Engaging the Research Respondent

1
Engaging the Research Respondent

• May 20, 2008
• Ryan Beieler, Director of Moderating Services,
• iModerate Research Technologies

2
Overview

• I. Todays Consumer
• New landscape
• Examples
• II. Market Research
• Online surveys
• Our respondents
• Where are we headed?
• Implications
• III. Solutions
• Methods, tools, techniques
• IV. Key Takeaways

3
The New Consumer

• The consumer has never been more involved in the
  marketplace than
• they are today, and as a result, a fundamental
  shift has occurred
• Consumers expect to voice their opinions and
  ideas through exciting and engaging channels and
  truly have a marked impact
• How involved are we?
• The blog population has grown to over 12 million
  American adults1
• Over a million people have customized their own
  sneaker on Nike.com2
• By 2010, 60 of Fortune 1000 companies will have
  some sort of community3
• 1.5 million blog posts per day or 17 posts per
  second4
• Consumers are firmly entrenched in development,
  marketing, branding,
• and advertising activities

Sources 1)Pew Internet and American Life Project
2)Nike 3)Gartner Research 07 4)Technorati 07
4
The New Landscape

• The Web 2.0 era, defined by engagement,
  interaction and connection,
• has changed the way consumers interact with
  companies and brands
• Corporate blogs, communities, consumer generated
  media and consumer product creation are just a
  few of the more popular ways to put the power in
  the hands of consumers
• Companies have increasingly embraced these new
  initiatives even though it can mean relinquishing
  some control over brand communication and image
• Corporate benefits
• Allows organizations to more directly hear and
  see their customers thoughts and ideas
• Establishes a rapport with customers
• Leaves consumers feeling like the organization
  truly values their opinion

5
Examples

• Consumer Generated Content
• Invited consumers to their website to submit
  a 30 second ad for Doritos which was shown
  during the Super Bowl
• Consumer Product Creation
• Offers customers the opportunity to design
  their own sneakers on their website.
  Options include sneaker type, color and personal
  ID
• Blogs
• Set up to listen to what consumers have to
  say in order to see how they feel about various
  aspects of the company, find new ideas and give
  their customers a voice
• Consumer Ideation
• Provides a whiteboard where consumers can
  demonstrate their imagination at work and
  submit it

6
Research Today

• One of the main goals of marketing research is to
  capture the publics
• opinion in order to help shape an organizations
  direction, initiatives,
• messaging, campaigns, etc
• Garnering this feedback online is now prevalent
• According to ESOMAR, the online research spend in
  the United States was 3.1 billion in 2006, an
  increase of 14 from 2005
• The vast majority of this is spent in the online
  quantitative space online surveys
• Common characteristics of online surveys today
• Limited design to not distract respondents
• Set answer choices where respondents simply
  click which answer works best for them
• Lengthy attribute lists
• Open ends where respondents are asked to give
  more detail on pre- programmed questions

7
Our Respondents

• There are many crucial industry issues
  surrounding online data collection today
• Professional respondents, data quality,
  respondent experience - Why is respondent
  experience such a timely and significant issue?

Scenario 1
Scenario 2
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Key Questions

• If consumers can share their thoughts and ideas
  through exciting and
• engaging activities and vehicles, then at what
  point do online surveys
• become a tool of the past?
• How valid and candid are the answers that
  unengaged respondents are giving?
• Is the lack of more creative and interactive
  outlets alienating our most important asset?
• Are incentives alone enough to keep respondents
  active and engaged?
• Can good panel management alone continue to keep
  the respondent engaged?
• How can we fix this before there are serious
  repercussions?

9
Implications of Complacency

• The communication revolution sparked by Web 2.0
  can have negative
• implications in the area of online surveys if we
  sit idly by and fail to take
• our cue as researchers
• Dispelling the Myths
• This is just a Gen X, Y, and Millennials issue
• People of all ages are active participants in Web
  2.0 activities
• The research arena is unaffected by changes in
  widespread technology and emerging methods
• Mail and phone surveys have felt the impact of
  the Internet
• Respondents dont care about engagement and
  interaction
• Respondents actually rate their survey experience
  higher when they are interacted with and get to
  voice their opinions

A lack of innovation and focus on the respondent
will result in dissatisfied respondents and less
reliable data
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Solutions

• Just as the advent of the Internet sparked us to
  create online research
• methods, this customer centric movement must
  inspire us to embrace
• more creative and engaging methods and to focus
  on continued
• innovation
• What can help?
• Statistical data capture via engaging tools
• Innovations that give consumers a voice
• Visual and audio stimuli
• Personal interaction
• Incorporation of virtual elements
• Even small enhancements and augmentations can
  serve to break up the
• monotony of online surveys and engage respondents
  while preserving
• the integrity of the data

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Audio Visual

• The ability to easily incorporate audio and
  visual stimuli was one of the
• main reasons why research was able to migrate to
  the web
• Ideal for
• Ad testing, television pilots, animation, radio
  spots, listening to a
• playlist, demos, product and package shots
• Benefits
• Respondents are used to stimuli being part of
  their online experience
• Allows them to hear and see what is being
  researched
• Interactivity (page turner) can be included which
  adds a level of engagement

12
Virtual Experience

• Virtual components in an online survey adds a
  layer of fun and
• innovation, making the experience more robust and
  rewarding for
• respondents
• One of the most popular and effective virtual
  elements is the virtual shopping experience
• Ideal for new product introductions, pricing,
  packaging, promotions, and category management
• Respondent benefits
• Allows respondents to mimic an actual behavior
• More closely resembles a real-life experience
• Gives respondents a fresh environment to work in
• This change forces them out of the check a box
  and move on routine
• Often incorporates different stimuli such as
  video and audio cues

13
Sliders, Dials and Drag Drop

• Sliders, dials and drag drop gives respondents
  a more interactive
• way to group, classify, rank and assign anything
  from names to brands
• to ads to images
• Sliders Dials
• These tools can be easily inserted into online
  surveys and put the onus on the respondent to
  move the dial/slider based on their feelings
  towards the stimuli at that moment in time
• Provides respondents with a real-time, engaging
  activity
• Seeks to ensure a heightened level of
  concentration and connection
• Drag Drop
• This method incorporates motion and visuals and
  can be a more engaging alternative to radio
  buttons in breaking up the monotony of a survey

14
Live Interaction

• Incorporating real-time interaction with a
  professional moderator during
• online surveys engages the respondent and makes
  the survey
• experience more rewarding
• This often is accomplished utilizing one-on-one,
  professionally moderated interview sessions which
  occur in an instant message like platform
• Respondent benefits
• Offers respondents a two-way communication avenue
• Allows them to express themselves more freely
• Lets the respondent know that someone is actually
  listening to them and valuing their opinion
• Adds a unique and interactive piece to the survey
  experience
• 20 unprompted thank you rate
• 80 of respondents rate their experience higher

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Key Takeaways

• The new consumer expects to be engaged and speak
  out in exciting and creative ways
• Balancing research that delivers methods and
  tools that enhance the respondent experience is a
  best practice for any research initiative
• Combining any of the of the options mentioned in
  this presentation can be appropriate and
  beneficial
• Utilizing these enhancements provides a
  respondent experience that more closely resembles
  the Web 2.0 environment which is prevalent in
  respondents everyday lives
• Our respondents are our most important asset, and
  we must keep their wants and needs in mind

16
Contact Us

• Ryan Beieler
• Director of Moderating Services
• 303-333-7880 ext 210
• rbeieler_at_imoderate.com
• Visit us on the web at iModerate.com