Is Market Segmentation or Customer Satisfaction Research in Your Future?

Market segmentation and customer satisfaction are very different market research projects, but they have a lot in common: High-visibility projects. These tend to be projects where the results are highly… Continue reading Is Market Segmentation or Customer Satisfaction Research in Your Future?

The #1 Cure for Boring Quantitative Research Reports

Boring reports are often caused by weak synthesis. Boring reports tend to be glorified lists of single data points, filled with dull statements like, “25% of people reported X, and 35% reported Y.” Or how about, “3 out of 5 customers prefer A, and 2 out of 5 prefer B.” Boring. But boring reports are fast to write, and given the pressure most researchers are under to write reports fast, it’s an understandable conundrum. So, what’s the cure?

Segmenting for Success

“Manageable pieces” “Bite sized chunks” “More easily digestible groups” Each of these are phrases that have been used to describe market segmentation, through which a target market is divided into… Continue reading Segmenting for Success

Why “Marketing” is Hard for “Market Researchers”

Numerous articles have been written, and debates engaged, about the question, “Are market researchers bad marketers?” It does strike one as odd—that a profession so driven to understand customer attitudes and behaviors, can’t seem to apply the discipline for its own marketing—and ultimately revenue-generating—benefit.

Not Attending TMRE This Year? Then Consider Market Research University Week

This November 7th to 9th, many lucky professionals will be gathered in Orlando, Florida learning and networking at one of the industry’s premiere conferences: The Market Research Event (hosted by… Continue reading Not Attending TMRE This Year? Then Consider Market Research University Week

Market Segmentation: What to Look For in A Project Proposal

Here are a few practical tips about what you should see in a market segmentation proposal. If you see these things, it tells you that this proposal is from an experienced market research firm that understands how to mitigate the risks specific to segmentation projects.

My Totally Unofficial, Brutally Honest 2010 TMRE Awards

Best Speaker: Dawn Lacallade from ComBlu. For content, delivery style and just being so refreshingly honest.

Most (delightfully) unexpected content: Kelley Styring’s presentation on the One-armed Dove Hunt, which is a core piece of research for her current project, “The One-handed World.”

Most amusing: This award goes to the Shopping Track. Apparently, research on shoppers is a rather slippery topic; I heard contradictory data from 3 Shopper Track speakers. I won’t name names. But I sat in on 3 sessions…

Check Out The AMA’s 2010 Market Research Conference

The AMA’s 2010 Market Research conference is coming soon (September 26-28). I will be there, and encourage anyone interested in educational and peer networking opportunities to join me. Great Keynote… Continue reading Check Out The AMA’s 2010 Market Research Conference

Market Segmentation for Saving Money, and Making Money

Market segmentation is all about sales and marketing ROI. The premise is that to maximize success with a large population of customers, it is best to divide it into logical subgroups. By dividing one large, generalized market into subgroups, you can fine-tune your product, messaging, promotional, distribution and related strategies to meet the specific needs of unique customer groups.