Innovation in Research
Posted by Paul Schlueter on Friday, December 18, 2009 at 10:36 AM | More From This Author »
For the most part, the use of "proven methodologies" is essential to making good business decisions. But times change, markets change and so does the consumer, so we must keep our eyes open to innovation within the research discipline.
Researchers in general tend to tread lightly where new methods are concerned, but methods must evolve to properly address client goals. Consider consumer testing for advertisements, political speeches, promotional videos and other audio visual content -- these methods often require direct consumer interaction but have long been bound by budgetary constraints. A small sample may lack statistical or geographical validity, while the expense of reaching an accurate level of consumers can kill a project. This is probably the main reason that so few executions are actually tested on any level prior to reaching the market.
Traditional dial testing methodologies represent a common approach to market research and tend to work well because of their ability to gather direct consumer interaction. But this method often requires that researchers bring consumers to a research facility or focus group center, creating significant expense for rental, recruitment and participant premiums. It’s a catch 22 for research consultants.
An Alternative to Traditional Dial Testing
With no viable alternative in the market, our team decided to take on the challenge of building a better solution, and it's called Vibetrak. With a focus on innovation matched with smart, adaptive research methodologies, this web-based system was created to provide the market with a high sample and quantitative approach to perception analysis testing.
Consider the case of USA Today’s Ad Meter. The publishers of one of the nation’s most anticipated post-Superbowl advertisement rankings utilized only two markets (Chicago, IL and McLean, VA) and just 234 respondents to publish its “best and worst” list. The compromises on sampling undoubtedly introduced geographic product bias and significantly limited the potential for consumer insight. Granted, I’m guessing the folks at USA Today were going for a good story, not great research, but the case could be made here for a little innovation. Ah, the perils of research.