Where the Wild Things Are

Seldom is there a customer experience that doesn’t have an underlying emotional dimension. Harnessing this fact is an issue that Big Data has yet to fully resolve. However, for decades those in the consumer behavior camp have understood this. The emotional component to a decision or experience is...read more

The Power of Segmenting the Market by Usage

In a recent post, I covered segmentation basics and briefly examined the debate around which variables are best used for the project. The point to remember is that marketing organizations can often benefit from multiple segmentations depending upon the end user (e.g. direct marketing, sales,...read more

The Transformation: Data to Insights

In the world of marketing, it’s common for reports to be swarming with data and benchmarks drawn from hundreds of different touch points like email, website, search, social, mobile, reviews, comments, and more. However, even with the plentiful amount of data we collect, insights are hard to develop....read more

Don’t Train Your Employees – Educate Them!

Poor customer service could land you a prime time spot filled with bad reviews on various social media channels for everyone to see. Customers have power, which means they can and will publicize both good and bad experiences, so exceptional customer service is necessary. You probably already know...read more

Testing Using the ABCs

At one point we all learned our ABCs. With the pace of change currently increasing in the marketing research world we are now in need of a refresher. In this case the A and B refer to the concept of A/B testing and the C is the outcome of that test, better known as the Champion. A/B testing has long...read more

Tell me what you think

As market researchers, we are frequently asked to assess the opinions of our constituents. In the process of questionnaire creation, this can take the place of asking one group directly about their sentiment, but there are other options. It is equally common to ask one group about their perceptions...read more

Capturing the First Time

Do you remember your first time? Well if it was your first kiss then I hope you would remember. In this case I am referring to first time you became a customer of (fill in the blank). How you feel about your first experience with a new retailer, vendor or other company plays a large role in...read more

Hotel Guest Surveys: Foundation of Leading Loyalty Programs

Summer is often thought of as the travel season with families taking their annual vacations. Of course travel and tourism occur throughout the year and are a significant input to the both US and the broader global economies. The industries that make up the tourism sector are keen at paying attention...read more

Think (and Conduct Research) Before Major Strategy Shifts

Survey research is often used to ‘quantify’ an executive’s gut feeling. This is one of consumer and B2B marketing research’s primary functions, and certainly one that it excels at. With that said it is still possible to go down a path that provides accurate data that answers the wrong...read more

Survey Research Empowers Healthcare Marketing

As I was sitting in my acupuncturist’s office today it occurred to me that as a business they need to market themselves in the same fashion that a leading CPG brand or service provider. The adage of “If you build it they will come,” may have worked in the movies, but in today’s congested marketplace...read more
The Rise of the Smart Phone: Are you Leverging Mobile? 10 Tips for Mobile-Friendly Survey Creation