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Best Practices

Article Synopsis: Quantitative or Qualitative Research Methods, Let’s Go Back to the Basics

data, different statistical methods and models can give different readings. Gray states, “Causation requires correlation of some kind but correlation and causation are not the same.”

When looking at probabilities and categories, Gray cautions the researcher to, “Avoid confusing the possible with the plausible and the plausible with fact. It’s also not difficult, though, to miss something of genuine practical significance that lies hidden beneath…

October 21, 2014 No Comments
CRC
Best Practices

12 Actionable Tips from the 2014 MRA Corporate Researcher’s Conference

The MRA’s Corporate Researcher’s Conference (CRC) was full of great sessions and first-class attendees. And I came home with a pile of business cards that are covered with scribbled down notes for follow-up. If you didn’t make it to CRC this year, here is a sampling of my notes from this 2.5 day event.

1. Sally Hogshead: High performers tend to specialize & tend to over-deliver in one area. I find this to be true, though she said it more articulately than I ever have.
2. Sally Hogshead: Successful brands know how they are different and what they do best. They avoid the “all things to all people” trap…

September 23, 2014 1 Comment
New Year's Market Research Training Budget
Market Research Training

Getting Your Training Requests Approved: All in the Timing

Here are three tips to keep in mind when submitting your training budget request:
1.Add context. When submitting your training request, put it in context. Rather than simply say, “I want to take a class on writing qualitative research reports,” show why. For example, “I want to learn new ways to analyze qualitative research so that I can really get the most value from our research investments.” …

September 5, 2014 No Comments
Best Practices

5 Ways You Know You Are an Awesome Market Researcher

Here are the five core attributes of an awesome researcher. Make sure you have these nailed, and your clients will quickly begin to appreciate your awesomeness.

1. You use multiple research methodologies. You are familiar with multiple research methods, and can match a project’s goals to the best available method. You don’t assume every project is either a survey or a focus group.
2. You think carefully about sample source. You know when to use panels, …

August 22, 2014 8 Comments
Brand Awareness

Article Synopsis: Listening In on Social Media: A Joint Model of Sentiment and Venue Format Choice

The results from the authors’ modeling shows that the inferences marketing researchers obtain from monitoring social media are dependent on where they “listen.” For example, Facebook tends to be more positive, and Twitter more negative in the opinions expressed, based on the dynamics stated in the above paragraph. Common approaches that either focus on a single social media venue or ignore differences across venues…

August 8, 2014 No Comments
Brand Awareness

Article Synopsis: The High Price of Customer Satisfaction

Highly satisfied customers = revenue dollars. Or do they? Some data has shown that the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer spending behavior is surprisingly weak. In this article, the authors share their analysis of the relationship between satisfaction and business outcomes, gathering data from more than 100,000 consumers covering more than 300 brands. This data came from two sources, the American Satisfaction…

July 24, 2014 No Comments