MRIA Vue Magazine, June 2013 by MRIA

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40033932

vue

the magazine of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association JUNE 2013

THE BRAZILIAN

SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH MARKET

CREATING PROPRIETARY MEASURES

WITH SOCIAL MEDIA DATA

A CASE OF WINE: INTRODUCING SOMETHING NEW TO CANADA

AM I REALLY BRANDLESS?

Photo by: “David Lasker Photography”

AMERICAS BAROMETER:

THE PUBLIC SPEAKS ON DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE IN THE AMERICAS

INNOVATION IN

MARKETING RESEARCH

vue JUNE 2013

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

In this month’s features: (L to R) Merril Mascarenhas, Annie Pettit, Sourabh Sharma, Tatiana Tosi, Keith Neuman

ADDRESS

SPECIAL FEATURE 6

INNOVATION IN MARKETING RESEARCH Merril Mascarenhas

FEATURES 10 THE BRAZILIAN SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH MARKET Tatiana Tosi 14 CREATING PROPRIETARY MEASURES WITH SOCIAL MEDIA DATA Annie Pettit 18 A CASE OF WINE: INTRODUCING SOMETHING NEW TO CANADA Zissis Parras 22 AM I REALLY BRANDLESS? Sourabh Sharma 26 AMERICAS BAROMETER: THE PUBLIC SPEAKS ON DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE IN THE AMERICAS Keith Neuman

COMMENTARY 4 Editor’s Vue 5 Letter from the President

INDUSTRY NEWS 33 Research Registration System (RRS) 34 Chapter Chat 35 Qualitative Research Registry (QRR) 36 People and Company in the News

COLUMNISTS 38 INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY 38 QUALITAS

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 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? Contact us at vue@mria-arim.ca 2013 ADVERTISING RATES Frequent advertisers receive discounts. Details can be found by going to: www.mria-arim.ca/advertising/vue.asp Please email vue@mria-arim.ca to book your ad. The deadline for notice of advertising is the first of the previous month. All advertising material must be at the MRIA office on the 5th of the month. 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. 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: June © 2013. All rights reserved. Copyright rests with the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association or the author. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association or the author. All requests for permission for reproduction must be submitted to MRIA at publications@mria-arim.ca. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO 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 Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40033932 ISSN 1488-7320

COMMEN TARY / CO MME NTAI R E

Editor’s Vue Annie Pettit

When I entered the social media research world more than four years ago, I had no clue what it was. I’d never heard of Twitter, I hadn’t yet dreamed up the LoveStats blog, I was barely using Facebook, my LinkedIn profile was a shambles, and my YouTube videos had counts in the tens. Sure, forums had been around for more than ten years, but they were mostly the realm of geeks and nerds who never saw the light of day. (To be fair, I used forums extensively as part of my dissertation data collection strategy!) Ten years ago, and even five years ago, gathering a representative sample of human beings from the social media space simply wasn’t possible.

Lorsque je suis entré dans le merveilleux monde de la recherche dans des médias sociaux, je n’avais aucune idée ce que s’était. Je n’avais jamais entendu parler de Twitter, je n’avais pas encore eu l’idée du blog LoveStats, j’utilisais à peine Facebook, mon profil LinkedIn était pitoyable, et je n’avais que quelques dizaines de vidéos sur YouTube. Bien sûr, des forums existaient depuis plus d’une dizaine d’années, mais il s’agissait d’un monde plutôt réservé aux des accros du net et des maniaques de la technologie qui ne sortent jamais au grand jour. (En toute honnêteté, j’ai fait un usage intensif des forums dans ma stratégie de collecte de données pour ma dissertation!) Il y a dix ans, ou même cinq ans, il était tout à fait impossible de créer un échantillon représentatif des personnes humaines à partir des médias sociaux.

Fast-forward to today: There are 1.1 billion people who use Facebook, and 43 per cent of all Internet users have visited Facebook in the last three months. One billion people use YouTube, and 34 per cent have visited it in the last three months. There are 49 million people who use Pinterest, 43 million using Reddit, 300 million using Shazam, and 170 million using Tumblr. Are you stunned yet?

De nos jours, 1,1 milliard de personnes utilisent Facebook et 43 % de tous les utilisateurs d’Internet ont visité Facebook au cours des trois derniers mois. Un milliard de personnes utilisent YouTube dont 34 % l’ont visité au cours des trois derniers mois. 49 millions de personnes utilisent Pinerest, 43 millions consultent Reddit, 300 millions utilisent Shazam et 170 millions utilisent Tumblr. Êtes-vous étonnés?

With these penetration rates, every researcher who cares about the industry has heard the phrase social media research. In my small world, I focus on “listening research” – paying attention to unsolicited comments from people chatting on Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, and millions of other websites. But the larger world of social media research is so much more than all this. Do you use social media to recruit your research participants? Do you conduct online communities in which research participants communicate with each other online? Do you ask participants to upload videos and photos to your research site? Is Pinterest your new collage tool? There is still so much to learn about the evolving technique of social media research. I hope this issue of Vue will spark your imagination and bring a little more social media research into your work life.

Avec ces taux de pénétration, chaque chercheur se préoccupant de son industrie a déjà entendu l’expression recherche dans les médias sociaux. Dans mon petit monde, je fais davantage de la « recherche par l’écoute » – porter attention aux commentaires non sollicités de gens clavardant sur Twitter, Facebook, des blogs et des millions d’autres sites Web. Mais le monde élargi de la recherche sur les médias sociaux est beaucoup plus vaste que cela. Utilisez-vous les médias sociaux pour recruter les participants à vos recherches? Utilisez-vous des portails communautaires en ligne à partir desquels les participants à la recherche communiquent entre eux sur le Web? Demandez-vous aux participants de télécharger des vidéos et des photographies à partir de votre site de recherche? Pinerest est-il votre nouvel outil de collage? Il reste beaucoup à apprendre au sujet de la technique de recherche dans les médias sociaux qui est en évolution. J’espère que ce numéro de Vue attisera votre imagination et vous incitera à utiliser la recherche dans les médias sociaux dans votre 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

vue June 2013

COM M E N TARY / COMMEN TAI R E

Letter from the President Anastasia Arabia

Strength in Numbers

Notre force est dans le nombre

I’m not sure when someone last thanked you for being a member of MRIA, so I am here to THANK YOU.

Je ne sais pas si nous vous avons remerciés d’être membres de l’ARIM récemment. C’est pourquoi je le fais ici. MERCI à tous les membres de l’ARIM.

Thank you for your support, your ideas, communication, participation and volunteerism. There really is strength in numbers. And as a member organization almost 2,000 strong, we, together, have the opportunity to shape and govern our industry. Together, we have developed best-in-class standards and guidelines that shape the marketing research industry in Canada, and influence the work of other like-minded associations globally. We have an important voice at the table in legislation that governs our industry. This would not happen without such a vibrant, passionate member base and, together, our strength in numbers. From coast to coast, MRIA members show more volunteerism and community spirit than any other organization I’ve been involved in. Members attend conferences and events, volunteer on local boards, speak at schools, go to career fairs – and the list goes on and on. I couldn’t be more proud to belong to an association.

Merci pour votre appui, vos idées, vos communications, votre participation et votre bénévolat. Le nombre de membres est réellement notre force. Notre organisation compte maintenant presque 2 000 membres, et ensemble nous avons la possibilité de former et de diriger notre industrie. Ensemble, nous avons élaboré les meilleures normes et lignes directrices orientant l’industrie de la recherche marketing au Canada, influençant également le travail d’autres associations comme la nôtre dans le monde. Nous sommes une voix importante dans l’élaboration de la législation gouvernant notre industrie. Ceci ne serait pas possible sans nos membres brillants et passionnés qui, ensemble, sont notre force. D’un océan à l’autre, les membres de l’ARIM font preuve d’un esprit de bénévolat et de communauté plus fort que celui des membres de toute autre organisation au sein de laquelle j’ai œuvré dans le passé. Nos membres participent aux conférences et aux événements, siègent bénévolement dans nos comités locaux, font des présentations dans les écoles, visitent les salons des carrières – et la liste se poursuit sans fin. Je n’ai jamais été aussi fier de faire partie d’une association.

So – in case you haven’t heard it in a while – I thank you for being an important part of MRIA.

Alors – au cas où vous ne l’avez pas entendu récemment – je vous remercie pour votre importante contribution au travail de l’ARIM.

I look forward to seeing you at the Niagara conference, if not sooner.

J’ai hâte de vous rencontrer à la conférence de Niagara, où même avant.

If you have any suggestions on how MRIA can make your member experience better, let’s chat. You can reach me at anastasia@trendresearch.ca or (780) 485-6558, ext. 2003. I look forward to hearing from you.

Si vous avez des suggestions pour améliorer votre expérience en tant que membre de l’ARIM, appelez-moi. Vous pouvez me rejoindre par courriel à anastasia@ trendresearch.ca ou par téléphone au (780) 485-6558, poste 2003. J’attends vos appels.

Anastasia Arabia, Partner / Partenaire, Trend Research Inc. President, Marketing Research and Intelligence Association / Présidente, L’Association de la recherche et de l’intelligence marketing Email: anastasia@trendresearch.ca • 780-485-6558 ext./poste 2003

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INNOVATION IN

MARKETING RESEARCH

Merril Mascarenhas 6

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S P ECIAL F EATUR E

What are the most effective marketing and consumer insight mining tools that will help marketing research buyers retain and acquire valuable customers in the future? It’s the fundamental question that any business has to ask. The answer to that question is perpetually changing and evolving. We reached out to senior marketing research buyers for answers in our B2B Innovation in Market Research initiative. The purpose of the innovation project is to share thoughts, ideas and approaches about opportunities for innovation, gleaned from marketing research buyers. Panel discussions and in-depth interviews with senior marketing research buyers and marketers wer organized for feedback on the topic of innovation in marketing research. The format for the discussions was open-ended, to help participants identify broad themes, gaps and opportunities that were impacting their organizations. A series of in-depth interviews were conducted with senior marketing research buyers for feedback on the themes identified in the panel discussions. Participants included senior representatives from marketing research buyers such as Scotiabank, Microsoft, Domtar, the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Canadian Medical Association, Whirlpool, Hydro One, McCain Foods, Sobeys, SaskTel, Kellogg, Bell, RBC, Unilever, and Ivanhoe Cambridge Inc., augmented by over 2,400 interviews with senior executives in 36 industries, conducted by Arcus Group, where the writer of this article is managing partner.

The Impact of Social Media

Social media: “It’s like drinking from a firehose.” Online and social media are enabling marketers to scrutinize their dollars more closely as they provide more measurable data than traditional media can. There is an expectation of superior outcomes and higher visibility regarding research results when deploying digital media research tools. But is that expectation truly warranted?

Too often, the focus of traditional web analytics tools is purely on data collection and delivery. Social media research firms often generate significant volumes of consumer data, and the impression is that the data come at marketing departments as a flood. More than one respondent used the phrase “like drinking from a firehose” to describe the challenges faced in managing the deluge of data. According to a majority of marketing research buyers, too often the focus of traditional web analytics tools is purely on data collection and delivery rather than on developing an understanding of the channel and how activity in that channel relates to actual market behaviour. New versus Old

Opportunities for Innovation and Change Identified by Marketing Research Buyers

Marketing research buyers were clear that social media are an essential new tool, but they do not yet discount older methods as obsolete. The perception is that current standards and measurements of social media engagement are not yet sufficiently developed to be solely relied upon for marketing research purposes. While organizations are engaging in social media marketing research, a few voiced concerns that they are being offered unproven pilots for initiatives and are paying for the marketing research vendors to prove the value (or not) of those initiatives. Marketing research buyers do not want tool development and evaluation to come solely at their cost. One buyer pointed out that his company had done three projects in the past year, and in not one of the cases were the vendor’s projections in-line with the actual outcomes. vue June 2013

SPECIAL FEATURE

The feeling is that social media research and analytics have not yet delivered proven results and that expertise needs to be developed before the research tools are presented to marketing research buyers, not during or after the engagement. When there are limited budget dollars, there’s a reluctance to devote resources to unproven tools. Some marketing research buyers acknowledge that there is some inertia with regard to trying new tools. They are intrigued, but not enough to pursue use of the tools within their existing plans until more is known. Monitoring versus Analysis

The value-add is in providing analysis and presenting information in a broader context. Social media are also seen as an area where a lot of the work and measurement can be done in-house. There is a variety of free or inexpensive Twitter tracking programs, for example. The value-add is in providing analysis and presenting information in a broader context. This ties into another commonly voiced perception, that social media are free –

Keeping Up with Emerging Technologies

Another concern was raised in the interviews related to investing in social media research, because the field is developing so rapidly and there is a continual advent of new marketing research vendors. There is some worry that research tools and metrics are not keeping pace with changes in the market and in technologies. Some marketing research buyers say that once the consumer targets and the best means of reaching them are identified, by the time the recurrent research data come in, the best platform to reach those targets may have changed. Marketing research buyers also express a keen interest in exploring social media offerings from technology companies that may not qualify as marketing research firms, especially in the area of social media monitoring. Monitoring tools related to blog research are driving this trend. Buyers say that the advancements in monitoring technologies have accelerated to a point where insights related to associations between phrases and sentiment are more reliable. The emerging technologies offer new opportunities in four areas: monitoring and listening, promoting and sharing, gathering feedback, and collaboration. Social Media Monitoring versus Other Qualitative Research Methodologies

although, in fact, they are not. There’s also a whole area of concern about the need for more scrutiny and more measurability of ROI. The use and monitoring of social media are incredibly important because they change the conversation between organizations and their target audiences. Marketing research buyers think that

Social media monitoring tools are making inroads in ongoing feedback from clusters of consumers, engaging audiences “where they live.”

it is relatively simple to run a social campaign and that free media get people talking. These notions are not really true. One respondent described running a social media campaign as resting on three pillars: paid media, which often ignite the conversation; owned media, with their own brand; and earned media, which are uninitiated positive word of mouth. Our interviews brought out the idea that social media allow a move from listening to customer feedback toward actually conversing with customers, engaging them, and building a relationship with them. While respondents had doubts about existing social media tracking results and their application to business planning, they respected the power of deploying social media strategies in their marketing plans. 8

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There is a growing acceptance of the use of social media monitoring to supplement other qualitative research methodologies or even replace focus groups. One marketer in the consumer packaged goods sector used social media monitoring and said that the results surpassed expectations with regard to researching words that are associated with the brand, and was able to pull together narratives that spoke to what the target market felt it needed in a particular product category. Social media monitoring tools are also making inroads in ongoing feedback from clusters of consumers, engaging audiences “where they live.” Buyers say that being relevant

S P ECIAL F EATUR E

and using tools the audience is comfortable with are more important than using tools that marketing researchers are necessarily comfortable with.

It is critical to embed tracing hooks throughout the customer experience and use those to track behaviour and response. When it comes to measuring social media, an immature but rapidly evolving field, it is critical to embed tracing hooks throughout the customer experience and to use those to track behaviour and response. This embedding can be done both qualitatively (number of discussion topics, apparent sentiment) and quantitatively (reach, site engagement). Translating Insights into Strategies

Consumers are more focused on how they relate to brands and communicate with their social network. They are able to access a lot of information and use it to form an opinion. The type of media that they use to draw the information may drive their decisions. So how do marketers ensure they are getting information that is of sufficient quality to allow them to make decisions? Data alone are not enough; to be meaningful, data need to be accompanied by deep analysis. A more nuanced approach looks at the data and also at external factors that may have come into play and assisted in translating insights into actionable business strategies. Quantities of data do not compensate for a lack of quality. In fact, having too much data is seen as problematic, as it can lead to decision paralysis while the data are being considered. As one marketing research buyer put it, “The right data help inform decisions; they help to manage risk but do not eliminate it.” The feeling is that many research companies today don’t have the necessary understanding of the strategic issues that companies face. As a result, most research information or research reports and summaries do not really correlate directly with the strategic imperatives that clients are facing. This result adds to the time clients need to invest in translating insights into actionable strategies. Part of the social media mapping needs to take into consideration that the conversation does not really take place between the consumer and the manufacturer or service

provider. The conversation takes place between consumers, and on platforms that can be archived for a long time; even if a situation is resolved, negative feedback may appear via a web search for years. Conversations can be influenced by contests or other incentives that cause people to follow or “like” brands in which they do not have a true interest. Generational Culture Shift

There is a growing need to connect, and stay connected, with consumers all the time. Social media are following a cultural shift and offering ongoing, real-time research feedback. The demographic shift contributes to this trend, as younger marketers take a different approach to consuming information and to management styles. As waves of Canadians retire, existing ways of doing business are going to change. Technology certainly plays a big role: it redefines how businesses operate and how they interact with their vendors and strategic partners, as well as with their customers. With the cultural shift, marketers are seeing fragmented markets, meaning that research needs to target narrower interpretations of segments and represent these new clusters with an increasingly complex mix of tools in order to draw customer insights. Publishers themselves find it challenging to deliver brand advertising messages to niche markets in a measurable way, even through the online space. Marketers need to customize how they gather their information to cover varying demographics. The most successful business models are looking into forming a new value chain of research through partnerships – a manufacturer with its retail partners, for example. Customers are more educated about products and how to research them, so brand alone does not have the same impact that it did at one time.

Merril Mascarenhas is managing partner at Arcus Consulting Group, in Toronto. He is a certified management consultant and neuro-linguistic programming practitioner, as well as a member of the board of MRIA’s B2B Division. Merril can be reached at merril@arcusgroup.ca vue June 2013

THE BRAZILIAN SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH MARKET Tatiana Tosi

In the past few years, social media have attracted the attention of important Brazilian companies wishing to explore new opportunities and generate more business leads. At the same time, social media campaigns have continued to mature and the use of social media metrics has grown exponentially. According to the latest report by ComScore, 2013 Brazil Future in Focus, Brazil now represents 35 per cent of the Latin American population and has more than 131 million social media users. In addition, Brazilians spend about 92 per cent of their social media time on Facebook, and they have an average audience age of about thirty-two. The Brazilian market has been experiencing rapid growth in the social media space. It is now more mature and ready to implement new metrics and deep data analytics as well as increase the focus on netnography. With more than 43 million users on Facebook, Brazilians are well-known for their intense use of social networks. Their engagement in digital social movements can be seen in their high involvement with crowdsourcing causes and in their reputation economy in diverse markets. 10

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For example, one crowdsourcing project, Pimp my Carroรงa, was started by www.Catarse.me, one of the most popular crowdfunding websites. Nearly 800 people collected more than 63,000 reals (about Can$31,000 ) in order to help the community of paper collectors redesign their carts.

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Exploiting the Brazilian love of social media means that netnography can be a very important research tool. The following case studies – examples of real projects – show just how important netnography can be in Brazil. Case Study 1

A beverage industry client wanted to discover the Millennial generation’s new behavioural patterns with regard to music and technology. Through netnography, it was discovered that the characteristics of the Millennial generation include using social networks; sharing intimate details of personal lives; sharing favourite celebrities in music, games and movies; and communicating with friends.

of which were related to car insurance and the failure to take appropriate actions in order to achieve consumer satisfaction. This research demonstrated the presence of issues – in the communication flow and quality control – that resulted in damage to the brand. As a consequence, the brand decided to reposition itself within the insurance market. Case Study 3

A cosmetics client wanted to identify the consumer’s brand journey. In this case, the product delivery path was examined, leading to the discovery of difficulties with logistics and quality. The flaws that were detected helped the brand establish new procedures for its delivery mechanism. Case Study 4

An infant-fashion industry wanted to better understand mothers’ behaviour toward and connection with their first baby. By the end of the netnography, the client had a better understanding of the decision to become a mother, the planning of the delivery, the mother’s professional life, and the planning of her future career.

Case Study 5 Case Study 2

In another project, an insurance client had the research goals of understanding and identifying both the broker’s behavioural journey in choosing products and the consumers’ perceptions of various brands. This netnography project helped the client learn about the broker’s difficulties in product delivery, most

The sweetener industry wanted to better understand women who are diabetic. The research highlighted the health and beauty issues that the women had and, at the same time, discovered the difficulties of being diabetic, from fear to acceptance of the disease. And, of course, the researchers gained a clearer understanding of how women view the importance of sweeteners in their coffee. vue June 2013

F E ATURE

The netnography case studies described above show that the social media research market has touched a broad range of industries in Brazil. At the same time, social media research continues to be evangelized by university academics as well as those in the advertising and marketing industries. Surprisingly, however, Brazil has very few social media research companies, meaning that the expansion of the methodology also depends upon the increasing importance of big data. Researchers in Brazil are slowly applying big data and gamification elements to research in order to better understand the consumer cycle. The growth of this field is apparent in the increasing presence of big data companies and start-ups that focus on the consumer journey â&#x20AC;&#x201C; companies that are online, offline, and handling direct sales, the electronic wallet, and costumer relationship data. This growth has also been accompanied by

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a rise in the number of data scientists in international and multinational companies. Today, in order to make a difference, marketing and social media research companies need to be savvy and listen attentively to their clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; requirements. Researchers need to apply innovative research methodologies to complement the results of the traditional marketing research approaches. The rise in sports marketing due to major events such as the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics is an opportunity for new social media research companies to recognize the value of the Brazilian consumer. The Brazilian market is a key element in Latin America, so it is extremely important to encourage and generate more business case studies. As a result of doing so, the market will grow and brands will have a much better and more thorough understanding of consumer behaviour.

Tatiana Tosi is a Brazilian researcher of digital trends and social behaviour, with an emphasis on netnography. She can be reached on Twitter (@tatitosi), Facebook (Tatitosi), LinkedIn (TatianaTosi), or the old-fashioned way at tati@pluggedresearch.com

MRIA PUBLICATIONS

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TIMELESS

the magazine of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association NOVEM BER 2012

Au Contraire (4) Fifty Shades of Loyalty Emerging Trends in Advertising Research

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IN MEMORIAM: Joseph B. Doyle, CMRP, FMRIA (1921-2012)

Bridging the Gap between Consumer and Shopper Marketing Perspectives Ten Psychological Needs That Drive Branding Strategy Trusting Your Qual Partner: L’art de la recherche marketing qualitative de haute qualité

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AU CONTRAIRE What Do We Really Know about Buyer Behaviour? The Reality of a Constantly Changing World: Some Research Highlights Ann Kingman Interview Cultivating Cultural Interpretation: Sylvestre Marketing’s Roots, Stem and Blossom Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40033932

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F E ATURE

CREATING PROPRIETARY MEASURES WITH SOCIAL MEDIA DATA Annie Pettit

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One of the most common questions I get asked about social media research is whether it can do anything other than sentiment analysis. Which is like asking if surveys can do anything other than Likert scales. Just as survey data can be tossed and turned into unlimited configurations, so too can social media data. Like syndicated data and tracker studies, proprietary measures are magnets for researchers. As more clients need and use your measure, the more your business benefits. Clients have no alternative but to put their money on the table when that single measure can be obtained nowhere else and it is essential to building their business. And letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face it: Though researchers are more interested in learning how people think and behave, the fun stuff can only happen if you have paying clients. Most researchers are already familiar with a number of proprietary measures. For instance, the American Customer Satisfaction Index, or ACSI, (www.theacsi.org) is an economic indicator based on an annual survey of more than 70,000 customers about some 230 companies and 100 services. The survey results are used to create normative measures that rank businesses according to customer

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experiences. You can’t get these measures anywhere else. Of course, if you’re not one of the 230 companies and 100 services, you also can’t determine where your business fits on the normative scale. Another proprietary measure that most researchers are familiar with is the Net Promoter Score (www.netpromoter. com). This score is easier to calculate than the ACSI, as it’s a single eleven-point Likert scale question asking about the likelihood to recommend a product or service. Once all the answers are obtained, the percentage of people who responded with a 6 or less (detractors) is subtracted from the percentage of people who responded with a 9 or 10 (promoters), thereby giving a “net” promoter score. Because the question asked is so basic, it can be replicated across different platforms, from paper to online to mobile surveys. Of course, moving a question from platform to platform means that the norms will be different in each space and not exactly comparable. Identifying Metrics

The social media listening space is a whole new ballpark. It doesn’t use survey questions and it doesn’t elicit responses from people, but it still generates useful data points that can be used to create proprietary measures. First and foremost, social media listening data incorporate counting and frequencies. We know how many times per day, per week, per month a particular brand or category has been mentioned in the online space. We can see whether a brand has been mentioned 25 times each week, or 5,000 times each month, except during the month when a new product was launched and 50,000 mentions were registered. Across the millions of brands that are mentioned in the social media space, we are left with millions upon millions of potential data points. A second useful metric in social media data is sentiment scores. When people say that a bomb restaurant is FTW and they feel : ) when they go there, social media researchers measure the slang, emoticons and acronyms to categorize the sentiment into the most appropriate Likert scale box. Those scores end up telling us whether 20 per cent or 37.6 per cent of the verbatims are positive, negative, top box, or bottom box. Third, social media data offer variables. Surveys are specifically designed to collect sentiment about predefined topics such as purchases, recommendations and trial. On the other hand, social media data must go through a processing system, whether manual or automated, to determine which specific topics have been mentioned. Thus, a Facebook status update that says “The shoelaces on my new Nikes

glow in the dark” will be categorized into variables for “shoelaces,” “new,” “Nike,” and “glow in the dark.” By counting the number of hits on these variables, researchers can identify which topics are most often mentioned across thousands of verbatims from thousands of social media authors. Theorizing a Model

The pieces of data required to build a proprietary measure are clear: sample sizes, sentiment and topics. Now, the measure must be defined, in this case, a retail experience measure. Instead of focusing on pricing or selection or loyalty, the focus here will be an aggregate measure of how people feel during various components of the retail experience. First, the variables that will contribute to the new score must be chosen. The table on page 16 compares six different retailers in terms of fourteen different variables. In one sample of Future Shop data, 420 verbatims mentioned employees and 1,108 verbatims mentioned ordering. Similarly, no one mentioned self checkouts for Future Shop, but 206 people mentioned self checkouts for Walmart. The most important thing is that, unlike survey data, not every variable registered data for every retailer. To build a measure that accurately reflects the retailer experience in a normative way, the chosen variables must be relevant for every retailer. Variables like drive-throughs and pre-orders, though they generated large volumes of data for some retailers, are not appropriate as normative measures for a broad spectrum of retailers. Based on this table, variables that generated data for every retailer of interest can be identified. In addition, variables that will likely generate sufficient sample sizes in smaller time frames – whether quarterly, monthly, or weekly – can also be identified. Variables related to employees, ordering, waiting, checkout lines, crowding and hours are the most promising variables. Building the Model

The next step is building the model. There are many ways to do this, the right one being the one that best suits your theoretical model. A model could be built based on results from a regression analysis or a psychometric analysis using Cronbach’s alpha. Both of these methods would tell us which variables contribute most reliably to an overall statistically sound model. In this case, the data in the table are a good starting point for a model. Across the fourteen variables and the fifty different retailers that were actually evaluated, conversations vue June 2013

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Validating the Model

about employees were mentioned 6.7 times more often than average. Similarly, conversations about store hours occurred 1.8 times more often than average. These numbers were then used as weights to be applied to the sentiment scores for each variable. In other words, we weighted the average sentiment towards employees at 6.7, while the sentiment towards store hours was weighted at 1.8. Five variables and their respective weights created the Retailer Experience proprietary measure.

The next step is to validate the results. Ideally, this validation would be done by determining whether the rank and relative order of the retailers compare favourably to similar kinds of measures from an independent source, perhaps a separate survey or published data from another company. Concurrent validity is necessary but, in this case, we’ll start with face validity. The figure on page 17 plots our new proprietary Retail Experience score for nineteen brands. A face validity test Retailer Experience = requires that the brand rankings meet our expectations. 6.7 * (sentiment about employees) + 3.9 * Based on our own experiences and what we’ve heard (sentiment about ordering) + 2.6 * (sentiment about from other people, should Sephora, Nordstrom, and parking) + 1.9 * (sentiment about lines) + 1.8 * Bloomingdale’s be ranked highly on retail experience? Should (sentiment about store hours) 7-Eleven, Walmart, and McDonald’s be ranked low on the retail experience? Because of the nature of the raw sentiment scores, this If this rank order is surprising or doesn’t make sense, then model ended up creating scores for brands that ranged from the model must be re-evaluated. Perhaps a new variable must be included or an existing variable excluded. Or maybe some –2,000 to +2,000. A range that wide isn’t useful or easy for of the variable weights need to be adjusted up or down. clients to work with, and so a transformation was in order. The process of evaluating the results, selecting variables, Among the many options were a 1-to-10 scale or a 1-to-100 and weighting variables is an iterative process that must be score, but a scale ranging from –100 to +100 was finally conducted until the model generates results that make sense. selected. Scores as high as +100 or as low as –100 would be In my experience, the rank order shown here passes the face possible but extremely rare. This scale would make it easier validity test. for clients to distinguish among a bad score (–80), a good Ideally, concurrent validity tests would happen next, and score (+80), and a neutral score (+5 or –5). they might be followed by more iterative adjustments to the model. The model would also be tested for reliability over Number of Mentions by Stores and Variables time: any weekly, monthly, or quarterly changes in scores must Characteristics Future Shop Macy’s McDonald’s Meijer Sephora Walmart reflect real changes in the retail Employees 420 1623 2498 601 740 5738 experience as opposed to random Ordering 1108 549 4040 140 1784 860 unexplainable occurrences. Waiting

214

517

1066

215

360

1045

Checkout line

171

893

649

273

187

1961

Crowding

198

183

623

Hours

57 943 1562 457 170 1688

Delivery

38 91 638 18 63 115

Parking

700

782

703

3401

694

262

Drive-through

3459

Shopping cart

342

Express checkout

Self checkout

206

Fitting room Pre-orders

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Conclusions

Because consumers talk about so many brands in so many different ways in social media, it’s possible to create proprietary scores for almost any category and any brand. The limit is no longer determined by how many brands will fit on a survey or how many responders you can afford to incentivize, but rather by whether there are enough consumers talking about each brand in the social media space.

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Retailer Experience Scores Ranked from Most Positive to Most Negative

Knowing how to build and validate a model that speaks to a unique and desired business objective is a key selling point for any research company. And with social media data, it is possible to build models to reflect nearly any key measure, such as social media trust score for celebrities, innovation scores for new products, or even a social media version of Q scores (www.qscores.com) for athletes. Your imagination is the limit.

vue Be Heard Be Seen Be Vue’d

Annie Pettit, PhD, is vice-president, Research Standards, at Research Now and the chief research officer of Conversition Strategies. She tweets at @LoveStats, writes the LoveStats marketing research blog, and is the author of The Listen Lady, a novel about social media research. Annie can be reached at apettit@researchnow.com

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VIEW FROM COLLEGE – BEST THESIS PAPERS

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QUALITATIVE

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CRYSTAL BALL – NEUROSCIENCE,

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GAMING AND OTHER MYSTERIES vue June 2013

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A CASE OF WINE: INTRODUCING SOMETHING NEW TO CANADA Zissis Parras The average Canadian wine consumer does not typically think of Greece as a country that produces wine, even though wine production in Greece has a long and illustrious history. The oldest wine press in Greece has been found on the island of Crete and dated to approximately 3,600 years ago. Until the early 1990s, the Greek wine industry had focused predominantly on its domestic market and less on exports. Over the past two decades, however, a renaissance in the Greek wine industry has occurred, and wine exports have exploded. At the Kolonaki Group (www. kolonakigroup.com), we represent many Greek wines and know firsthand the challenges of promoting them to the Canadian consumer. This article presents a case study of our launch of new wines from Greece for introduction into Canada. Marketing a Greek Wine in Canada

Many wines that we represent already sell in other markets, with the advantage of allowing us to anticipate how a wine will sell when introduced into Canada. A wineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history and existing reputation can be a big advantage in some markets, but what if that reputation is unfavourable â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as is the case with wines from Greece that already have a negative perception in Canada? From our experience with Greek wines, some of the factors that must be considered in a wine are name, label design, and even grape varietal. Some of these factors can be changed to suit the particular sensibilities of a new market, but many times producers will resist any changes to their products. 18

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How do you introduce a new wine from Greece if the producer is not willing to make the appropriate changes to give the product the best chance of success? Our solution was to develop a new wine, one that addressed all the negative perceptions of Greek wines. First, we had to accumulate and analyse all the information we had on the perception and state of Greek wine in Canada, and start to address these issues one by one. Research and Data Collection with a Modest Budget

We conducted a great deal of qualitative research for this project. The main source of data was from the many public tastings we did at LCBO stores around the province and trade shows in which we participated. Over the course of eighteen months, we sampled Greek wines already listed at the LCBO, at stores in twenty cities in Southern Ontario, from London to Oshawa and from Niagara Falls to Barrie. These tastings occurred at 97 separate events and used 294 bottles of both red and white wines; approximately 7,000 people stopped at our booth and sampled Greek wine. In addition, over the course of four years of attending trade shows in Ontario, we sampled and met thousands more consumers. People who attend trade shows and those who attend the LCBO tasting booths are very different types of consumers. Trade show consumers are more adventurous; they visit trade shows for the express purpose of experiencing new products and are eager to learn about them.

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At trade shows, we were also able to spend more time with people and had the chance to tell them specific stories about the wines and about Greece; and we received more feedback regarding our products and Greek wines in general. The recurring comments and questions we heard at all these events were these: • “Greece makes wine?” • “What is this wine?” or “What type of wine is this?” • “Where is this wine from?” • “ How do you say that?” (Greek wines often have difficult-to-pronounce names and grape varietals.) • Good value for price. • Taste was good and food-friendly. • The uniqueness of Greek grape varietals was appreciated. Our countless hours with consumers did not reveal any noticeable demographic breakdown of positive and negative comments from the people we sampled. The general consensus was that people who knew Greek wines either had a negative or a positive experience of them. People who did not know Greek wines were delighted with the tasting experience and were very happy with the price point. Young people who were interested in learning about wine became excited about these wines. Older people who were more experienced also appreciated learning about Greek grape varietals they had never tasted. In addition, we did a very thorough analysis of the wine sales at the LCBO, taking into consideration grape varietals, white versus red, and price points. We also analysed the

overall pattern of which Greek wines the LCBO brought in, regardless of their sales. Two interesting facts regarding wine sales were that the less expensive wines did not have the best sales and the wines with the more unique flavours, regardless of price, sold very well. Finally, we took notice of the consensus from the global wine industry, which consistently hails Greek wines as undervalued for their quality. The many unique, indigenous grape varietals form Greece are praised as exciting for the experienced wine consumer who wants something more than the same Pinot Grigio and Cabernet Sauvignon. So the overall impression of Greek wines, when people got to taste them, was very positive. The problem was how to get people to seek out Greek wines when at the LCBO or when going to a restaurant. Starting from Scratch to Design a Canadian-Friendly Greek Wine

Our research led us to conclude that, in order to maximize the consumer potential, we needed a wine that was Greek but didn’t have any of the negative perception of a Greek wine. None of our fifteen producers from Greece had an existing wine that could address all the recurring points we had discovered in our research. Therefore, we took it upon ourselves to create our own brand. As with any new product, a lot of work needed to be done just to get this project off the ground: • fi rst locating, and then collaborating with, a vintner in Greece to produce a quality wine at a competitive price ($9.95 for a 750 ml bottle)

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the particular foreign charm of this wine, while not alienating the consumer. We wanted to make sure there would be no initial resistance to the wine because it was Greek, and we did so by drawing the consumer’s attention to the authentic nature and traditional features of the wine. The Importance of Grape Varietals

• s ourcing a lightweight glass bottle in Greece, as well as recycled packaging • h iring a talented label and brand artist who had already created several wine labels and successful brands for the American market • d oing ethnographic research at LCBO outlets to identify key communication points in order to create a brand identity for a Canadian-friendly Greek wine • s electing a unique name that sounded exotic and foreign, yet approachable • l aunching this new brand with a coordinated presence on Twitter and Facebook as well as the product’s own website. The name selected was Thalia. It’s a Greek name from ancient mythology, Thalia being one of the nine Muses – mythical deities who inspired human creativity, in this case, presiding over comedy and pastoral poetry. A southern European– sounding name, it is easy to pronounce and may be mistaken for Spanish or Italian, an advantage, considering that both Spain and Italy are associated with the art of fine winemaking. The label design was chosen to reflect an enduring tradition, giving the impression of longevity and agelessness. During our research, we also discovered that the average consumer appreciates wines with these characteristics: • n ewness or novelty, albeit not too new or novel • t he allure of an exotic, foreign import • g ood price-to-value ratio • s atisfaction with the product itself (e.g., a delicious wine that goes well with food). Another recurring theme from our many hours of surveying the public was how captivated respondents were with our stories of the winemakers. We realized that we needed to associate some kind of traditional characteristics with Thalia wine. Therefore, we made a point of expressing 20

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The grape varietals for the wines were also carefully considered. The wines are all made on Crete, and it was decided that the red and white would both be two-part blends of a local, indigenous grape and a well-known, international varietal. This decision was made in order to add a sense of familiarity with the new wine while also adding a uniquely Greek component to the product. For example, the white wine is made with the very popular Sauvignon Blanc grapes and the local Vilana grapes (both farmed on Crete). The combining of these two grapes also takes advantage of their particular flavour profiles, a combination that emphasizes the best qualities of both. This decision also arose out of the need to maintain the international quality designation for the wines. Because the wines are made with local grapes, they have the designation “Protected Geographical Indication Crete” (PGI Crete), which denotes to wine enthusiasts a product made to a recognizable international standard. The red wine is made with a combination of Syrah (also known as Shiraz) and the local Kotsifali grapes, which again were chosen for the same reasons mentioned above, and for their great flavour combination. Both varietals are also farmed on Crete and have the same international PGI Crete designation. Results of Introducing Thalia into Canada

Launched in the summer of 2011 in red, white and rosé, the Thalia brand is being sold in 750 ml and 1.5 litre sizes to various restaurants and banquet halls in Ontario. From the outset, Thalia was specifically designed to attract the interest of two distinct customers: the average young adult wine consumer and the licensee (restaurants and bars). The average wine consumer appreciates a well-priced wine, while licensees appreciate a bottle they can sell by the glass or by the bottle to maximize their revenue. This strategy was also identified in our many months of research. Thalia white was listed at the LCBO for $9.95 (for a 750 ml bottle) in the spring of 2012. Both red and white wines have been listed at the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick liquor boards, and will likely hit the shelves in the spring of 2013. In addition, Thalia red and white single-serve bottles (187 ml) are currently being sold in Ontario at Ikea store cafeterias.

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Lessons Learned from This Case Study

The current sales and distribution have so far confirmed our expectation that it is possible to sell a Greek wine in Ontario if you can present a product that meets the expectations of the consumer. Here are some of the reactions we’ve heard regarding Thalia: • People don’t realize it is a Greek wine. • They refer to the wine by its international varietal, and not the Greek varietal. • People are very impressed with the quality and price point. • The label design has been well-received. • The website (www.Thalia-wine.com) and Facebook pages are getting steady traffic.

Introducing any new wine into the Canadian marketplace is fraught with difficulties. From our research, we have learned there can be an element of customer apprehension regarding products perceived to be too foreign and unfamiliar, regardless of price point or quality. The European wines category at the LCBO adds new products on a regular basis, but very few of them can survive the LCBO’s strict sales quota system. Therefore, the problem of how to introduce a new wine from a part of the world that is not usually thought of when the average Canadian consumer shops for wine was a daunting challenge. When designing Thalia, we could have used 100 per cent internationally known varietals, such as Syrah or Shiraz grapes, and given the brand a non-Greek name; but then it would have lacked any distinctive character of its own. Our experience with Thalia has shown the benefits of including some aspect of cultural tradition; and consumers are encouraged to see this foreignness as an asset rather than a liability. The authentically Greek features emphasized in this case study were the indigenous varietal grapes Kotsifali and Vilana – with their protected geographical indication (PGI Crete) – and the name Thalia. Zissis Parras, PhD, is the brand manager at Kolonaki Group Inc. and is a classically trained anthropologist, with a specialty in consumer culture and behaviour. Before Kolonaki, he worked as a lecturer at a number of universities and on international research projects. Zissis has a marketing research blog at http://www.mri-zp.blogspot.com and can be reached at zparras@hotmail.com

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AM I REALLY BRANDLESS? Even If You’re Not a Highly Branded Player in the Market, You Can Learn from Online Category Conversations in the Social Media Space

Sourabh Sharma

The Internet consumer world is abuzz 24/7. Everybody talks about everything, and even a sliver of conversation can yield some usable insight. And because these insights are unprompted, highly personal, often public, and readily available, they provide a candid, honest, and real-time view of consumer perceptions. It is no longer a debate about whether social media research should be conducted or not, but more a matter of how one proceeds with it. This, in turn, depends on one’s brand or category. Along the brand-category spectrum, there are two extremes: some categories are so defined by a particular brand that they become synonymous with the brand (e.g., Kleenex and Popsicle); other categories are so commoditized due to the absence of a dominant brand (e.g., margarine, table salt or 22

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printer paper) that it becomes difficult for any brand to make itself known. When conducting social media research, special challenges exist for brands that occupy the “brandless” extremes described above. These insights can be turned into actionable strategies. Are You Drowning in Branded Social Media Conversations?

Brands that occupy the space at either end of this spectrum are rendered effectively brandless in the social media space. They are not without a brand, but rather they are lost in a plethora of larger brands that are more talked about or among those cleverly marketed ones that go instantly viral. More broadly, there are several product categories that are not instantly identifiable.

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When we mention Coca-Cola or Toyota, it’s fairly obvious that we are talking about a beverage and an automobile, respectively. But there are product categories where the product is more prevalent than the brand. Think of our everyday uses in the office or our daily kitchen staples. Everything from whiteboards to staples, or tomato paste to table salt. There are also other categories, where a single brand has become synonymous with the category, like the aforementioned Kleenex and Popsicle. While both brands do indeed have competitors, the category is effectively a monopoly. Both extremes bring up the importance of brandless categories – brandless, that is, for new entrants or competitors that can easily fall from the consumer’s awareness. One such category that we examined was margarine, alongside its predecessor and inspiration, butter. As research shows, most consumers are not sensitive to the brands within this category: a mere 9 per cent of conversations about butter and 2 per cent of those about margarine allude to brands. So what is a margarine producer, for example, to do in a market where the category is more talked about than the brand itself? We render such a category effectively brandless, but there are solutions for overcoming the predicament. And these solutions hold for any brand or category that identifies with such a scenario. Social Media Research Methods Get Practical

For a period of one year, we compared consumer attitudes regarding these two product categories, margarine and butter, in the social web space. While the comprehensive approach utilized in this study is applicable to any consumer brand that is mentioned with sufficient frequency, the study shows that it can work even sans branding and within a category itself. What sets this research apart from traditional monitoring is that the subsequent analysis and the interpretation of the data enabled important findings to be transformed into strategies. Every relevant, publicly available comment was captured for analysis, including Facebook posts and “likes,” tweets, blog entries, user reviews, and anything that was publicly available on the Internet. Upon coding these for relevant information, we endeavoured to dig deeper, to find out not only how many times each brand was mentioned but the actual sentiment and passion behind the comments. The resulting insights can be used by producers of margarine to define online engagement, inspire offline activities, offer consumer insight, and even trigger other research – proving that there is tremendous value in digging deeper into the context and content of online conversations.

Measure Passion versus Volume

One could assume that volume is indicative of popularity, but is volume a true measure of positivity? And is it too much of a stretch to call it an indicator of loyalty? Think of all the negative press that BP got in the days of the Gulf coast oil spill or what would have happened if we had lived in the social media age when New Coke was launched. Given such considerations, to deepen the understanding of consumers’ subconscious perceptions of brands, it is critical to evaluate how consumers view a product’s various characteristics. In our case, we looked mainly at taste and health. Such elements are tricky to deduce from traditional Q&As, since respondents are less likely to speak truthfully than they are within social networks. In the latter, deeply emotional insights can be interpreted with greater certitude because they come from unfiltered, unprompted conversations. In order to understand and categorize the types of conversations happening around these brands, a 2x2 framework was developed to plot sentiment and passion around a collection of perceptions (taste, efficacy, value, etc.). In figure 1, sentiment is the range of conversations going from less positive to more positive; passion represents the intensity of the conversations, differentiating “like” and “dislike” from the stronger emotions of “love” and “hate,” respectively. By failing to consider the strength of a statement, epitomized by a measure of passion, many social media monitoring programs potentially miss important nuances and valuable insights. Figure 1: Passion versus Sentiment in Social Media Conversations

Sentiment: Continuum of negative to positive perceptions/sentiment Passion: Conversations that are extreme Size of Bubble: Volume of conversations

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Figure 2: Health versus Taste Extremes in Social Media Conversations Taste Continuum of negative to positive perceptions of taste Health Continuum of negative to positive perceptions of health Size of Bubble Volume of conversations

The results show that butter is talked about more than margarine and that it is greatly loved, while margarine falls into a “dislike” bucket. Similarly, a matrix for taste versus health was created, owing to a common debate among consumers and producers of food products. As figure 2 shows, butter falls into a “yummy” classification, as one would intuitively expect – tasty but not particularly healthy. Margarine fares better in being healthy but is not considered tasty, placing it in the “good for me” bucket. While these are intuitive deductions, they are proven quantitatively via social media research, cementing the power of this medium. Is Tasty and Healthy Even Possible?

A deeper dive, via statistical regression of the social media data, shows that consumers seek out “tasty” and “salty” as key elements in their spreads, both of which are prevalent strengths in butter but are weaknesses for margarine. And while margarine is low-fat, low in calories, non-greasy and healthier, the natural ingredients of butter (given its naturally derived origin) make it seem more nutritious and full of vitamins. Consequently, margarine is not often lauded for its scent or freshness. Figure 3 illustrates the importance of health-related attributes in social media conversations. Figure 3: Measuring the Importance of Health-related Attributes in Social Media Conversations

n Strength n Moderate Strength n Neutral n Moderate Weakness n Weakness

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The study thus reveals different elements of what consumers seek from their spreads, and while it validates some intuitive thoughts, it also sheds light on new notions. Empowered by new consumer insights, marketers are better prepared to make decisions on what their category strengths are, as well as on what elements they can emphasize or downplay in their advertising. Think About Usage, Too

Branding can take you only so far; it is important to understand where and how a product is used. Social media dictates this condition quite readily, and often with insightful results. If a category is more talked about than a brand (i.e., the product is effectively brandless), then it is natural to deduce that the usage of the product is key to a brand’s marketing strategy. We find that margarine is used overwhelmingly more often in baking and comes up more often in baking recipes than does butter, which is more often used for frying and general cooking. Similarly, the use of margarine exceeds that of butter in fast foods and personal cooking. Margarine is, in fact, talked about as a substitute for many other spreads as well and, not surprisingly, often occurs in the context of weight-loss conversations. In sync with the rest of the findings is that one major drawback of margarine is that it’s not naturally derived – lowering its scores on other forms of research, too. Creating consumer personas of usage further builds on the fact that the influencers of or “heavy talkers” about margarine online are most active in communities, forums and blogs. The wealth of such information is already indicative of what the category can position itself as, and it is almost enough to inspire advertising materials and a rethinking of a distribution strategy – that is, if it is not already aligned with the way consumers actually consume margarine and butter.

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Make Social Media Research Actionable

It’s great to have truthful and current insights about your product category, and a good social media research study can provide these. Social media research may still feel like uncharted and unproven territory, but it can and should be approached with the same expectation of value as any other research method. When social media insights are gathered using a model that ensures integrity and relevance, the results can shape strategies around sales and distribution; marketing and advertising; packaging and, of course, social media communications. Furthermore, as was the case with the findings of this study, the results can be used to trigger other forms of research, such as communications-related research, which can help formulate better articulations of the category strengths – for a margarine producer, for example. Social media research is also a powerful complement to existing data sources. Even a study supplementary to classical research can help unravel the many behavioural elements of consumer research. These elements are often otherwise derived, from tedious diagnostic questions, and often rendered convenient but not fully reliable.

Assuming that success depends on allowing consumers to drive the development of new strategies, there is a growing need to listen more closely to and stay in sync with consumer perceptions. To that end, social media listening picks up where classical research falls short, and does so for both brands as well as virtually non-branded categories. While classical research entails asking predetermined questions of targeted groups of consumers, social media research is an ideal method for gathering unfettered brand perceptions. Prompting consumers with questions may introduce a bias that inherently limits the value of the research. Social media listening – while constrained in its ability to provide guidance and structure to conversations – can elicit more candid and possibly more authentic feedback. Because the consumer world is loud, alive, and chatting in more ways than ever, it is something that marketers and researchers can never close their eyes to. Sourabh Sharma is a New York–based communication and social media research expert for SKIM. He has worked in management consulting, following his work in brand management and product development at L’Oréal. Sourabh can be reached at S.Sharma@ skimgroup.com or @sssourabh on Twitter.

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AMERICAS BAROMETER: THE PUBLIC SPEAKS ON DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE IN THE AMERICAS Keith Neuman

AmericasBarometer is a multicountry public opinion survey on democracy, governance, and political engagement, conducted by the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP), a group of academic and think tank partners. AmericasBarometer began in 1979 in Costa Rica. It has expanded and now includes 26 countries, making it the most comprehensive public opinion project in the western hemisphere. In 2012, The Environics Institute for Survey Research, a non-profit organization, participated as the Canadian partner in this project. On November 15, 2012, Dr. Keith Neuman of The Environics Institute spoke to the Ottawa chapter of MRIA on the results of the 2012 AmericasBarometer survey. The audience consisted of both private and public sector employees who were interested in democracy and governance in the Americas. Methodology

The field work was conducted in spring 2012, with a total sample of 40,971 respondents across the 26 participating countries of the western hemisphere. In-person interviews were conducted in each country using a core set of survey questions (with tailoring to specific countries). As national in-person surveys are no longer practical in Canada and the U.S., surveys in these countries were conducted online using recruited panels. The Canadian survey was conducted in May 2012, with 1,501 adults aged 18 years and older.

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Highlights from the Presentation

Dr. Neuman spoke on a number of topics covered in the survey, including confidence in the political system and institutions, civil and political engagement, tolerance for political dissents, confidence in both the justice system and the rule of law, corruption in government, and the role of government in addressing income inequality. Confidence in the political system and institutions. In 2012, the majority of Canadians (70%) were at least somewhat satisfied with democracy in Canada. This result was the same as in 2010, but less than in 2008 (82%) and 2006 (90%). However, Canadians were the most satisfied compared to their neighbours in South America (62%), Central America (56%), the United States (50%), the Caribbean (50%), and Mexico (47%). Canadians have a lot of trust (either 6 or 7 on a sevenpoint scale) in the Canadian Forces (53%), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (36%), the Supreme Court (34%), and the justice system (26%). The majority of Canadians (69%) also agree that â&#x20AC;&#x153;those who govern are interested in what people like you think.â&#x20AC;? This finding is compared with 63% in 2010. Political engagement. Over one-half of Canadians have some or a lot of personal interest in politics (57% in 2012, compared with 54% in 2010). In 2012, Canada ranked

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Figure: Word Cloud Describing Democracy

which put Canada in the number one spot on this question, followed by Mexico (80%), the United States (77%), Central America (77%), South America (74%), and the Caribbean (68%). Nine of out ten Canadians (90%) felt, at least to some extent, that the courts in Canada guarantee a fair trial (the same as in 2010). Roughly similar results were found in the other countries surveyed when respondents were asked about the guarantee of a fair trial in their own country: the United States (90%), Central America (80%), Mexico (79%), South America (79%), and the Caribbean (79%).

Published in Heather Bastedo, Wayne Chu, Jane Hilderman, & André Turcotte’s The Real Outsiders: Politically Disengaged Views on Politics and Democracy (2011), available online at www.samaracanada.com/what-we-do/current-research/thereal-outsiders

Government role in reducing income inequality. When asked about the government’s role in reducing income inequality, approximately one-half of Canadians (51% in 2012, 43% in 2010) agreed that “the Canadian government should implement strong policies to reduce income inequality between the rich and the poor.” Canada ranked behind South America (68%), Mexico (67%), Central America (63%), and the Caribbean (62%), but ahead of the United States (29%) with respect to this question. Canadians felt that the government should create jobs or improve the economy (40%), increase taxes on the rich (31%), improve public education (11%), and offer public assistance to the poor (7%).

second behind the United States (80%), followed by the Caribbean (38%), Mexico (32%), South America (29%), and Central America (27%). Canadians took the following forms of political action in the past twelve months: signing a petition (33%), sharing information online (24%), and participating in a protest or demonstration (5%). The majority of Canadians view voting as a duty (57%) rather than a choice (43%). It was interesting to note that the likelihood of saying “duty” rather than “choice” increased with age. Corruption in government, tolerance for dissent and the rule of law. Dr. Neuman spoke on topics about government. The survey had the following findings. Canadians believe that corruption among public officials is common or very common (64% in 2012, 63% in 2010). The majority of people in Mexico (87%), the Caribbean (81%), South America (80%), Central America (77%), and the United States (75%) said the same. Only a small proportion of Canadians felt that those who disagree with the majority represent a threat to the country (7% in 2012, 4% in 2010, 11% in 2008). While Canadian views on this question were similar to those in the United States (7%), agreement was higher in South America (12%), Mexico (15%), Central America (16%), and the Caribbean (19%). Canadians approve of people’s actions to achieve political goals such as participating in organizations to solve community problems (64%), working on a campaign for a political party or candidate (38%), and participating in legal demonstrations (35%). When asked about the extent to which citizens’ rights are protected, 88% of Canadians said “some” or “a lot,”

Conclusions

Dr. Neuman summarized some key findings from the survey as follows: • Public confidence in Canada’s democratic system of government is among the strongest in the Americas but no longer stands out as in the past. • Canadians support political dissent, provided it happens within the law. • We have avoided the type of economic and political crises affecting many other countries. • Canadians want their governments to take income inequality more seriously. This summary concluded a presentation that was very enlightening for all who attended. You can view Keith Neuman’s presentation at www.mria-arim.ca/OTTAWA/ Archive.asp and the final report at www.environicsinstitute. org/ institute-projects/current-projects/americasbarometer-2012 Stay tuned for AmericasBarometer in 2014. Keith Neuman is the executive director at The Environics Institute for Survey Research. Summarized by Cam MacGillivray. vue June 2013

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PANEL L I STS AND SESSIO N PRESENTERS Susan Abbott, CMRP, Abbott Research & Consulting Margot Acton, CMRP, Senior Vice President, TNS Monica Alfonso, Shopper and Media Insights, Unilever Canada Emily Anderson, Director of Client Advocacy, Environics Analytics Dominic Atkinson, Executive Director, DIG Insights Inc. Ahmed Badruddin, Co-founder, WatrHub Jennifer Batley, Principal, Senior Vice President, Walker Lesly Bauer, Canadian Medical Association Tricia Benn, Senior Director, Rogers Connect Market Research Derek Blair, PhD, Managing Director, ATB Financial Maya Bourdeau, Managing Partner, Attune LLC Christian Bourque, CMRP, Executive Vice-President and Partner, Leger Marketing Margaret Brigley, CMRP, President & COO, Corporate Research Associates Winnie Chan, Director, Strategic Marketing Research, RBC Doug Church, CMRP, Phase 5 Angie Cicciarella, Manager, Strategic Market Research, RBC Sylvie Croteau, VP, Ad Hoc Research Mike D’Abramo, Director, Fresh Squeezed Ideas Amy Davies, Senior Manager, Wrigley Canada Cam Davis, PhD, CMRP, FMRIA, Managing Director, Social Data Research Catherine Dine, CMRP, President, Dine Discoveries Nick Drew, Head of Research, Yahoo! Canada Lisa Elder, President, heads up Michael Ennamorato, CMRP, Managing Director, TNS Canada Adam Froman, CEO, Delvinia & AskingCanadians Kristian Gravelle, Market Researcher and Strategist, Kraft Foods Frank Graves, CMRP, EKOS Research Associates Inc. Jan Fuller, Confectionary Lead, Bars, Nestle Canada Julie Kellershohn, Department Manager, Brand & Menu Insights, McDonald’s Janine Keogh, Vice President, Mondelez Canada Rick Lempera, Capital One Alison Leung, Director of Marketing Foods, Unilever Steve Levy, CMRP, President, Ipsos Gail Livermore, Senior Manager, Guest Insights, Target Canada Bernie Malinoff, CMRP, President, Element 54 Jon Mamela, Director, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts Raj Manocha, Vice President, AskingCanadians - International Canada Marco Massa, Consumer Insight Manager, Sweet Biscuit Mondelez Karen McCauley, Founding Partner, Fresh Squeezed Ideas Accruate at time of printing: May 24, 2103

CONFERENCE SPEAKERS PAN EL L I ST S A ND SESSIO N PRESENTERS Joline McGoldrick, Research Director, Dynamic Logic Sharon M. McIntyre, CMO, Chaordix Inc. Scott Megginson, President, Millward Brown Canada Don Mills, CMRP, FMRIA, Corporate Research Associate John Morton, President, Market Probe Dr. Stephen Needel, Managing Partner, Advanced Simulations, LLC. Paul Neto, Co-founder, Crowd Science Paul Neumann, Director of Insights and Planning, Diageo Steve Olsen, Associate Manager in Consumer Market Insight, Unilever Canada Anagha Patwardhan, Vice President, Research & Incite Angelo Pierro, Managing Director, GfK Canada Carol Pilas, Director, Market Research, Pelmorex Media Devin Pratt, Research Specialist, Foresters Insurance Kevin Press, Assistant Vice President, Market Insights, Sun Life Financial George Rassias, CMRP, Senior Manager, Ontario Lotteries and Gaming Jennifer Roberts, Director, Sklar Wilton & Associates Layla Shea, Founder, Upwords Marketing Solutions Daniel Speck, Henry of Pelham Usha Srinivasan, PhD, Program Director, Business Acceleration Program (BAP), MaRS Stephen Thompson, EVP, Ramius Corporation Brett Townsend, Director of Strategy and Insights, PepsiCo Steve Tile, President, Ignite Lab Vikram Verghese, Marketing Manager â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Americas, AB World Foods Cathy Williamson, Director, Brand Development, heads up Carol Wilson, CMRP, Director of Market Research, SPIELO International Heidi Wilson, Vice President, Market Probe Canada John Wright, Ipsos Reid Cesar Zea, Director, Client Service, Millward Brown Canada

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IN D USTRY N E W S

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.

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.

THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES HAVE REGISTERED RESEARCH PROJECTS WITH THE RESEARCH REGISTRATION SYSTEM DURING JANUARY 2013: GOLD SEAL CORPORATE RESEARCH AGENCIES Academica Group Advanis Inc. Advitek Inc. BBM Analytics BBM Canada Blue Ocean Contact Centers Canadian Viewpoint Inc. Cido Research Consumer Vision Ltd. Corsential ULC Harris/Decima Inc. Head Count Hotspex Inc. Ipsos Reid Market Probe Canada MD Analytics Inc. MQO Research Nanos Research NRG Research Group Opinion Search Inc. PRA Inc. R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. Research Dimensions Research House Inc. Research Now Tele-Surveys Plus / Télé-Sondages Plus The Logit Group Inc. TNS Canada (Canadian Facts) Trend Research Inc. BASIC CORPORATE RESEARCH AGENCIES Barbara C. Campbell Recruiting Inc. (BCCR Inc.) Goss Gilroy Inc. RESEARCH AGENCY PENDING Illumina Research Partners

www.mria-arim.ca/RRS

vue June 2013

I N DUSTRY N E WS

Chapter Chat …

the sequel

This is the second edition of a recurring feature of Vue magazine devoted to items of information that the individual chapters wish to share with a wider audience. In this second instalment we have submissions from four out of seven chapters. We hope to hear from all of the chapters in the coming months.

The Alberta Chapter has its annual general meeting and board of directors’ planning session on June 14th in Edmonton. Members who may be considering a greater role with the chapter are welcome to contact its president, Carolyn Kildare, or any other director on the board about becoming more involved. There are a couple of vacant chairs at the table, and we would like YOU to become part of our team!

In May the Ottawa Chapter was host to a talk entitled Tools for Change: Participatory Research Methods Reveal the Value of Performing Arts. The speakers were Frédéric Julien, project manager, Canadian Arts Presenting Association (CAPACOA) and Inga Petri, president, Strategic Moves. Their interactive presentation showcased a large-scale, national study of performing arts presentation (PAP) that dealt with identifying, understanding and communicating PAP’s benefits for Canadians.

The BC Chapter will soon announce who has won its 2013 Student Marketing Research Competition, which recognizes excellence in original research undertaken within an MR or marketing class. Competition is open to those enrolled in undergraduate studies at an accredited British Columbia post-secondary institution. Winners receive an award and cash prizes of up to $1,000.

With respect to educating the next generation of marketing researchers, the Prairie Chapter introduced an informative brochure in 2010, which it is now looking to create anew. The original brochure was designed to encourage a dialogue with students who are contemplating careers in marketing research and highlighted five successful MR professionals, thus inviting inquiries from those wanting to learn more about the opportunities in this profession. Stay tuned for further developments!

vue June 2013

IN DUST RY N E W S

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 JANUARY 2013 ONTARIO Consumer Vision Dawn Smith Field Management Services Inc. Head Count I & S Recruiting Barbara C. Campbell Recruiting Opinion Search Quality Response Research House Inc. Nexus Research

QUEBEC Opinion Search Research House Inc.

WEST Trend Research Opinion Search Research House Inc. Barbara C. Campbell Recruiting

ATLANTIC Opinion Search Head Count

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.

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.

vue June 2013

IND USTRY N E WS

PEOPLE AND COMPANIES IN THE NEWS •T o read more news online, or to submit your “People and Companies in the News,” s imply fill out our online form at www.mria-arim.ca/PEOPLE/People.asp.

• The Vue editorial team reserves the right to select and edit your submission for appearance in Vue. • MRIA is neither responsible for the accuracy of this information nor liable for any false information.

Research Now and Vision Critical Partner to Offer Insight Community Technologies Worldwide – The combined offering provides businesses and organizations with a deep understanding of specific consumer insights for select markets. The Research Now global sales and delivery teams will now offer and fully support Vision Critical Insight Communities to benefit its clients and prospects. Vision Critical Insight Community technologies enable businesses and organizations to engage directly with hundreds to tens of thousands of customers on an ongoing basis to gain feedback and insights. Through insight communities, clients are able to gather, analyze and translate customer feedback into quick and meaningful business decisions. Continuing to evolve with the industry, Research Now offers clients the benefits of comprehensive customer insight communities. http://www.researchnow.com uSamp Taps Former Co-CEO and Founder of IAG Research, Alan Gould, to Lead the Company – uSamp, a leading provider of business insights through mobile and online survey technology, has appointed Alan Gould to the position of Chief Executive Officer. Founders and Co-Presidents, Matt Dusig and Gregg Lavin, will continue to operate the company’s core sampling business. Gould comes into this new role as an experienced industry veteran with great understanding of the business insights marketplace. In 2000, he founded IAG Research and built the company into a leading provider of engagement metrics in the television industry. He served as its coCEO until the company was acquired by Nielsen for $250 million. Following the company’s merger with Nielsen, Gould created and served as CEO of Advertiser Solutions, a business unit of the Nielsen Company. http://www.uSamp.com

Hotspex has hired a new Head of Technology to build thought leadership in the development of new initiatives, products, processes and standards. Toby joined Hotspex from Grey Group where he was Senior Architect and Director of Development. Toby brings with him over sixteen years of development and consulting experience, including large-scale projects for global brands Mars, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever. www.hotspex.biz Ipsos Strengthens North America Leadership Ipsos has made several key appointments in its North American leadership team, naming Jeff Cail as Chief Operating Officer, David Parma as President of Ipsos Marketing, and Jim Meyer as CEO of Ipsos ASI. Jeff Cail moves to his new Cincinnati-based role from that of Country Manager for Ipsos in the U.S. He will now be primarily responsible for leading the improvement of business processes across operations and research teams. Prior to joining the company in 2011, he held various senior management positions at Nielsen Online and BASES. David Parma joins the company’s New York office from Nielsen, where he most recently served as Global President of BASES and Nielsen Custom Research, having previously held other senior management positions. Prior to this, he worked at P&G and McKinsey & Co. In his new role, Parma will be responsible for leading the implementation of Ipsos Marketing’s global strategy in the U.S. market, which includes businesses such as InnoQuest, MarketQuest, Healthcare, MMA, UU and SMX.

People and Companies in the News sponsored by:

vue June 2013

IN DUSTRY N E W S

Jim Meyer takes up his new post in Norwalk, Connecticut, after working at TNS North America, where he ran the company’s East Region and led its Brand & Communications and Digital practices. He previously set up digital analytics and ad targeting platform Mindset Media, which is now part of Google, prior to which he spent twenty years in the ad agency sector, working at J. Walter Thompson, D’Arcy, and Saatchi & Saatchi. In his new role, he will lead the advertising research teams in both the U.S. and Canada. Pierre Le Manh, Ipsos Deputy CEO and CEO North America, comments: “Ipsos is absolutely committed to attracting and developing the best talents, with the right diversity of backgrounds and the same passion for market research, in order to shape the future of our industry.” http://www.ipsos.com

EVENTS

MARK YOUR CALENDAR Quebec Chapter Event June 20

MRIA IPD CMRE EXAM June 28 in Toronto

Ottawa Chapter Event June 13 2013 in Ottawa

QRD Qual in the Fall Conference TBD in Toronto

Toronto Chapter Event June 20 2013 in Toronto

vue June 2013

C O L UMN I S T S INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY

QUALITAS

Timed Tomato Creativity

Combining the New with the Old –

Margaret Imai-Compton, CMRP

Social Media Analysis and Qual Research

Principal, Imai-Compton Consulting Inc.

Sadaf Sartipi Ipsos Reid UU

Recently in one of my creative workshops, I used a tomato to great effect to inspire quick thinking, ignite creative solutions and instill a festive atmosphere. Actually, it was nothing more than a kitchen timer in the shape of a bright red tomato but it was the highlight of the workshop for both participants and facilitators. Francesco Cirillo invented the low-tech time management Pomodoro Technique in the late 1980s; it uses only a mechanical windup timer in the shape of a bright red tomato, paper and pencil. “Pomodoro” is Italian for tomato, thus, the quirky name. The novelty and fun factor of a bright red tomato timer appealed greatly to my participants as we undertook a series of Fast Track exercises to brainstorm around a solution. The timed twenty-five minutes of activity add an element of suspense and competition, force headlines rather than long narratives, and reduce the frustration of multiple interruptions. The physical act of winding up the Pomodoro confirms our commitment to starting the task; ticking keeps each team on track with its task; and ringing announces a break after twenty-five minutes of activity. Once the Pomodoro Timer goes off, all activity stops and participants take a short five-minute break. Pomodoro enthusiasts claim that flow and focus become associated with these physical stimuli. For Fast Track creative exercises like Brain Drain or Ask for More, the Pomodoro Timer is ideal. For best results, set up breakout teams of 3–5 participants, explain the exercise, wind up the Pomodoro and put a hard stop on the exercise when the timer goes off. Short bursts of concentrated creativity yield more results than long, sustained periods of enforced, out-of-the-box thinking. If you can’t get hold of the Pomodoro Timer on amazon. com, use the online version at http://tomato-timer.com/#. Of course, any manual, digital or online timer serves the same purpose, but the power of a quirky red tomato timer complements the energy around creative activity. Seemingly small things, like a Pomodoro, spawn big ideas!

vue June 2013

The influence of social media in marketing research grows every day. Each new tweet, blog post, Facebook comment, or pin offers researchers and clients the opportunity to gain new insights on their brand and customers. But where does qualitative research fit in with social media? Traditional social media research tools allow one to monitor various aspects of a brand online, such as volume of mentions and sentiment (positive or negative mentions). Much of sentiment analysis is software-automated, but even those complex algorithms report back with about 70 per cent accuracy.1 With society’s ever-changing linguistics (“sick” doesn’t always mean “in poor health” and “cray” is not a reference to fish) and the subtleties that exist in language, these automated tools have gaps in their ability to accurately report on the range of sentiments expressed. They also leave little opportunity to dig deeper into the experiences behind those sentiments – two key drawbacks to automation that a qualitative approach can overcome. This creates an opportunity for qualitative researchers to incorporate sentiment analysis with their traditional methods. For example, a sentiment scan of a brand and its competition on social media networks can be useful in understanding key areas for discussion that could lead to richer conversations and insights. It can also identify users, influencers, and/or target groups that might be of interest. There are many free/low-cost tools available online to help researchers begin their own sentiment analysis before writing a proposal or discussion guide (try Googling “social media monitoring tools” for reviews to find the best one for you). People say a lot online, but it still takes a human touch to accurately interpret the nuances and get the deeper truths behind consumer sentiments. 1 Wright, Alex. “Mining the Web for Feelings, Not Facts.” New York Times 2009: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/technology/internet/24emotion. html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&

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4 401-Online Research, Best Practices and Innovations

4 403-Advanced Qualitative Marketing Research Techniques

For more details or to register, visit our website at www.mria-arim.ca/EDUCATION/Online.asp

vue June 2013

GOLD SEAL–CERTIFIED SEAL–CERTIFIED GOLD CORPORATE RESEARCH RESEARCH AGENCIES AGENCIES CORPORATE The Research Agencies listed below have earned the right to display MRIA’s Gold Seal–Certified logomark. MRIA congratulates and salutes them.

GOLD SEAL–CERTIFIED CORPORATE RESEARCH AGENCIES

Gold Seal Certification is a world class mark of distinction. It is earned by Research Agencies through a comprehensive self-assessment, follow-up interview, and sample evidence examination process — conducted by an independent, third party Reviewer from a major Canadian CA firm – which attests to their being consistently in compliance with MRIA’s rigorous professional standards. For clients, Gold Seal-Certified status means a trusted choice – that they can choose a research supplier with confidence, one that has earned MRIA’s seal of approval and must continually re-earn that distinction by passing a Certification Review once every three years.

GOLD SEAL CORPORATE RESEARCH AGENCIES – CERTIFICATION PENDING The following Corporate Research Agency members are in the process of completing their first Gold Seal Certification Review:

Rand Market Research Corporation Sentis Market Research Inc Vision Critical

Academica Group ACCE Inc. Advanis Inc. Advitek Inc. Asking Canadians BBM Analytics BBM Canada Blue Ocean Contact Centers BrandSpark International Campaign Research Canadian Viewpoint Inc. Cido Research COMPAS Inc. Consumer Vision Ltd. Corbin Partners Inc. Corporate Research Associates Corsential ULC CRC Research CROP Inc. EKOS Research Associates Inc. Elemental Data Collection Inc. Environics Research Group Limited Focal Research Consultants Ltd. Forum Research Inc. Fresh Squeezed Ideas GfK Research Dynamics Harris/Decima Inc. Hay Research International Head Count Head Research Inc. Hotspex Inc. Ifop North America Insightrix Research Inc. Insignia Marketing Research Inc. Ipsos Ipsos ASI Ipsos Public Affairs Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid UU Kermode Business Services Inc. Lang Research Inc. Leger Marketing Maritz Research Market Probe Canada Market Pulse Inc. MBA Recheche McWhirter & Associates MD Analytics Inc. Millward Brown MQO Research Mustel Research Group Ltd. Nanos Research NRG Research Group Opinion Search Inc. Phoenix Strategic Perspectives Inc. POLLARA PRA Inc. Pricing Solutions Ltd. Quorus Consulting Group Inc. R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. Radix Market Research Research & Incite Consultants Research Dimensions Research House Inc. Research Management Group Research Now Research Strategy Group Inc. Resinnova Research Inc. Service Metrics Inc. Tele-Surveys Plus / Télé-Sondages Plus The Logit Group The Verde Group Thinkwell Research TNS Canadian Facts Toluna Trend Research Inc.

The Gold Seal Certification process is open to all MRIA Corporate Research Agency Members that have been in continuous operation in Canada for at least two years, regardless of firm size, structure or number of employees. For more information on MRIA Corporate Memberships or our Certified Marketing Research Professional (CMRP) designation for individual practitioners, visit www.mria-arim.ca.

2012-2013

AWARDS

& RECOGNITION

Awards and Recognition serve critical functions within a professional association. They provide motivation for the many volunteers upon whose efforts the association depends. They provide an opportunity for the self-promotion within the association that puts a positive face on our activities and makes people feel good about belonging to the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA). They also serve to highlight leadership and examples of excellence, in all areas, which are powerful ways of communicating the ideals and direction of the association.

MRIA is pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 Excellence in Research Awards competition, sponsored this year by Market Probe. Submissions were possible in eleven categories and the ten winners were announced at the Gala Awards Dinner held during the 2013 National Conference that recently concluded in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The Excellence winners received the coveted and beautiful Excellence Crystal as a tribute to their pursuit of excellence and for setting a shining example for future winners. The list of winners can be viewed at www.mria-arim.ca/AWARDS/ExcelAwards05.asp

This year’s Excellence Awards are generously sponsored by

BEST IN CLASS AWARD Unilever, TNS, Neilson BASES Knorr – What’s for Dinner?

PUBLIC POLICY IMPACT AWARD Rogers Annual Capital Accumulation Plan

BEST INTEGRATION AWARD Kraft Foods, IPSOS, Nielsen, ACCE, Dunnhumby MIO Liquid Water Enhancer

CLIENT-SIDE RESEARCHER IMPACT Dr. Kathryn Forgacs

BEST MULTINATIONAL AWARD OTMPC, Hotspex, Levels Strategy Group Grow Tourism EXCELLENCE BEHIND THE SCENES Delvinia Designing a User-Centric Dashboard

EFFECTIVENESS AWARD Joseph Chen AWARD OF OUTSTANDING MERIT Dr. Ruth Corbin AWARD OF DISTINCTION Nick Drew

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