MRIA VUE Magazine, April 2013

vue

the magazine of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association APRIL 2013

GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY AU CONTRAIRE (7) The Commitment Illusion THE PROS OF PRO BONO

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40033932

CONVENING CONVERSATIONS ARE NON-PROFITS REALLY SO DIFFERENT? YES…AND NO

BOOK REVIEW PUBLIC OPINION AND POLLING FOR DUMMIES

vue APRIL 2013

Cover: Bruce MacDonald In this month’s features: (L to R) Bruce MacDonald, Steve Mossop, Chuck Chakrapani, Susan Innes, Leslie Horst

VUE MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY THE MARKETING RESEARCH AND INTELLIGENCE ASSOCIATION TEN TIMES A YEAR

SPECIAL FEATURE 6

CONVENING CONVERSATIONS Bruce MacDonald

ADDRESS The Marketing Research and Intelligence Association L’association de la recherche et de l’intelligence marketing

2600 Skymark Avenue, Bldg. 4, Unit 104 Mississauga, Ontario L4W 5B2 Tel: (905) 602-6854 Toll Free: 1-888-602-MRIA (6742) Fax: (905) 602-6855 Email: vue@mria-arim.ca Website: www.mria-arim.ca

FEATURES 8 GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY Steve Mossop, CMRP 10 AU CONTRAIRE (7) THE COMMITMENT ILLUSION Chuck Chakrapani, CMRP, FMRIA 14 THE PROS OF PRO BONO

Susan Innes 16 ARE NON-PROFITS REALLY SO DIFFERENT? YES…AND NO Leslie Horst

BOOK REVIEW 19 PUBLIC OPINION AND POLLING FOR DUMMIES Peter Hajdasz

PRODUCTION: LAYOUT/DESIGN LS Graphics Tel: (905) 743-0402, Toll Free: 1-800-400-8253 Fax: (905) 728-3931 Email: info@lsgraphics.com CONTACTS CHAIR, PUBLICATIONS Stephen Popiel, PhD, CMRP, Vice President, GfK Custom Research NA Tel: (905) 277-2669 x 242 Mobile: (416) 358-5062 Stephen.Popiel@gfk.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Annie Pettit PhD, Chief Research Officer, Conversition (416) 273-9395 apettit@conversition.com MANAGING EDITOR Anne Marie Gabriel, MRIA amgabriel@mria-arim.ca ASSOCIATE EDITOR Christian Mueller, PhD, CMRP (647) 855-5088 christianmuellerphd@gmail.com COPY EDITOR Siegfried Betterman Interested in joining the Vue editorial team?

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COMMENTARY

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4 Editor’s Vue

INDUSTRY NEWS 20 Market Researchers – It’s Time to Get Excited about “Bridging the Gap” 23 Research Registration System (RRS)

Original articles and Letters to the Editor are welcome. Materials will be reviewed by the Vue Editorial Team. If accepted for publication, they may be edited for length or clarity and placed in the electronic archives on the MRIA website.

22 Qualitative Research Registry (QRR) 24 Is Gold Seal Certification Still Relevant?

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & CERTIFICATION 26 “There’s Been Some Change!” A Mini Memoir

COLUMNISTS 28 INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY 28 THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION 29 BRAVE NEW WORLD 29 QUALITAS 30 CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING!

Please email vue@mria-arim.ca to book your ad.

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Correction in March Vue In the Melanie Courtright article on mobile research, an editorial error labeled the myth of mobile data being different from survey data as confirmed. In fact, this myth was busted – survey data is indeed similar to mobile data. We apologize for the confusion caused by this error.

The opinions and conclusions expressed in Vue are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association.

Publishing Date: April © 2013.

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COMMEN TARY / CO MME NTAI R E

Editor’s Vue Annie Pettit

While most people believe that charity begins at home, it can just as easily begin at work. My company has given each employee the funds and opportunity to help Kiva (www.kiva.org), an organization that facilitates small loans for people in need around the world. It’s an important reminder of just how lucky we are here in Canada.

Alors que la plupart des gens croient que la charité commence chez soi, elle peut tout aussi bien commencer au travail. Mon entreprise a donné à chaque employé des fonds et des possibilités pour aider Kiva (www.kiva.org), une organisation qui facilite des petits prêts à des personnes dans le besoin partout dans le monde. C’est un rappel important nous disant à quel point nous sommes chanceux ici au Canada.

Charity shows up in a multitude of other ways as well. We know that many people who respond to surveys want some form of incentive; and that incentive can be in the simple form of a dollar. But for others, the almighty dollar isn’t all that mighty. Knowing that they can donate the dollar they earned to someone who really needs it is a far greater incentive. And when thousands of survey responders donate thousands of incentive dollars, big things can happen.

Les actes de charité apparaissent d’une multitude d’autres façons aussi. Nous savons que beaucoup de personnes qui répondent à des sondages veulent une certaine forme d’incitation, et cette incitation pourrait être tout simplement un dollar. Mais, pour d’autres, le dollar tout puissant ne leur paraît pas si tout puissant. Savoir qu’elles peuvent donner le dollar qu’elles ont gagné à quelqu’un qui en a vraiment besoin représente pour elles une motivation beaucoup plus grande. Lorsque des milliers de répondants à un sondage donnent leur dollar d’incitation, de grandes choses peuvent se produire.

On the flip side of the coin are the charitable organizations themselves, each one fighting for as many of those dollars as possible. It’s not something we think about too often, but those organizations are businesses just like all other businesses, and anything they can do to encourage more funds to come their way is an important venture. And that includes doing marketing research.

This research helps them identify which consumers are likely to support them, and how those consumers want to support them. Sure, charitable donations should go directly to the people who need the money, but there’s no money to share if willing donors can’t be properly targeted.

I like to consider my role as editor-in-chief of Vue a small piece of charitable work. I may not get paid for it, but I love doing whatever I can to help make MRIA even better. Perhaps charity does begin at work.

Au reversde la médaille, on trouve les organismes de bienfaisance, chacun d’eux luttant pour autant de ces dollars que possible. Ce n’est pas quelque chose à quoi nous pensons souvent, mais ces organismes sont des entreprises, comme toute autre entreprise, et tout ce qu’ils peuvent faire pour encourager l’obtention de fonds est un projet important.

Et cela inclut faire de la recherche marketing.

Cette recherche les aide à identifier les consommateurs qui pourraient probablement les appuyer et à découvrir comment ces consommateurs voudraient les appuyer. Évidemment, les dons de charité devraient être versés directement aux gens qui ont besoin d’argent, mais il n’y a pas d’argent à partager si les donateurs intéressés ne sont pas bien ciblés.

J’aime considérer mon rôle de rédactrice en chef de Vue comme une petite partie du travail caritatif. Je ne serai peutêtre pas payée pour le faire, mais j’adore faire tout ce que je peux pour rendre l’ARIM encore meilleure. Peut-être que la charité commence au travail.

Annie Pettit PhD, Chief Research Officer / Directrice de la Recherche, Conversition Editor-in-Chief, Vue / Rédactrice en chef, Vue • Email: apettit@conversition.com • (416) 273-9395 • t @LoveStats 4

vue April 2013

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It was an illuminating time.

CONVENING CONVERSATIONS Bruce MacDonald In February 2012, Big Brothers Big Sisters released the results of a marketing research survey that asked Canadians about their attitudes in relation to bullying and to how mentoring has played a role as an effective intervention. Supported by a national public relations campaign, this initiative saw articles appear online and in print as well as radio and television interviews that took place across the country. In fact, there were over 50 million exposures to the results via traditional media.

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Having been designated spokesperson for the national organization, I was astounded by the number of reporters who expressed amazement that the mentoring programs offered by our organization were linked to the national dialogue taking place in relation to bullying. Canadians understood that we provided mentoring friendships for children and youth. It was clear, however, that they did not understand the transformative nature of those relationships. We were seen as a “nice” organization, but not as an organization contributing to one of the most relevant issues of our time.

It was then that we realized marketing research could be a platform to convene a new conversation with Canadians.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada. It is incredible to think that, since 1913, hundreds of thousands of young people have benefited from the quality mentoring programs provided by local Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies from coast to coast. With 118 local Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies in all provinces and one territory, we are “on the ground” with positive, preventative intervention, working with over 36,000 children and young people every day. Mentoring.

Following on the success of the 2012 bullying awareness campaign, we decided to employ marketing research as a vehicle to draw a direct link between the outcomes of our mentoring programs and topics of importance to Canadians. We have chosen to reframe the conversation about the relevancy of our programs as we not only celebrate 100 years of service but embark on our second century of service.

The strategy of conducting marketing research studies, supported by an active public relations campaign, forms the centrepiece of an outreach campaign throughout 2013.

Combining the release of the results from the largest study ever conducted on youth mentoring in Canada and from a social return on investment study, Big Brothers Big Sisters will be engaging directly with Canadians every two months.

The full complement of research surveys includes an expanded look at bullying, our first-ever Youth Social Consciousness Index, understanding attitudes on civic engagement and, finally, exploring perceptions about the importance of academic success. In each case, the link to mentoring will be factored into the questions.

This program is being backed solidly by the corporate community. In each case, a lead sponsor is working with our organization to assist in the commissioning of the research study and the support of the accompanying public relations blitz.

First out of the gate in January were the topline results from a national research study conducted in partnership with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. This long-term, $1.7 million study tracked the impact of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters programs on almost 1,000 young people over a three-year period. The results solidly supported what we knew, anecdotally, to be true.

S P ECIAL F EATUR E

One standout finding of the study is that girls with a Big Sister are four times less likely to bully, fight, lie, or express anger than girls without a mentor.

Other key findings include the following: • Girls with a Big Sister are two-and-a-half times more likely than girls without a mentor to be confident in their ability to be successful at school.

• Boys with a Big Brother are three times less likely than boys without a mentor to suffer peer pressure related to anxiety, for example, worrying about what other children think or say about them.

• Mentored boys are two times more likely to believe that school is fun and that doing well academically is important.

• Mentored boys are also two times less likely than nonmentored boys to develop a negative conduct like bullying, fighting, lying, cheating, losing their temper, or expressing anger.

With these impact results, the stage has been set to connect with Canadians on societal issues.

Three weeks after the release of the national research findings, the results of an Ipsos Reid poll, commissioned by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada and Invesco Canada, were released. Supporting our organization’s national Bowl for Kids Sake fundraising campaign, the “Step Up to Strike Out Bullying” campaign looked to connect the power of mentoring with the ongoing focus on bullying.

The findings were strong and provided a powerful platform for media interest.

• A strong majority of Canadians (78%) believe that not enough is being done to stop bullying in their communities.

• Three-quarters of Canadians polled (76%) think stronger anti-bullying legislation and stricter enforcement of those laws would be an effective way to reduce bullying.

• More than nine-tenths of respondents (94%) also think that teachers and school administrators share responsibility for the prevention of bullying.

• A substantial majority of Canadians (87%) think that providing a volunteer mentor to children and teenagers who bully is an effective intervention.

• Among bullied Canadians who suffered lasting harm, injurious effects include lack of confidence (69%), low selfesteem (53%), depression (29%), anger management issues (23%), and poor academic achievement (20%).

Strategically, these findings have been a powerhouse combination! Across the country, we have been able to blog, text, tweet and converse with Canadians. Armed with the knowledge that our mentoring programs are directly influencing young people and their behaviour as it pertains to bullying, and seeing that society values the role of mentoring as an

intervention for those who bully, we have been able to enter into a meaningful two-way dialogue and reframe the perception of the importance of our programs.

The campaigns have achieved their public relations objectives. While still being measured, the marketing research campaign on bullying had directly reached over ten million Canadians. In addition, other news sources are citing this study when doing articles on bullying.

As a national voluntary sector organization, securing the funding for these types of initiatives has traditionally been challenging. Previous successful programs – such as the “Top Ten Fears of Canadian Parents,” “The Value of an Hour,” and the 2012 bullying campaign – have all contributed to building a case whereby prospective contributors can see editorial value.

In all cases during the centennial year, we have been successful in finding a corporation willing to champion an issue and provide the necessary funding both to conduct the public opinion polling and to secure the accompanying public relations support.

There will be many non-profit organizations that will simply not be able to secure investment to undertake marketing research campaigns, even though they are highly fundable.

Many members of the marketing research community are continually being approached to do pro bono work. Of course, while alignment and commitment to a particular cause will ultimately guide the company decision-makers, I do believe that a true partnership with voluntary sector organization can be viewed more as business development than as a free service.

The logic is simple and powerful: All voluntary sector organizations are governed by volunteers that sit on a board of directors. In most cases, those volunteers come from the business community.

There is no doubt that exposure to business leaders through their volunteer involvement can provide access to the company and showcase its services in a non-traditional manner. We are pleased that a number of our organization’s suppliers have been introduced to other networks via our organization and have subsequently secured business contracts.

Whether it be pro bono or through traditional, paid approaches, the use of marketing research can greatly assist voluntary sector organizations in maintaining relevancy.

For Big Brothers Big Sisters, heading into year 101, this reality is essential. A year chock full of research on topical issues of importance will continue to position our organization as a trusted, relevant leader in the provision of critical services to children and young people.

Bruce MacDonald has previously worked at the Ontario Senior Games Association and at the Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs of Canada. In 1995, he headed to Big Brothers Big Sisters, eventually becoming president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada in March 2004. The real story is written with his wife Heather and their three girls, Maggie and the twins, Erin and Kathleen. He can be reached at bruce.macdonald@bigbrothersbigsisters.ca vue April 2013

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GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY Steve Mossop, CMRP

In the process of forming Insights West (a western-based marketing research company), following an eighteen-year career managing the Western Region at Ipsos, I determined that one of the core values of our new company would be giving back to the community in which we live.

To live this initiative, we developed our BC Charitable Giving Insights study, which was based on 919 interviews with British Columbian adults in July, October and December 2012, covering 68 brands in the charitable space. The goals of the research were to provide non-profit/charitable organizations with insights into public awareness and propensity to give to certain charitable brands; analyse giving behaviour; and understand the motivators and barriers to giving.

Some context first: In many respects, charities operate with the same business ground rules as the for-profit sector. As marketers, we understand what it takes to communicate with our customers, build relationships with them, and keep them coming back.

Regardless of whether it be a multinational corporation or one of the brands we covered in this study, all operate with a common underlying goal – customer acquisition and retention.

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Another thing people sometimes don’t realize is that charitable organizations and not-for-profits are marketers too. They have the same goals, operate under the same constraints, and tackle the same issues as traditional for-profit companies. Much as for-profit companies battle for their share of consumers’ disposable income, charitable organizations must compete against one another in hopes of standing out and giving the most compelling reason for the customer to choose them over the competition.

Just as there is a limit on consumers’ willingness to purchase goods and services, there is also a limit on consumers’ willingness to give. The world of charitable organizations is a crowded place and, to some extent, it’s all about trying to get the greatest possible share of a finite set of “giving” dollars.

Given the relatively underfunded marketing budgets and the scarce resources at their disposal, charitable organizations must carefully consider every marketing campaign in the context of its potential return on investment. In addition, they must be mindful of the public scrutiny that also comes with having marketing lumped together with other administrative costs, forming the dreaded “admin divided by dollars raised” ratio.

For every campaign, charitable organizations must measure the level of effectiveness in encouraging existing customers to donate further, as well as in attracting new customers. They must find ways to build meaningful connections with their customers and develop a strong affinity to the brand.

As a result of these similarities with for-profit industries, charitable organizations have one of the greatest needs for marketing research. However, as they share the same challenges as traditional marketers, for the most part these organizations don’t have the budgets to spend on sophisticated marketing research programs. To help fill this information gap, Insights West provided the BC Charitable Giving Insights report free of charge to organizations that requested a copy.

One of the outcomes of the study was the creation of a brand health index that we plotted on a three-dimensional chart which was comprised of three variables: awareness of the charity, past donation behaviour to that charity, and propensity to give in the future. This brand health index was useful in showing charities where they scored in the consumer consciousness and which other charities were in their space.

The index shows that the top charitable brands in British Columbia include the BC Cancer Foundation (with 95% aware of the brand, 52% having given a donation to this brand in the past, and 52% saying they would donate to it in the future), BC Children’s Hospital (96% aware, 51% past donors, 46% future donors), and the Canadian Cancer Society (93%, 46% and 40%, respectively).

Charities that seem to have significant potential are those that scored the highest on the gap between the people who were willing to make donations in the future versus those who had made a donation in the past. Charitable organizations like the

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Demonstrates positive outcomes from funding dollars

98%

Personal belief in the cause

96%

Charity is transparent in how its funds are used

96%

Well known/well established

88%

Charity is known for having low administration costs

87%

Charity works on issues in my local community

83%

Knowing someone affected by the cause/disease

80%

Charity offers a tax receipt

68%

Friends/family are involved in the charity

44%

There’s a chance of winning a prize as part of the donation The donation includes tickets to an event that you attend

Base: All wave 2 respondents (n=513)

28% 16% Very Important

Somewhat Important

Q7. When you are deciding whether to support a particular charity or not, how important are each of the following factors?

BC Firefighters’ Burn Fund, the Union Gospel Mission, Canuck Place, the Alzheimer Society of BC, Habitat for Humanity, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation all scored high among potential donors, with 10 to 15 per cent more donors indicating a willingness to donate in the future relative to those who had donated in the past.

Established brands such as the United Way, UNICEF, The Salvation Army, and local churches face the opposite challenge.

Many more indicated they had donated in the past relative to the number who said they would be willing to donate in the future, suggesting that the pool of future donations could be shrinking and that these brands are potentially “tired” in the marketplace, suffering from some brand fatigue.

Other organizations (such as S.U.C.C.E.S.S. BC, KidSafe, Arts Umbrella, Vancouver Foundation, the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, and about a dozen others) suffer from a more traditional marketing challenge: awareness levels are low, less than a third of the population having heard of even one of these charities.

Understanding motivators and barriers to giving was one of the key objectives of the study, so we asked donors to rate the importance of eleven different reasons for giving to charitable causes, and asked for their agreement or disagreement regarding fourteen different barriers to giving.

The most important factors (rated as “very important”) in deciding whether to support a charity are personal belief in the cause (80%), transparency in how funds are used (76%), and demonstrated positive outcomes from funding dollars (73%).

Other factors with high rating include having low administration costs (60%) and the power of the brand (i.e., being well-known, well-established – 51%). See the chart presenting the key drivers of donating.

On the flip side, the list of fourteen barriers is longer, with a significant proportion of donors agreeing on a large

number of reasons for not donating. Number one on the list is administration costs of charities being too high, with 43 per cent agreeing strongly that this is a barrier to donating to charities.

Competition (too many charitable or non-profit organizations asking for money) is another a substantial barrier (38%); and a lack of transparency (unavailable information about what the donated money is being used for) is also high on the list (32%). The full list of reasons outlines the significant marketing challenges that charitable organizations face when asking for money.

Organizations that received this report were grateful for the contribution that Insights West made to the charitable giving community. We were happy to have been a part of it and pleased that our research expertise could be used in an area where it is so valued and needed. I’d like to encourage other marketing research companies to make use of their significant resources in contributing to the communities in which they live and work – by utilizing their knowledge and skills to give back.

About Insights West: Insights West is a progressive, western-based, full-service marketing research company that exists to serve the market with insights-driven research solutions and interpretive analysis through leading-edge tools, normative databases, and senior-level expertise across a broad range of public and private sector organizations. The company is based in Vancouver and Calgary, and has seven full-time and five part-time employees.

Steve Mossop, CMRP, is president of Insights West. Previous to founding Insights West, he was president of Market Research Canada West within Ipsos Reid, managing approximately $20 million in annual billings, and 50+ client service staff at offices in Vancouver, Calgary and Seattle. Steve can be reached at stevemossop@insightswest.com vue April 2013

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AU CONTRAIRE (7)

The Commitment Illusion

Chuck Chakrapani, CMRP, FMRIA

Marketers seem to take comfort in the belief that consumers are passionate about the brands they buy. Marketers also tend to believe that their brand has significant meaning to consumers. It is even suggested – Patrick Barwise and Sean that a commitment to a Meehan, Simply Better, 2004 brand is like a commitment to a spouse. Many elaborate research models have been woven out of this unexamined belief system. Commitment is often touted as the basis for predicting loyalty.

Is it?

If commitment is so fundamental to buying, then, by and large, we need to believe the following propositions as well: • We cannot predict repeat-buying behaviour if we don’t also have a measure of commitment.

• The commitment measure has to be attitudinal, since it is a psychological construct.

• Except where a consumer doesn’t have a choice, it is

“As managers, our biggest mistake is believing that, in general, consumers care a lot about our brand.

They do not.”

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commitment that would lead to (behavioural) loyalty.

There is evidence that is overwhelmingly contradictory to all these propositions. In a large number of cases, consumers’ repeat-buying behaviour can be predicted well without any reference to consumer commitment.

Loyalty vs. Commitment

To make things clear, let us first define loyalty and commitment. Loyalty is simply the act of repeat-buying a brand. Loyalty does not necessarily assume what goes on in a consumer’s mind. A special case of loyal consumers is captive consumers. They buy the same product or service over and over again because they have no choice. For example, a consumer may shop at Sears because that may be the only department store that is within her shopping area.

Commitment, on the other hand, posits that loyalty is a conscious choice. For example, if I eat a brand of oatmeal every day, no matter why, I am loyal to that brand. If I eat oatmeal every day because I like this brand of oatmeal or trust the company that makes this brand or because I like the taste of this brand or because of some similar reason, and

F EATUR E

therefore want to continue buying this brand of oatmeal, then I am committed to this brand.

All loyalty is not commitment. Loyalty is a fact; otherwise, we are unlikely to have different brands with different market shares. Commitment is a different story.

The Illusion of Commitment

Consumers often tend to be loyal to a few brands. This loyalty is often interpreted as conscious commitment to a brand. Elaborate models are designed to capture the level of commitment a consumer has to a brand. The proof? When you ask consumers why they bought a particular brand, they can always come up with reasons. If you ask consumers how committed they are to a brand, what they indicate would be the level of their commitment.

Such proofs overlook the fact that people are largely unaware of the reason for their actions (John Bargh, The Automaticity of Everyday Life, Routledge 1997). But if you ask them, they can always give reasons in retrospect as to why they did what they did.

Research studies published in peer-reviewed journals “Most managers … (many of them already cited like proud parents … in earlier articles in this series) tend to overestimate show that consumers’ repeatthe importance of their company to their purchase behaviour can in customers.” fact be predicted with the – Timothy Keiningham et al., use of mathematical models Loyalty Myths, 2005 that do not use psychological constructs such as commitment to a brand. The lack of relevance of the commitment construct to repeat-buying behaviour comes from the field of psychology itself, although the evidence is scattered over different journals in articles published over the past six decades, as noted in the following paragraphs.

We will briefly review a few research studies which show that loyalty often comes about as a result of our automatic behaviour or as a result of our lack of interest in a brand.

Loyalty as Automatic Behaviour

Much of human behaviour is automatic (John Bargh,1997, cited earlier). After a long day at work, we get into the car and drive home. We stop at stop lights, yield to pedestrians, avoid near collisions, and yet we may not be aware of doing all this. Sometimes we may even wonder how we got home.

We tend to sleep on one side of the bed, prefer to take one route over another, even though there is no apparent reason

for the preference. Such habits dominate much of human behaviour. Most of us are not committed to sleeping on one side of the bed or committed to taking one particular route.

Yet our automatic behaviour or habits may give the illusion that we are.

Does this well-documented phenomenon of automaticity apply to brand behaviour? Do people develop buying patterns based on automatic behaviour that looks like commitment but has nothing to do with it?

These questions have been answered by psychologists over the years. Researchers R.E. Nisbett and Timothy Wilson (“Telling More Than We Can Know: Verbal Reports on Mental Process,” Psychological Review, 84[3], 1977) set themselves in a mall and asked passersby which one of the four unbranded stockings displayed they preferred.

Although the consumers did not know it, all four pairs of stockings were identical. To the investigators’ surprise, they found that consumers consistently preferred the right-most pair – by a four-to-one margin. Consumers exhibited a “brand preference” when presented with identical products, based presumably on some random cues.

But do such random “brand preferences” extend to brand loyalty in a way that may be interpreted as commitment to a brand? Interestingly enough, this question was answered way back in 1964, in the very first volume of the Journal of Marketing Research (1[3], pp. 32–35), by W.T. (Tommy) Tucker in a paper called “The Development of Brand Loyalty.”

Tucker invited 42 women to participate in an experiment for twelve days. Each day, the women were asked to choose a loaf of bread from four “brands” placed on a shelf and identified only as L, M, P or H. The positions of the brands were rotated each day. The loaves were packaged identically, and in fact they were identical products produced from the same commercial oven. Yet the women quickly started favouring a certain “brand” over the others and preferring the brand that was placed in a particular position (e.g., on the right side of the tray). Even though the four “brands” were identical, consumers quickly developed “commitment” to a brand, presumably based on some trivial cues.

The observed commitment was nothing more than an expression of automatic behaviour, which most humans use to save time and effort.

Loyalty Changes as Responses to Changing Cues

When do consumers change brands? Do they change brands when their level of commitment to a brand changes, or vue April 2013

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when they are confronted with different cues? If “Habitual usage accounts consumers are committed for the predictability of to a brand, then changing revenue streams and the tremendous value of many environmental cues should have little influence on what big, established brands.” brands they buy. The evidence – Patrick Barwise and points to the contrary.

Sean Meehan, Simply Better Alan Anderson (“Life Status Changes and Changes in Consumer Preferences and Satisfaction,” Journal of Consumer Research, 11[3], 1984) interviewed hundreds of consumers and asked if they had changed their usual brands in the last six months. He also asked if they had been exposed to any major life changes (e.g., jobs, getting married, moving house), positive or negative, during the same period.

Anderson found that the more life changes consumers were exposed to, the more they changed brands. The fact that changes in life status result in changes in consumer preferences has since been confirmed by other studies (e.g., Anil Mathur, George P. Moschis, & Euehun Lee, “A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Life Status Changes on Changes in Consumer Preferences,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36[2], 2008).

These results suggest that, contrary to the commitment hypothesis, major life events such as marriage or employment expose a consumer to different situations.

Exposure to different situations provides different external cues (different stores, a different companion while shopping, etc.), which in turn lead to different brand choices.

Loyalty as a Result of Lack of Interest in a Brand

What brand of table salt do you buy? I checked mine, and it was Sifto. I also realized that it is pretty much the brand I usually buy. I buy the same brand every time because the brand of table salt I buy does not matter to me. This is in fact the case with many low-interest categories. Consumers buy the same brand because they are not interested enough in the category to evaluate the alternatives.

If I am an infrequent user of laptops, and the Dell I have been using has been good enough, I buy it again. Not because I am committed to Dell, but because it has been delivering the benefits I seek and I’m not interested in the category enough to explore further.

What may appear as commitment to a brand is in fact a general lack of passionate commitment to a brand. This 12

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behaviour is especially common for products that are seen as commodities, such as sugar, salt, matchboxes, ballpoint pens, and many other frequently bought products.

This is not to say that commitment to a product does not exist. In some product categories, such as coffee and fashion items, there might indeed be commitment to a brand among some consumers. In many categories, we may find 20 per cent or so of sole-brand buyers. Some of them may actually be committed to the brand. But, in general, commitment to a brand is nowhere near as universal as proponents of commitment models would have us believe.

What appears as strong evidence of commitment, in most cases, is no more than an expression of automatic behaviour or the buying pattern of those who are only marginally interested in choosing a specific brand.

Brand ‘Polygamous’ Consumers

“Predicting consumer loyalty is closer to For reasons such as the ones quantum physics than it is described above, consumers to matrimony. As in quantum tend to gravitate towards physics, probabilities “preferred brands,” the ones that they buy more frequently. dictate the likelihood that a particular outcome will be If, as we have been discussing, observed.”

loyalty is more a case of – Timothy Keiningham et al., habit than of commitment, Loyalty Myths, 2005 consumers would have no difficulty buying an alternative brand when their current brand is less readily available, when there is a price promotion, or when they are attracted by point-of-purchase materials.

In other words, consumers in a given category would buy more than one brand in any given time period. Drinkers of Budweiser will sometimes drink Steam Whistle; visitors to McDonald’s will sometimes go to Burger King; people who shop at Walmart will also shop at Target.

Observation of our own behaviour and those of others will confirm that consumers often buy brands other than the ones that they use most often because • a competing brand is on sale • a competing brand appears to provide better value • a purchase occasion (such as visiting guests) dictates a different brand • the regular brand is unavailable • we would like to try something different.

F EATUR E

As a matter of fact, almost all consumers, in almost all categories, buy multiple brands. We have already seen some data (“The Unbearable Lightness of Buying,” Vue, October 2012) which show that most consumers are not sole buyers of a product, that is, less than 100 per cent loyal. Research shows that people are loyal to a brand (buy it more than others) but are not “committed” to it (they buy other brands as well). As Andrew Ehrenberg and John Scriven (“Polygamous Brand Loyalty,” Marketing Learning 1, The R&D Initiative, South Bank University, London, 1997) put it, consumers are not committed to a brand but are “polygamous.” Loyalty is very common, commitment much less so.

Exhibit 1 provides an example of multibrand buying (taken from John Bound, User’s Guide to Dirichlet, Marketing Bulletin, 2009, available at http://marketingbulletin.massey.ac.nz/V20/MB_V20_T2_Bound.pdf ). The data are for coffee, but similar patterns have been identified for several categories.

Exhibit 1. Category vs. Brand Buying

Brand

Purchases per Buyer Brand Category

Folgers

3.2 6.4

Maxwell House

3.3

6.9

Taster’s Choice

2.8

6.4

Nescafé

2.7

7.3

Sanka

3.0

7.9

Maxim

4.5

8.3

Average

3.0

6.8

From exhibit 1, we note that, although average buyers of Folgers bought coffee 6.4 times during a given period, they bought Folgers only 3.2 times. In other words, buyers of Folgers bought one or more other brands during this period about as frequently as they bought Folgers. Similarly for other brands.

Very few buyers are committed to a single brand. A typical customer of almost any category buys more than one brand. The average number of brands bought by a consumer varies from category to category and depends on the length of time over which the buying behaviour is observed. But the pattern of multibrand buying can be observed in almost all categories.

Researchers Allan Baldinger and colleagues (“Why Brands Grow,” Journal of Advertising Research, 42[1], 2002) examined 353 brands in 21 categories over a five-year period. About one-third of all brands examined by them registered an increase or decrease of at least 50 per cent during this period. About one-half of smaller brands lost or gained 50 per cent. A similar pattern was found for 20 per cent of larger brands.

The Bottom Line Consumers are brand polygamous, and their loyalty is predictable but not static over time. Their loyalty needs to be earned on an ongoing basis.

Customer loyalty to a brand comes about from a number of sources: habitual buying, indifference to a brand, consumer life cycle, and so on. It is manifested as the consumer buying probability of a given brand. Consumers are brand polygamous, and their loyalty is predictable but not static over time. Their loyalty needs to be earned on an ongoing basis. In an attempt to capture customer loyalty, some researchers proposed that customer loyalty or lack thereof can be expressed as commitment to a brand. Research studies show that while consumers may have some level of commitment to brands in some categories, it is likely a minor factor in buying most products and services for a majority of customers. Given the state of knowledge of buyer behaviour, commitment can be seen as a superfluous concept in understanding customer loyalty. For greater clarity we should look elsewhere.

Dr. Chuck Chakrapani, PhD, CMRP, FMRIA, is president of Leger Analytics. He is also a distinguished visiting professor at Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University, until recently, the editor of American Marketing Association’s Marketing Research, and a member of the board of directors of Marketing Research Institute International, which, in collaboration with the University of Georgia, offers the online course “Principles of Marketing Research.” He is a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society as well as of MRIA and has authored over a dozen books and 500 articles on various subjects.

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THE PROS OF PRO BONO Susan Innes Pro bono research is a great grassroots way to demonstrate the value of marketing research. This research could entail leveraging existing knowledge such as market and industry trends, when helping organizations with their planning, all the way to implementing custom research studies for those organizations. For suppliers, it could also include the complementary use of research facilities.

I do not have any numbers on how many researchers are doing pro bono work but anecdotally know of people, on both the supplier and client sides of the industry, who are putting their research skills to use in this way.

On the supplier side, Christina Lee-Rotstein of TNS does pro bono work with the CIA. No, not that CIA. I’m talking about the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. Christina was on the client side when she began helping the CIA, and she continued the engagement after her move to the supplier side.

As a member of the institute’s Communications Committee, Christina’s involvement includes helping

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the CIA with every aspect of its newly formed Member Listening Group (MLG), a representative pool of CIA members who have agreed to be interviewed on items of importance to the profession. Surveys could come from the board and contain questions on new policy directions for the institute. They could originate from the committee responsible for organizing the CIA’s annual meeting, a group that is looking for hot topics and excellent speakers.

Or surveys could come from a group researching actuarial involvement in an industry such as energy or health care.

Les Dandridge, director of Communications and Public Affairs at the CIA, is very complimentary about Christina and her contribution, saying she “assists us in every aspect of MLG, from outreach to our committees, councils and task forces; questionnaire development and design; and analysis and communication of the results. Her contributions have been professional, positive, and extremely valuable. I imagine that every member of the committee would agree that her presence has been very helpful in a variety of ways.”

F EATUR E

On the client side, I sit on the board of the Canadian Children’s Opera Company (CCOC). The CCOC is a world-class ensemble that introduces the magic of opera to children and youth through professional musical and dramatic education, and through the performance of operatic and choral repertoire. This charitable organization has been in existence for over forty years, and last year I shepherded its inaugural survey, done with the parents of about 200 choristers.

Beyond informal feedback received from more vocal parents, the survey was the first vehicle to provide the CCOC with information from parents about many aspects of membership, including rehearsal venues, program elements, and fundraising. In particular, in order to ensure needs were met the following season, it was crucial to understand why participation in certain events like the annual gala was waning, and to know what elements of the program resonated most.

Board chair John De Goey said, “As an organization, the CCOC does not have the budget to do proper research in order to solicit feedback from our member families. Being able to do a full parent survey allowed us, for the first time, to receive meaningful feedback regarding what is working and what isn’t, what people would change if they could, and what people think of the organization in general. The board used the feedback to make a number of substantive changes for the 2012–2013 production year, and we are confident we are better off for having made them.”

Any pro bono work touches a lot of people. The people who collaborate on the questionnaire or discussion guide are the first in their organization to see marketing research at work for them. In my case, a core team of five worked together on our first CCOC parent questionnaire.

The people who initially receive the results see marketing research at work, benefiting their organization (often an organization about which they care deeply) in its planning activities. At the CCOC, the results were initially communicated to about a dozen board and staff members.

More broadly, numerous members within an organization can be impacted by the actions and/or changes that are made based upon the research findings. At the CCOC, the parents of all 200 choristers were told about changes stemming from the research.

While the n may seem negligible in this CCOC example, when we consider all the pro bono work being done by researchers across the country, the number of people touched by pro bono research is more noteworthy.

When the core teams working on and benefiting from this pro bono research are educated and are influential in

their own industries, we have the opportunity to create vocal advocates for our industry.

During the October 2012 Client-Side Researcher Council (CSRC) meeting, MRIA’s founding president, Don Mills, joined us to table the question of how we can best convey to Canadians the message that research has value and can improve lives. With a very limited budget for a PR campaign, such a project is indeed a challenge. A grassroots campaign promoting our industry through pro bono work that benefits people across multiple organizations is a way of meeting this challenge. Ideally, this project would be part of a multi-faceted approach developed by MRIA. We can all be marketing research ambassadors by leveraging our research skills to help organizations meet, and ideally surpass, their goals. It is a classic win-win because, not only does the organization benefit, but we also feel good about doing this work. When the organization is a charitable one that could not otherwise afford to do marketing research, these benefits can be enhanced.

Perhaps you are already doing pro bono work – fantastic.

Please continue doing it. If you have done some in the past but not recently, please consider doing it again. If you have been thinking about doing some pro bono work, now is a great time to start. You could look for opportunities to leverage your marketing research knowledge and skill set to help an organization that matters to you. It could be your child’s daycare centre, or a charity close to your heart, or a sports league in which you are involved.

In considering this idea of grassroots, community-based marketing of marketing research with fellow CSRC member Vinu George, he made an interesting suggestion – that MRIA could help foster pro bono research by logging or in some cases publishing such pro bono work online, on our portal. Doing so would serve two purposes: First, it would help invigorate the membership. Secondly, it could become a message board for organizations – especially charitable ones – to post their need for assistance on this site. Think of it as a kind of craigslist that would enable pro bono supply and demand sides to meet.

Simply put, doing pro bono research is the right thing to do, whether the organization benefiting from this work is charitable or for-profit. And in the end, we all benefit.

Susan Innes has an MBA in international marketing and has worked in marketing research for most of her career, on both the supplier and buyer sides. She’s been with BMO Financial Group for over a decade and currently manages wealth management marketing research in Canada, the United States, and China. She can be reached at susan.innes@bmo.com vue April 2013

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ARE NON-PROFITS REALLY SO

DIFFERENT? YES…AND NO

Types of Non-Profits

Leslie Horst

Non-profit organizations come in a huge array of flavours, missions and sizes. Broadly speaking, for-profit organizations sell either some form of material good or some type of service (investment advice, legal work, and even marketing research).

The picture for non-profits is more complex.

The following categories, while not exhaustive, capture much of what is done in the non-profit world; for each, I will give some examples, name its constituencies, and indicate some of its metrics of success. Common to all are boards, donors and volunteers; these constituencies will be described separately.

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Organizations that sell experiences. These organizations include theatre companies as well as dance, music and arts organizations of many kinds. Their most immediate constituencies include subscribers and ticket buyers. In addition, some of these organizations do work in their communities, such as providing musicians for special programs in schools. Their indicators of success include subscriber renewals, individual ticket sales, new subscribers/ticket buyers, and good reviews. Of course, many profit-making institutions also sell experiences: ski areas, hot-air balloon ride providers, and travel tour providers come immediately to mind.

Providers of services. For educational institutions (private secondary schools, colleges and universities), the major constituencies include students and parents; also important are the employers who might hire their graduates and the community in which they are located, because town-gown relationships matter. Success indicators include but are not limited to increases in the following: applications; yield on offers of admission (admitted students who choose to come); applicant quality (standardized test scores, high school GPA); planned increases in enrollment; student satisfaction and

F EATUR E

engagement that result in retention and graduation; student placement rate (in employment and graduate programs); and alumni engagement (both volunteering and donating). Many institutions also point with pride to declines in their admission rate, that is, an increase in selectivity.

Providers of health-related services include hospitals, medical centres, and research institutes, among others. For providers of medical services, the primary constituents are patients, but they also include insurance companies and governmental entities such as Medicare and Medicaid. Their indicators of success include restoring patients’ health, containing costs, and minimizing all types of mistakes. For hospitals, there is now an enormous incentive to reduce readmissions because of new Medicare penalties for excessively high readmission rates.

Private (non-medical) service providers deliver a wide range of services, including counselling, employment assistance, transitional housing and support for homeless people, and many others. The primary constituency, of course, is the clients themselves, but there are also state/provincial and local governments that may contract with these agencies to provide services. The principal indicator of success is the number of clients served effectively.

Common to all of these service providers is the assumption that the best outcome for those who are directly served is to “graduate” – finish their degree, recover from illness, or move to permanent housing.

Traditional charities. This umbrella category includes many of the charities that come most readily to mind – groups that focus on disaster relief or a particular disease; soup kitchens and other hunger relief agencies; and youth-serving organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs; and many more (the list is extensive). Ultimately, their primary constituents are the people who may be directly helped by the services and resources they provide. In the case of diseases, researchers often also benefit.

The primary indicator of success is the amount of money and number of services these charities give away as a percentage of the total amount of money they collect.

Religious organizations. In Canada and the U.S., religious organizations of all kinds receive a very large share of the philanthropic dollar. They differ from some of the other organizations in that they clearly have two sets of constituents for whom they seek funds: their own members, whose pastoral needs they address, and others in the community (or around the world), for whom they provide funds, volunteer energy, or both. These organizations tend to measure success by increasing membership (at least among those deemed eligible) and by an increasing ability to provide community services consistent with their mission.

Organizations that advocate for causes. The causes supported are various: improving voter education and participation, reducing smoking, and opposing abortion are but a few.

There are also foundations associated with a non-tax-exempt organization (in the U.S.), such as the American Civil Liberties Union. Common to these is typically an initiative to change people’s behaviour in a way that is deemed to be positive.

Depending on the reach of the organization, the constituents could be a very local group of people (e.g., voters in a particular town) or a widespread international audience (e.g., for Amnesty International). Indicators of success can, of course, include an increase in donations; but for these organizations, success is also measured by increases in a positive behaviour (e.g., voting) or decreases in an undesirable behaviour (e.g., smoking).

Special Characteristics of Non-Profit Organizations

The role of the non-profit board of directors has some elements in common with that of non-profit boards (e.g., fiduciary duty), but more is expected of non-profit board members. In addition to donating the time they spend on board work, they are also expected to be spokespeople for the particular cause and to donate financially as well as try to raise funds from others.

They might well be less beholden to the non-profit’s executive director than to a corporation’s CEO. Donors – individual, corporate, foundation, and sometimes government agencies (through grants) – are an aspect of non-profit life that has no real parallel in the for-profit world.

Unlike customers, donors must be persuaded to part with their money without expecting much in return. After all, it’s rare that a donor can give enough to get a building or school named after him or her! Almost every non-profit needs to spend major amounts of time courting and retaining donors.

Volunteers are an additional element of non-profit life without a parallel in the for-profit world. They often do fundraising, but they may also perform many other services that enable non-profits to keep their costs down. Getting volunteers, training them, and retaining the effective ones are all critical tasks that non-profits need to accomplish.

To add to the complications of non-profits, they are likely to have a more varied revenue stream than most for-profits.

Depending on the type of non-profit, money may come in via subscriptions, tuition payments, ticket sales, fees for services, government or foundation grants, facility rentals (e.g., for summer programs held on college campuses), and more.

Marketing Research: Implications and Challenges

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most effectively engage with these organizations. While not exhaustive, the following list provides several key considerations.

• Non-profits may have a group of professionals that regard themselves as the absolute core of the organization. College faculty, hospital doctors, and the musicians of a symphony orchestra come to mind. Any marketing researcher will have to understand the impact of these groups in order to work successfully with the organization.

• These professionals may feel that an outside researcher will not really understand them, no matter how hard that researcher tries. It is sometimes advisable to add to your team someone who has “been there” and therefore will have a built-in degree of credibility.

• Some constituents of non-profits may resent the money spent on consultants, questioning why the money isn’t being spent on the mission instead. The marketing research consultant may have to overcome this sort of mistrust, which is not likely to have a parallel in the for-profit arena.

• Perhaps even more than is the case for work with for-profits, marketing researchers will need to be aware of larger societal and cultural trends that have an impact on the work of the non-profit. For example, you may be working with a chorus that has experienced declines in subscription and ticket sales.

You will need to know if this decline is part of a larger trend (as it is in some cities) or is more idiosyncratic.

• Non-profits will typically have small budgets for research.

Indeed, they may have to fundraise or turn to a small number of deep-pocketed individuals who understand the need for the work and agree with its goals in order for it to be carried out. They may encourage researchers to conduct focus groups in their own building instead of a commercial facility, or supply a staff member or volunteer to help with logistics, for example. Some researchers do reduce their fees, and some may do the work pro bono.

• Given the budgetary issues, marketing research for most non-profits is anything but routine. For this reason, they may be highly committed to the process when it does occur. They may listen with great interest if you, as a researcher, are able to identify and articulate the voices of their customers.

• Market segmentation is an issue at least as much as it is with for-profits. For a college, there are prospects who may never have heard of the place; inquirers who have initiated some sort of contact with the place; applicants, admitted students, and students who have committed to coming by paying an enrollment deposit; and, finally, those who actually show up at the beginning of the school year. The priorities and interests of each of these groups differ.

• Issues of “brand” may be a bit less obvious, but nonprofits still need to attend to how they are seen in their 18

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communities. No less than corporations, they also need to find ways to recover from bad publicity (e.g., the sexual abuse issues and the restrictions on homosexuals in the Boy Scouts of America, or a well publicized instance of medical malpractice with a big judgment against a hospital).

• It will be helpful to marketing researchers if the nonprofits that provide services have engaged in some form of systematic program evaluation. In cases where they have not, some of the work of marketing research might morph into program evaluation if the organization wants to be able to support claims about its effectiveness.

Even with all the challenges, working with non-profits can be enormously satisfying for marketing researchers.

Understanding the complexities, addressing the needs of the various constituencies and, just possibly, helping nonprofits accomplish their mission more effectively are all most rewarding. And once we know the lay of the land, much of what is in our marketing research tool box applies to nonprofits just as well as to for-profits. We might include the following examples in the non-profit research we conduct: • focus groups with likely theatergoers who are not buying tickets to your client theatre’s production, as well as with those who are • a secret shopper exercise, in which the shopper starts the application process with a client university and its known competitors in order to compare first impressions of each • surveys with admitted students, some of whom choose the client institution and some of whom choose a competitor (a comparison of what they regard as important to them and their ratings of the quality of the institutions allow for inferences about what was actually important to them) • in-depth interviews with community opinion leaders about the services provided by a local health clinic • collage exercises completed by service recipients to give a more holistic image of how they regard the service provider.

Let your imagination and your disciplined understanding of your client be your guide.

After careers as a college professor, institutional researcher for a school system, and researcher at Maguire Associates, Inc., Leslie is now the principal of Horst Data Partners (HorstDataPartners@gmail. com), specializing in non-profits of various kinds as well as small businesses. She wishes to thank Larry Butler and Barbara O’Connor for helpful conversations as she was preparing this article. Photo credit: Sandie Allen.

BOO K R E VI E W

PUBLIC OPINION

AND POLLING FOR DUMMIES Peter Hajdasz

Marc Zwelling recently released a book entitled Public Opinion and Polling for Dummies, which I decided to give a quick read. Offering to share the inside story on polling from many years as president of Vector Research, Zwelling gives readers a simple review of key terms along with upto-date case studies. This quick guide follows the classic Dummies model of distilling the basics of the subject for those new to marketing research.

What does the book offer for those interested in public opinion and polling? While it is very basic and might seem simplistic to those experienced researchers in the industry, for those new to marketing research looking for an entrypoint introduction to what public opinion research is all about, Zwelling’s book is a great place to start. The book advises those in marketing research on how to create the most effective polling questions and how to convince people to participate in surveys. It provides a foundation in analysing opinion data and in how to get the most for the money allotted to research.

Zwelling does not forget about the clients who deal with marketing research companies, providing advice to those who might issue a request for proposals. He advocates being a smart shopper in the polling market when deciding on a research company. The author offers recommendations, for example, on improving clients’ bargaining position in relation to polling companies – so that clients will be paying a fair price and getting what they need in order to get their research questions answered. Identifying a clear research objective is essential, as polling is intended to discover not whether people

agree with the topic but what people think – before the client has to make a decision.

Offering good tips on developing a marketing research budget, the book wisely discusses what kind of data or sample size is needed. Zwelling notes that random sampling, even with small samples of a few hundred respondents, can represent the opinion of large populations when sampling is conducted correctly. Along with accurate sampling, he gives direction in question writing and stresses how both are needed for a successful research study.

While this short book is not intended to do a thorough job of covering the topic, it successfully summarizes what can be done with polls, how to ask the right questions, how to analyse survey data appropriately, and how to work with a research company (or work for one). For those who are considering a career in marketing research and would like to know more about what to expect, the book provides quick tips on getting training for a career in the polling business, and even on how to go out on your own. Overall, this book is a good, quick reference guide, available for free on the Vector Research website (www.vectorresearch.com).

Peter Hajdasz joined GfK in 2012 and holds an MA from the University of Ottawa. Amongst other roles, he has acted as marketing communications consultant to a non-profit organization and as marketing specialist for an online magazine. He has experience in customer loyalty and an academic background in mixed-method research designs. He can be reached at Peter.Hajdasz@gfk.com vue April 2013

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MARKET RESEARCHERS IT’S TIME TO GET EXCITED ABOUT ‘BRIDGING THE GAP’ By the 2013 National Conference MarComm Committee From June 2–4, 2013, researchers from across the country will gather in Niagara Falls, Ontario, for the 2013 MRIA National Conference, and it’s going to be a great event, says conference chair Tim McCutcheon of Market Probe.

The number one reason is the prevalence of client-side presentations (either with or without their supplier) “…focusing on real business issues,” McCutcheon said.

But there’s also a fantastic venue (Sheraton on the Falls), a ton of social activities and “I hear there’s even some sort of waterfall nearby that is worth a look …” he added.

Less than 30 days remain before the marketing research industry members, leaders, and clients will gather near the famed Horseshoe Falls, to open their minds to new ideas, to learn about challenging new approaches to research, and to meet colleagues face-to-face.

This year’s annual conference, the largest MRIA event of the year, fully embraces the theme “Bridging the Gap.” (But remember daredevil Nik Wallenda’s tightrope walk across the Falls last year? We don’t mean that gap!)

There’s bridging the gap between work and play, with many social and networking events, but also “Bridging the Gap” between research buyers and suppliers.

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In fact, the very “gap” that McCutcheon looks forward to “bridging” is bringing together research buyers and suppliers so each can understand “the challenges faced by the other in an effort to provide more business-relevant information to research buyers.”

Given the almost sold-out tradeshow, exceptional program and exciting social activities, tradeshow co-chair Anastasia Arabia says that the conference bridges a “gap” by being a great opportunity to meet new people and to “see the unique services within our industry that they provide.”

But there are also some fun “gaps” to fill in Niagara Falls, she said. “I would like to bridge the gap between some colleagues I haven’t seen since [the] last conference and a few bottles of wine.”

Not yet decided if you want to attend? Here are twelve reasons why you should get on a plane, rent a car, take the bus, car pool or find some other way to get to Niagara Falls.

(Please note, the MRIA does not recommend that famous barrel ride over the Falls!)

IN D USTRY N E W S

• E xpected larger attendance than previous years (did we say including more clients?)

• O pportunity to plan strategic networking with the “Look Who’s Coming” delegate list posted on the conference website June 2 – 4 2013 5875 Falls Avenue I Niagara Falls I Ontario

Top 12 reasons to attend this year’s conference: E NT E RTA I NME NT

• Table Rock Centre cocktail dinner party next to the Falls!

(Who doesn’t like getting really close to a half million litres of water going over the Falls every second?)

• F allsview Casino (Win some money to buy drinks for schmoozing and networking?)

• Wine tasting session (Need we say more?)

• N iagara-on-the-Lake (for wine lovers, theatregoers and War of 1812 history buffs) is only a 30-minute drive away.

E DU C AT I ON

• M ost “robust” program ever with over 50 inspiring speakers • S ix key concepts featured: - Marketing Strategy - Brand Equity and Advertising Impact - New Research Tools and Insights - Client-Side Researchers Driving Change - Digital and Mobile Advancement - Managing Big Data and Data Integration • K eynote speakers: - Don Gloeckler, Advertising Research Foundation - Dan Kashyap, Humana - Andy Reid, Vision Critical - Daniel Speck, Henry of Pelham • S peakers from Wrigley’s, RBC, PepsiCo, Corby, Sobeys, Nestle, Kraft, Yahoo – and many more…

NE T W ORK I NG

• R esearchers from across the country (and beyond) gathered in one location • More clients than ever before, from across the country gathered in one location

Conference organizers are currently hard at work to ensure “Bridging the Gap” will be an amazing two and one-half days of insight.

Speaking directly about this year’s theme, Christian Mueller, co-chair ofJune social2 events, who has a doctorate in – 4 2013 5875 Falls Avenue I Niagara Falls I Ontario cognitive psychology, said he looks forward to closing a “kind of mental gap” in the profession. “I hope that we’ll succeed in narrowing the distance between the marketer’s mind and the mind of the consumer.”

Carolyn O’Keefe, this year’s sponsorship co-chair and former co-chair of the 2012 hugely successful event, will make the trek from St. John’s, Newfoundland. (If you attended “Sample the Edge” did you get “screeched-in”?)

She too is excited about bridging the gap between research buyers and suppliers, but also bridging the gap between Niagara Falls and St. John’s.

“I’m looking forward to being christened an honorary Ontarian, and wondering what crazy tasks this will involve!”

Registration is now open. The early bird deadline is April 30. For more information and to register, visit: www.mria-arim.ca/Conference2013

More reasons to attend “Bridging the Gap” From Conference Chair Tim McCutcheon • A program focused on the sharing of best practices: from buyer to buyer and from buyer to supplier, etc.

• A focus on understanding research and business objectives from both sides of the research fence • A Buyer-Supplier Panel focusing on key issues (on both sides) • A Marketers’ Panel focusing on the actual business use of research • A strong lineup of Keynotes: buy-side, supply-side, industry (ARF) and, of course, wine!

Fiona Isaacson and Tabatha Bourguignon are both members of the 2013 MRIA National Conference MarComm Team, whose members contributed ideas for this article. Fiona can be reached at fisaacson@corbinpartners.com and Tabatha can be reached at tabatha.bourguignon@hotspex.com – See you in June! vue April 2013

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QUALITATIVE RESEARCH REGISTRY (QRR) In accordance with federal privacy laws, MRIA’s Qualitative Research Registry (QRR), or Registre de la recherche qualitative (RRQ) in French, was created to provide an ongoing, user-friendly vehicle for tracking those who do not want to be contacted or should not be contacted for qualitative research studies.

QRR is a comprehensive do not call list of those who have recently participated in qualitative research studies, those who have asked not to be contacted further, and those felt by recruiters and moderators to be best served by not being contacted.

These respondents are marked as “do not call” in accordance with established MRIA Standards.

All field and full-service companies are encouraged to submit a list of their qualitative respondents for entry into the QRR system each month, including those who do not wish to be contacted.

Participating firms will receive monthly updates of respondents to be screened from qualitative recruitment samples. QRR works effectively to increase the quality and integrity of the qualitative research process, by serving as a control to ensure respondents are not contacted more frequently than is necessary.

However, the ability of the system to function effectively is directly related to the co-operation received from firms who provide recruitment services.

If you are a full service research firm or field supplier that is currently participating in the Qualitative Research Registry program – thank you very much and keep up the good work!

If you are not currently participating, please get involved! If you are interested in submitting to QRR, please visit the MRIA website at www.mria-arim.ca/ QRD/QualResearchRegistry.asp for further explanation and guidance on how to submit qualitative research participants’ names, along with the required electronic forms.

THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES HAVE SUBMITTED NAMES TO QUALITATIVE RESEARCH REGISTRY FOR NOVEMBER 2012 ONTARIO Barbara C. Campbell Recruiting Consumer Vision Head Count I & S Recruiting Opinion Search Quality Response

QUEBEC MBA Recherche Opinion Search

WEST Barbara C. Campbell Recruiting Opinion Search Trend Research

ATLANTIC Head Count Opinion Search

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH REGISTRY SUBMIS­SIONS SHOULD BE SENT TO: QRRQ@MRIA-ARIM.CA Submission templates and payment forms can be found at www.mria-arim.ca/QRD/QualResearchRegistryForms.asp

Rules of Conduct and Good Practice for Members of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (2007), Section C Rules Specific to the Conduct of Qualitative Research: 20. R ecruiters should provide accurate data to the Qualitative Research Registry, where such exists, on a consistent basis and check all respondents against the Registry.

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21. M oderators buying recruiting services should give primary consideration to recruiting agencies which submit to the Qualitative Research Registry, where such a service exists, on a regular and ongoing basis.

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RRS

RESEARCH REGISTRATION SYSTEM Since 1994, the RRS has allowed respondents to verify the legitimacy of a research project; helped legislators and regulators differentiate between legitimate survey researchers and unscrupulous telemarketers, phishers and scammers; and protected the industry from unnecessary and unwanted regulation.

RRS

MRIA’s Research Registration System (RRS) has long been a cornerstone self-regulatory mechanism for the marketing, survey and public opinion research and market intelligence industry in Canada.

Combined with other self-regulatory initiatives such as our Code of Conduct and Good Practice and our Charter of Respondent Rights, the RRS has paid huge dividends in protecting the industry’s positive reputation and good name with Canadians.

All Gold Seal and Basic Corporate Research Agency members of the Association are obligated to register all of their research projects with the RRS, and ClientSide Corporate members are encouraged to require their agency suppliers to do so.

MRIA’s Research Agency Council provides strategic, policy-level oversight of the Research Registration System, and receives aggregate data-only on the System’s performance.

Questions about the Research Registration System should be addressed to Erica Klie, Member Services & Events Coordinator, at 1-888-602-6742 or 905602-6854, ext. 8727 or eklie@mria-arim.ca or, in her absence, Interim Executive Director, John Ball, CMRP at ext. 8724 or jball@mria-arim.ca.

Rules of Conduct and Good Practice For Members of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (2007):

Section A (5) Members must uphold the MRIA Charter of Respondent Rights.

THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES HAVE REGISTERED RESEARCH PROJECTS WITH THE RESEARCH REGISTRATION SYSTEM DURING NOVEMBER 2012: GOLD SEAL CORPORATE RESEARCH AGENCIES Advanis Inc. Advitek Inc. BBM Analytics BBM Canada Blue Ocean Contact Centers Campaign Research Canadian Viewpoint Inc. Cido Research Consumer Vision Ltd. Corsential ULC EKOS Research Associates Inc. GfK Research Dynamics Harris/Decima Inc. Hay Research International Head Count Hotspex Inc. Ipsos Reid Leger Marketing Market Probe Canada MBA Recherche McWhirter & Associates MD Analytics Inc. MQO Research NRG Research Group Opinion Search Inc. Phase 5 Consulting Group Inc. R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. Research Dimensions Research House Inc. The Logit Group Inc. TNS Canadian Facts Trend Research Inc.

Charter of Respondent Rights, Article 2 You can verify that the research you have been invited to participate in is legitimate in one of two ways. You can either obtain a registration number and the MRIA’s toll-free telephone number for any research registered in the MRIA’s Research Registration System or you can obtain the contact information of the research director who is conducting the study.

BASIC CORPORATE RESEARCH AGENCIES concerto research inc.

Goss Gilroy Inc. Network Research Field Services Inc. Sylvestre Marketing

www.mria-arim.ca/RRS

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IS GOLD SEAL

CERTIFICATION STILL RELEVANT? Adam Froman Adam Froman, an award-winning entrepreneur and pioneer in the interactive industry in Canada, is the founder and CEO of Delvinia and AskingCanadians™. He and his team deliver effective solutions to clients in the financial, government, media, education and cultural sectors. Adam is a director of MRIA’s Research Agency Council and can be reached at afroman@delvinia.com

In July 2012, The RAC Board established a Task Force to review the value of Gold Seal membership and certification, from the perspective of research agencies, with the intent to provide recommendations to the MRIA National Board.

The review was intended to address concerns among Gold Seal agencies and non-Gold Seal agencies regarding the value of Gold Seal certification in upholding the standards and values of the industry. Do firms who embark on the rigorous process to attain the Gold Seal have the right to expect more value from the Gold Seal?

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Seven Concerns That Have Been Raised

The Task Force was able to identify seven concerns that have been raised: • The value of Gold Seal membership is questionable to many research agencies, but these agencies feel an obligation to support the MRIA; • There is recognition of the importance of supporting the MRIA and industry standards; however, Gold Seal certification is a sizable investment that is being questioned in terms of its ROI and impact on business.

It was felt that some organizations may argue that these are effectively marketing dollars that could be better spent 24

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elsewhere unless positive impact on the business can be demonstrated; Non-Gold Seal research agencies are generating business based upon relationships alone and do not feel that investing in the process of Gold Seal certification would result in any additional economic benefits; The MRIA does not have enough influential market research buyers who are prepared to exert their economic muscle in support of Gold Seal certification. Even among research buyers who are strong supporters of the MRIA, there appears to be little discussion or influence around MRIA or Gold Seal when they buy research; While it is understood that the Gold Seal certification process should be rigorous, there is very little mentorship or support to assist those organizations that may not have the resources or experience to go through the certification process; Apart from the access to the annual financial review and monthly revenue reporting, Gold Seal members are provided very few additional benefits beyond basic corporate members; and, It was generally felt that without significant changes to the benefits and incentives associated with Gold Seal certification that Gold Seal membership may decline.

IN DUSTRY N E W S

Ten Recommendations to Enhance Gold Seal Value

A key outcome from the process was that the Task Force also identified ten recommended areas of focus in order to revitalize Gold Seal certification and deliver value to those current and future Gold Seal members.

certification. The RAC Board is planning on completing its Gold Seal Revitalization plan by August 2013, to be presented to the National Board by October with the intention of implementing the approved actions in 2014.

The RAC Board believes that any organization in Canada that is working in, or supporting marketing

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The MRIA needs to create an environment where research clients recognize the value of dealing with Gold Seal certified research agencies.

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old Seal should be focused on certification, rather than the composition of G organizations, to achieve a standard of excellence for research, and a sense of pride among the research community in Canada.

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There must be tangible and measurable economic benefits to being Gold Seal certified.

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There must be a strong advocacy campaign about “Why Gold Seal Matters.�

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There should be industry intelligence that is exclusive for Gold Seal members.

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The rigorous certification process must be supported by a strong, and clearly communicated, mentorship program to assist smaller research organizations.

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There must be severe repercussions for not upholding the standards of Gold Seal certification.

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here should be incentives to support other MRIA activities, such as supporting CMRP T designations within Gold Seal organizations.

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A portion of Gold Seal revenues should be directed back into the RAC Board budget to be spent on benefits for Gold Seal members.

10. Gold Seal membership should be extended to include other types of organizations.

The Task Force report on the value of the Gold Seal was presented to the MRIA National Board at the October 2012 Board Meeting and received a great deal of appreciation and support for the work the RAC Board Task Force had achieved. As a result of the positive endorsement for the Task Force report, the RAC Board created the Gold Seal Revitalization committee to continue the process of developing a plan based upon the Task Force report.

The RAC Board is interested in your feedback about the value of the MRIA Gold Seal as we develop a plan for the revitalization of the MRIA Gold Seal and Gold Seal

research, should have to be Gold Seal certified to be deemed credible. Gold Seal is about upholding a standard of business practice, and thus should span across the industry. But it all starts with the clients who buy market research, the MRIA and current Gold Seal members to convince the marketplace that Gold Seal certification is important.

The RAC Board strongly feels that if our goal to revitalize Gold Seal is achieved, that not only will there be an increased perception of value associated with Gold Seal certification in Canada, but that Gold Seal membership will increase. vue April 2013

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P ROFESSIONAL DE VE LO PME NT

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF MRIA’S EDUCATION COMMITTEE

‘There’s Been Some Change!’

A Mini Memoir Fergus W. Gamble, CMRP This is the quote of my doctor, with typical British understatement, who cared for me as a four-pound newborn and only next saw me twelve years later as a skinny preteen. I could use the same phrase to describe today’s MRIA from the start of my career to my recent retirement.

My father was an early member of the then PMRS in the 1950s. However, I can go back even further. At an agency where I worked, there were three leather-bound research reports from 1935. They had been typed on a manual typewriter, with hand drawn charts using coloured pencil crayons!

In the 1950s much research in Canada was conducted with “church ladies” in church halls particularly when it came to pretesting commercials. Group sessions were held in a respondent’s living room. Door-to-door interviewing was the gold standard.

Telephone interviewing was rare but developing quickly as the penetration of household telephones climbed over 75 per cent!

1950 – the then PMRS had no more than a few dozen members. Only one representative per company was allowed and this person had to be unanimously elected by the members.

In the 1960s telephone usage surged but was constrained by the extremely high cost of long distance. The only source available: Bell Telephone. So individual call centres were established in major cities across the country. It was cheaper to print and ship questionnaires across the country, have them completed (paper and pencil) and couriered back to the office for processing.

1960 – PMRS grew, and monthly dinner meetings became standard at the Park Plaza. A speaker would give a talk after dinner about some industry development – often a thinly disguised business pitch. (Some things never change!)

When I first got involved in market research in the 1970s computer tabulation had started to replace hand counts of results, often by use of punch cards. Run them through a counter-sorter – one column at a time – grab a slide rule (look it up on Google, kids!) and percentage the results. This allowed for much larger data collection. You might even get 70 data points per questionnaire compared to today’s thousands!

1970 – PMRS had fewer than 300 members and almost everyone would recognize every other researcher on sight!

There were ten members of the board who basically did everything required with a few extra volunteers.

Interestingly, the growth of telephone interviewing was challenged using the identical arguments that would be 26

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MRIA Institute for Professional Development

used against use of Internet responses a couple of decades Institut de développement later. NOT REPRESENTATIVE. NOT POSSIBLE professionnel de l’ARIM TO DEFINE THE SAMPLE PROPERLY. NO CLEAR IDENTIFICATION OF WHO WAS ACTUALLY ANSWERING. RESPONSE BIASES EVERYWHERE. As Institute for Professional Development MRIAgrew Institute the telephone andfor WATS line pricing came down, central Institut de développement professionnel Professional Development location telephone data collection grew.

In the 1980s the development of CATI interviewing created an explosion of data with its efficiencies and the ability to collect data via computer networks, largely all ready for tabulation. Speed increased and costs moderated.

Around this time, I developed a questionnaire with several academics via this magical computer link that allowed us to send files back and forth from Toronto to Quebec and Vancouver. It was some years later that I realized I had actually used the thing now called the Internet!

We all know where this has taken us in the last decade or two. It is not exactly the Olympic motto, but FASTER! CHEAPER! DEEPER! sums up data collection today.

TODAY – the MRIA has 1500 members across the country, over a dozen committees with the help of a full-time staff of six. We are connected to ourselves and our clients, suppliers and respondents in many ways. New approaches are developing and we hear BIG DATA’s heavy foot stomping into our world, which will occasion more change and excitement.

What has not changed is the basic fascination so many of us have in learning how people think, why they do what they do and how we can actually help provide them with things they want or need. Of course this is not entirely (or in some cases not at all) altruistic but at the heart of it, endless curiosity still defines the best researchers.

2013 and on, the MRIA continues to provide resources, learning and a solid basis for our profession, and I expect will continue to do so to the benefit of its members.

Fergus Gamble, CMRP is the chair of the Professional Development and Certification Committee of the MRIA and a member of the MRIA Board of Directors. He has been a practising market researcher for over 35 years.

P ROFE SS IONAL DE VELO PMEN T

GET YOUR CMRP DESIGNATION! The CMRP (Certified Marketing Research Professional) designation signifies a high level of knowledge and capability in marketing research theory and practice, and adherence to rigorous ethical standards set out in MRIA’s Code of Conduct and Good Practice.

BY ACHIEVING A DESIGNATION YOU: • Confirm your broad competency and mastery of theoretical and practical knowledge required to maximize value to your organization and clients;

MRIA Institute for Professional Development

• Better position yourself for career advancement and greater earning power; • Demonstrate your commitment to continued professional development and to upholding the highest level of Institut de développement professional ethical standards. professionnel de l’ARIM

The CMRP can be obtained by writing the Comprehensive Marketing Research Exam (CMRE).

The next CMRE will be held on June 28, 2013. Application deadline: May 31, 2013. Apply now!

MRIA Institute for Professional Development

Institute for Professional Development Institut de développement professionnel

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW CMRPs OF 2013!

MRIA extends hearty congratulations to the following members who have earned the coveted Certified Marketing Research Professional (CMRP) designation by writing and passing this year’s winter sitting of the Comprehensive Marketing Research Exam in 2013!

Gail Cowling

Vice President

Research & Incite Consultants

Toronto

Tamara McKenna

Market Intelligence & KPI Specialist

British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC)

Vancouver

Roula Stratakos

Senior Research Professional

Toronto

Christopher Wilson

Director

Toronto

vivid connections inc.

For more information on the CMRE, please visit: www.mria-arim.ca/EDUCATION/CMRE.asp, or for more information on attaining the CMRP designation and for a complete list of all MRIA CMRPs, visit mria-arim.ca/AWARDS/CMRPDefinition.asp or contact us at education@mria-arim.ca

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C O L UMN I S T S INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY

THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION

May I Pick Your Brain?

An Ambitious Agenda

Margaret Imai-Compton, CMRP Principal, Imai-Compton Consulting Inc.

According to the Idiom Dictionary, “Pick your brain” means to get information about something by asking someone who is an expert or who has a lot of information. In Creativity, “Pick Your Brain” has a somewhat different application. It’s a technique that builds on the collective inspiration and ideas of all those involved in the creative process.

As I’ve written in past columns, one of the foundations of the creative process is collaboration and combining forces.

It’s the ability to tap into the collective pool of resources – ideas, insights, knowledge, inspiration – that each of us has accumulated over the years. When they are combined in a creative process, they can lead to extraordinary outcomes.

“Pick Your Brain” is an easy and efficient way to ignite original thinking and build on the collaborative process. This creative technique leverages the following: 1. Flattery. If someone asks to pick my brain, I instantly feel like I have something to offer; that either I’m an expert or have lots of information to share. So I’m more motivated to participate and contribute to the process.

2. Light-hearted tone. Picking someone’s brain is usually informal, casual, in passing. Rarely would you say, “Let’s have a meeting so I can pick your brain.” So the casual light-hearted tone is in keeping with the overall informal approach of the creative process.

3. Cross-disciplinary thinking. There is an unstated understanding that “Pick Your Brain” can lead to unexpected outcomes because it is free-form and informal. For example, someone might want to pick the brain of a chef for menu ideas and in the course of the discussion, the chef has provided the history, best growing practices and cultural context of a particular ingredient. Most of that information might not be relevant; on the other hand, the additional information could be used as a springboard for more creative thinking.

You can even have fun with “Pick Your Brain” by providing drawings of a brain outline, and getting participants to write in or draw content. So if you’re ever stuck for a quick creative technique that will move the creative process along, try “Pick Your Brain.”

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Ruth M. Corbin, CMRP CorbinPartners Inc.

Are you interested in the array of fascinating applications of market intelligence and research to Canada’s legal system in 2012? If so, please contact Litigation and Regulatory Resource Committee member Fiona Isaacson for the publication “Year in Review 2012.” Therein you will find use of survey research, mystery shopping, social media searches, and expert literature review. Applications of marketing intelligence and research have spanned class action suits, tariff setting by the Copyright Board of Canada, challenges to the Elections Act, trademark expungement hearings, measurement of consumer confusion, assessments of whether ads are misleading or not, tests of potential jury bias, and measurements of audience interest for new media channels.

The list reminds social scientists that their expertise has proven essential to shaping policies and legal outcomes that affect how Canadians interact with their social and business environment every day.

Your Litigation and Regulatory Resource Committee will shortly set out on its strategic plan for the next five years.

On its immediate agenda are the following key objectives: 1. Design of a revenue-based service for providing expert input at an early stage of dispute resolution, to help parties decide whether an investment in market research would yield anything of value to a court of law. This early-stage consultation service with experts was recommended by the Supreme Court of Canada in the Masterpiece decision, previously communicated to members.

2. Review and updating of the Federal Court benchbook chapter on “Survey Evidence” to accommodate new technologies and MRIA’s own evolving standards and guidelines to its members. The benchbook is a series of chapters by legal experts on different areas of intellectual property law. It is made available electronically to Federal Court judges, and is published in hard copy by Carswell.

3. Needed educational outreach on other forms of market intelligence besides survey research, particularly given the imperfect statistical reliability of any one method.

This initiative is a direct complement to MRIA’s Market Intelligence Committee objectives.

COLUMN I STS

4. Review of Advertising Canada’s research standards for evidence to support claims of unfair advertising, and advice to ASC of what updates, if any, are needed.

5. Analysis of the compatibility between the Federal Court rules for expert evidence and MRIA’s own standards, particularly in the area of “disclosure” of process and raw data.

A possible gap between the two has recently arisen in a case discussion about confusing trade-marks.

6. Any adjustments necessary to MRIA’s own published standards to address the needs of the legal system, given the intense scrutiny that research evidence receives by what are referred to as “hostile parties.”

If you have questions or contributions to this ambitious agenda, please contact the committee chair, with contact details given below. In serving the justice system in Canada, MRIA sees its research products put to one of their highest and best uses.

BRAVE NEW WORLD Virtual Store Simulation: When and Why? Leanne Bodnar Fresh Intelligence Research Corp.

Part focus group room, part live in-store experience, 3D shopping labs leveraging emerging technologies may provide the ideal solution for brands and retailers alike to unearth new consumer insights and to test new packaging, merchandising, and POS solutions.

Product manufacturers using shopper labs is not a novel concept, but the innovation and technology supporting these environments has enabled marketers to not only learn more, but to learn in a more timely, flexible, and efficient

manner. Some of the tools contributing to this enhanced process include: customizable mock stores that allow the creation of a number of store set ups within one space; 3D virtual labs that remove geographical boundaries from the research process; and onsite terminals that enable teams to conduct a hybrid of qualitative and quantitative research techniques on site and in real time.

While just about anything can be tested in these constructed “real world” environments, some of the most commonly tested elements in ROI labs with virtual reality include: placement and creative execution of shopper marketing materials, merchandising configurations and multiple shelf planograms.

It also provides a perfect platform for early stage testing of packaging, promotional, and merchandising materials in a very cost-efficient way.

This unfiltered look at shopper behaviour is something CPG brands need to consider when evaluating new research techniques, as its capabilities are proving more and more to bring accurate findings that lead to widely successful new products insights.

QUALITAS For the Public Good, but Your Good As Well Kate Arcus Ipsos Reid UU

“Pro bono” (Latin meaning “for the public good”) in the context of marketing research often implies completing projects without profit for clients who otherwise can’t afford them (often charity organizations or NGOs). And while pro bono may imply “doing work for free” to some, pro bono

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COLUM N ISTS

work can actually yield a myriad of unexpected benefits to marketing researchers, some of which are outlined below.

Though it must be said first that qualitative research in particular plays well with pro bono endeavours. With our focus on digging into the heart of people’s emotions and behaviour, qualitative researchers have the opportunity to lend incredibly valuable insights to organizations that work hard every day to make the world a better place. But if that sounds too altruistic to bear, read on for a few corporate benefits (for the junior in the office and the most seasoned moderators out there): Practise, practise, practise: For beginners, take these opportunities to get better at the research process, at building qualitative methodologies and at bridging research insights with your client’s objectives. Doing work in a category you’re not necessarily familiar with is always a great opportunity to build on skills, seize a training moment, and improve the quality of work you do.

Step Out of the Box: Shedding the pressures of budgets and tradition, pro bono lends an opportunity to all researchers to utilize those creative methodologies you’ve been keeping in your back pocket. And especially for all those seasoned practitioners out there, dust off the creative freedom you don’t always get to use.

Spreading the word: Not only your client’s word, but your word too. Pro bono might lead to unexpected marketing and buzz. Considering the category and our age of digital and social marketing, public and charitable campaigns often reach a media stage you wouldn’t normally get to with your day to day projects.

And if the above reasons have still not convinced you, if anything, do the right thing and help out your global community.

CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING! Altruistic Research: The Pro Bono Context Isabelle Landreville Sylvestre Marketing

While the basis of pro bono research is similar to that of regular research (brand image, organizational objectives, target audience), the context is quite different. Pro bono projects, in our experience, imply limitations: No budget, specific targets, potentially limited previous research and, often, a strong legacy to uphold, strong emotional engagements from all parties. Consequently, researchers must go above and beyond their usual approaches. After all, charitable organizations do not always have the knowledge or the manpower to research and/or implement strategic marketing campaigns.

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The pro bono context requires innovative thinking and openness to new ways of reaching a target audience and getting more out of research. For instance, we’ve had the pleasure of working closely with La Fondation du Cancer du Sein du Quebec (The Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation) on their brand, their strategy and their latest awareness campaign. The cause is close to our hearts, which motivates us to work harder and sharpen our researcher skills and hone in on solutions, as one of the Foundation’s missions is to raise awareness and educate women to be more diligent in observing their breasts.

In the context of Foundations and pro bono charities, there are often significantly more real-world impacts than any other projects. No price can be put on the value of humanitarian projects, but the resources available are limited and every moment of research counts. No “maybe” or “if time permits,” all solutions must be applicable in the here and now because cures and world-changing solutions wait for no man.

The struggles are numerous and unique to each worthy cause, but the rewards of seeing a difference in the lives of those to whom a charitable organization lends its expertise are, as the infamous MasterCard commercial so aptly described incredibly moving moments in our lives, “priceless.”

INDUSTRY N E WS

Launch of a New

Online Research Verification Service The Research Registration System (RRS) is MRIA’s most established and long-standing selfregulatory mechanism. The new RRS application, launched in November 2012, is hosted on the MRIA Portal and offers many additional functionalities to MRIA members who collect survey data.

In addition, the new RRS application allows the public to go online to verify the legitimacy of a marketing research project. This new Online Research Verification service is available in both English and French.

The public now has three options to choose from in order to verify the legitimacy of a marketing research project. As well, they can submit comments, complaints or questions about a project or research agency: lick on the unique URL for a research project that has been posted online by the 1. C research agency collecting the data; 2. V isit one of the following URL: www.surveyverification.ca or www.verificationsondage.ca and enter the MRIA Project Registration Number communicated to them by the research agency who contacted them; 3. Phone MRIA at 1-888-602-6742, ext. 8728.

With the new RRS, the MRIA continues to achieve its objective of ensuring that market research in Canada is accountable to a high standard and that the public who participate in market research have the ability to communicate with the MRIA. For more information on the new Research Verification Service, please visit www.mria-arim.ca/RRS/SurveyRegForm.asp or contact MRIA at RRS@mria-arim.ca.

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