MRIA VUE Magazine, May 2012 by MRIA

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40033932

vue

the magazine of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association

MAY 2012

MRIA 2012 NATIONAL CONFERENCE St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Newfoundland

Welcome to the 2012 MRIA National Conference

Conference Co/Chair Carolyn O’Keefe

Conference Co/Chair Corinne MacGillivray King

Welcome Delegates to Newfoundland and Labrador and to Sample the Edge, the 2012 Marketing Research and Intelligence Association National Conference.

Chers délégués, bienvenus à Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador et à Sample the Edge, la Conférence nationale 2012 de l’Association de la recherche et de l’intelligence marketing.

We, the co-chairs of the 2012 MRIA Conference, are pleased and excited to welcome you to “The Rock” for our annual convention. Newfoundland and Labrador is a province rich in history, culture and heritage, and we are looking forward to sharing it with you.

En tant que coprésidentes de la Conférence 2012 de l’ARIM, nous sommes heureuses et enthousiasmées de vous accueillir sur « La Roche » pour notre rencontre annuelle. Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador est une province riche en histoire et en éléments patrimoniaux et nous avons hâte de les partager avec vous.

Over the two days, you will listen to, and learn from, some of the brightest minds in our industry, participate in discussions about emerging trends in the field, and network with fellow marketing researchers and buyers. This conference is a great opportunity for you to learn more about the world of marketing research, and we are pleased to be hosting it here in our home province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the first time the MRIA annual event has been held here.

Au cours des prochains jours, nous écouterons certains des esprits les plus brillants de notre industrie, nous apprendrons d’eux, nous participerons à des discussions sur les nouvelles tendances de notre industrie, et nous ferons du réseautage avec nos collègues praticiens et acheteurs de la recherche marketing. Cette conférence vous offre une superbe occasion d’en apprendre davantage sur la recherche marketing et nous sommes heureuses d’en être les hôtes dans notre province de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador, le premier événement annuel de l’ARIM à se dérouler ici.

Throughout your time here, you will be treated to the finest cuisine Newfoundland has to offer, with an opening reception at the Johnson Geo Centre on Signal Hill – a venue renowned for its stunning location and distinctive structure. At MRIA’s premier event on Thursday night, the Gala Soirée, you will get to see what a traditional Newfoundland outport community looks like, as we transform the Delta ballroom. The events end on Friday night with a chance to be “Screeched In”, a Newfoundland tradition for visitors from away.

Pendant tout le temps que vous passerez avec nous, vous aurez droit à la plus fine cuisine que Terre-Neuve peut offrir, à une réception d’ouverture au Johnson Geo Centre sur Signal Hill – un lieu renommé pour la vue incroyable qu’elle offre et pour sa structure unique. Au cours du premier événement de l’ARIM le jeudi soir, la Soirée du gala, vous aurez la chance de voir à quoi ressemble une communauté portuaire dans la salle de bal du Delta que nous aurons transformée. Les événements se terminent vendredi soir avec la possibilité d’être « initié au screech », une tradition que Terre-Neuve réserve à tous ses visiteurs de l’extérieur.

All that and more await you at the 2012 MRIA National Conference in Newfoundland and Labrador – so take time to Sample the Edge.

Tout cela et plus encore vous attend à la Conférence nationale 2012 de l’ARIM à Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador – alors prenez le temps de Sample the Edge.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS PINNACLE SPONSOR

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

Reliable, Actionable Consumer Insights by Design.TM

BRONZE SPONSORS

OTHER SPONSORS

MEDIA PARTNERS

MAY 2012

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

In this month’s features: (L to R) Seth Lieberman, Darren Biggs, Michael Haynes

FEATURES 14 MARKETING IN A SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD: THREE CASE STUDIES To learn about the potential afforded by social media and interactive content, read how three very different companies have integrated these technologies into their marketing strategies. by Seth Lieberman 18 REMEMBER THE TELEPHONE? Rather than an extinct data collection method, the telephone may simply be a lost art, waiting to be rediscovered and re-employed – and even utilized in conjunction with new online methods. by Darren Biggs 22 GETTING YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER: PREREQUISITES FOR A CUSTOMER-CENTRIC ORGANIZATION Becoming more customer-centric is essential if today’s organizations are to achieve their desired results and performance levels; and doing so requires development of appropriate leadership, culture, capabilities, processes and systems. by Michael Haynes 28 SO MANY RESEARCH OPTIONS, SO LITTLE TIME: HOW TO CHOOSE AMONG NEW AND TRADITIONAL QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS Given all the available qualitative methodologies, how is a researcher to choose what’s best for a given project? Here you’ll ﬁnd a guide to the various options, their strengths, and their weaknesses. by Jay Zaltzman

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

2600 Skymark Avenue, Bldg. 4, Unit 104 Mississauga, Ontario L4W 5B2 Tel: (905) 602-6854 Toll Free: 1-888-602-MRIA (6742) Fax: (905) 602-6855 Email: vue@mria-arim.ca Website: www.mria-arim.ca 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 Tel: (416) 271-8454 stephen.popiel@TD.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF David Hamburg, Hamburg Consulting (514) 972-0662 david.hamburg@sympatico.ca 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

COMMENTARY 8 Editor’s Vue 10 Message from the Executive Director

INDUSTRY NEWS 32 Research Registration System (RRS) 34 Qualitative Research Registry (QRR) 38 People and Companies in the News

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 40 Future Considerations on the Development of the Education Portfolio

COLUMNISTS 44 44 45 45 45 46

RAC STANDARDS QUALITAS INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION BRAVE NEW WORLD

2012 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: May, 2012 © 2012. 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 David Hamburg

It’s May again, and that means national conference time – on the Rock this year. In keeping with the wide array of topics covered in the main event, we offer you a grab bag of feature stories that run the gamut. Do all you sophisticated marketing researchers remember the day when the phone reigned supreme? Well, according to Telepoll Market Research Inc.’s Darren Biggs in his article, “Remember the Telephone?” it still does, in many ways. There’s nothing like reaching out and touching someone by voice, the tried-and-true way. Which brings us to the continuous marketing research debate over the new versus the traditional, a subject that returning contributor and Bureau West Market Research and Marketing Strategy president Jay Zaltzman examines in a most relevant piece, “So Many Research Options, So Little Time: How to Choose among New and Traditional Qualitative Research Methods.” Michael Haynes of 2Excell Consulting, now based in Australia, is another returning contributor we’d like to welcome back. In his feature, entitled “Getting Your House in Order: Prerequisites for a Customer-centric Organization,” Michael writes about how becoming more customer-centric is essential in enabling today’s organizations to achieve their desired results and performance levels. But becoming customer-focused also means that organizations need to develop the appropriate leadership, culture, capabilities, processes and systems – a challenge that is neither easy nor quick. Finally, Seth Lieberman, CEO of Pangea Media, brings us back to the new with his case studies (including one on Martha Stewart) of marketing in a social media world. Be well, enjoy the conference, and make a little noise in our LinkedIn group. Until next month.

Déjà le mois de mai et, donc, la période de notre conférence nationale – sur « la Roche » cette année. Afin de refléter le large éventail de sujets couverts au cours de l’événement principal, nous vous offrons un pot-pourri d’articles de fond couvrant la gamme de ces sujets. Vous, praticiens expérimentés de la recherche, vous souvenez-vous du temps où le téléphone régnait en roi et maître? Eh bien, selon Darren Biggs de Telepoll Market Research Inc. dans son article Remember the Telephone?, c’est toujours le cas, de bien des manières. Rien ne peut égaler l’effet bien éprouvé d’entendre la voix de la personne avec qui on communique. Ce qui nous mène au débat continu sur le nouveau versus le traditionnel en recherche marketing, un sujet que Jay Zaltzman, président du Bureau West Market Research and Marketing Strategy, qui nous revient pour examiner les choix qui s’offrent entre les nouvelles et anciennes méthodes dans son article particulièrement pertinent So Many Research Options, So Little Time: How to Choose among New and Traditional Qualitative Research Methods. Michael Haynes de 2Excell Consulting, basée maintenant en Australie, est également un contributeur qui nous revient à qui nous souhaitons la bienvenue. Dans son article intitulé Getting Your House in Order: Prerequisites for a Customer-centric Organization, Michael explique qu’il est essentiel de devenir plus centrés sur le client pour habiliter les organisations actuelles à atteindre les niveaux escomptés de résultats et de rendement. Mais le fait de devenir axé sur la clientèle signifie aussi que les organisations doivent développer le leadership, la culture, les aptitudes, les processus et les systèmes appropriés – un défi qui n’est ni facile ni rapide à surmonter. Finalement, Seth Lieberman, PDG de Pangea Media, nous ramène vers le nouveau avec ses études de cas (dont celle sur Martha Stewart) du marketing dans le monde des médias sociaux. Portez-vous bien, et faites un peu de bruit dans notre groupe LinkedIn. Au mois prochain.

David Hamburg, Market Research Consultant, Hamburg Consulting Editor-in-Chief, Vue / Rédacteur en chef, Vue • Email: david.hamburg@sympatico.ca • (514) 972-0662 • t david_hamburg 8

vue May 2012

COM MEN TARY / CO MME NTAI R E

Message from the Executive Director Brendan Wycks

Sample the Edge at an Outstanding MRIA National Conference in St. John’s

Sample the Edge : une conférence exceptionnelle de l’ARIM à St. John’s

This year’s MRIA national conference in Newfoundland, at the Delta St. John’s Hotel, promises to be an outstanding learning, networking, socializing, and business development experience.

La conférence nationale de l’ARIM cette année, qui se tiendra à l’hôtel Delta à St.John’s, Terre-Neuve, se promet d’être une expérience exceptionnelle d’apprentissage, de réseautage, d’événements sociaux et de développement d’affaires.

Among meeting planners, St. John’s has long been regarded as a “destination” which, thanks to many appealing attributes, draws large numbers of national and international delegates. Annual medical conventions often draw among the highest registration levels for such events when held in this fair city.

Pour les planiﬁcateurs d’événements, St. John’s est perçue depuis longtemps comme une « destination » qui, grâce à ses nombreuses caractéristiques captivantes, attire un grand nombre de délégués nationaux et internationaux. Les conférences médicales annuelles attirent souvent leurs plus hauts niveaux d’inscriptions quand elles se tiennent dans cette belle ville.

The easternmost city in North America, perched on the Atlantic Ocean, St. John’s is renowned nowadays for being the business hub of Canada’s offshore oil industry, and for its unique architecture and urban vistas, its music and pub culture, its pride of history and heritage, and its whale, bird, and iceberg watching opportunities.

St. John’s, la ville la plus à l’est de toutes en Amérique du Nord, perchée sur les bords de l’océan Atlantique, est reconnue aujourd’hui comme le centre canadien de l’industrie pétrolière extracôtière et pour son architecture et ses horizons urbains uniques, sa musique et sa culture de pub, sa ﬁerté à l’égard de son histoire et de son patrimoine, de même que pour ses baleines, ses oiseaux et les occasions de voir des icebergs.

Conference co-chairs Carolyn O’Keefe and Corinne MacGillivray King, both of MQO Research, and their organizing committee have put together a very attractive program that provides relevant learning, social, and business development opportunities for members from all sectors of the industry.

Les coprésidentes de la conférence, Carolyn O’Keefe et Corinne MacGillivray King, toutes deux de MQO Research, et leur comité organisateur ont élaboré un programme attrayant qui propose aux membres de tous les secteurs de l’industrie des possibilités d’apprentissage et de rencontres sociales et d’affaires.

While the entire program is impressive – including strong concurrent sessions on a broad range of leadingedge quantitative, qualitative, and social media and mobile research topics, which will make it very difﬁcult to choose among them – here are some of my personal favourites from the lineup:

Tout le programme est impressionnant – avec les solides séances simultanées sur un grand éventail de sujets d’avant-garde dans les domaines de la recherche quantitative et qualitative, des médias sociaux et de la recherche par appareils mobiles, qui rendent les choix à faire difﬁciles – mais, voici quelques-uns de mes éléments préférés dans la liste :

• Opening keynote speaker, Lenny Murphy, editor-in-chief of GreenBook Blog and CEO of BrandScan 360, will speak on “Riding the Change Wave: Architecting Market Research for the Future.” Murphy is a leading blogger, commentator, thought leader, and futurist for our industry.

• Le discours d’ouverture de Lenny Murphy, rédacteur en chef de GreenBook Blog et chef de la direction de BrandScan 360, qui abordera comment « monter sur la vague du changement : en architecturant la recherche marketing de l’avenir ». Murphy fait ﬁgure de chef de ﬁle en tant que blogueur, commentateur, penseur et futuriste au sein de notre industrie.

• Keynote presenter Bruce MacDonald, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC), a major national charitable organization, will speak on “How

• Le présentateur principal Bruce MacDonald, PDG des Grands Frères Grandes Soeurs du Canada (GFGSC), un important organisme caritatif, parlera de « comment la

vue May 2012

COM M E N TARY / COMMEN TAI R E

Marketing and Survey Research Is Making a Strategic Difference and Will Propel BBBSC to New Centennial Year Heights.” MacDonald’s presentation will be truly inspirational, as he describes how our industry’s work has delivered actionable insights and empowered his organization to make a meaningful difference in Canadian society.

recherche-sondage suscite une différence stratégique et propulsera les GFGSC vers de nouveaux sommets au cours de son centenaire ». L’exposé de MacDonald sera vraiment inspirant, puisqu’il décrira comment le travail de notre industrie a fourni des perspectives qui aident à prendre des décisions et a habilité son organisme à faire une différence signiﬁcative au sein de la société canadienne.

• Concurrent session presenter Cam Davis’s address, “Never Judge a Book or Market Research Method by Its Sexy, Colourful Cover,” will use Gartner’s “hype cycle” to illustrate how many new technologybased methodologies move through a boom-and-burst hype cycle before they slowly climb a gradual slope to a productivity plateau. You’ll hear how social media monitoring, gamiﬁcation, mobile research, netnography, behavioural economics, predictive markets, text analytics, neuroscience, and crowdsourcing line up against the Gartner model. These methodologies had better watch out, as Cam Davis will be hyped and have them in his “in-sights”!

• L’allocution du présentateur de séances simultanées Cam Davis enjoignant de « ne jamais juger un livre ou une méthode de recherche marketing d’après sa couverture aguichante et colorée », se base sur le « cycle de battage », ou hype cycle, de Gartner pour illustrer comment un grand nombre de nouvelles technologies passe par un cycle d’expansion et d’éclatement avant de grimper lentement une pente douce vers un plateau de productivité. Vous entendrez comment la surveillance des médias sociaux, la gamiﬁcation, la recherche par appareils mobiles, la « netnography », l’économie des comportements, les marchés prédictifs, l’analyse des messages textes, la neuroscience et l’externalisation ouverte s’alignent contre le modèle de Gartner. Ces méthodologies devraient prendre garde, parce que Cam Davis deviendra surexcité et les aura tous dans son « viseur »!

• Concurrent session presenters Barry Watson and John Crockett of Environics Research Group will speak on “Solving Real Client Problems: Closing the Gap with Social Media Data.” Watson and Crockett will draw upon real case studies of some client problems to address “Social Media Listening as an Augment for Traditional Focus Group Research” and “Verbatim Coding as a Precedent to Social Media Research Content Analysis.” • Concurrent session presenter Steve Levy will talk about “Mobile Acumen: What It Means for Marketers, Advertisers and Loyalty Champions.” Tapping into the “I” in MRIA, Levy will provide intelligence about the mobile research category and unveil important implications for all these stakeholders.

• Les présentateurs de séances simultanées Barry Watson et John Crockett d’Environics Research Group traiteront de la façon de « résoudre les véritables problèmes des clients : en fermant l’écart avec les données des médias sociaux. » Watson et Crockett puiseront dans de véritables études de cas de certains problèmes de clients pour aborder « l’écoute des médias sociaux comme enchérissement de la recherche de groupes de discussion traditionnelle » et « le codage verbatim comme prélude à l’analyse du contenu de la recherche par médias sociaux. » • Le présentateur de séances simultanées Steve Levy parlera de « l’acuité des appareils mobiles : sa signiﬁcation pour les praticiens du marketing, les annonceurs et les champions de la loyauté. » Misant sur le « I » dans ARIM, Levy offrira de « l’intelligence » sur la catégorie de recherche par appareils mobiles et dévoilera d’importantes conséquences pour tous ces intervenants.

• Concurrent session presenter Amy Knowles of TNS Canada, in a talk entitled “Oh Canada: The True North, Strong and … Unique,” will explore Canadian teens’ unique identity. Knowles’ interesting work will demonstrate why Canadian teens deserve to be considered a potent and proﬁtable target market.

• La présentatrice de séances simultanées Amy Knowles de TNS Canada, dans une allocution sur le thème « Oh Canada : The True North, Strong and … Unique », explorera l’identité particulière des adolescents canadiens. Le travail fort intéressant de Knowles démontrera pourquoi les adolescents canadiens méritent d’être pris en considération comme marché cible puissant et proﬁtable.

• Concurrent session presenter Fiona Isaacson’s address on “Media Interpretation of Polls and How to Promote Accurate Reporting” will offer recommendations on how marketing researchers can help journalists judge the validity of a poll. She will also explore the reality of media outlets that use polls to promote their own political agendas.

• L’allocution de la présentatrice de séances simultanées Fiona Isaacson sur « l’interprétation que les médias font des sondages et sur comment faire la promotion de reportages ﬁdèles » présentera des recommandations sur la façon dont les praticiens de la recherche marketing peuvent aider les journalistes à juger la validité d’un sondage. Elle analysera aussi la réalité des entreprises médiatiques qui utilisent les sondages pour promouvoir leurs propres agendas politiques.

• Organized by the Client-Side Researcher Council, the Closing Plenary Panel, on “Making the Most of the Research Supplier and Client Relationship,” is sure

• Organisé par le Conseil des chercheurs côté client, le panel de la plénière de clôture sur « comment proﬁter au maximum de la relation entre fournisseur de recherche et vue May 2012

COMMEN TARY / CO MME NTAI R E

to be dynamic, even contentious. This discussion will be moderated by Scott Megginson, CEO of Millward Brown Canada and formerly a director at PepsiCo, and it will be informed by recent surveys of our association’s client-side and research agency members regarding their likes and dislikes about this key industry relationship as they’ve experienced it. On the social side, as well, the 2012 conference promises an experience to rival all previous industry festivities: • Preceding the Opening Night Reception on Wednesday, May 30, we’ve brought back the ever-popular Speed Networking, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. This event presents the opportunity to meet new business prospects and industry colleagues who share interests with you, in brief one-on-one, get-acquainted chats that begin and end at timed intervals. Sign up quickly for Speed Networking, as space is limited and the event is usually over-subscribed. Based on your registration proﬁle, you’ll be prematched with several compatible “dates” for the session. • A wowing Opening Reception and Dinner will be held on May 30 at the nearby GEO Centre, a subterranean venue built into a cliff perched high above the ocean. • The evening of Thursday, May 31, features the Gala Soiree and Awards Dinner, which promises a unique Newfoundland-themed evening of fun, entertainment, and celebration of excellence in our industry.

client » sera définitivement dynamique, même controversé. Le modérateur de cette discussion sera Scott Megginson, chef de la direction de Millward Brown Canada et autrefois un directeur chez PepsiCo. La discussion sera éclairée par des sondages récents auprès de membres côté client et de sociétés de recherche de notre association concernant ce qu’ils aiment et n’aiment pas dans cette relation clé de notre industrie, selon leurs propres expériences. Quant au côté social, la conférence 2012 promet aussi d’être une expérience rivalisant avec toutes les fêtes précédentes de l’industrie : • Avant la réception de la soirée d’ouverture le mercredi 30 mai, nous avons réinvité le toujours populaire Speed Networking, de 16 h à 17 h. Cet événement vous offre une occasion de rencontrer des clients éventuels et des collègues de l’industrie qui partagent vos intérêts et de faire connaissance au cours de brèves conversations personnelles qui commencent et finissent à intervalles chronométrés. Inscrivez-vous rapidement au Speed Networking, puisque l’espace est limité et l’événement est généralement sursouscrit. Selon votre profil d’inscription, vous serez agencés d’avance à plusieurs « partenaires » compatibles pendant cette séance. • Une réception et un diner d’ouverture sensationnels auront lieu le 30 mai, au GEO Centre tout près, un lieu souterrain construit dans une falaise perchée au-dessus de l’océan. • “Le soir du jeudi 31 mai a lieu la soirée du gala et diner de remise des prix qui se promet d’être une soirée de plaisir, de divertissement et de célébration de l’excellence dans notre industrie sur des thèmes propres à Terre-Neuve.

• The spectacular, off-site, but just-down-the-street, Rally in the Alley closing party will end the conference on Friday, June 1. Be prepared to be “screeched in” and experience some of Newfoundland’s ﬁnest hospitality, culinary skills, artistry and entertainment – making a Friday night stayover a must.

• La fête de clôture spectaculaire Rally in the Alley, hors site, mais juste au coin de la rue, marquera la ﬁn de la conférence le vendredi 1er juin. Préparez-vous à subir le « screech » et à vivre un accueil, des compétences culinaires, des talents artistiques et des divertissements parmi les plus exquis de Terre-Neuve – ce qui vous incitera sûrement à rester un soir de plus.

Check out our website and click on the “Sample the Edge” icon for full details about the conference program and registration options, as well as the tradeshow exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities that remain available.

Consultez notre site Web et cliquez sur l’icône « Sample the Edge » pour obtenir tous les détails sur le programme de la conférence et sur les options d’inscription, de même que sur les exposants au salon professionnel et sur les possibilités de commandites encore disponibles.

With all of this in store for us, the 2012 conference is the not-to-be-missed event for MRIA members who want to achieve objectives in learning, proﬁle-raising, marketing, and business development this year. The conference represents great value as a one-stop opportunity to accomplish multiple objectives while making efﬁcient use of time.

Avec tout ce qui nous attend, la conférence de 2012 est un événement à ne pas manquer pour les membres de l’ARIM qui veulent atteindre leurs objectifs en apprentissage, en amélioration du proﬁl, en marketing et en développement d’affaires cette année. La conférence représente une grande valeur en tant qu’occasion à guichet unique d’atteindre de multiples objectifs en utilisant votre temps de manière efﬁciente.

See you in St. John’s from May 30 to June 1.

Au plaisir de vous voir à St. John’s du 30 mai au 1er juin.

Brendan Wycks, BA, MBA, CAE, Executive Director / Directeur général, Marketing Research and Intelligence Association / L’Association de la recherche et de l’intelligence marketing Email: bwycks@mria-arim.ca • (905) 602-6854 ext./poste 8724

vue May 2012

Conference Speakers KEYNOTES Bruce MacDonald Lenny Murphy Seamus O’Regan Jim Barnes

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada GreenBook and BrandScan 360 CTV National News Barnes Marketing Associates, Inc.

PANELLISTS AND SESSION PRESENTERS Margot Acton, CMRP Jenna Alexandre Tricia Benn Daniel Berkal Inez Blackburn Derek Blair Dominick Bovalino Sean Campbell Simon Chen Laura Craig, CMRP John Crockett, CMRP Cam Davis, PhD, CMRP, FMRIA Richard Einarson Adam Froman Donya Germain, CMRP Behzad Ghotb Susan Ince, CMRP Fiona Isaacson Janine Keogh Matthew Kerby, PhD Amy Knowles Steve Levy, CMRP Bernie Malinoff, CMRP Alex Marland, PhD Lang McGilp Sharon McIntyre Scott Megginson Todd Nowensky Annie Pettit Lindsay Porter Corrine Sandler Brian Singh, CMRP Shane Skillen, CMRP Scott Swigart Stephen Thompson Barry Watson, PhD, CMRP Craig Wight, CMRP

TNS Fresh Intelligence Research Corp. Rogers Connect Market Research The Palmerston Group University of Toronto ATB Financial Harley Davidson® Canada Cascade Insights Ramius Corporation Ipsos Environics Social Data Research Chaordix Inc. Delvinia ACCE International Hotspex Epic Consulting CorbinPartners Inc. Kraft Memorial University of Newfoundland TNS Canada Ipsos element54 Memorial University of Newfoundland Insightrix Research Inc. Chaordix Inc. Millward Brown Minavox Conversition Strategies Ipsos Fresh Intelligence Research Corp. ZINC Research Hotspex Cascade Insights Ramius Corporation Environics VP, New Brunswick Region, MQO

Marketing in a Social Media World:

Three Case Studies A great way to learn about the potential afforded by social media and interactive content is to see how a company has successfully integrated them into its marketing strategy. This article presents case studies of three such companies. Seth Lieberman

Social media’s impact on marketing has been rapid and significant. In addition, the power of search has elevated the old-school advertorial to what is today called content marketing. While the fundamentals of good marketing have not changed, the tactics have. Regardless of the industry involved, understanding and navigating this changing – ever changing – world is essential for any marketer. Seeing how other companies have integrated social media and interactive content into their marketing strategy, and what results they have achieved, is a great way to begin to understand some of the possibilities and opportunities. Below, I explore how three different companies have used the power of interactive content and social media to boost their own marketing efforts. First, a quick review of what makes interactive content and social media marketing so effective. The Power of Engagement + Network

The ability of social media to enhance and extend marketing reach is one of the most powerful new tools in the marketer’s arsenal. There are a number of factors that make social media so powerful: 14

vue May 2012

Placement. Marketing messages on social media sites allow companies to reach their audiences where their audiences are spending time – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etcetera. Facebook users total more than 750 million today; as a marketer how can you not be there? Extension of reach. The reach that can be achieved with a well-crafted marketing campaign that leverages social media is global – truly. With tweets, shares, reposts and more, your messages can travel from your network to your network’s network, and beyond. This is viral marketing at its best. Targeting. With so many metrics available, it is possible to run highly targeted marketing campaigns and messages on social media channels, and to easily adjust them for various audiences. Credibility. Recommendations and referrals from trusted and known friends are powerful marketing agents. Cost-effectiveness. Between reaching multiple Internet channels simultaneously and tapping into viral marketing, the price per campaign or per lead can be pennies.

F EATUR E

Fast time to market and real time results. Social media allow marketers to move quickly to take advantage of trending topics, or to tweak what is not working. Meanwhile, interactive content such as quizzes, trivia tests, surveys, polls, games and contests equate to some of the most engaging content available and some of the most popular content on the Internet. Our research has shown that a quiz boosts time on a site by an average of 1:46 minutes. In addition, interactive content generates eleven times more shares than static content. So what happens when marketers combine interactive content with social media distribution?

How exactly did the marketing team do this? By creating a sweepstakes that lived on the Martha Stewart Facebook page. The team created the Ultimate Fan Sweepstakes, which featured, as the grand prize, a chance to attend the premiere of the show. The sweepstakes was created using my SnapApp marketing platform, which allows marketers and publishers to create polls, surveys, quizzes and sweepstakes; these they can then place on their websites and blogs or across social media, including Facebook and Twitter. In addition to running the contest on Facebook, Martha Stewart promoted it on other social media channels and in email newsletters. Social media buttons such as “Like,” “Share,” “Follow,” and “Tweet” were available on the entry form. In addition, entrants could opt in to receive Martha Stewart newsletters or a free issue of the print magazine. Results. The sweepstakes ran for just under two months. During that time, the Martha Stewart team saw the following results: • 31,611 entries were submitted • 78 per cent of visitors who engaged with the sweepstakes entered it • 19 per cent of visitors who entered the sweepstakes shared it, referring an additional 1,626 users • 77 per cent of those who submitted an entry signed up for the optional newsletters and preview issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. Case Study: Magic Beans

Read below to see how Martha Stewart, Magic Beans, and Figment are leveraging the power of social media and interactive content to promote their brands, reach new prospects, and generate leads. Case Study: Martha Stewart

Already a global brand, Martha Stewart charged her marketing team with making the brand even bigger. In particular, they set out to build their mailing list and promote the fall premiere of Martha Stewart’s TV show by tapping into an active and loyal Facebook audience. Martha Stewart’s objectives included (1) increasing awareness of The Martha Stewart Show premiere, (2) collecting qualified leads for a mailing list in order to cross-market other products, (3) engaging Facebook fans and creating buzz for the brand, and (4) driving tune-in during summer months (when repeat episodes aired).

But how effective can social media be for the small brand, the one that doesn’t already have a large social media audience but instead wants to grow one? Magic Beans, a small brickand-mortar as well as online retailer of baby and infant products (including strollers, furniture and toys) says “very!” Magic Beans wanted to run a month-long promotion called Magic Beans 31 Days of Giveaways, which featured a different prize each day. Magic Beans’ marketing goals included (1) promoting and growing its business during a slow time of year, (2) obtaining names, emails and profile information to expand its mailing list, (3) leveraging social media to engage customers and prospects on Facebook, Twitter, and its website and blog, as well as in-store, (4) generating customer loyalty and positive press about the store through great giveaways. Magic Beans ran the promotion on its website, Facebook page, blog and Twitter. Individuals could register on any of Magic Beans’ sites; the entries were automatically collected in a single pool for the day’s drawing. They could also scan an in-store Quick Response (QR) code and register on mobile phones including iPhones, Android phones and BlackBerrys. Registrants who chose to share the day’s sweepstakes with friends received an additional entry in that day’s promotion – vue May 2012

F EATURE

providing an incentive to share, and thereby building Magic Beans’ marketing reach and email list.

share referral rate (for every quiz or sweepstakes share, 1.1 new visitors came to the Figment Facebook page).

Results. The Magic Beans Sweepstakes resulted in more than 31 winners (some days had multiple prizes) and thousands of new emails for the company’s mailing list. The results included the following: • 344,528 impressions were generated across the website and Facebook • 113,318 entries were submitted • 28,384 share actions were made on Facebook and Twitter • 1,808 new social media connections were made, including 1,456 Facebook likes and 352 new Twitter followers • $0.12 per unique email were acquired. The data speak for themselves: over 100,000 entries at a cost of pennies per email – highly qualified emails, to boot – and thousands of referrals. So, yes, small companies stand to benefit from the power of social media just as much as (if not more than) big brands.

Interactive Content + Social Media: Making It Work for You

Case Study: Figment

What about the publisher that lives online only? How can interactive content like quizzes and sweepstakes, combined with social media hooks, boost the publisher’s marketing? Figment is an online community for teens and young adults interested in writing. The community is always looking for innovative ways to interact with its audience generally and recently turned to interactive content to achieve specific marketing goals: (1) to increase the number of its Facebook fans, (2) to easily create original content that would appeal to its target audience, (3) to engage its audience and spark conversation on the Figment blog, and (4) to reach a broad audience on social media sites and drive individuals to Figment’s main site. To achieve these goals, Figment embedded quizzes, trivia tests, sweepstakes and other interactive content on its blog and Facebook page. Quizzes were primarily personality tests that resonated with Figment’s youthful audience. This online community often runs ten or more quizzes simultaneously, rotating in new content to keep the site fresh. Top performing quizzes have a greater than 85 per cent quiz start to quiz completion rate. The quizzes on Facebook were “like-gated,” which required visitors to “like” the Figment Facebook page before they could access the quiz. This proved to be an effective strategy for increasing engagement and growing likes, particularly given the value that Figment’s audience found in the like-gated content. Results. Within four months of adding quizzes, surveys and sweepstakes to its Facebook page, Figment had achieved approximately 37,000 additional likes and a 111 per cent 16

vue May 2012

The combined power of interactive content and social media marketing are driving real results for all types of companies, from big, established brands to small businesses looking to expand their reach. Consider adding interactive content to your website, blog or Facebook page and see what it can do for you.

&Tricks

Tips

Know your strategy. Before you kick off a campaign, think about your goals. Is it likes, leads, general interaction, or referrals to your main website from other sites? Your content and social media strategy should align with the goal. Looks matter. Upload images and backgrounds to make your quiz or survey stand out. Remember to incorporate social media buttons to promote likes and shares, and to drive activity. Entry forms or other data collection forms are a great way to collect leads, and occasion a great time to crosspromote other products. Know the rules. When it comes to sweepstakes, it is important to be aware of federal, state and Facebook guidelines. Review the data. Be sure to go back and review results to ensure you are achieving your goals, or to make changes in order to realize them. Consider a third party vendor. It is always tempting to just build this in-house, but really robust functionality almost always takes longer, costs more, and is less flexible than what could have been purchased from a best-of-breed solution provider.

Seth Lieberman is the CEO of Pangea Media, developer of the SnapApp marketing platform. The SnapApp platform empowers brands, publishers and agencies to foster conversations – across the web, social and mobile – that build brand affinity, connect, educate, entertain, and drive sales. Under Seth’s leadership Pangea Media’s platforms have facilitated more than 300 million customer engagements. Learn more at www.SnapApp.com

Remember the

Telephone? Many may believe that the telephone is all but extinct as a data collection method, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very possible that the telephone interview is simply a lost art, needing only to be rediscovered and re-employed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and even utilized in conjunction with new online methods. Darren Biggs 18

vue May 2012

F EATUR E

REMEMBER THE TELEPHONE? YOU PROBABLY SHOULD. With all the hot new ways out there to secure data, the word on the street is that telephone interviewing is going the way of the dodo bird. Instead of a professionally trained human extracting data, with all their important nuances intact, a virtual sea of respondents are now hitting a series of radio buttons in record time to get their opinions out there. But who are these people? And what’s really motivating them to hit all those buttons, anyway? Whether it is online surveying, blasting web links to panelled respondents, gamification, or social media, there is no denying that the online reach can be vast, fast and cheap. But is there a deeper, unseen cost on such technological reliance for securing your data? How solid are the data that are being procured? Are all project questionnaires created equal? After years of inundating panellists’ inboxes with survey link after survey link, there are some indications that, at least in some cases, data can be skewed, fragmented and mixed. The online trend for capturing data has reached a point where we had now better understand some pretty dramatic pros and cons in choosing an exclusively web-based approach to surveying target subjects. As in any business, the bottom line plays a decidedly important and crucial role when scoping out the research methodology landscape. Clients want more for less. Thus, enter the web. Why not? It’s cheap! And fast! Fast? Maybe. Cheap? Maybe not. Blindly choosing to go with the current trend and hopping on a potentially misguided bandwagon of data gathering methods may lead to lots of admittedly inexpensive data, but also quite possibly bad data. Considering everything from indications of differing patterns in data character to some basic questions about information quality, perhaps the telephone lines shouldn’t be cut quite yet. Obviously, there isn’t any point to commissioning a research project if the data ultimately to be analysed are skewed. Your clients are relying heavily on the conclusions. And they are designing marketing campaigns and positioning their products to appeal to certain characteristics of their target market. But if the respondents answering your questions – questions that have been strategically constructed to help your client accomplish specific business goals – are pre-biased, are overused, or have other background motivations to participate in your study, then what is the real cost of moving completely away from the tried-and-true telephone interview? Sometimes, you do in fact get what you pay for.

What seems to be quietly accepted by some researchers, today, is that respondents no longer need to be interviewed and that online surveying will yield results similar to those garnered in telephone surveys. But the fact is that no conventional method currently exists for randomly selecting individuals for online survey purposes. Take, for example, how online participants are typically recruited to participate in an interview. More often, an online panel comprised of demographically pre-screened participants is utilized, and project invitations are emailed. However, the full nature and limitation of that panel needs to be scrutinized and understood. First, who exactly are these panellists being invited and ultimately interviewed? Pre-screened panellists can be requested to participate in a number of studies over the course of a month or, in some cases, a week. In one example, according to an eleven-member panel study performed by Grey Matter Research and Consulting this year, an average of 20.43 invitations were sent out each month per panellist. In some cases, multiple invitations were sent out daily to the same individual. In addition, many of these studies contained participation incentives in the form of cash or sweepstakes draws to encourage response rates. The study also noted that it was not unusual for there to be tremendous cross-usage from one panel company to the next, compounding the possibility of overutilizing the same participants from one project topic to the next. This is convenience sampling at its worst. Essentially, research that is critical to a client’s marketing strategy is being selfperformed by “professional” respondents – so much for unbiased randomization. Secondly, the report suggests that some panellists, originally recruited to be polled for a particular study, aren’t actually the individuals to complete the questionnaire. Spouses, for example, may fill out responses intended for their partner based on the perception of “knowing” how their significant other would answer certain questions. If the project in question required specific targets for gender and age, it’s very likely that neither would be accurately satisfied. And how would the researcher know otherwise? Another dismaying, and again misguided, aspect of the trend of exclusively online polling is that a number of clients seem to believe they can throw practically any length of questionnaire into play to complete their study. This belief is especially evident in projects that attach incentives, assuming that this enticement alone will allow for some extra liberty in terms of length. In essence, the respondent’s patience vue May 2012

F EATURE

is being bought. Added to this is a mentality of perceived cost savings attached to choosing an online methodology compared to choosing, say, telephone interviewing. What some clients donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to recognize, when choosing an online methodology, are the hidden costs. Break-off rates inevitably increase, but even more devastating are the unseen, silent break-offs, where a respondent has mentally tuned out of the survey and is simply hitting a myriad of radio buttons just to get to the finish line and, of course, that incentive. In other words, that completed survey is, well, incomplete, skewed and incorrect. As previously stated, it is not unusual for a panellist to receive and potentially perform a number of online surveys a day. According to the Gray Matter study, with the average online questionnaire running at eighteen minutes, and prescreened respondents possibly doing up to seven or eight of these a day, it is easy to conclude that focus can give way to fatigue. And fatigue can give way to compromised results. To be clear, the purpose of this article is not to bash online methods of capturing marketing research data (in fact, there are some studies that should be performed over the web). Rather, it is a gentle reminder of the importance and special role of telephone interviewing as a sometimes critical choice when collecting data; and it is, perhaps, a cue to re-establish a balanced approach when fielding research projects. The phone is not only a viable choice in the digital world; it is essential whenever projects call for a specific picture of thought and opinion. Generally, the online trend seems to have resulted in lost awareness of an essential point within the project creation process: all questionnaires are not created equal. Some projects call for an online approach, while others are better served having a professionally trained interviewer engaging respondents. Online projects are typically a good choice whenever the goal is to measure employee attitudes, for example, or where short-format, aided questions will suffice. On the other hand, telephone-based surveys are better positioned for the use of long-format questionnaires, which can utilize a scrutinizing interviewer to probe and clarify responses when necessary, and to note important nuances that the typical radio button will miss. As noted, relying exclusively on online panels for every kind of research project can lead to skewed data and, ultimately, misinterpretation in the analysis. The people who respond to online surveys simply do not necessarily reflect the characteristics of the larger population. 20

vue May 2012

A 2008 study by Julie Pokela, Elizabeth Denny, and Ingrid Steblea of Market Street Research Inc. found that online respondents are more representative of a specific population of web users, leaning toward a slightly bettereducated, more affluent consumer. In other words, a study requiring opinions of the general population is better suited to the use of the telephone methodology in acquiring its data. The study also demonstrated, for example, that a younger population tends to perform online studies more readily than an older group does, and an older group is more likely to perform a telephone study. The telephone approach is somewhat compromised because of the younger age groupsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; under-representation, due to the prevalence of cellphones, and because of their lower responsiveness to surveys compared to their older counterparts; the older groups are more likely to answer a landline and to participate. So a project designed to represent a specific age group may determine the choice of telephone over online. But beyond the potential concerns surrounding online convenience samples, the skewing of gender and age ratios, or the over-representation of this and under-representation of that, the average telephone study contains other important variables not currently found in the online arena. Remember quality control? Seemingly more and more overlooked, telephone interviewing allows for the consistent monitoring and recording of live calls, thereby helping to ensure that the quality of responses and the expectation of the client remain intact. If an interviewer needs guidance, a project supervisor can move in and coach, sometimes even while an interview is in process. Smart project managers utilize sophisticated and innovative ways to create appointments of convenience for prospective hard-to-find respondents â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in turn, maximizing completion rates for tricky research. In addition, completed interviews are routinely validated to ensure that exact qualifications are met, while troubled cases can be removed immediately, should there be an inaccuracy. While these well-known facts point to the basics in good data gathering, they are becoming a dangerously secondary consideration. Another, less tangible point, given the currently commonplace feel of online survey requests, is that a telephone interview can now present the respondent with a sense of importance surrounding the study at hand. If the project names its client during the call, that client has an opportunity to be professionally represented by a

F EATUR E

qualified interviewer. In this way, clients can also remain in contact with their customers while gleaning important attitudes within their market. Quite simply, data gathering becomes a personal experience again, and an atmosphere of accountability is created. The fieldwork phase in any research project is critical to procuring quality data in order for a project to be truly successful. But this phase seems to be increasingly overlooked. Telephone data collection vendors, such as Telepoll Market Research, allow clients to be personally involved during this very important tier in a project’s life, whereas data generated online tends to be collected at such a fast pace that there simply isn’t time to gauge questionnaire performance anomalies or other problems. So, while online methods can certainly pull an abundant amount of data quickly, they are no match for questionnaires that require immense detail and subtle clarifications. The point is that it’s important to look at each project individually, understand its unique needs, and recognize that a “one size fits all” approach can deliver with it false data – data upon which your client’s business so heavily relies. The implications here are immense – and possibly expensive.

It is, perhaps, an understandable trend, the belief that the telephone deserves be on the endangered species list of data collection methods. On the other hand, it’s very possible that the telephone interview is simply a lost art, needing only to be rediscovered and re-deployed in digging down to find the more difficult data – and even utilized in conjunction with new online trends, to assure quality. With the pervasiveness of newer and newer technologies, perhaps it is possible that what was once considered old is actually becoming new again. In other words, a thousand radio buttons can’t compare to the depth, honesty and ability of the expertly performed telephone interview. It’s integrity-driven, quality-assured, concise and classic; so maybe now is exactly the time to remember the original wisdom behind a somewhat older technology – the telephone. Darren Biggs is the manager of Operations at Telepoll Market Research Inc. in Toronto. He and his team deliver effective telephone strategies for securing data, particularly for lowincidence and long-format projects in the financial, government, media and other key sectors. Darren and Telepoll can be reached online at www.Telepoll.net

vue May 2012

Getting Your House in Order: Prerequisites for a Customer-centric Organization

Becoming more customer-centric is essential in enabling today’s organizations to achieve their desired results and performance levels. However, doing so requires that organizations develop the appropriate leadership, culture, capabilities, processes and systems. None of this will be easy or quick. Michael Haynes

Today’s business environment is characterized by highly competitive markets, tough economic conditions, and demanding but often less loyal customers. In an attempt to perform better in such conditions, businesses worldwide are attempting to be more responsive to customers’ needs. Responsiveness to customers is heavily discussed with regard to business-to-consumer (B2C) markets. However, the same challenges exist in business-to-business (B2B) markets. As a result, B2B suppliers and service providers must also adopt more strategic, customer-centric approaches in addressing their markets and customers. But becoming a customer-focused organization requires a company to do much more than simply creating roles such as customer experience officers or having senior leaders within the company declare that becoming customer-centric is the new direction taken by the organization’s strategic plan. 22

vue May 2012

There are essential characteristics that an organization must possess in order for it to operate in a genuinely customer-centric manner. These can be classified into four categories: culture and senior leadership; analytical and strategic capabilities; processes; and knowledge management. This article will describe how each of these can be addressed, and will also provide examples of the benefits that organizations have been able to achieve by adopting a customer-centric approach. Culture and Senior Leadership

One of the first requirements for an organization to become customer-centric is the commitment and support of senior leadership. Senior managers within a company must take a topdown approach in which they champion, support and commit to ensuring that all strategies, decision-making and operations are driven by the priorities and preferences of customers.

F EATUR E

Achieving these ends necessitates that senior managers adopt decisive positions in a number of areas. They must engage with customers directly so that they have awareness and knowledge of customer issues and priorities. They must create and foster a culture of collaboration, information sharing, and cross-functional work throughout the organization. It is critical that such an environment is created, as meeting customer needs will often require that business units or teams work together. Managers must also ensure they have management and business teams that are committed and working toward the goal of a customer-centric culture. Finally, they must have key performance indicators and compensation schemes tied to working effectively in a customer-centric manner. Creating such a customer-centric and collaborative environment is often the biggest challenge for organizations. The difficulty in doing so is often attributed to senior management’s failure to understand the value and impact that taking a customer-centric approach can have on business performance. To gain the support of senior leadership in such instances, a bottom-up approach should be undertaken in order to demonstrate the impact and value of operating in a customer-centric manner. This approach can be realized by a business unit’s undertaking of a “pilot project” that is aligned to the company’s strategic business objectives and that would potentially satisfy customer requirements. An example of such a pilot initiative would be the trialing of a new program or solution with a particular group of customers. To increase the likelihood of adopting more customercentric initiatives, the results of the project would then be documented and communicated across the organization. These results would need to demonstrate the impact on the performance of both your organization and your client’s. As more support is gained from the senior leadership team, additional customer-centric initiatives can be undertaken and rolled out across an organization. For more on customer-centric culture and senior leadership, see Value Merchants: Demonstrating and Documenting Superior Value in Business Markets, by James C. Anderson, Nirmalya Kumar, and James A Narus; published by Harvard University Press in 2007. Analytical and Strategic Capabilities

Analytical Capabilities. Organizations must also possess strong capabilities in analysing market, customer, competitor and financial data. Such capabilities are essential, as they

enable an organization to gain a strong understanding of market and customer requirements, and enable it to identify opportunities, financial impacts, and potential competitor responses. However, the ability to effectively conduct such critical activities is proving to be a challenge for many companies. A global study conducted last year by MIT Sloan Management Review revealed that forty per cent of respondents found analytics to be one of the greatest challenges in their organization (see “Big Data, Analytics and the Path from Insights to Value,” in the winter 2011 issue [52, no. 2] of MIT Sloan Management Review, available at http:// sloanreview.mit.edu/the-magazine/2011-winter). This difficulty in analysing data can be attributed to (a) an increasing amount of data that organizations are producing; (b) the increasing use of multiple channels such as the call centres, web, mobile and social media to engage and service customers (also resulting in a greater amount of available data); and (c) the many different types of data – such as survey, web, campaign and purchase data – as well as secondary research reports from a variety of sources. In order for an organization to overcome the analytical challenges without succumbing to “analysis paralysis” – that is, the analysis of massive amounts of data, without any clear direction or outcome – it is advisable to take a number of steps before embarking on the analysis: Define the business objectives. Define the insights and/or questions needed to meet business objectives. Identify the data required. Determine how to source the required data. Effective data analysis will require highly skilled staff. Organizations that do not possess such internal capabilities will need to train their current staff as well as hire new staff with such skill sets and/or utilize specialists to perform the required analysis. However, merely conducting analysis is not enough. Effective communication of data and insights to the management team is critical to get senior management to champion, support and commit to customer-centric initiatives. Once the analysis is completed, the insights must be conveyed clearly and effectively to the senior leaders so they can quickly absorb the meaning of the insights and determine priorities. Therefore, it is imperative that organizations have an effective internal communications strategy, which may include using a multi-channel approach comprised of executive briefings and written executive summaries. Executive briefings, ideally conducted face to face, enable the management team to gain a strong understanding of the acquired insights and their implications. These briefings vue May 2012

F EATURE

may include the use of simulations or scenarios and data visualization. Written executive summaries are used to further reinforce executive briefings, as well as to provide additional detail to assist in decision-making. For more information on analytical capabilities, see Ross Dawson’s Developing Knowledge-based Client Relationships, 2nd ed., published by Butterworth-Heinemann in 2011. Strategic Capabilities. In addition to possessing the capability to effectively analyse data and communicate findings to senior management, organizations must also possess the capabilities to develop strategies and to identify, execute and manage specific projects and actions or initiatives to meet those customer needs that must be addressed. All of this will also require cross-functional collaboration and sharing of information – again reinforcing the importance of the senior leadership team’s creation of a collaborative customer-centric culture. Processes

It is important to recognize that being customer-focused is not a one-off project but a continuous way of doing business. Therefore, organizations must have processes and systems to enable them to continually and effectively uncover, understand and respond to customer needs. Organizations must have processes in place to analyse market, competitor and customer data; integrate insights into business planning processes; identify, create and manage projects or initiatives; and communicate key insights, actions or developments to management and staff across the organization. These processes should be developed cross-functionally to ensure that they take into account the considerations and requirements of the teams or business units that will be involved in such activities. Doing so will help create buy-in and increase the likelihood that the organization will truly be operating in a customer-focused manner. An example of an organization that has been successful in systematically understanding and responding to customer needs is the global software and technologies giant Adobe Systems Inc. Adobe has a process for gathering customer insights through various initiatives, including its Customer Immersion Program, Customer Advocacy Council, customer listening posts, and pre-release programs. Recently, as a result of effectively analysing and using the insights obtained to drive decision-making and actions, Adobe has significantly improved customer satisfaction, and generated cost savings and efficiencies in excess of US$2 million annually. 24

vue May 2012

For more on this case study, see Andrew McInnes’s “Results of Forrester’s 2011 Voice of the Customer Awards, available at http://blogs.forrester.com/blog/170 Knowledge Management

It is unlikely that an organization will be able to function in a systematic, cross-functional, customer-centric manner if a knowledge management system (KMS) is not implemented. A company requires a knowledge management system that will enable the organization to gather and store customer insights; share information across the organization for use by management and various project teams or business units; link customer needs to specific projects, as well as to specific segments and customers; and manage as well as track projects, initiatives and communications. Establishing such a KMS enables all functional areas to have visibility to information that impacts them, so that they can act accordingly. It enables organizations to execute initiatives in order to deliver the outcomes sought by customers – outcomes that will also impact the organization’s competitive position and overall performance. An example of such a knowledge management system is the Customer Information System (CIS) that is used by the Dental Products Division of 3M. This system includes all customer survey results, focus group feedback, and product evaluations, as well as customer contact details. The CIS allows senior management and key stakeholders to assess how well specific products and services are meeting customer requirements, and to identify new product opportunities. For more, see Robert Schieffer’s Ten Key Customer Insights: Unlocking the Mind of the Market, published by SouthWestern Educational Publishing in 2005. A Case Study of Success

The situation. The CEO of Springer Science and Business Media (SSBM), the world’s second largest producer of science, technology and medicine journals, realized that the emergence of digital and electronic technologies would transform the publishing industry. Up until 2004, SSBM had a fairly arms-length relationship with its customers. In order to compete successfully, a new strategy was needed, requiring guidance and input from SSBM’s core library customers. What was done. SSBM developed a robust set of programs and processes to gather and analyse customer feedback. These were centred on the company’s global executive customer advisory boards, consisting of decision-making librarians and the leaders of buying consortia. The programs were rolled out globally to support all key regional and industry verticals in order to gain market insights and drive growth.

F EATUR E

The results. SSBM experienced improved customer relationships and engagement, as well as a ten per cent increase in revenues. For more on this case study, see Sean Geehan’s B2B Executive Playbook: The Ultimate Weapon for Achieving Sustainable, Predictable and Profitable Growth, published by Clerisy Press in 2011. Conclusion

Organizations that have acquired the essential customercentric characteristics – even if only to some degree – have experienced numerous quantifiable benefits, including increased share of wallet, greater customer retention, improved profitability, and lower cost to serve. In today’s tough business environment, becoming more customer-centric is essential in enabling organizations to achieve their desired results and performance levels. However, doing so requires that organizations develop the appropriate leadership, culture, capabilities, processes and systems. None of this will be easy or quick to achieve but will require persistence and focus in order to ensure viability and success moving forward.

Now that you have read this article … 1. Take a look at your own organization and ask yourself: a. Are you overwhelmed with the amount of data being generated? b. Do you have the insights required to drive decisions and actions? c. Does your organization have the required skills and processes to analyse and use data effectively in an ongoing, systematic manner? 2. Check out www.2excell.com for further information. 3. Register for the quarterly newsletter Tips2Excell to receive insights and tips. 2Excell Consulting, an international consulting firm based in Sydney, Australia, works with companies operating in businessto-business markets in order to maximize their performance by empowering them to systematically understand and respond to customer needs. Michael Haynes is the founder and director of 2Excell Consulting. Originally from Toronto, Michael is now based in Sydney, Australia. He has over fifteen years of experience in helping medium- and large-sized organizations develop and implement customer-centric strategies and programs.

vue May 2012

Conference Keynote Speakers KEYNOTES

SPEAKER Bruce MacDonaldKEYNOTE Big Brothers, Big Sisters Lenny Murphy Greenbook Blog Bruce MacDonald Seamus O’ReganBig BrothersCTV Big National Sisters News of Canada

KEYNOTE SPEAKER Lenny Murphy GreenBook Blog & CEO BrandScan 360

How Marketing and Survey Research Is Making a Strategic Difference and Will Propel Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada to New Centennial Year Heights

Future Trends - Riding the Change Wave: Architecting Market Research for the Future

“Bruce MacDonald is an incredibly dynamic speaker and storyteller, so passionate about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada and the difference it’s making in society. He’s also passionate about marketing research, the actionable insights it has generated for BBBSC decisionmaking, and the role it will play in the organization’s centennial initiatives in 2013.” Brendan Wycks, Executive Director, MRIA

“While watching Lenny present earlier this year, I was struck with a strong feeling of optimism for the future of Market Research. He believes we can be much more than what we are now and sees the changes being forced on us as license to become what our clients really need us to be: not statisticians and dispassionate businessmen, but sociologists, sages and great storytellers.” Carol Wilson, Director, Market Research, SPIELO International™

Who would have thought that operating carnival games and rides would lead to a career in the voluntary sector? Certainly, not Bruce. After an upbringing in Hamilton, Ontario, that consisted of bumper cars, the round up and the bomber game, Bruce decided to embark on a career in sport management. Bruce headed to Northern Ontario’s Laurentian University to earn a Bachelor of Commerce in Sports Administration. He even took time off for five weeks to work at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid. After leaving the friendly confines of Sudbury, he took his first full-time job, working at the HamiltonBurlington YMCA. At Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs of Canada Bruce was the association’s first-ever Marketing Manager in 1989. For the next five years he worked with a dedicated team of volunteers (there it is again) and staff to try and modernize one of Canada’s oldest service clubs. The journey to the voluntary sector was complete when, in 1995, Bruce joined the staff of Big Brothers and Sisters of Canada as Director of Marketing and Special Events. Three job titles and two organization names later, Bruce eventually moved into the senior staff position, becoming President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada in March 2004.

Lenny is a seasoned and respected market research industry leader with an entrepreneurial drive. He has been called a visionary and is renowned as an innovator. He has successfully established and led several companies in the MR space including Rockhopper Research, a leading full service global research ﬁrm and MDM Associates, a MR consulting ﬁrm, before founding current companies: BrandScan 360 and his consulting practice LMC group (www. asklmcg.com). Lenny serves on the Board of The Market Research Global Alliance, the premier social network for the global MR profession. He is the Founder and Executive Director of the Research Industry Trends Monitoring Group & Publisher of the GreenBook Research Industry Trends Study, the oldest study in the industry devoted to tracking changing trends in MR. He serves on the Advisory Boards of the Festival of NewMR and The Merlien Institute, and he is also the Chairman of the IIR Technology Driven Market Research Conference. Rounding out his busy professional life, Lenny is the Editor in Chief of the GreenBook Blog.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

WRAP-UP SPEAKER

Seamus O’Regan

Jim Barnes

CTV National News

Barnes Marketing Associates, Inc.

Newfoundlanders’ Self-Esteem and Culture vs. the Future of Newfoundland’s Economy

Where to from Here? Thinking and Behaving Differently

“Seamus’ innate sense of curiosity, combined with a natural instinct for ﬁnding a story in any circumstance, make him a tremendous addition to our reporting team.” Wendy Freeman, CTV News president

“Jim is one of those people who captivate you as soon as he starts to speak. His teaching skills help you understand, his knowledge and experience add depth to the insights he brings and his national and international experience bring an added dimension of context. You won’t want to miss his wrap-up talk at the conference.” Corinne MacGillivray King, VP Research, MQO Research

Seamus O’Regan is a correspondent with CTV National News and the former co-host of CTV Canada AM. At Canada AM, Seamus interviewed such newsmakers as former U.S. president Bill Clinton, Prime Minister Paul Martin, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Shania Twain, William Shatner, Conrad Black and Prince, to name just a few. Whether reporting from Kandahar Air Field or hosting The Giller Prize, Seamus brings insight, professionalism and charm to every role he takes on. He is one of the few journalists to have interviewed former Prime Ministers – Brian Mulroney, Kim Campbell, John Turner and Joe Clark – together. Born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and raised in Goose Bay, Labrador, Seamus studied politics at St. Francis Xavier University and University College, Dublin; marketing strategies at INSEAD, the international business school near Paris; and received his Master’s of Philosophy degree from the University of Cambridge. Seamus became the ﬁrst journalist to be named to Canada’s “Top 40 Under 40,” and he was named to Maclean’s magazine’s 100 “Young Canadians to Watch” in the new century.

Jim Barnes is an internationally-recognized researcher, author, speaker, and consultant on marketing and customer strategy. He was professor of marketing at Memorial University for more than 40 years, cofounded a major marketing services company, authored or coauthored eight books (including Canada’s ﬁrst indigenous marketing research textbook), and has served as consultant to many national and international companies. In 1999, Jim was named a Fellow of PMRS and, in 2011, he was inducted into the Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends. Through his company, Barnes Marketing Associates, Inc. (BMAI), he advises clients on building proﬁtable customer strategy.

vue May 2012

F EATURE

So Many Research Options, So Little Time:

How to Choose among New and Traditional Qualitative Research Methods With so many choices in qualitative methodologies, how is a researcher to choose the best method for a given project? In this article, the president of Bureau West Market Research and Marketing Strategy guides the reader through the various options, considering the strengths and weaknesses of each. Jay Zaltzman

Nowadays, qualitative researchers have a myriad of new choices available when it comes to qualitative methods. There are, for example, online bulletin board focus groups, remote webcam focus groups, telephone focus groups, online chat focus groups, mobile phone research, online journaling, video diaries, telephone interviews with desktop (computer screen) sharing, online communities/social networks, and so much more. All of this is in addition to the traditional options, such as conventional focus groups and in-person interviews, as well as infinite possible combinations of all the available methods. The question is this: How do we choose the best method or methods for a given project? In the following article, I’ll discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the various methods, and propose some parameters for choosing among them. Online Bulletin Board Focus Groups

With online bulletin board focus groups, participants commit to log in once or twice a day over the course of several days and participate in an online discussion. Groups are typically comprised of fifteen to twenty participants. The discussion is not conducted in real time; rather, participants log in at their convenience, answer questions, and comment on others’ answers in a threaded discussion. Strengths. This format enables us to obtain greater depth, since participants can take their time to provide thoughtful 28

vue May 2012

responses. In contrast to an in-person focus group, every participant answers every question. In online bulletin board focus groups, we find that participants are less likely to be swayed by others’ opinions, since they’re participating from the psychological security of their own home or office. Since these focus groups are conducted remotely, any one group can be comprised of participants from a mix of geographical locations. Because of the greater depth and larger number of participants, each online bulletin board focus group generates a greater amount of data than an in-person focus group. Therefore, we find that we can conduct fewer online bulletin board focus groups than we would in-person focus groups – typically just one group per segment being researched – meaning that projects utilizing the online bulletin board approach tend to be less expensive than the traditional inperson methodology. Clients also save on travel costs and travel time. Weaknesses. Of course, we don’t see the body language and other non-verbal communication that are evident in an inperson focus group. There is less spontaneity than occurs in a real-time conversation. Still, if the topic of the online bulletin board focus group is one of importance to the participants, we can expect a great deal of interactivity and back-and-forth discussion among participants.

F EATUR E

Webcam (Video) Focus Groups

Telephone Focus Groups

With webcam focus groups, each participant utilizes a webcam, so the moderator and participants can all see each other and have a conversation in real time. This approach creates more interactivity and spontaneity than an online bulletin board focus group – although it’s still not as interactive and spontaneous as being in the same room, as is the case with an in-person focus group. Because of bandwidth constraints, we usually recommend conducting webcam focus groups that are smaller than typical in-person focus groups, with just four to five participants per group.

A telephone focus group can be conducted as a simple telephone conference call. These groups are frequently conducted using an online conference system like WebEx or GoToMeeting, so participants can view stimuli on their computer screens.

Strengths. Webcam focus groups offer a great balance: participants are less likely to be swayed by others’ opinions, since they’re participating from the psychological security of their own home or office; however, they’re still interacting in real-time, as they would in an in-person focus group. Since these groups are conducted remotely, any one group can be comprised of participants from a mix of geographical locations. Weakness. While clients save on travel costs and times, the costs to conduct webcam focus groups are a bit higher than the costs for rental of a focus group facility, because of the need for technical support staff. Online Chat Focus Groups

With online chat focus groups, participants type their responses in real time, as in an online chat room. The moderator’s questions appear on the screen, and participants’ responses scroll down the page. The moderator can type in additional questions and probes as needed. Strengths. The method’s greatest strength is its immediacy. Research can be conducted quickly, and a large amount of data can be collected. When the group is completed, the transcript is generated automatically. None of the participants can be dominators in this format. Since these groups are conducted remotely, any one group can be comprised of participants from a mix of geographical locations. Online chat focus groups are less expensive than in-person focus groups. Weaknesses. This method is less interactive than in-person and online bulletin board focus groups, and it usually provides less depth.

Strengths. Telephone focus groups are quick and easy to set up; respondents don’t need any special equipment. They’re low-cost. While we don’t get the same degree of non-verbal communication we would have in an in-person focus group, there’s still a good deal communicated beyond the words alone, because of tone of voice, pauses, etcetera. Telephone focus groups tend to provide a good deal of interactivity and spontaneity. Since groups are conducted remotely, any one group can be comprised of participants from a mix of geographical locations. Weaknesses. Telephone focus groups are not as interactive as in-person focus groups. They provide less depth than online bulletin board focus groups. Mobile Phone (Text-message) Research

This method is the least intrusive way we know of to obtain insights into consumer behaviour. The method is quite flexible but, in a typical study, we might ask four or five questions a day via text message at pre-determined times each day. While text messages are limited to 160 characters, we find that participants’ responses are not completely superficial. In a typical day, we might ask three to four short questions (e.g., What did you have for breakfast this morning?) and one question that is more involved (e.g., If store X were an animal, what animal would it be? Why do you say that?). Note: It’s not uncommon to combine a text message study with an online bulletin board focus group, thus obtaining both the immediacy of text-message research and the depth of the focus group. Strengths. This method allows us to learn about people’s behaviour with minimal researcher impact. It obtains participants’ input in the moment; they don’t have to think back and remember their behaviours or reactions. Weaknesses. Mobile phone research provides less depth and less detail than other methods. vue May 2012

F E ATURE

Online Journaling

MROCs

With online journaling, participants write their own “blogs.” Participants are encouraged to provide detailed, thoughtful answers, which frequently include not only text but also photos, video or audio.

Market research online communities, or MROCs, consist of a large group of people (usually several hundred) recruited to a private online platform in order to participate in a variety of research activities over time. Unlike an online panel, involvement in an MROC is ongoing.

Strengths. We can obtain a good deal of depth from online journals, since participants provide input in their own time. This is a great method for learning about feelings and emotions; participants relate to the online journal as a very personal medium. Weaknesses. Online journals lack the interactivity and synergy of group discussions. Video Diaries

In some ways, the video diary is similar to an online journal but, instead of writing, participants speak to a portable, USB-enabled video camera. Video diaries also enable participants to show us behaviour in real time or to take us on a “tour,” showing us, for example, the contents of their refrigerator. Strengths. Video provides rich content for reporting. It affords the ability to view behaviour with minimal researcher impact. Participants can express themselves naturally, as they are not slowed down by the need to compose written content. Weakness. Analysis of video content requires a great deal of time. Social Media

The use of social media for marketing research is still somewhat new, and we recommend being cautious: many people consider platforms such as Facebook and MySpace to be very personal. Some researchers use various social media and other online forums for data mining; that is, they collect and analyse user-generated content from online applications like Twitter, as well as from discussion forums on relevant websites. Strengths. Social media are rich in information. Their use provides input from customers who are engaged and interested – frequently, people who are influencers. Weakness. The data may not be representative of the target market but, rather, skewed toward people who have strong positive or negative opinions. 30

vue May 2012

Strengths. MROCs are great for longitudinal input, for example, obtaining information over the whole course of a decision-making process, or gathering input about product use over time. Research can be turned around quickly, since the respondents are pre-recruited. For example, we can set up an online bulletin board focus group to take place the next day simply by emailing, say, a hundred community members and taking the first twenty who respond. MROCs can also be set up so they are comprised of particularly creative or cutting edge types, and can then be used for innovation or for identification of trends. Weaknesses. MROCs are expensive, since a large number of people need to be recruited and incentivized. They require substantial staffing resources to keep participants engaged and to analyse the input gathered. Choosing among the Various Methods

Before considering the various online research methods, there are two questions whose answer may entirely eliminate the need for a decision about using remote methodologies. First, are people with broadband Internet representative of the target? If not, we can’t use most remote methods, except telephone focus groups and interviews. Second, is confidentiality absolutely essential? There’s no way to ensure complete confidentiality when conducting research remotely. If it’s absolutely essential, the only completely safe way to conduct research is to get participants in a room and make sure they don’t take anything with them when they leave. Once these two potential hurdles are overcome, we can consider the various methods based on their strengths and weaknesses. It can be helpful to look at the methods’ strengths and weaknesses according to different areas of interest. For each of these areas, we’ve positioned the methods along a continuum – ranging, for example, from “immediate” to “retrospective” or from “a point in time” to “over time” – as shown in the accompanying charts.

F EATUR E

by focus groups to get greater depth, and to benefit from the synergy of group discussions. We find that combining methods also helps increase the comfort level for clients who don’t yet have experience with newer methods. For example, we might recommend conducting two in-person focus groups at a location near the client’s offices, and then a number of webcam focus groups for other locations of interest. Once clients discover that the findings from the different methods are consistent, they tend to be much more open to using newer methods.

In Summary

Clearly, the various methods, both new and traditional, have strengths and weaknesses in different areas. We recommend considering a combination of methods to best take advantage of their strengths. For example, we might conduct text message research to obtain unbiased information followed

Jay Zaltzman is a marketing research consultant based in Los Angeles. His company, Bureau West Market Research and Marketing Strategy, utilizes in-person research as well as a variety of remote, online methods. Jay tries to be “agnostic” when it comes to the research method: the main goal is to find answers to research questions, and he tries to use the best method or combination of methods for each project. vue May 2012

I N D U STRY 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 Sylvie Corbeil-Peloquin, Manager, Member Services, at 1-888-602-6742 or 905-602-6854, ext. 8726 or scorbeil@mria-arim.ca or, in her absence, Executive Director Brendan Wycks at ext. 8724 or bwycks@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 FEBRUARY 2012: GOLD SEAL CORPORATE RESEARCH AGENCIES Acrobat Research Ltd. Advanis Inc. BBM Analytics Blue Ocean Contact Centers Campaign Research Consumer Vision Corsential ULC Elemental Data Collection Inc. GfK Research Dynamics Harris/Decima Inc. Hotspex Inc. Ipsos Reid Maritz Research Canada MBA Recherche MD Analytics Inc. Millward Brown MQO Research Nanos Research NRG Research Group Opinion Search Phase 5 Consulting Group Inc. POLLARA R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. Research House Research Now Tann Research Services Inc. Tele-Surveys Plus / Télé-Sondages Plus TNS Canadian Facts Trend Research Inc. BASIC CORPORATE RESEARCH AGENCIES Avant Market Research Ideaspace Research Illumina Research Partners Insights Inc. Network Research Field Services Inc Nexus Market Research Inc. Sylvestre Marketing INDIVIDUAL MEMBER ORGANIZATION Justason Market Intelligence R.I.S. Christie

www.mria-arim.ca/RRS 32

vue May 2012

Tradeshow Booths & Exhibitors 22

18 17 16

Salon C

20 19

Salon B 15

7 8 9 10

Salon D 14

CRUSH LOBBY

3Q Global ...................................................10

Network Research Field Services...............2

ACCE International ................................. 29/30

Research House Inc. ............................. 26

Reliable, Actionable Consumer Insights by Design.TM

Acrobat Research / Cido .................................3

Research Now ................................. 34/35

Opinions Ltd. ....................................... 17 ASDE Survey Sampler ..................................24 SM Research ..........................................9 CLS Lexi-tech..............................................27 SSI ..................................................... 12 Canadian Viewpoint Inc. ...............................28 Telepoll ............................................... 18 Confirmit ....................................................25 Tobii Technology Inc................................1 Destination St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.................................TBD

MRIA Institute for Professional Development

Toluna................................................. 16

LMS Prolink Litd. .........................................32

Uthink Online OA Student Awards Inc. ..... 23

MRIA - Institute For Professional Development ..7

Voxco ................................................. 13

Marketing Research Institute International ....TBD

Waterloo Insurance ............................... 33

I N D U ST 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.

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH REGISTRY SUBMISSIONS SHOULD BE SENT TO: QRRQ@MRIA-ARIM.CA

THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES HAVE SUBMITTED NAMES TO QUALITATIVE RESEARCH REGISTRY FOR FEBRUARY 2012 ATLANTIC Opinion Search

ONTARIO Barbara C. Campbell Recruiting Consumer Vision Dawn Smith Field Management Services Inc. Ipsos Reid Nexus Research Opinion Search Quality Response R.I.S. Christie Research Professionals Tann Research/Head Count I & S Recruiting

QUEBEC Ipsos Reid MBA Recherche Opinion Search R.I.S. Christie

WEST Barbara C. Campbell Recruiting CRC Research Ipsos Reid Opinion Search R.I.S. Christie SmartPoint Research Inc. Trend Research

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. Recruiters should provide accurate data to the Qualitative Research Registry, where such exists, on a consistent basis and check all respondents against the Registry.

vue May 2012

21. Moderators 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.

2011-2012

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.

We recognise and congratulate our prestigious winners from 2011 and will proudly announce this year’s winners at the 2012 Excellence in Research Awards Gala Dinner and Awards Soiree to be held in St. John’s, Newfoundland, on Thursday May 31, 2012. For more information and to register for the national conference go to www.mria-arim.ca/Conference2012 Winners will also be printed on this page in the Summer 2012 issue of Vue.

This year’s Excellence Awards are generously sponsored by

BEST IN CLASS

PUBLIC POLICY IMPACT AWARD

MRIA AWARD OF DISTINCTION

Awarded for a research project that serves as a shining example to research practitioners and users.

The MRIA Public Policy Impact Award will be awarded for a research project in the broader public sector that has had a demonstrable public policy impact.

The MRIA Award of Distinction recognizes younger members of the Association who have brought distinction to themselves and to the marketing, survey and public opinion research and market intelligence industry/profession through leadership and achievement in their professional and personal lives.

EXCELLENCE BEHIND THE SCENES Awarded to recognize research practitioners whose efforts, such as data collection, recruiting, data processing and analysis or related areas, while enabling the completion of marketing research projects, are “behind the scenes” and do not have direct client contact. BEST MULTINATIONAL Awarded to research practitioners who have initiated and taken the lead in designing and implementing a marketing research project, which collects data from respondents in more than one country. BEST INTEGRATION Awarded in recognition of a research project that demonstrates successful integration of marketing research with other information sources. THE MURRAY PHILP ALTRUISTIC AWARD Awarded for a marketing research project done on a pro-bono or reduced profit basis, for a not-forprofit organization that has contributed positively to the individuals, groups or communities that form part of our Canadian network, that it was meant to help.

CLIENT-SIDE RESEARCHER IMPACT AND EFFECTIVENESS AWARD MRIA’s Client-Side Researcher Impact and Effectiveness Award recognizes a member, employed as a Client-Side Researcher Corporate member of the Association, for outstanding achievements over the past year which have served to elevate the stature of marketing, survey and public opinion research and market intelligence at senior decision-making levels of his or her own organization. MRIA AWARD OF OUTSTANDING MERIT The MRIA Award of Outstanding Merit recognizes conspicuous and sustained service to or on behalf of MRIA or the marketing, survey and public opinion research industry/profession. Such sustained service may have been rendered to MRIA (or one of its predecessor Associations; or some combination thereof); to related industry/ professional groups; or to the community and society generally.

As the Award is intended to honour younger members of the Association, the age of 40 years has been established as the cutoff for eligibility. GRASSROOTS VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP AWARD MRIA’s Grassroots Volunteer Leadership Award recognizes sustained service to the Association – or, through the Association, to the industry/profession more broadly – which has not been rendered in an MRIA national volunteer leadership capacity. Such service must have been delivered over a period of at least two consecutive years. CHAPTER MERIT AWARD MRIA’s Chapter Merit Award recognizes the MRIA Chapter that has demonstrated the strongest support for one or more elements of MRIA’s current Strategic Plan or its immediately previous Strategic Plan during the past year. This support may have been demonstrated through a new initiative or a special program launched during the year; a single event or Chapter activity; or refinements to an existing program.

The eminent members of the 2012 Judging Panel for the Excellence in Research Awards represent research practitioners from many different areas: Chair: Kimberlee Niziol Jonas – MRIA Immediate Past-President, GlaxoSmithKline Judges: Ed Gibson, CMRP – CRC Research • Gail Tibbo, CMRP – Incisive Marketing • Donald Williams – NADbank Inc. • John G. Ball, CMRP – Opus Enterprises

I N D U ST RY N E W S

PEOPLE AND COMPANIES IN THE NEWS • To read more news online, or to submit your “People and Companies in the News”, simply 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.

Public Opinion and Polling For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons Canada, 2012) is a free book illuminating the market and opinion research industry for non-experts. It’s written by the president of Vector Research, Marc Zwelling, CMRP. To order copies, click the Dummies icon at www.vectorresearch.com SSI Introduces SSI Automotive Targeted Access to Automotive Respondents across the World’s Largest Car Markets. SSI Automotive provides reach across the world’s largest car markets – in terms of both production and sales – including the U.S., China, Germany, Japan, Korea, Brazil and China. Researchers can identify and recruit customized audience segments or choose from ten standard selection options. www.surveysampling.com We’re pleased to announce that Peter Nobes joins our team to represent SmartPoint Research and CoastalViews Facility. With 20+ years of experience in the marketing and marketing research industry, Peter is well versed in all facets of respondent recruitment, survey programming and hosting, ﬁeld services pricing and assisting clients with their qualitative and quantitative project requirements. peter@smartpointresearch.com

Affinnova, Inc., the global leader in innovation software and services, has been named a “Cool Vendor” by Gartner, Inc., a leading technology analyst firm. Companies are selected as a “Cool Vendor” for being innovative, impactful and intriguing. Affinnova’s selection was included in the Cool Vendors in Consumer Dynamics, 2012 report by Gartner, Inc., published April 17, 2012. info@affinnova.com Schlesinger Associates is pleased to announce that Anne Hedde has joined our team as Managing Director of Schlesinger Interactive, a fast-growing business initiative dedicated to online and other innovative technologies aimed at meeting current and future research needs in a rapidly evolving digital environment. www.SchlesingerAssociates.com Third Annual Life Sciences Market Research Conference, June 20-21, 2012, Philadelphia, PA www.marcusevansch.com/LSMR_MRIA Speakers include: Alexion Pharmaceutical, NPS Pharmaceuticals, Novartis Consumer Health, Shire Pharmaceuticals, Allergan, Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Baxter International Inc., Stryker, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Amgen and many more! For a $200 discount, mention “MRIA” to Michele Westergaard at Michelew@marcusevansch.com

Exciting Changes at CRA – Margaret Brigley has been appointed President and Chief Operating Ofﬁcer, effective immediately. Peter MacIntosh has assumed the role of Executive Vice President, while Anna Moran and Margaret Chapman have each taken on the role of Vice President. In addition, three other well-deserved promotions: Janet Hefﬂer to Director of Finance; Chris Newell to Research Associate; and Ramona Hall to Manager of our Data Services team. www.cra.ca Research Now, the leading global online sampling and data collection company, today announced the promotion of Kate Svoboda to Vice President of Operations for Canada, the U.S. Northeast and the U.S. West. Kate will continue to oversee project management and sampling teams in Canada and San Francisco, and will work closely with the global operations team to ensure the continued improvement of operational processes worldwide. Kate joined the company in 2004 and most recently served as Director of Operations for Canada, the U.S. Northeast and the U.S. West. During her tenure, she has managed teams through several years of rapid organic growth and two corporate mergers. www.researchnow.com

People and Companies in the News sponsored by:

vue May 2012

I N D U STRY N E W S

UKOM, the cross-industry organization set up to oversee the measurement of online audiences, has ended its partnership with Nielsen and instead appointed comScore as its new partner for online media measurement in the U.K. UKOM is run by the IAB and AOP representing media owners, with oversight by the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) on behalf of advertisers and IPA on behalf of agencies. www.nielsen.com and www.comscore.com In Canada, research firm Hotspex has partnered with strategy specialist LEVEL5 to design BrandMap, an online tool that quantifies and links the emotional and rational drivers of brand usage. Based on a model called MarketSpex which Hotspex launched in 2005, the new methodology plots 96 recognized human emotions onto a concentrically ringed map, categorized into eight primary “emotion zones.” Hotspex President Ted Langschmidt (pictured) comments: “LEVEL5 shares our belief that emotions drive behaviour.” www.hotspex.biz and www.level5strategy.com In the U.S., Nielsen-funded client think tank The Council for Research Excellence (CRE) has approved three new members: Jeffrey Graham, Director of Advertising Research, Americas at Google; Judy Vogel, MD, Insights & Analytics at Media Storm; and Tom Ziangas, SVP, Research at AMC Networks. Nielsen set up the CRE in 2005 as a body which conducts its own methodological research on audience measurement. To date, CRE has received a total of $10m in funding from the research giant. www.researchexcellence.com U.S.-based full service marketing research firm Burke Inc. has promoted Ken Strunk to the position of Vice President, Data

Collection Services, after 22 years with the company. Burke is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, with regional offices throughout the United States. The firm, which is 100% employee-owned, also provides marketing research and consumer insights education through the Burke Institute. www.burke.com Canada Post is pleased to present MRIA members with the opportunity to participate in an upcoming RFP for Marketing Research services. To meet our growing needs, we have opened the process to a range of research firms who can provide primary and/or secondary research, as well as specialized expertise in a number of research disciplines. You can access the entire RFP through MERX at www.merx.com or by calling 1-800964-6379. THE LIST / BESTSELLING BUSINESS BOOKS – Stayin’ Alive by Michael Adams is the #1 bestselling business book in Canada. For a complete list visit the Globe and Mail website. efamro, the European Research Federation, has announced the election of Andrew Cannon as President for the period 2012-2015. Andrew works for TNSGallup and represents Finland’s research association SMTL. Andrew had served as a Vice-President of efamro since March 2011. Also elected to the Executive Board are two new Vice-Presidents: Gudbrand Jevne (Virke – Norway) for the period 2012-2015, and Debrah Harding (The Market Research Society – U.K.) for the period 2012-2014. www.efamro.eu Ipsos has reported a 46% increase in first quarter revenues to EUR 379.9m, reflecting the addition of Synovate’s business. By business line, consolidated customer and employee research revenue jumped 90% to EUR 46.8m, while revenue derived from what Ipsos defines as “marketing research” was up 65% to EUR 196.9m. Ipsos says the efforts made to integrate the two firms’ businesses temporarily slowed commercial expansion across the group. However, Ipsos is expecting to see moderate organic growth, of around 2% in 2012, with an operating margin before non-recurrent items of 10%. www.ipsos.com vue May 2012

P ROFESSIONAL D E VE LO PME NT

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF MRIA’S EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Future Considerations on the Development of the Education Portfolio Fergus W. Gamble, CMRP Following the highly successful and well-attended annual general meeting, as well as the MRIA strategic planning sessions, the association’s education leadership has been considering a variety of plans and stratagems to update and enhance the Institute for Professional Development offerings for the future. In the interest of obtaining input about our ideas from the membership, I wanted to take the opportunity to share some of the concepts we have been discussing. After all, we are all about obtaining input, are we not? CMRP

The Certified Marketing Research Professional designation (CMRP) was developed to provide MRIA and the marketing research profession with a standard of accreditation that recognizes a general level of knowledge and a standard of practice for those working in our industry. It was never intended as an elite designation, but as an acknowledgement of basic, well-rounded competency in the practice of marketing research. We feel that the CMRP must remain the cornerstone of our educational offerings. Currently, about a quarter of our membership holds the CMRP designation. Having recently conducted some analysis on CMRP holders, we found that they tend to skew to the more senior levels in the profession – CEOs, presidents, VPs and so on. They also are more strongly represented in the supplier community than amongst clients. Of course, it cannot be ignored that a large proportion of CMRPs were granted this designation based on lengthy experience in the profession and endorsed by other members of the then-PMRS. However, we are pleased to report that recent accreditations are being earned both by more recent industry entrants with special marketing research courses and backgrounds and by those who have passed the eightyear experience threshold. To Go Beyond

Clearly though, having only a quarter of our membership holding our basic designation level is not acceptable. So we have been exploring ways to encourage more people to gain 40

vue May 2012

MRIA Institute for Professional Development

accreditation within our association. Our target is to get at least fifty per cent of MRIA members holding the CMRP or, potentially, some new recognition of the skills they have acquired through experience or by taking specialty courses provided by MRIA’s Institute for Professional Development. As with the CMRP, these accreditations will require that candidates pass a qualifying examination. The major initiative of putting most of the CMRP courses online is proving extremely popular and successful. We are running at almost three times our anticipated signup level. The online option enables members to take the courses as and when they want, providing flexibility that online students report to us as being a significant benefit. Those who opt for this approach generally accomplish the required learning more quickly. The online option also has the tremendous benefit of being available across the country and, indeed, we have had members of international research associations inquiring about taking our courses. For those candidates who qualify on the basis of industry experience, we are exploring ways to facilitate writing the CMRE (the CMRP exam) on a “challenge” basis after completing eight years in the business. The challenge path requires very limited course work prior to writing the exam: the only requirement at this point is taking the ethics course. Currently, private CMRE sittings are available for those who have critical time issues or prefer to do the exam in confidence. We are discussing the possibility of reducing the required experience level from its current eight years to something in the range of five years, to match the requirements of other associations. Also, consideration is being given to offering a challenge package, including the ethics course and the CMRE prep course, followed immediately by the writing of the exam. This offering will enable challengers to take the required course and write the CMRE in four to five days, from start to finish. Our recent analysis indicates that those who take the CMRE prep course have a very high likelihood of passing the exam and receiving their CMRP. As a result, we are considering making this a mandatory course for everyone writing the CMRE.

P ROFE SS IONAL DE VELO PMEN T

Wa-a-a-a-a-y beyond. Finally, given the growing specialization in our industry, we are examining the potential for offering different levels of accreditation. Those on the qualitative side of the industry, as an example, have long asked for something that more closely fits their needs and training. In addition, we anticipate that more and more specialists from different associated disciplines will be joining our profession and our association in the future. Perhaps, specific designations may be warranted for those specialized in the areas of data collection, data mining, social media, and marketing/competitive intelligence, giving accreditation for their particular specialty. Not CMRP-lite! These specific designations would not be any less rigorous than a CMRP, nor would they substitute for its recognition of individuals’ general knowledge of the practice of marketing research. Rather, they would indicate that individuals have taken courses, written an exam, and been proved qualified in their area of expertise and practice. Indeed, it might even happen that CMRP holders would take on a further accreditation, such as a legal speciality, to add to their designation in some fashion. Your Thoughts?

At this point, these items are mainly conceptual and put forward for discussion. However, I wanted to open that discussion up to you, the members of MRIA, for your input, thereby providing an opportunity for you to join

the conversation. Before we go further in the development of the required courses and supports, we need to know how these ideas will be received and if they will meet our members’ needs, now and in the immediate future. Again, these items are, at this time, only concepts put forward for discussion. Please share your reactions, ideas and comments with me or the other members of the team. Fergus Gamble chair of MRIA’s Education Committee Fergus.gamble@radixmr.com Stephen Popiel dean of MRIA’s Institute for Professional Development Stephen.Popiel@td.com Fania Borok manager of Professional Development and Certiﬁcation FBorok@mria-arim.ca

Fergus Gamble, CMRP, has been a member of MRIA-PMRS for over thirty years. He was a student in the first formal education course, helped organize the initial PMRS annual conference, and has served as chair of both the Membership and the Special Projects Portfolios. Fergus is president of Radix Market Research Inc. and can be reached at fergus.gamble@radixmr.com

vue May 2012

P ROFESSIONAL D E VE LO PME NT

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

BY ACHIEVING A DESIGNATION YOU: • Conﬁrm your broad competency and mastery of theoretical and practical knowledge required to maximize value to your organization and clients; • Better position yourself for career advancement and greater earning power; • Demonstrate your commitment to continued professional development and to upholding the highest level of professional ethical standards.

The CMRP can be obtained by writing the Comprehensive Marketing Research Exam (CMRE). The next CMRE will be held on June 29, 2012. Application deadline: June 1, 2012. Apply now!

CMRE PREP WORKSHOP: PREPARE FOR THE EXAM! A Prep Workshop is available for those who want to brush up on material and on exam techniques, to prepare for the CMRE. This two-day CMRE Prep Workshop will be offered in Toronto on June 14-15, 2012 and in St. John’s, Nﬂd. on May 29-30, 2012. The enrolment to this unique Workshop is limited to 15 registrants per workshop, so don’t delay and reserve your seat TODAY.

102-ETHICAL ISSUES AND PRIVACY IN MARKETING RESEARCH This course introduces participants to the key ethical concerns in the management of the research process. The course focuses on the responsibility of researchers to the public, users of marketing research, clients, and suppliers. This is a mandatory course for all CMRE writers, with the exception of RAP and MBIR graduates. This course will be offered in Halifax on April 25 and in Toronto on May 28. Register early and save $100!

MRIA Institute for Professional Development

For more information on the CMRE, please visit: www.mria-arim.ca/EDUCATION/CMRE.asp or contact us at education@mria-arim.ca 42

vue May 2012

P ROFE SS IONAL DE VELO PMEN T

Summer

MRIA Institute for Professional Development

is just around the corner! Which means sunshine, bathing suits, ﬂip-ﬂops, ice cream and vacation. Although IPD doesn’t run in-class courses during the summer, that doesn’t mean you need to take a vacation from learning!

11 Core Courses are available online 24/7 101 102 201 202 203 204 301

Introduction to Marketing Research Ethical Issues and Privacy in Marketing Research Marketing Research Design: An Applied Course Questionnaire Design Marketing Research Statistics & Data Analysis Qualitative Marketing Research Competitive Intelligence, Competitor Benchmarking and Mystery Shopping 302 Market Intelligence 303 Marketing Management for Researchers 401 Online Research, Best Practices and Innovations 403 Advanced Qualitative Marketing Research Techniques

Maybe this year you’ll convince the boss that learning from your laptop beside a pool improves retention…

engaging education 2012/2013

Planning for the academic year has already begun at MRIA’s Institute for Professional Development To ensure that the upcoming year is a banner year for education within our industry, help us help you!

Contact your Chapter’s Education Chair and notify them of what courses you would like to see offered locally in 2012. Even if it is a course that we have never offered before, please do not hesitate to ask.

ATLANTIC CHAPTER: Jennifer Jeffrey - jjeffrey@marketquest.ca QUEBEC CHAPTER: Daniel Brousseau – daniel.brousseau@tnsglobal.com OTTAWA CHAPTER: Nat Stone – nat.stone@pwgsc.gc.ca PRAIRIE CHAPTER: Scott Patton – spatton@mpi.mb.ca ALBERTA CHAPTER: Barry Davis – bdavis@legermarketing.com BC CHAPTER: Cam Davis – camdavis@sdrsurvey.com TORONTO CHAPTER: Daniel Borok – dborok@mria-arim.ca Toronto Chapter educational offerings are organized by MRIA Head Ofﬁce

We will aim to deliver what you desire!

MRIA Institute for Professional Development

vue May 2012

COLUMNISTS

RAC

STANDARDS

Why the Financial Health of the Industry Survey Is Changing ... and Why It Will Matter to You

Is Protecting the Respondent’s Identity at the Core of Marketing Research Standards?

Rasheeda Qureshi

Donald Williams

Research Now

NADbank

Many of you will be aware that MRIA has just asked your company to respond to the annual Financial Health of the Industry (FHI) Survey. This time around there have been significant adjustments to the survey. I’d like to draw your attention to these, provide you with some context on what the changes are, and tell you why they were made. In the past, the FHI Survey reported on the size of our industry, provided context on changes in overall revenues from year to year, and supplied data on compensation and benefits. However, over the past several years, the Research Agency Council (RAC) has received feedback from members questioning the relevance and reliability of the FHI Survey data. This feedback caused us to undertake a serious re-examination of the survey and ask ourselves: Were we asking the right questions? How and what were we asking? As a result of the RAC’s review, the following changes have been made: • The most significant changes were those to annual revenues and total billings. The intention was to capture the actual size of the industry more accurately and to reduce any double-counting of revenues that occurs in cross-company billings. • Updates were made throughout the survey to ensure that the current state of the industry was correctly reflected. For example, MROCs, IVR, mobile/smartphone, and social listening/analysis were all added. • In the staff compensation section, a number of position descriptions were added to update the categories, adding specific roles such as qualitative researcher, panel analyst, and scripter. We recognize that completion of the survey is a large undertaking for all our member agencies. Please bear with us as we strive to make the survey more reliable and relevant for you all. We welcome your feedback as we work toward delivering you significant ROI from your input to the survey. Our goal is for our members and the industry to see the FHI Survey as the credible source of information on the state of the industry. The RAC is committed to making this survey work for you. This is why the changes matter, and why we need your support. 44

vue May 2012

The marketing research industry relies heavily on the public’s voluntary participation in various forms of surveys, whether passively or directly. In short, every marketing research participant has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Enshrined in various marketing research codes of conduct and best practices are the public’s consent, anonymity and privacy. MRIA’s “Ten Core Principles,” for example, address the following principles directly: consent (principle 1), public confidence (principle 2), the public’s right to privacy (principle 3), and ethical practice (principle 5). The principles can be downloaded at www.mria-arim.ca/STANDARDS/PDF/ TenCorePrinciples.pdf For years, there were very few issues that could put the amicable relationship between the public and the marketing researcher at risk: the relationship was secure. However, the demand for more information from the public began to put a strain on this relationship. The use of social media tools or techniques borrowed from other branches of research (e.g., medicine and psychology), largely in innovative new ways, created challenges for marketing researchers. Because of the pace of change, recently written standards became outdated, in some cases even before they were formally published. But while there are clear legal requirements and ethical principles to protect the respondent’s identity, some may argue that there is a segment of the population at large that is made up of respondents who would like to publicize their identity. There are two extremes of a continuum: at one end are the respondents who see the right to share their identity publicly as part of their freedom of speech; at the other are those who vehemently protect their right to privacy. Balancing the extremes is the marketing researcher, whose job it is to know that protecting a respondent’s identity – private or public – is at the core of marketing research standards.

COLUMN I STS

QUALITAS Do I Really Need to Attend This Conference? Sean Dunnigan Ipsos Reid UU

It’s something of an understatement to say that how we learn and how we gather information have changed in the past few years. Early Internet prognosticators were optimistic that the web and digital media would open up new avenues of learning. They were wrong only in not being optimistic enough. This hasn’t been change: it’s been a revolution. One has only to take a stroll through Wikipedia, sample the ever-expanding treasure house that is the Khan Academy, or throw a simple problem at YouTube (where I’m ashamed to say I once watched a video called “How to Tie a Necktie”) in order to feel the immediate impact of the “new learning.” Old ways of learning have to work overtime just to keep up.Which brings us to the question at hand: Now that we’re in the age of digital learning, do I really need to attend this conference? I would argue: Absolutely. As qualitative researchers, we are fully aware of the importance of in-person, real-time sharing. We’re pretty much hard-wired to engage with people directly and listen for the nuggets. So, for us, conferences are a natural fit. Sure, running real-time in-store interviews remotely from your PlayBook is cool, but there’s no replacement for in-person interaction. You might even say that qualitative research is the science (the art?) of interaction. And in terms of learning about the profession, is there a better forum for interacting than a conference? Think about all those great learning experiences in your life – the revelations, the aha moments. How many of them happened in front of a screen? Embrace your inner qualitative researcher and go to that conference, ask those questions, listen for those nuggets of insight. Chances are you’ll learn a few things that can’t be piped in through an Ethernet cable.

INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY Triggering Creativity and Energy Margaret Imai-Compton, CMRP RD Centre for Learning

“Distraction and continuous stimulus are excellent at triggering creativity and energy.” Kevin Hogan, body language expert and motivational speaker. Over numerous columns, you will have surmised that I believe we all have creative ability. But even if we believe we have the capacity to embrace creativity, very few of us have the ability to summon it at will. Typically, the response goes something like this: “Sure, I’m creative, except when I need it!”

Creativity cannot be forced. And when we’re stressed, our thinking will turn on itself, usually on to what’s stressing us rather than expanding into realms of imaginative solutions. In previous columns, I’ve written about the need for a creative mood, creative spaces, and creative freethinking. According to Kevin Hogan, the author of the quotation at the top of this month’s column, one way to encourage our creative energies on a regular basis is to design our workspace to be full of distractions, including visual and auditory stimuli. In a recent article, Hogan published photos of the offices of several really creative thinkers. And guess what? There’s not a clean desktop to be found! Piles of papers, pages of notes, pictures of celebrities, stacks of books, and plain old clutter, everywhere. Hogan’s belief is that creativity flourishes in chaos and clutter, because the constant stimulation and distraction lead the mind to unexpected and spontaneous places. The ping-pong effect created by these distractions helps the brain make surprising and often unorthodox connections. So instead of feeling bad about your messy surroundings, put on some tunes, create another pile of papers, and enjoy the distractions, knowing that your mind is making all these new connections.

THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION Have You Heard the Latest About Sound Trade-marks? Ruth M. Corbin, CMRP CorbinPartners Inc.

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office has opened the door to registrations of trade-marks for sounds. Marketers across the country are banging their drums in approval. The value of music and sounds in stirring brand associations has long been known among social scientists. And consumers, since their first childhood encounter with an ice cream truck, have been relying on sound cues (second only to visual cues) for interpreting their marketplace: brand specialists call it “sonic branding.” Sound associations have been found to focus attention, elicit feelings, induce responses, and establish memory pathways. The roar of the MGM lion, the NBC chimes, the Tarzan chest-beating yell – all have attained the status of distinctive, memorable sounds that are, in other countries, protectable through registration. Now, Canada will allow registrations. According to the proposed regulations posted on its website in March and April of this year, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office requires that applications for a sound trade-mark include a drawing that graphically represents the sound, a description of the sound, and an electronic recording of the sound. Along with the opportunity to strengthen brands with sound associations, comes the need to expand the protection of brand identity when disputes arise. That need, in turn, anticipates the inevitable need for evidence. Surveys of brand vue May 2012

COLUM N ISTS

associations with sounds require their own set of quality control standards, depending on the transmission medium – telephone, Internet, or in-person research. MRIA’s Litigation and Regulatory Resource committee invites your recommendations for quality control standards in this area of market evidence, on the cusp of expansion in Canada. Other questions or comments are also invited. Please email the author at rcorbin@corbinpartners.com

BRAVE NEW WORLD Making Sense of the Online Consumer Corrine Sandler Fresh Intelligence Research Corp.

Delivering on a concept, from idea to execution and all things in between, can be a cumbersome process that, typically, consumes every waking (and sleeping) hour of a marketer’s day. The list of detailed to-do’s – running into the millions of dollars in product development – can often seem endless. So, if all this investment behind the scenes is done just to get a product on the shelf, doesn’t it make sense to ensure the merchandise is optimized so that it shines when it gets there? This is where the next generation of shopper marketing researcher comes into play. In an era when use of the smartphone is on a trajectory like no other, researchers must

vue May 2012

capitalize on the technology by utilizing this device as the platform for collecting valuable in-store insights. As an example, let’s take a recent mobile study conducted by Fresh Intelligence. In order to gain an understanding of the instore merchandising tactics used by Canadian retailers during the 2012 Easter season, Fresh Intelligence commissioned a mobile study to uncover best-in-class retailer examples, themes, and trends found in-store. The methodology employed 64 mobile respondents visiting fifteen retail store chains across Canada, snapping photos via a downloadable mobile app, and answering a few simple rating questions. Once a data set with hundreds of pictures (including promotional and Easter shelf displays, product images, and decorations) were captured and attitudinal responses were analysed, researchers were able to accurately gauge national instore brand performance across different banners, and provide opportunities and recommendations for Canadian retailers. Marketers’ ability to monitor their in-store initiatives and immediately improve their merchandising efforts are vital to the success of their brands. With the number of smartphone subscribers at 101.3 million and growing (according to ComScore’s January 2012 report, available online), the future of mobile research will continue to prevail, as researchers reveal the technology’s powerful potential to provide the insights that lead to brand success.

SPRING IS A GREAT TIME... Membership Promotion: enroll new staff members at reduced membership dues and save $150 on their 2012 Conference registration fees** Starting on May 7, new members can join at the following pro-rated rates for a membership valid until December 31, 2012: ✓ Regular member: $251* ✓ New practitioner with less than two years of work experience in the industry: $139* * plus $70 activation fee, plus taxes

Member discount on the registration fees to the MRIA 2012 Conference (St. John’s, NL from May 30 to June 1, 2012).

HOW’S THAT FOR A WHALE OF A DEAL? To join MRIA as a new Individual member, visit the MRIA Portal at www.mriaportal-arimportail.ca

MRIA 2012 National Conference Organizing Committee Conference Co-Chairs Carolyn Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Keefe carolyn@mqoresearch.com

Social Program Tracy Rideout tracy@mqoresearch.com

Corinne MacGillivray King corinne@mqoresearch.com

Program Chair Carol Wilson carol.wilson@spielo.com

Conference Communications Anne Marie Gabriel amgabriel@mria-arim.ca Tradeshow Anastasia Arabia conftradeshow@mria-arim.ca

MRIA Registrations Erica Klie eklie@mria-arim.ca Web Design and Graphics Michael Maske and Louise Maske LS Graphics

Sponsorship Chair Bruce Jones brucejonesandassociates@live.com

Thanks for joining us in St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s! Visit us at www.mria-arim.ca/Conference2012

Connections

2600 Skymark Avenue Building 4, Unit 104 Mississauga, Ontario L4W 5B2 Tel: (905) 602-6854 Toll Free: 1-888-602-MRIA (6742) Fax: (905) 602-6855 Website: www.mria-arim.ca Visit us on LinkedIn

Marketing Research and Intelligence Association L’Association de la recherche et de l’intelligence marketing MRIA 2012-13 Board of Directors

OFFICERS PRESIDENT PRESIDENT-ELECT VICE-PRESIDENT SECRETARY-TREASURER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Sandra Janzen Anastasia Arabia Shane Skillen, CMRP Rick Hobbs, CMRP Brendan Wycks, CAE

Ipsos Reid Corporation Trend Research Inc. Hotspex Inc.

DIRECTORS MRIA PRESIDENT PRESIDENT-ELECT PAST-PRESIDENT (EX-OFFICIO) AT-LARGE AT-LARGE AT-LARGE AT-LARGE BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS RESEARCH DIVISION CHAPTER COUNCIL CHAPTER COUNCIL CLIENT-SIDE RESEARCHER COUNCIL CLIENT-SIDE RESEARCHER COUNCIL QUALITATIVE RESEARCH DIVISION RESEARCH AGENCY COUNCIL RESEARCH AGENCY COUNCIL WESTERN CANADA REGION ONTARIO REGION QUEBEC REGION ATLANTIC CANADA REGION

Sandra Janzen Anastasia Arabia Kimberlee Niziol Jonas Fergus Gamble, CMRP Rick Hobbs, CMRP Shane Skillen, CMRP Cora Waters, CMRP Tricia Benn Carolyn O’Keefe, CMRP Tracy Bowman, CMRP Joseph Chen John Tabone Margaret Brigley, CMRP Ruth Corbin, CMRP Amy Charles Dave McVetty, CMRP Kristian Gravelle Christian Bourque, CMRP Carol Wilson, CMRP

Ipsos Reid Corporation Trend Research Inc. GlaxoSmithKline Radix Market Research

MRIA

Hotspex Inc. Leger Marketing Rogers Connect Market Research & Client Services MarketQuest-Omnifacts Research Parks Canada Unilever Canada Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants Corporate Research Associates Inc. CorbinPartners Inc. Ipsos Reid Corporation Parks Canada Kraft Canada Inc. Leger Marketing Spielo

MRIA 2012-13 Portfolio Chairs BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS RESEARCH DIVISION CHAPTER COUNCIL CLIENT-SIDE RESEARCHER COUNCIL DEAN OF MRIA INSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & CERTIFICATION GOVERNMENT RELATIONS INTER-ASSOCIATION LIAISON LITIGATION AND REGULATORY RESOURCES COMMITTEE MARKET INTELLIGENCE MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS MEMBERSHIP PUBLICATIONS QUALITATIVE RESEARCH DIVISION RESEARCH AGENCY COUNCIL STANDARDS

Maggie Weaver Carolyn O’Keefe, CMRP Joseph Chen Stephen Popiel, CMRP Fergus Gamble, CMRP Don Mills, CMRP, FMRIA Roland Klassen, CMRP Ruth Corbin, CMRP Eleanor Austin Shane Skillen, CMRP Dave McVetty, CMRP Stephen Popiel, CMRP Margaret Brigley, CMRP Ruth Corbin, CMRP Don Williams

Shaftesbury Associates MarketQuest-Omnifacts Research Unilever Canada TD Bank Radix Market Research Corporate Research Associates Acrobat Research Ltd. Corbin Partners Inc. Atlantic Lottery Corporation Hotspex Inc. Parks Canada TD Bank Corporate Research Associates Inc. CorbinPartners Inc. NADbank Inc.

MRIA 2012-13 Chapter Council/Chapter Presidents CHAPTER COUNCIL CHAIR ALBERTA ATLANTIC CANADA BRITISH COLUMBIA OTTAWA PRAIRIE QUEBEC TORONTO

Carolyn O’Keefe, CMRP Carolyn Kildare Carolyn O’Keefe, CMRP Edward van Dam Inga Petri, CMRP Tracy Bowman, CMRP Michel Saulnier, CMRP Leah McTiernan, CMRP

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/ACCOUNTS PAYABLE CLERK CONTROLLER MANAGER, COMMUNICATIONS & MANAGING EDITOR, VUE MANAGER, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & CERTIFICATION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & CERTIFICATION COORDINATOR MANAGER, MEMBER SERVICES MEMBER SERVICES & EVENTS COORDINATOR

Brendan Wycks Etta Wahab Lucy Pizunski Anne Marie Gabriel Fania Borok Daniel Borok Sylvie Corbeil-Peloquin Erica Klie

MarketQuest-Omnifacts Research Mercer MarketQuest-Omnifacts Research BC Hydro Strategic Moves Parks Canada Saine Marketing Inc. Ipsos ASI

MRIA STAFF TEAM Ext. Ext. Ext. Ext. Ext. Ext. Ext. Ext.

8724 8721 8722 8723 8730 8729 8726 8727

bwycks@mria-arim.ca ewahab@mria-arim.ca lpizunski@mria-arim.ca amgabriel@mria-arim.ca fborok@mria-arim.ca dborok@mria-arim.ca scorbeil@mria-arim.ca eklie@mria-arim.ca