Blog tracks culture trends around the world
ModelPeople Inc., a Del Mar, Calif., consulting firm, has launched CultureBlog at www.modelpeople.info/cultureblog/, a research product designed to give access to grassroots consumer culture trends in urban centers like New York and Tokyo, and relate them to the macro context.
The CultureBlog is authored by Claire Brooks, ModelPeople Inc.’s president. Blog contributors, called Urban Correspondents, are urban trendsetters with backgrounds such as fashion and consumer media who blog ModelPeople on what’s happening locally with regard to consumer trends and provide street photos to illustrate their findings.
CultureBlog’s suite of Web-based services also allows ModelPeople to enter consumers’ lives online via private photo blogs (uploading photos daily, from digital cameras or phones) or custom chat rooms, adding to ethnography projects which observe consumers in the context of their daily lives. For more information visit the Web site or contact Claire Brooks at 858-755-7150.
Two software updates from The Analytical Group
The Analytical Group Inc., Chicago, has released version 6.0 of its WinCross crosstabulation software. Some new features are: SPSS v13.0 compatibility; enhanced statistical testing; and a new data manipulation and sort module which lets users combine an unlimited number of files, with an unlimited number of records. WinCross has increased the 240-character limit on combined text and/or logic to 480 characters. This increase allows longer glossary statements, row logic, row text, table title text, and headers and footers. Variable names have been increased from a maximum of 12 characters to a maximum of 64. WinCross has additional significance testing features: independent T-test for unequal variances; dependent T-test for paired with full and/or partial overlap; and dependent Z-test for paired with full and/or partial overlap.
The firm is also offering WinQuery 5.0, the latest version of its CATI, CAPI and Web interviewing software. Some of WinQuery 5.0’s new features are: compatibility with StrataDial.VC2 predictive dialers; enhanced reporting modules; and easier data layout management. For more information visit www.analyticalgroup.com.
Sample design wizard from StatTrek
StatTrek.com has released the Sample Planning Wizard, an online tool for cost-effective survey sample design. Using a step-by-step approach, the Wizard helps survey researchers identify the optimum sampling plan - the plan that provides the most precision for the least cost.
With the Sample Planning Wizard, users can assess the effect of different design decisions (sample size, sampling method, sample allocation, etc.) on the precision and cost of research. The Wizard works with simple random samples, stratified samples and cluster samples. It works with small samples and with large samples. And it works with mean scores as well as proportions.
With the Sample Planning Wizard, analysts can compare different sample design options and identify the alternative that best meets their needs. For example, if the research budget is fixed, analysts can identify the sample design that provides the most precision for the fixed cost. Or, if a minimum level of precision is required, analysts can identify the option that provides the desired precision for the least cost.
The Sample Planning Wizard requires no programming. Through point-and-click inputs, the Wizard guides users through the steps needed to evaluate different design options. Statistical computations are performed automatically, behind the scenes. A report summarizes key findings, documents methodology and offers suggestions for improvement. A one-month license, providing unlimited access to the Sample Planning Wizard, costs $10. For more information, visit http://StatTrek.com.
MB product examines why consumers buy
Research agency Millward Brown, Naperville, Ill., has launched D&A, a new framework to help marketers understand the complexities of the consumer journey to purchase. D&A quantifies the contribution to sales of those factors that create demand for a category and brand, as well as those that activate final choice. D&A studies combine up-front qualitative research designed to identify the demand and activation drivers for an individual brand and category with quantitative research that identifies the importance of specific demand or brand-building activities and sales activation activities. It helps marketers understand where to communicate most effectively with their target audience, what messages will be most compelling to that audience, and what activities will secure the sale when they engage in the purchasing process. For more information visit www.millwardbrown.com.
New CSR system from Sector
Sector Research, Overland Park, Kan., has debuted Sector NOW, a turnkey online customer satisfaction research solution. Dynamically-generated surveys are distributed online and monitored in real-time. Results are delivered in an action-alert format which uses key industry benchmarks, historical trending and demographic analysis.
The Sector Survey Builder automatically builds surveys based upon a client’s industry, product and customer type. The surveys are customer-experience oriented to address business dimensions including price value, quality and recommendation propensity.
The My Sector function e-mails surveys and monitors performance in real-time, including simultaneous survey campaigns. The Sector Analyzer function reports complete survey results with analytics in an action-alert format. Critical risk reporting identifies strengths and weaknesses across current and historical surveys. Demographic and grouping capabilities provide select crosstab reporting. Industry benchmarking provides both industry and geographic comparisons for performance analysis and business improvement. For more information visit www.sectorresearch.com.
ACNielsen product tracks in-store promotions
ACNielsen U.S., Schaumburg, Ill., has introduced Promotion Tracker, which provides consumer packaged goods firms with a census-based report on the status of in-store displays. Promotion Tracker reports on the status of in-store promotional displays across multiple categories at five national grocery retailers representing 40 percent of U.S. chain supermarket all-commodity volume. Reporting is available across each chain, banner, all stores within specific retailer-defined trade areas, and over 8,000 individual stores. The Internet-accessed reports tell whether a display is up, the number of displays in a given store, their location(s) and whether the promoted price is visible. Reports are planned for most major holiday and special event selling seasons beginning with the 2006 Super Bowl. For more information visit www.acnielsen.com.
New scaling tool from Sawtooth Software
Sawtooth Software, Sequim, Wash., has released MaxDiff/Web, a new tool for the scaling of multiple items (brands, attributes, advertising claims, job-related factors, etc.). MaxDiff is a choice-based methodology that asks respondents to identify the most and least important/preferred items from subsets of typically three to six items. Each respondent evaluates multiple subsets so that the total list of items under investigation is covered and may be placed on a common ratio scale.
The MaxDiff methodology, originally invented by researcher and academic Jordan Louviere, has many similarities to, but is different from, conjoint methodology and is appropriate for a range of research opportunities. The benefits of the methodology include greater discrimination among items, greater discrimination among respondents on the items, and avoiding response-style bias (permitting more direct comparisons across respondents from different cultures/countries).
MaxDiff/Web may be used for conducting Web-based, CAPI or paper-based MaxDiff studies. The software also supports asking the “best” half of the question only (not requiring respondents to identify the “worst” item in each set). The software may also be used for method of paired comparisons research. Individual-level estimation of item scores employs Sawtooth Software’s hierarchical Bayes (HB) engine. Results may also be exported to Sawtooth Software’s latent class system for segmentation analysis. For more information visit www.sawtoothsoftware.com.
EZSurvey 2005 from Raosoft
Seattle research software firm Raosoft has released EZSurvey 2005 for the Internet, the latest version of its survey program. The new version provides additional security enhancements and new form design aids, especially for complex forms. The new release improves the speed and scalability of data collection for both EZSurvey database and ODBC database connectivity. Security protections are available to secure the entire data-gathering process. The EZSurvey Personal Server allows owners to collect data off-site, without dependence on an internal corporate server, and deployment enhancements are available for mobile and short messaging service modules. The new EZSurvey Enterprise Stand Alone Mail Server is designed to speed up participant notification and e-mail survey deployment. EZSurvey’s online reporting has been expanded to provide more online statistical capacity. EZSurvey is a 32-bit program for use with Win200x/ME/NT/XP. The program is written in C++ and uses 14 megabytes of drive space. For more information visit www.raosoft.com.
How much marketing support does that new product need?
Forecasting firm BASES, Covington, Ky., has introduced Marketing Plan Analyzer, a new capability designed to help marketers understand the level of support required for a new product to be competitive in today’s marketplace.
BASES Marketing Plan Analyzer draws on a database containing more than 75,000 new product marketing plans across 60 countries and more than 200 product categories. It provides data-based perspective for eight marketing plan metrics covering the full marketing mix, including media, promotion and distribution. Marketing Plan Analyzer helps a marketer assess how a new product’s level of marketing support compares to others in the same category and country. Learning from the database will help clients optimize their plans, which BASES can then use to forecast sales for the new product. BASES will also mine the database to compare practices across product types, categories and countries and to examine trends in new product marketing. For more information visit www.bases.com.
ArcView 9 workbook from ESRI
Redlands, Calif.-based ESRI Press is now offering GIS Tutorial: Workbook for ArcView 9, which provides exercises and instructions that users can adapt to specific training needs, whether it is teaching GIS or using the book for individual study. The book takes readers through the process of using a variety of GIS functionality, from creating maps and collecting data to using geoprocessing tools and models for advanced analysis.
GIS Tutorial includes scripted exercises that use step-by-step instructions and graphics to illustrate specific ArcGIS tools and GIS workflows. Exercise assignments give precise instructions and pose real-world problem scenarios including creating a voting district map for a local election, comparing county financial information in a map, geocoding household hazardous wastes, and analyzing populations in California cities at risk for earthquakes. A fully functioning 180-day trial version of ArcView 9 software on CD-ROM and a CD of data for working through the tutorials are included with the book. The book is available in bookstores and online retailers or can be purchased at www.esri.com/esripress.
Scarborough adds five new markets
Scarborough Research, New York, has expanded its list of local market services to include consumer shopping, media and lifestyle surveys across five new markets. In 2006, for the company’s Top Tier Market Studies, Scarborough will be measuring consumer patterns in 80 DMAs, as compared to the 75 surveyed in 2005.
Additionally, Scarborough will offer a Mid-Tier Local Market Consumer Study in six DMAs in 2006. The Mid-Tier Studies will survey adults 18+ on a variety of consumer categories including media, shopping and lifestyle behavior. Data will be collected through a single consumer questionnaire. The survey period is a point-in-time measurement that lasts six to eight weeks.
Portland, Maine; Bluefield-Beckley, W.Va.; Columbia, S.C.; Johnstown-Altoona, Pa.; Reno, Nev., and Salisbury-Ocean City, Md., are the DMAs in which the Scarborough Mid-Tier Studies will be introduced in 2006. The first data from these markets will be available in March 2006 except Portland, Maine, for which the data is available now. Bakersfield, Calif.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Green Bay, Wis.; and Little Rock, Ark., are the local markets that Scarborough will be adding to its roster of Top-Tier Local Markets, making a total of 80 consumer studies available. For these studies, in-depth consumer behavior and media patterns are collected via telephone. For more information visit www.scarborough.com.
New Hispanic research panel
A new Hispanic survey panel, ¡Hola! ResearchPAYS, is now available from New York marketing firm Alternative Technology Corporation and ¡Hola! Arkansas Hispanic Media & Publishing Co. in alliance with the nonprofit League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). ¡Hola! ResearchPAYS will also serve as a fundraising source for many of LULAC’s community projects. Companies accustomed to allocating special funds for charity now have another option for helping Hispanic communities by purchasing Hispanic market research data while giving back to the LULAC organization and its communities. Clients will gain controlled access to 100 pre-selected Hispanic panel members from LULAC’s communities and be able to ask them up to 45 questions each. All surveys will be culturally relevant and custom designed for each target and will be bilingual, presented in their language of choice, Spanish or English. ¡Hola! ResearchPAYS automatically integrates LULAC communities nationwide, allowing companies to select their panel members from a list of up to 65 variables. For more information visit www.hola-researchpays.com or http://hola-mercadeopaga.com.
Briefly
Consumer Pulse, Birmingham, Mich., has opened a second facility in the Citadel Mall in Colorado Springs, Colo. This new focus, pre-recruit and viewing facility offers a 12’ x 18’ focus group room, viewing for five, a fully-equipped kitchen and six interviewing stations with high-speed Internet connection. Consumer Pulse’s original Citadel Mall office will remain open. For more information visit www.consumerpulse.com.
U.K. firm Springboard has introduced electronic pedestrian monitoring in London’s West End, measuring in 30 locations hourly footfall counts, continuously 24 hours a day, along Bond Street, Oxford Street, Regent Street and a number of other key streets in the area. For more information visit www.spring-board.info.
Netherlands-based software maker Nebu has released a new version of its panel management and sampling product, Dub Knowledge. It includes more advanced sampling procedures, relative date operator when sampling, full UNICODE support, and easier exclusion of respondents from past panel surveys. There is also a new feature called scheduled sampling which lets users set up a sample, schedule it to be drawn at the moment that a system is low on usage or ready for the moment when it is required. For more information visit www.nebu.com.
London-based Research Now has launched Irish Opinions, a research-only online panel open to people over the age of 16 and living in the Republic of Ireland. It is expected to have 30,000 members by early 2006 and will be expanded in areas of client demand thereafter. For more information visit www.researchnow.co.uk or www.irishopinions.com.
Seattle-based QuestionPro is offering a free survey option for bloggers, Web masters, marketers, researchers and small businesses. Called a MicroPoll, it allows anyone with a Web site to instantly poll their readers with simple multiple-choice questions and then display the aggregated results. The simple software code is available for download at www.QuestionPro.com/micropoll.
Greenfield Online, Wilton, Conn., is now offering the GoQuote Online Ordering system, which allows clients to price and order sample from Greenfield Online directly through the Internet anytime they want. For more information visit www.goquote.com.
Chicago-based Precision Research, Inc. has a new location in Des Plaines, Ill., featuring four flexible research suites with tech support, test kitchen facilities, a usability lab and a 30-seat phone center. Other features include separate climate controls for each conference and observation room, dedicated audio tape backup and secluded waiting areas to help avoid tainted sample pools. For more information visit www.preres.com.
Dublin-based Research and Markets now offers RSS feeds of the research reports it sells through its Web site www.researchandmarkets.com. Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is an XML-based format for content distribution. The feeds include research headlines, research summaries and links back to the firm’s Web site for full reports.