Latino citizens were more affected by question wording. Specifically, using the phrase “undocumented immigrants” in the proposal’s description propelled over one in six Latino citizens to say they didn’t know how they felt about the proposal. While non-Hispanics were not affected by question wording, Hispanics were much less likely to oppose a path to citizenship for “undocumented immigrants” (41.2 percent) in comparison to “illegal aliens” (52.2 percent) and “illegal immigrants” (55.1 percent). It appears topical resonance with Latinos does not translate into frame resistance. The Latino population is an important demographic group to understand when it comes to political beliefs generally and immigration attitudes specifically. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Latinos are

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expected to comprise 24.4 percent of the population by 2050. In times when elections are decided by small margins, this segment of the population may be a sleeping giant. Previous work assessing differences between the growing Hispanic population and the non-Hispanics has found there are differences between these groups on issues such as candidate support, environmentalism and attitudes about abortion and the death penalty, among other dimensions. In our analysis of 2008 NAES data, Hispanics were significantly more likely to oppose the path to citizenship proposal than were non-Hispanics. This was true in both the “strongly” and “somewhat” categories of opposition. While 22.8 percent of non-Hispanics strongly opposed the path and 17.6 percent somewhat opposed it, 30.1 percent of Hispanics strongly oppose the idea and 19.2 percent opposed it. Given Hispanics have traditionally been more open to the idea of immigration, the patterns suggest that the opposition to the path to citizenship probably stemmed from the requirements attached, rather than opposition to the idea of illegal/ undocumented aliens/immigrants being allowed in some fashion to become citizens, for this particular group. Yet, it would be a mistake to treat Latinos as a monolithic group. Not only are there differences based on country of origin, our research indicates that language preference varies within Latinos. We examined the sociodemographic and attitudinal differences between Hispanics who choose to be interviewed in English versus Spanish using data from the 2008 NAES (n=716; May 30-September 3) to give insight into potential nonresponse

biases created by the failure to offer interviews in Spanish. Our findings indicate Hispanics interviewed in English are significantly different from those interviewed in Spanish in several ways. ` While 76.8 percent of Latinos interviewed in English identified themselves as U.S. born, only nine percent of Latinos interviewed in Spanish identified themselves as such. ` The average educational attainment of Latinos interviewed in English was 14 years of education. In comparison, those interviewed in Spanish had 11.2 years of education. ` The average reported household incomes of Latinos interviewed in English was over twice that of those interviewed in Spanish. ` Latinos interviewed in Spanish were more likely to report attending religious services than those interviewed in English. ` Spanish-interviewed Latinos had stronger feelings of opposition to “a path to citizenship for some illegal aliens who agree to return to their home country for a period of time and pay substantial fines” in comparison to their English speaking counterparts. While 44.3 percent of Latinos interviewed in English opposed the proposed path to citizenship, 50.9 percent of Latinos interviewed in Spanish opposed the plan. ` When it came to general reactions to building a fence along part of the U.S. border with Mexico, 58.8 percent of Latinos interviewed in English opposed the idea in comparison to 81.2 percent of Latinos interviewed in Spanish. ` On the topic of allowing driver’s

licenses to undocumented or illegal immigrants, 59.6 percent of Latinos interviewed in English opposed the idea in comparison to 15 percent of Latinos interviewed in Spanish. The take away observation is that if one wants to truly understand where Latinos stand on the issues, it is imperative that researchers make Spanish-interviewing available when conducting surveys. In our study, 30.2 percent of Hispanics chose to be interviewed in Spanish. Assessing attitudes toward comprehensive immigration reform is nearly as complex as the legislation itself. The framing of individuals as “aliens” versus “immigrants” and “illegal” versus “undocumented” does not appear to have consequences for the general population, but it has consequences for Latinos specifically. Moreover, it is important that Latinos not be treated as a single entity. They are members of a group that contains variation in their sociodemographic situations and policy preferences, especially when examined by language of interview preferences. As researchers move forward to understand the immigration attitudes of this important and growing group, these sensitivities should be kept in mind when interviewing members of the Latino community.

Kate Kenski is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Arizona. Marisa Enriquez is a M.A. graduate from the Department of Communication at the University of Arizona.

MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

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Why Marketing Researchers Shouldn’t Treat Hispanics as a Homogeneous Group By Kenneth L. Strickland Around the turn of the century, marketers began to affix their tactical gaze upon the emerging American Hispanic marketplace – and with good cause. Numerous reports and studies derived from Census results point to undeniable and rapid growth of the U.S. Hispanic population, both now, and in the decades to come. According to the American Community Survey released in December, the U.S. Hispanic population increased an estimated 28.9 percent from 2000 to 2009. Looking at early 2010 Census results, the Pew Hispanic Center finds Hispanic population growth actually exceeded the Census Bureau’s earlier expectations by 1.5 percent. Hispanics now comprise a population majority in three states: California, Texas and New Mexico, and it is predicted that by 2025, one-third of U.S. children will be of Hispanic origin. In addition to sheer population growth, researchers are also pointing to considerable change in the geographic dispersion of U.S. Hispanics. Once more or less isolated to the American Southwest, researchers have observed growing Hispanic populations across most of the country, with the most noticeable growth occurring in the Northwest, Great Lakes Region and East Coast. As these population trends continue, we can be confident that marketing researchers will begin to field more and more questions from clients looking to capture a share of this marketplace. Opportunities to pull aside self-identifying Hispanic consumers to dive deeper into their specific attitudes and behaviors will be abundant, and the marketing research community will certainly respond with methodologies designed to do just that. As these population trends continue, we can be confident that marketing researchers will begin to field more and more questions from clients looking to capture a share of this marketplace. Opportunities to pull aside self-identifying Hispanic consumers to dive deeper into their specific attitudes and behaviors will be abundant, and the marketing research community will certainly respond with methodologies designed to do just that. As we begin to travel this road of

demographically motivated research, perhaps it’s worth asking a simple yet critical question that has seemingly made its way through current discourse on the topic untouched: Are U.S. Hispanic consumers truly a single, homogeneous market? Put another way, can we really continue to use the term “Hispanic consumer” to describe a single, like minded/behaved group of spenders, or are U.S. Hispanics simply too diverse to reasonably fall within the single bucket we’ve attempted to place them in? Although it would certainly be easier and more efficient to avoid the complexities of dividing Hispanics into separate, smaller consumer sub groups, research across a variety of fields would suggest that perhaps we should be doing just that in order to truly capture the real and meaningful differences that exist within this group. For this article, I will focus on two particularly meaningful dimensions to the Hispanic consumer – country of origin, and assimilation level – and will point to evidence that suggests that perhaps the process by which we identify Hispanic consumers should involve more than a simple checkbox.

U.S. resident Hispanics are a notably diverse group with regard to country of origin, which is in sharp conflict with our tendency to want to collapse them into a single identity for research purposes. As Census data details, residents of Mexican descent comprise of roughly two-thirds of the U.S. Hispanic population – a group with considerable regional heterogeneity itself. Of the remainder, Central and South Americans make up around 13 percent, Puerto Ricans 9 percent, Cubans 4 percent and other Hispanic ethnicities about 8 percent. Naturally, however, these numbers vary considerably across different markets. For example, a researcher looking to conduct focus groups with Hispanic consumers in three of the largest consumer markets in the United States – Los Angeles, New York and Miami, would (assuming random selection) find three incredibly distinct sets of respondents. L.A. respondents would likely be more representative of the Mexican-American majority, and would, according to Census data, earn less on average than participants in the New York and Miami groups. The LA groups

“As Census data details, residents of Mexican descent comprise of roughly two-thirds of the U.S. Hispanic population – a group with considerable regional heterogeneity itself. Of the remainder, Central and South Americans make up around 13 percent, Puerto Ricans 9 percent, Cubans 4 percent and other Hispanic ethnicities about 8 percent.” MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

brought with them from their country of origin. In a report published by Mercury Media, researchers argue that there are “Looking at early 2010 Census results, the Pew three separate Hispanic segmentations in addition to those based on country of Hispanic Center finds Hispanic population growth origin. The first, “Hispanic Dominant,” is comprised of consumers who have lived actually exceeded the Census Bureau’s earlier in the United States for less than seven years and typically communicate and expectations by 1.5 percent.” consume media in the Spanish language. “Bicultural” Hispanics are those with an average of 22 years of U.S. residency, would also have a tendency to be the least as aspirational purchasing, trust with and are likely to utilize both Spanish and assimilated of the three, and rely more consumer brands and response to specific English and home, but maintain a preferheavily upon the services of a linguistic advertising cues – with, as you might ence for English language media. As one interpreter. While New York’s demograph- expect, considerable differences across would expect, “U.S. dominant” Hispanics ics are diverse across all groups, its ethnic sub-groups. Political scientists, typically prefer English media, speak Hispanic population is represented by a for one, have focused heavily upon the English in their home, and have generally notably larger Puerto Rican base. Puerto immigration process as a catalyst for lived in the United States the longest – an Ricans, along with the Cuban majority in distinction. While not as clearly tied to average of 36 years. the Miami/South Florida market, generally consumer marketing, it is likely that their Language is generally the dominant earn more than their Mexican counterfindings in such areas as adherence factor in assimilation studies – a testaparts – with 35 percent and 34 percent to authority, response to campaign reporting incomes over $35,000 per year messaging, and ideological formation have ment to just how important a variable it truly is. For the marketing researcher, it’s respectively, compared to 28 percent for considerable parallels in the consumer important to remember that language those of South American origin, and 24 world. Several sociologists have explored presents a considerable barrier to a variety percent of Mexican Americans. the attitudes Hispanics have towards of consumer sources for many American But what do these differences mean other Hispanic sub-groups – with the Hispanics. For instance, a recent post in terms of actual consumer behavior? literature suggesting that our tendency on MediaPost’s Engage Hispanic blog While social scientists have recently taken to think of the group as a single entity is pointed out the fact that because social up the charge to answer this question, in sharp contrast to the way Hispanics the earliest research into the practical identify themselves – relying more heavily media relies heavily upon user generated implications of American Hispanic upon their nationality of origin. This would content, this can leave Spanish dominant speakers out of the loop. As they point heterogeneity can be found within the suggest that marketing campaigns out, unlike TV, there is no “channel 34 of study of medicine. For years, scholars targeting American-Hispanics may be have focused on the varying incidence of ineffective if they unintentionally isolate or social media,” or a place where Spanish speakers can receive the same consumer specific diseases and disorders occurring alienate specific sub-groups. across the American Hispanic population, In addition to disparity by country of ori- information in their preferred language. in addition to disparities in treatment suc- gin, research also points to another mean- Another layer of complexity is added when you consider the fact that Spanish cess. While hereditary differences explain ingful variable – state of assimilation, or much of this variation, cultural factors how tightly Hispanics hold onto the values as its spoken in Spain, varies greatly to have been shown to have a significant impact as well. For example, a large, crosscultural study of the diabetes epidemic within the American Hispanic community found considerable disparity in the extent to which different nationality groups attributed obesity to detrimental health. This was due in large part to inconsistencies in the extent to which certain words like “fat” or “obese” were stigmatized. This should be of particular interest to marketing researchers, as distinctions in Amber Leila Esco, PRC the impact of semantic cues are critical to Executive Vice President testing specific brand character traits, or Schlesinger Associates gauging the effectiveness of messaging campaigns targeted to Hispanics. PROFESSIONAL Within the social sciences, most of the RESEARCHER CERTIFICATION attention has centered upon key demographic distinctions across sub-groups, and how those distinctions map to specific Professional Researcher Certiﬁcation (PRC) signiﬁes high professional standards and exceptional attitudes and behaviors. 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MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

Spanish spoken in Argentina, Mexico, Guatemala and so forth. The meaning of certain words changes considerably from one locale to another, and often across regions within the same country. As such, particular care should be taken to ensure that research messaging is linguistically inclusive. So what should marketing researchers do in order to be sensitive to the differences that exist across Hispanic consumers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; particularly when conducting research focusing on this group specifically? For quantitative methods, it seems apparent that the simple â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hispanic/Latinoâ&#x20AC;? check box weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve become reliant upon is insufficient. Giving respondents the opportunity to identify themselves the way they actually identify themselves not only fosters good respondent/researcher relations, it can provide valuable insight that would otherwise be missed. Furthermore, this deeper level of insight can be a valuable tool in explaining variance across studies â&#x20AC;&#x201C; particularly those conducted in separate markets. Qualitative researchers should pay careful attention to the linguistic cues delivered to research participants. Brand traits or values perceived in a specific manner by one cultural group, may be seen in a completely different light by another. Also, the choice of an interpreter, if required, should be one that is made with great care. Data suggests that Hispanics of one sub-group may not identify with members of another sub-group to the extent we might have otherwise thought. Creating an environment that is sub-culturally sensitive becomes increasingly important when targeting Hispanic consumers for interactive research, such as interviewing or focus group studies. These ideas are simply a starting point. As Hispanic targeted research takes off, researchers will devise new strategies and ideas to compensate for variation across Hispanic sub-groups. In the meantime, our primary objective as researchers should be to make ourselves aware of American Hispanic heterogeneity, and design our Hispanic targeted studies in such a way that our clients benefit from an enhanced understanding of these natural distinctions.

! "

Kenneth L. Strickland is the client services project manager at Sterling Research Group, Inc.

MRAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

Quality BlackJack: 21 Ways to Implement Quality Controls in Online Surveys By Melanie Courtright, PRC At a conference I attended in Phoenix in December 2010, each session began with a two-minute “rant” by someone who was willing to say, “I’ve had enough of this and I’m not going to keep quiet anymore.” If I were to rant, it would be about online survey cheaters. Since those of you who know me would agree that I don’t rant well, my energy is better used sharing what we can do to keep these people out. I like to call this “Quality BlackJack” because there are 21 areas where you should implement quality controls. If you do so, and improve those controls continually, you can win the Quality Jackpot. You may not get to Fiji with your winnings, but you’ll win peace of mind. Sustainable data quality isn’t about a cool new technique (though some are used) or the latest technology (though that can help). It’s an end-to-end monitoring and vigilance process, with metrics all along the 5 Rs of sample: Recruitment, Registration, Respondent Management, Research and Rewards. It requires checkpoints and measurement at every point in the survey lifecycle along the way. Here are the things you should be monitoring – day and night. MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

Recruitment 1. Recruitment Source Vetting: Initial testing of demos, attitudes, and behaviors of every source used to drive traffic, and regular interval measurement to ensure consistency. 2. Traffic Metrics: Volume of traffic coming from every source, by demos, ensuring predictable volumes. Watch for shifts in data quality, minority representation or technology ownership, to name a few. 3. Publisher Comparisons: Web sites and memberships should and will have unique characteristics. Look at the unique attributes of a traffic source, and figure out what that means to your sample frame and the resulting data. 4. Blending Strategy: Using all of the information above, decide what’s your

blending strategy, and how do you ensure consistency over time? 5. Diversity & Breadth: To offset bias and increase representativeness, it’s crucial to have a really broad set of sources that drive people from all walks of life. Think beyond just demographics to psychographics. You won’t find everyone you need on a single or a few sites. They’re in remote corners of the Web, and you have to reach them where they live.

Registration 6. Captcha: Tools that require human eyes and fingers – along with interpretation and logic – to register. 7. Digital Fingerprinting /Geo IP/ Proxy Detection: Tools that look at computer identities, and the network

path they came from, that reach beyond delectable cookies and survey tags. 8. Third-Party ID Solution: External identity validation, ensuring people are honest about their identity and age. 9. E-mail/Password Scans: Accounts with the same or similar e-mail addresses or passwords are a red flag for fraudulent accounts.

up your sleeve. Call me sometime if you’d like to know more.

Research Management 16. Design Partnership with the Client: We are in this together, so let’s work as a team to reduce length, increase engagement and make the flow work. An important part of data quality is keeping the members that provide meaningful Respondent Management data. 10. Profile Traps and Consistency 17. Member Services Approach to Checks: Do people overstate illnesses, Problems and Complaints: Track every list too many ethnicities in an attempt interaction with members, and handle to qualify, have data that is inconsistent their complaints quickly. Look for problem with previous questions or visits? Are they themes and use them to improve the syspaying attention and being truthful? tems and the surveys. Watch for frequent 11. LOI Scans: Watch speed in your own complainers, and use it as a red flag. surveys, and have clients send speeding 18. Replicable Survey Assignment information back to you so repeat offendProcess: When using a router, be sure ers can be flagged. that the routing system doesn’t introduce 12. Client Survey Invalids Rules bias. Routing should be random and & Scans: For all clients who use data replicable. cleansing and traps, request as much Rewards/Redemption information back as possible, and in real 19. Address Collection Verification: time where feasible. Any time you see a Collect addresses, standardize them and daily increase in client invalids, investivalidate them. gate immediately. 20. Community Aspect and Sharing 13. Automated Red Herring and Trap Survey Results: When possible, share Question Battery: By now, every sample survey results with members as part of company should have trap questions their reward. Reinforce the importance built into the system, randomization and of their participation and their response intelligence. It shouldn’t be manual, and it quality. Help them become passionate shouldn’t be predictable, or it won’t work. about their involvement, and make them 14. Sampling Protocols/Rules: One of feel part of a community of people. the most important – and over-looked – 21. Reporting of Redemption steps in the process is rules and standards Anomalies: Watch reward redemparound the actual sampling. How are the tions for unexpected changes. Shifts in invitations pulled? Is there consistency incentive choice or a sudden increase in between PMs? Between waves? redemption can be important indicators of 15. Bot Prevention: This takes skill, a potential threat. stealth and persistence. You need tricks

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If you watch all 21 steps I’ve outlined for variances and anomalies, you will notice shifts when they happen, rather than after they’ve impacted the data, and you’ll be able to intervene and make changes. That’s where technology steps in, to implement gates and solutions. Watch and react every day. You have to stay watchful at every point in the survey and respondent process. You can’t rest. You can’t get comfortable. What worked yesterday won’t work tomorrow. So the next time someone discusses their data quality initiative and elaborates on the one or two things they have in place, I hope you’ll put out an invitation to play “Quality Blackjack.” Pull out this list and walk through it, asking for details on the approach being taken. It all matters, and it makes a difference in hitting the jackpot.

Melanie Courtright, PRC is the senior vice president, client services at uSamp.

“Expertos en el Mercado Latino Multicultural y Mercado General”

Research Types Attitudes & Awareness, Brand/Image Development, Customer Satisfaction, Product Development

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MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

Jill Donahue on Staying Current As a corporate researcher, it’s important for me to stay up-to-date on the latest research methods. MRA gives me access to other researchers through their online community and their conferences – the Annual Conference in June and the new Corporate Researchers Conference this September. These opportunities give me the chance to hear about the research my peers are conducting and to learn from their experiences. I’m then able to share their new insights and strategies with my team so we can implement it day-to-day.

Stay Current in the Industry! Join MRA at www.MarketingResearch.org or call 860-682-1000.

Jill Donahue Brand Insights Manager Nestle Purina PetCare MRA Member Since 1996

MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

How to Create a Questionnaire that Meets the Research Need Without Driving Respondents to Distraction By Jackie Lorch, PRC Data collection is at the heart of the research process. If marketing research, in essence, is a matter of asking the right people the right questions and understanding their answers, the data collection piece is the central task. It’s the point where, if done right, the researcher and participant have a unique opportunity to communicate clearly and fluently to produce accurate, meaningful data. Many surveys suffer from trying to do too much all in one survey instrument, overwhelming and fatiguing participants. As a result, they turn eager and engaged participants into distracted and lazy ones. Can one single questionnaire successfully cover product penetration, usage, attitudes, purchase intent and half a dozen other key areas? When too much content is crammed into one survey, an obvious problem is the questionnaire becomes too long. Multiple industry studies have warned that after the 15-20 minute mark for online surveys, participants get fatigued. They give less information in open end questions, and, worryingly, try to find shortcuts by under-reporting true usage. A practical solution to the dilemma of multiple data needs is to split the sample. The sample can be randomized then separated so two shorter and more focused studies go into field simultaneously instead of one long one. Results are obtained just as fast and for similar cost. The benefits come in superior data quality.

Ensuring Quality and Best Practices Most large sample providers have a number of automated quality checks in place to ensure speeding, lack of attention and outright fraud are detected and minimized in real time, so online data collection basics are firmly in place. But sample suppliers can provide much more help with data collection than just the basics. These companies see hundreds if not thousands of surveys every month, giving them practical insight into the online data collection practices that work best. They can provide invaluable help in making sure questionnaires are appealing to participants and will therefore be answered accurately and enjoyably. They can consult with researchers on critical survey design and content issues, such as

the placement of questions, instructions and buttons; appropriate backgrounds; proper use of graphics; wording that is most likely to be understood clearly; and the best communications for over-quotas, screen-outs, reminders and re-contacts.

Listening to Participant Feedback I recommend starting projects with a soft launch, then reviewing the comments and satisfaction scores from the soft-launch participants. Their feedback can be invaluable in suggesting improvements to eliminate points of confusion before the full launch begins. Participant feedback is clear. People notice and understand the difference between a questionnaire that’s well-designed and one that isn’t “fit for purpose.” Sample companies can help with practical consultation on these issues. When

questions are clear and questionnaires are logically designed and simple to fill out, they result in high levels of participant effort and engagement.

Jackie Lorch, PRC is the vice president, global knowledge management at Survey Sampling International.

“PRC provides me with tangible proof of my commitment to quality and performance in my profession.” Ted Donnelly, Ph.D., PRC Managing Director Baltimore Research PROFESSIONAL

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Professional Researcher Certiﬁcation (PRC) signiﬁes high professional standards and exceptional individual performance, designating research professionals with the knowledge essential to the practice of marketing research, opinion surveys and related businesses. Learn more at www.marketingresearch.org/certification MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

Legislative Update

U.S. Department of Education Proposes Changes to FERPA By LaToya Rembert-Lang, J.D., LL.M. The U.S. Department of Education released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for amendments to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA); the regulation that protects the privacy of and access to students’ personally identifiable information. The proposed changes to FERPA is designed to facilitate further access to student data for research and evaluation purposes, while enhancing privacy protections applicable to the use of the data. The changes would also clarify and expand the scope the authority of the U.S. Department of Education to enforce FERPA and address issues related to the scope and disclosure of directory information.

Current Scope of FERPA FERPA applies to educational agencies and institutions, such as postsecondary institutions, schools and school districts that receive grant funds from the U.S. Department of Education. The law prohibits educational agencies and institutions from disclosing students’ education records without written parental consent, unless the disclosure is within one or more of a list of authorized disclosures under the law. Once a student reaches the age of 18 or is attending a postsecondary institution, the consent required of and the rights provided to the parent are transferred to the student under FERPA. FERPA also prohibits the disclosure of personally identifiable information in students’ education records. Personally identifiable information is defined to include “information that alone or in combination would allow a reasonable person in the school community to identify the student with reasonable certainty, and information requested by a person who the education agency or institution reasonably believes knows the identity of the student to whom the education record relates.” Under FERPA, education agencies and institutions are authorized to disclose “directory information” to third parties MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

without consent if: there is public notice of the type of information that is designated as “directory information,” the notice provides the parent or eligible student of the right and opportunity to restrict the disclosure of the information, and the notice provides the period of time within which a parent or eligible student has to notify the school in writing that he or she does not want any or certain information designated as “directory information.” Education records, under FERPA, are defined broadly to include records, files and other materials directly related to a student and maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a person acting for it. This includes “all instructional materials, including teacher’s manuals, films, tapes, or other supplementary material which will be used in connection with any survey, analysis, or evaluation as part of any applicable program shall be available for inspection by the parents or guardians of the children.” “Directory information” is defined as “information contained in the education records of a student that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed.”

Scope of Proposed Changes to FERPA New proposals to FERPA seek to maintain privacy safeguards, but authorize state and local education officials, without parental consent, to disclose personally identifiable student data to any designated entity or person for the purpose of evaluating, auditing or enforcing, federal compliance with state or federal supported education programs. The changes authorize postsecondary institutions or data systems to disclose student data back to K-12 data systems or school districts for the purpose of evaluating how well the district had prepared students for college. K-12 agencies or data systems would also be permitted to disclose data back to publicly funded early childhood education programs to determine how well the programs had prepared

children for elementary school. This proposed amendment would provide broader access to student data at the state and local level for evaluation and research. State or local education authorities will be permitted to disclose data on behalf of educational agencies or institutions for a research study. The research organization, however, must have an agreement to protect the use of the data. Written agreements will also be required between the state or local education authority and its authorized representative for evaluations, audits, and compliance activities and must include: ` The purpose and scope of the disclosures; ` Instructions on the return or destruction of the data when no longer needed for authorized purpose; ` The time period for the return or destruction of the data; and ` Policies and procedures to protect the data from misuse or further disclosure. The proposed FERPA regulations also provide that an educational agency or institution may designate as “directory information” student identification card numbers displayed on student identification badges or user identification of students in electronic systems, if the identifier cannot be used to gain access to educational records without additional authentication tools such as through a PIN or password and the student’s social security number is not used or provided. Unlike the current FERPA, however, parents and eligible students will not be able to opt-out of directory information disclosures to prevent an educational agency or institution from requiring students to wear or disclose student identification cards or badges when on school property or engaged in school events in order to facilitate school safety. Educational agencies and institutions may not create unlimited disclosure policies regarding the use of “directory information.” The disclosure of any

MRAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

“directory information” must be limited to specific parties and/or must be for a specific purpose. Any student information that is disclosed must be balanced against protection from identity theft and unwanted solicitation from vendors.

Enforcement and Sanctions While the proposed modifications to FERPA would increase access to data for research purposes, the proposal provides enforcement of sanctions for violations which include disbarment from data use and potential fund withholding. If an authorized representative that receives data to perform evaluations, audits or compliance activities and is found by the U.S. Department of Education to have improperly disclosed the data in violation of FERPA, the educational authority that provided the data would be required to deny access to personally identifiable information to the representative for at least five years. Moreover, state educational authorities and other recipients of funds from the U.S. Department of Education will be subject to investigation and enforcement, including possible withholding of funds for violating FERPA. Conclusion: Comments on the Proposed Regulations Greater access to more data for research purposes, including more data subjects, is a very beneficial component of the recommended changes to the FERPA. The Department of Education will be accepting comments on these changes until May 23, 2011. MRA will be submitting comments in support of the recommended proposals that will reinforce the enhance value of access to research subjects and provide an educational component on the keen awareness of the survey and opinion research profession in understanding the balance of data integrity and protecting the privacy of personally identifiable information. For more information on FERPA and the proposal, please contact latoya.lang@ MarketingResearch.org or at 202-775-5171. Any changes and updates will be provided in future MRA news and publications. Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for guidance and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for legal advice. MRA advises all parties to consult with private legal counsel regarding the interpretation and application of any laws and policies to your business.

LaToya Rembert-Lang, J.D., LL.M. is MRA’s general counsel. MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

Business Perspectives

Social Media and Today’s Business By Paul Kirch Let me begin by saying thank you to the MRA for allowing me to be a featured writer for the MRA Alert! over the last several months. It has been an honor to have my articles published here. I’ve also received great feedback from people who value the insight and direction, which makes it all worthwhile. This will be my last featured article in the Alert!, though I’ll still continue to contribute as I am able. Therefore, I’d like to touch on a topic that not only hits close to home for me, but may also appeal to a wider audience than my usual focus of sales or business strategy. I’ve heard a lot of discussion about social media monitoring or analysis and whether it’s here to stay for our industry or if it’s really viable for conducting research. I do believe there are arguments on both sides that are valid, and, though I have my own opinion on this topic, I’ll not fuel the debate by presenting it here. However, I do want to talk about another way social networking and social media are changing the face of business as we know it. This topic may seem late to the party, or it may seem like “old news,” but I’m hoping to share a different perspective. As you may know, I’m a regular blogger on my company’s DailyApple Blog. It has been a great creative outlet and a forum for me to share my insights with research professionals and other business people who follow it. Starting and continuing the blog has been incredible for my business and has given me exposure I didn’t expect. Recently, I was told by several

“PRC distinguishes me and my company from others in our markets.” Anne Tancredi Brown, PRC CEO/Principal Gazelle Global Research Services

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people that “blogs are dying” and they are seen as less relevant due to the pervasive nature of the medium. I created a dynamic Web site, with embedded video, articles, tips and other information. I use opt-in forms to capture subscribers so that I can provide updates and provide them other information. I get a steady stream of visitors and inquiries, which has made my Web site a great asset. Just two weeks ago, I was told that Web sites are a “must have” for business, but that it’s not a real marketing tool. I regularly post on Twitter and Facebook and have a large network on LinkedIn. I’ve heard people say it’s a waste of time and pointless to spend the energy on such resources. I also have heard several people mention that Twitter is pointless and no one really gets anything out of it. So why am I bringing all of this up? We’ve all seen and heard about the social networking craze. We’ve all heard that you need to be taking advantage of it. However, there are many who don’t understand how to leverage it or don’t realize the significance of this form of marketing. Yes, I said marketing. I have a two-year-old company that has spent virtually no money on advertising, beyond a few conferences and an occasional sponsorship, but, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been marketing. I’ve just been doing it with very little out-of-pocket cost and incredible ROI. In addition, I’ve been able to track and monitor my efforts, which tells me where to spend time and resources. Also, with the proper tools, managing campaigns can be centralized and streamlined, thus simplifying the process. Let’s take a look at Twitter. Here’s one of the most misunderstood tools out there. I have a large network on Twitter, which means that I’d never be able to follow every message that comes through. However, I use it by monitoring for keywords that matter to me. I also “listen” for any mention of my company name or my own name. Listening on Twitter means using a monitoring tool to alert you when someone shares something that mentions the keywords you choose to watch. While I also manually check my stream a couple of times a day, I literally spend very little time. I watch the posts of certain influential people, such as Richard Branson, Tony Robbins and a few marketing research professionals who post information I find interesting or relevant. In addition, I follow certain topics by doing a search using #topic_name. On April 1 I participated in an April Fool’s Day event hosted by MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

NextGen Market Research. During the day, I followed the comments by searching for #ngmr. Facebook is another tool that I believe business professionals should embrace. I have a personal page and a company fanpage. There’s no fee for the fanpage, and I’ve found that I actually get a lot of engagement out of my followers, so it’s hard to ignore. Also, it takes very little effort to manage and update, so I’ve found it to be very powerful. YouTube is another platform which I’ve leveraged successfully. Although, even a simple video takes time to pull together and edit, but it can be very impactful. In fact, video is probably one of the most compelling forms of marketing available today, and the cost of production is pennies compared to just a few years ago. In addition to YouTube, I’m a host for the GNY MRA Hotseat, which is sponsored and managed by the Greater New York MRA Chapter. Jack Campisi came up with the concept and serves as a host as well. In this series we interview research industry professions, using Skype or Oovoo, so we’re not limited by geography. In addition, I’m producing an Internet show called Business Beyond the Trenches with an Internet marketing expert named Jimmy Tango, where we provide business advice for entrepreneurs and business owners. Despite my face for radio, I’m embracing video as a strategic part of my marketing approach. As I hear discussions about some of these mediums and tools dying or becoming less relevant, I see more and more impact coming from my efforts. The key

to remember is you need to be consistent and at least somewhat strategic. I think that’s where a lot of people fall down, from a marketing perspective. I believe you have to treat the social media realm as a form of marketing. It shouldn’t be your only marketing effort, but it has the potential to be a dominate mode, as it is for my company. I don’t know the longterm potential for social media for marketing research, but I can tell you that from a marketing perspective the tools are here to stay, though I believe we’ll see more sophisticated monitoring and management tools. I’m grateful I jumped in when I did, though I also believe it’s never too late. After all, no-cost, low-cost marketing that pays of dividends is hard to beat, especially when spreading the word is a critical piece to your marketing strategy.

Paul Kirch is president and CEO of ActusMR, Inc™.

“The U.S. Government has begun to use PRC as a qualifier when choosing researchers for projects.” Ken Roberts, PRC President Cooper Roberts Research PROFESSIONAL

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MRA MRA Chapter Chapter Update Update Southwest Chapter to Hold Educational Forum MRA’s Southwest Chapter will hold its’ annual Educational Forum on July 14-15, 2011 at Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah. Speakers include: Vaughn Mordecai, PRC, president, Discovery Research Group and Robert Goodwin, marketing research director, Lifetime Products, Inc. For more details, visit www.swmra.org. SoCal Chapter Holds Education Day MRA’s Southern California Chapter held an Education Day on May 12. Speakers included Wilson Standish of Trendera, Ed Isabella of ABC Family and Robin Boyar of Think Tank Research.

Greater NY & Philadelphia Chapters Hold Annual Conference MRA’s Greater New York and Philadelphia chapters held their Annual Joint Conference on April 15-16, 2011 in Atlantic City, NJ. Sessions included speakers from Comcast, Business Development University, Unisys and TiVo.

Greater New York Chapter Holds Happy Hour Event MRA’s Greater New York Chapter held a post ARF Conference happy hour event on March 22. Those in attendance enjoyed an evening of cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and networking.

MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

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How are Companies Using Online Behavioral Tracking for Research? By Patrick Glaser Online behavioral tracking refers to collecting information about Internet users, whether through a computer, mobile telephone, Internet-connected television, gaming system, or other device. It’s used for a variety of purposes, such as marketing and advertising, Web analytics, government intelligence, validation and fraud prevention, for marketing and opinion research, and for other purposes. Innovative research companies have experimented with these technologies to produce new methods of learning about consumers, but the potential for the technology is still in its infancy and many privacy challenges have surfaced along with the great capacity for information and data collection.

Technology Background Privacy concerns over behavioral tracking tend to focus on tracking individuals across multiple, non-commonly-branded Web sites, though behavioral tracking may occur on a single Web site as well. Tracking is commonly done by advertising networks that aim to serve relevant advertisements to Web surfers on behalf of Web site publishers. To accomplish this, advertising networks form relationships with many different Web sites, and thus can track a user’s interest and other qualities to later deliver them targeted promotions. Many advertising networks subscribe to various principles and ethics that include notice and choice for the consumer. Behavioral tracking may include one of several tracking technologies, such as: ` Traditional HTML Cookies – Simple text files stored on a computer, typically including a simple random string of characters capable of identifying a machine to a Web site. These may be placed by a Web site or by scripts running on a Web site (e.g., advertisers). ` Flash (or other add-on) Cookies – Cookies stored outside of a browser, more difficult for a consumer to erase.

There have been incidents of these being used to resurrect traditional HTML cookies after their deletion (i.e., “zombie cookies”), resulting in the deliberate circumventing of individual’s privacy actions. ` Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) – Monitoring and evaluating information as it moves through servers. This is seen as an option for those servers that act as a conduit for information, such as Internet Service Providers (ISPs), where all unencrypted information may be readable. ` Tracking Software – Software placed, with or without consent, on an individual’s computer to relay information, such as Web browsing history, key strokes, or other data.

Behavioral Tracking for Research Applications for behavioral tracking for research are great and are likely to grow rapidly in the future. Researchers may observe the actual behavior of individuals and learn: ` Where they tend to find information ` How they make up their minds ` What types of advertising campaigns yield success ` What types of individuals are interested in different products This type of information may be learned through experimental designs, through analyzing and creating profiles and segments, and from simply observing an

individual’s behavior as they are exposed to different types of information and proceed to take (or not to take) action. Moreover, researchers may combine this information with surveys or with other data to arrive at an even deeper understanding of the web surfer.

Behavioral Tracking Outlook Behavioral tracking is an important part of monetizing and subsidizing Internet content. Even privacy advocates, lawmakers and regulators agree that it plays a key role in the economy and in the improvement of services to individuals. In marketing and opinion research, for example, not only does behavioral tracking stand to provide reliable information based on actual events, but also significantly reduce the participation burden on the respondent. However, regulation in some form or another is likely to affect behavioral tracking as lawmakers and regulators have taken an interest. MRA has actively advocated on behalf of researchers to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and has met with numerous Congressmen in the process. Check the MRA Web site regularly for updates. Patrick Glaser is MRA’s director of research standards.

MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

MARKETING RESEARCH ASSOCIATION

QUIRK’S CORPORATE EXECUTIVE BOARD

CORPORATE RESEARCHERS CONFERENCE ∙

SEPTEMBER 21-23, 2011 CHICAGO

Something new, and better

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An unusually incisive, leading-edge approach An emphasis on quality over quantity And a genuine interest in you and your success, as marketing research is all we do, too – 24•7•365 The 2011 Corporate Researchers Conference is a new and better way for corporate researchers, executives and marketing research providers to advance the state-of-theirart, catalyzed by ideas from executives with J.D. Power and Associates, Motorola, Condé Nast, Microsoft, Taco Bell, T-Mobile and many more. Interactive sessions, too, will explore the issues you face in three new and unique tracks...

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This new gathering will bring a fresh perspective to progressive corporate researchers while leveraging the powerful contributions of the best research providers. Join us. Check out crc.MarketingResearch.org and stay tuned...

crc.MarketingResearch.org MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

MRA Chapter Update Your MRA Member Benefits Are you taking advantage of all the benefits that come with your MRA membership? Here is a quick reminder of some of your exclusive MRA member benefits.

Connect with others, network, stay up-to-date on research hot topics and news, all in one MRA online community at www.MarketingResearch.org. Stay on the cutting edge of marketing research with free live monthly webinars. Visit www.MarketingResearch.org/education for details. Alert! Magazine and MRA Update deliver the latest trends and developments in the profession. Meet new clients and colleagues, and exchange best practices locally through your MRA Chapters. www.MarketingResearch.org/membership

The Research Industry Index (RII) reports the movements and trends in the survey and opinion research profession. RII reflects data reported by a panel of leaders in the marketing research industry. View the latest index results at www.MarketingResearch.org/research-industry-index. Gain new ideas, solutions and opportunities to engage and learn with colleagues through in-person conferences, including MRA’s CEO Summit, MRA’s Annual Conference and the Corporate Researchers Conference. Stay up-to-date on relevant legislative, statutory and regulatory issues within the industry. MRA’s Government Affairs team monitors pertinent legislative and regulatory activity to ensure the interests of the research community are protected.

Distinguish yourself as a business professional and validate your knowledge of marketing research in the profession’s only certification program – Professional Researcher Certification. Blue Book Marketing Research Services Directory is the top destination for anyone wanting to buy research, source projects and partner on new initiatives. Check out the latest enhancements to the online version, which includes a personalized dashboard at www.bluebook.org.

MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

Counterpoint Opinion

Ease into Mobile Marketing Research By Holly Rios QR codes. It seems as if these square, black and white patterned codes are appearing everywhere now – on billboards and advertising signage, in retail stores, on Web sites, and even on TV. The QR code is being touted as the latest and greatest marketing tool, and it is also garnering serious interest from the marketing research industry for its potential to expand mobile research capabilities. The recent success of the QR code can be attributed to its ability to deliver targeted mobile content to users from virtually anywhere. By scanning a QR code with a mobile phone, users are immediately directed to a Web page, provided contact or product details, sent an SMS or e-mail message, or even sent a PayPal link for mobile purchasing. The new opportunities to connect with consumers via QR codes are vast, and companies are taking advantage in numerous ways. Retail stores and restaurants recruit for feedback and offer promotions in real-time as their establishments are being patronized. Magazine and signage advertising provides readers with ready access to additional product information. Business cards direct prospects to the company Web site without ever having to type in a URL. For those who have yet to join the QR code bandwagon, here is some background information. QR codes were developed by a subsidiary of Toyota in the mid-1990s, initially for the purposes of tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing. The codes consist of two-dimensional black modules against a white background. Unique QR codes can be created quickly and easily using one of the numerous QR code generator Web sites, and are typically provided at no cost. To scan a QR code using a mobile phone, a QR code reader app must be installed to work in conjunction with the phone’s camera. Today several free or nominal cost QR code reader apps are available for download on a variety of mobile devices. Because of their broad applicability, QR codes have been used for advertising and marketing initiatives in Japan for many years, and are now rapidly gaining MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

popularity throughout other regions of the world. According to a March report by Mobio, QR code scanning grew a whopping 1,200 percent in North America between July and December of last year. This kind of usage indicates that QR codes will soon be a mainstream component of marketing in the U.S., and a natural extension of QR code usage in marketing is of course marketing research. For an industry that is already experiencing a shift in which mobile research solutions are increasingly in demand, QR codes offer considerable promise. QR codes enable a means to track ad effectiveness for media that are typically difficult to measure, such a print and signage advertising. They offer a way to recruit and register new panelists, particularly those in mobile-centric demographics that can be difficult to recruit through traditional channels. Perhaps most significantly, QR codes enable a near limitless reach for mobile survey delivery. Researchers fully recognize the value of mobile surveys. Mobile surveys enable feedback to be captured in real-time, thus offering more immediate – and in many cases, more reliable – response data. Mobile surveys also provide the ultimate flexibility to research participants who can decide to complete surveys whenever and wherever they choose, thereby improving response rates. Yet a significant challenge has remained for mobile research – how to optimally deliver the mobile survey invitation. This delivery challenge extends not only registered panelists, but to the general public as well. Often companies desire to capture experience feedback in the moment, but have no way to target the potential respondents. Without knowing each person’s mobile phone number or e-mail address, an SMS or e-mail survey invitation cannot be sent. In these situations, QR codes are an excellent option. By displaying survey invitation signage with a QR code that links directly to the mobile survey, respondents can quickly and easily participate in the research initiative. They simply take a picture of a displayed QR code with their camera phone, and the

mobile survey is instantly triggered. QR code survey invitations offer other advantages over SMS and e-mail survey invitations as well. For SMS invitations, sizeable per-usage fees may be included, and it can sometimes take up to six weeks to obtain a short code. E-mail invitations require that mobile users have e-mail access on their phones, and even for those who do, there is no way to ensure they will open the e-mail invitation using their phones. If they access the survey at a later time from their PC at home, the potential for real-time data collection is lost. QR code surveys, on the other hand, entail relatively low expenses and ensure the survey is accessed in the moment. Of course the implementation of QR code surveys first requires that research participants have a QR code reader/scanner app installed on their mobile device, but recent data suggests that a sizeable number of smartphone users either already do or soon will. A March study by MGH found that 32 percent of surveyed smartphone users indicated that they have used a QR code before, and 70 percent said that they plan to use a QR code again or for the first time.These percentages will likely increase as more and more consumers are introduced to QR codes through signage, promotions, Web sites and TV. Clearly QR codes have the potential to vastly expand the reach of mobile marketing research. This technology has already been incorporated into some mobile research software solutions, and more are likely to follow. The marketing research industry has the opportunity to leverage QR codes to improve its research methodologies, and reach a broader and more diverse sample than ever before. Virtually every market research agency has a client – in sectors such as retail, automotive, travel/tourism – that can take advantage of QR codes immediately and begin building expertise in mobile surveys that support respondents anytime and anywhere.

Holly Rios is the marketing manager at Kinesis Survey Technologies.

Inside MRA

The Road to Marketing Research By Tara M. Cantore

For those of you that know MRA member Ginger Blazier, PRC, you may be surprised to find out she spent the first 10 years of her life living in Latin America. Living overseas during the early part of her life influenced her greatly, and when she first started working towards a career, she thought the path of educating foreign students English as a second language or teaching high school students Spanish would be the path she would go. Instead, she decided to volunteer her language services at her local YMCA and obtain a degree in business management because she wanted to be able to interact with people in a managerial role. Ginger started her business career in a main frame operations environment for a Fortune 500 manufacturing firm and then continued on to other companies, where she says she dealt mostly with start-up operations. In 1989 she was offered a position as a site director in the external measurement center for Pacific Bell in San Francisco.

She says, “This position offered me both the management role and the opportunity to manage the administration of multiple customer satisfaction surveys in five languages. It was this job that indicated to me how important and critical the market research industry is in determining the future of many areas.” Ginger currently works as the SVP of Business Development at Directions In Research in San Diego. She started with the company back in 1999, and worked in the field operations department in the capacity of Field Director and VP of Operations. In her current role she is responsible for development new client relationships and continuing current client relations. She also works in development marketing plans for the company. When asked what she likes most about her job, she says, “The interaction with people. People I work with, people I deal with as clients and prospective clients, vendors, people who have become mentors for me and people who I am mentoring myself. The avenues of acquaintances, friendships and educational opportunities are endless, which I find to be very gratifying.” Ginger adds that what she likes most about working in the MR industry is she gets to work as a team. “It’s one of the only industries that I know of where we can all share ideas and offer to help solve issues together, even if we are competitors. It is an industry where I think the people in marketing research are just as passionate about the success of our industry, as they are with their own companies.” Ginger first became involved with MRA about 15 years ago, when she first started

working in the marketing research industry. She was introduced to the Association by a co-worker and was really impressed when she went to her first MRA conference. “The people were so welcoming, and gave me a sense of belonging. It was through that experience that I wanted to get involved in volunteering, especially in the areas of education and membership.” She began volunteering with MRA in 2000 so she could get a better understanding of the aspects, mission and goals of the Association, and share experiences with others. She served on the SoCal Chapter Board as Director for the Scholarship Committee in 2002, incoming Chapter President in 2003 and Chapter President in 2004. From 2006-2010 she served on the National Board of Directors. And now for 2011 she is once again going to be the incoming Chapter President Elect of the SoCal Chapter. “It is important for me to stay involved, mostly due to my passion with what MRA represents and what it can offer. My main focus has been, and will continue to be, the members’ needs, member retention and acquiring new members to share this valuable experience. After all, without the members there is no association.” When asked what she values most about her MRA membership, Ginger said she finds the opportunities to advance her knowledge in the industry and having her PRC to be very valuable. She adds the other valuable component to membership is the amazing people she gets to meet through conferences and networking events. When Ginger isn’t working and advocating for MRA she says her interests include tennis, swimming, karaoke (you can always count on Ginger to find the nearest karaoke bar when attending a conference) and dinning out. She adds she loves meeting new people wherever she goes.

Tara M. Cantore is MRA’s communications and sales manager.

MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

Tara Miller, PRC, on MRA’s Community As a business owner, being part of MRA’s membership community is vital to my company’s growth and my professional development. But the part of my MRA membership that I find most rewarding is involvement in my local chapter. I volunteer within this community, and currently serve as president-elect for the Southwest Chapter. Through my chapter I’ve gained life-long friends and business colleagues. This group has become my network from which I continue to learn and seek advice. This is my MRA Community.

Find Your MRA Community Today Join MRA at www.MarketingResearch.org or call 860-682-1000. Tara Miller, PRC President Accurate Research, Inc. MRA Member Since 1993

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“Elevating Research” Educational Forum comes to Park City’s Canyons Resort in July Thursday, July 14, Opening Reception, 6:00 - 9:00 pm Friday, July 15, Educational Forum, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Includes Breakfast and Lunch

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Speaker Previews (full lineup at SWMRA.org) “Social Media Secret Sauce or Deconstructing The Burger”

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Vaughn Mordecai, President, Discovery Research Group

Robert Goodwin, Marketing Research Director, Lifetime Products, Inc.

This presentation will provide the “secret sauce” behind social media research by providing real life tips to researchers on how to conduct social media research in a way that the method can be incorporated into their organizations.

This case study will provide useful insight both to marketing research providers as they look to expand their clientele, and to research end users who seek to augment the quality and variety of marketing research tools used in their firms.

“Thanks!” to the sponsors of the recent Las Vegas Conference: Think Virtual Fieldwork Research Now Toluna Kinesis Survey Technologies ISA Market Research Dallas CfMC M/A/R/C Research Marketing Systems Group Consumer Opinion Services

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Now Hiring Research Programmer Mathew Greenwald & Associates has an opening for a research programmer to join our team of five technical staff who support our online, phone, mail and in-person market research projects. Programmers manage sample datasets, program questionnaires for telephone or online administration, and program and run banner tabulations. Experienced candidates preferred, but will train an entry level person with great attention to detail, strong MS Office knowledge, who is a quick learner and understands basic survey research methodology. Great benefit package, convenient location near Metro station in Washington, DC. Interested candidates should contact Anne Elmlinger, anneelmlinger@ greenwaldresearch.com. Mathew Greenwald & Associates is a premier full-service market research firm with a 20+ year record of conducting research for more than 200 organizations, including many of the nation’s largest corporations, trade associations, and non-profit organizations. For more information about the company, see www.greenwaldresearch.com.

Field Service Coordinator Evanston, IL based market research company specializing in custom qualitative marketing research in support of the pharmaceutical/medical industry needs a Field Services Manager/ Coordinator who will be responsible for executing and managing field activities for research projects awarded to the company. Required skills include: scheduling, negotiating with outside suppliers, management of recruitment and client interface. The primary job responsibility is the successful execution of all project-related field activities. The ideal candidate will have relevant market research field management experience. No relocation is offered. DDI offers a balanced work environment, competitive salary and benefits. Email resume with salary request to: prichardson@decisiondevelopment.com.

Data Manager Evanston, IL (Chicago) based market research company specializing in custom qualitative healthcare marketing research needs a Data Manager who will be responsible for the analytical Senior Analyst, Market Research operations of the firm. Responsibilities cover end-to-end aspects CompTIA is the world’s leading trade association for the inforof qualitative and quantitative analysis. Required skills include: mation technology (IT) industry. We are currently recruiting an Qualitative analysis using a coding method, statistical analysis individual for the position of Senior Analyst, Market Research. using a command-line interface, and data manipulation using a The selected individual will provide high volume research and statistical programming language. Managerial and team-leadermarket intelligence to internal and external customers. Job ship experience is strongly desired. We are seeking experienced Responsibilities Include: Data Management •Lead survey procandidates for immediate consideration. No relocation is offered. grammer using CompTIA’s online data collection platform (i.e.) We offer a balanced work environment, competitive salary and survey entries, quality control, usability testing, and distribution benefits. Email resume with salary request to: bkoch@decision•Expertise with online data collection platform capabilities •Data development.com. processing and manipulation (i.e.) cross-tabulations, weighting, Qualitative Field Supervisor etc. •Compilation and distribution of CompTIA IT SmartStat Fort Lee, NJ Market Research firm is seeking a Qualitative Field •Publication and maintenance of research documents within Supervisor to liaison between Moderators, clients, and focus Sharepoint •Maintenance of CompTIA ReSEARCH Engine group facilities. The right candidate must have prior Qualitative Project Management •Collaborate with and engage stakeholders field experience and strong computer skills. This is a full-time on various survey methodologies and resource coordination position. If interested please email jmantashian@prsresearch.com. •Enforce standard research processes to ensure high quality data collection •Develop project outlines, taking into account internal, Project Director external, and third-party analyses •Develop survey questionMarket Research Company in Lincolnwood, Il. is seeking a project naires based on research project outlines Analysis •Analyze director with 3+ years of experience. Please submit resume to data and summarize research findings •Communicate key info@awres.com. research findings and intelligence to stakeholders •Facilitate and Phone Room Recruiter support internal research projects as needed Job Qualifications Include: •Bachelor’s degree in relevant field of study (economics, Adler Weiner Research in Lincolnwood is looking for an experienced recruiter who has experience recruiting consumers, b2b business, mathematics, or social sciences preferred) •Regular and physicians.Mon-Fri. 9-5. Please email resumes to continuing education in qualitative and quantitative research info@awres.com. methodologies •3-4 years experience in a research or analytical capacity •Strong written and verbal communication skills •Attention to detail •Proficiency with MS Office, online survey tools, and general collaboration technologies •Strong customer service skills •Ability to travel as needed. For more information, contact Sara Solomon at 630-678-8340.

MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

MRA Chapter Update Industry News & Announcements Itracks Names Chairman of Advisory Board Jeffrey W. Hayzlett has been named the chairman of Itracks Advisory Board. The appointment is an extension of Hayzlett’s current role within Itracks, which began in November 2010 as a consultant. Consumer Contact Announces Corporate Rebranding and Name Change Consumer Contact has changed its name to Corsential. Corsential is now the umbrella brand for all the company’s divisions – Customer Experience Reporting (formerly Loyalty Monitor), closed loop performance management solutions and data collection services. The rebranding comes into effect for all marketing and communications materials, including the company’s new Web site www.corsential.com.

uSamp Co-founders Named Finalists for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Matt Dusig, co-founder & CEO and Gregg Lavin, co-founder and president of uSamp, have been named finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 Award in the Greater Los Angeles region. According to Ernst & Young LLP, the awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Dusig and Lavin were selected as finalists from nearly 70 nominations by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a special gala event on June 21, 2011 at the Beverly Hilton. Annik Technology Services Names VP of Business Development John Bird has been named the VP of business development at Annik Technology Services. Prior to joining the company, Bird worked in senior management for TNS Custom Research, Information Resources (IRI), Firto Lays and Greenfield Online.

Research Now Appoints New CTO Research Now has named Kevin Murphy its chief technology officer. In his role, Murphy will lead Research Now’s global technology organization and drive major technology-enabled initiatives. He has nearly 30 years of experience in the IT indus- Luminosity Marketing Announces Appointment Kimberly Conon has been named senior management, try. He most recently serviced as senior vice president of retail and alliance services product delivery at First Data Corporation. strategy & analysis at Luminosity Marketing. She previously worked at Medco Health, where she was manager-product M3 Global Research Opens Princeton Location development, retiree solutions. Prior to this role, she served M3 Global Research has added a ninth office location in as marketing research manager at Forbes Media and senior Princeton, New Jersey. The Princeton location will support 20 research associate at OMD. more employees. Kantar Health Names General Manager, China MarketVision Announces Appointments Simon Li has been appointed general manager, China for Anne Starr and Missy Sparks both have been promoted to Kantar Health. Li has almost two decades of healthcare market senior graphic designers. research experience. He most recently worked at IMS Health Peter Verrill has joined the company as a research associate. as Head of Primary Market Research, China. In his new role, He will be focused on client and project management and he will director Kantar Health’s grown strategy in the Chinese Internet data collection. He has six years of research experience market, and oversee partnerships with pharma and biotech focused on the management of consumer interviewing. companies to optimize their performance across the region. WorldOne Opens Mexico City Office Affinnova Announces New Hire WorldOne has opened its ninth global office in Mexico City, Tamara Barber has left Forrester Research to take up the Mexico. Roberto Varillas, co-founder of Acertiva, will serve as newly created role of senior director of strategic marketing the managing director of the Mexico office. Prior to co-founding at Affinnova. While at Forrester Research, Barber served as a Acertiva, Varillas worked for GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis, and senior analyst, advising market research clients on changes in has an extensive healthcare market research background. research methodologies and technologies. e-Rewards, Inc. Announces Agreement to Acquire Conversition Strategies e-Rewards, Inc., a has reached an agreement to acquire Conversition Strategies. Founded in February 2009 by former IPSOS executives, Conversition is a pioneer in the Social Media Research industry, and was formed to capitalize on the emerging trend to perform market research within the social media channel.

Ipsos OTX MedicaCT Announces Appointment Ipsos OTX MedicaCT has appointed Lorraine Hadfield as president of its Audience Measurement practice. The role includes overseeing the management and direction of the Ipsos Mendelsohn affluent consumer measurement business. Hadfield joins the company after more than a decade at Nielsen, where she was involved in international audience measurement and overseeing the company’s global research teams across a variety of media.

MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

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MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011

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Listening Matters Sometimes even the obvious gets overlooked. At Logit we not only hear what is being said, we listen to what our clients are saying. We’ve heard that our experience in data collection, processing and research consultation is considered industry leading. We strive to understand our clients needs so that we get it right the first time, every time.

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MRA’s Alert! Magazine - June 2011