Survey invite wording invites trouble
A study by U.K.-based Lightspeed Research found that including the research topic in a survey invitation can increase the number of false responses in the survey. 
As part of its “Research on Research” project the company investigated the influence of mentioning the actual topic of a survey in the invitation on the accuracy of the results. Respondents who were told about the topic were more likely to pretend to belong to the target group in order to receive the incentive. As part of the study they were asked to indicate which brands they knew and used. Fourteen percent of those who had been told the topic up front claimed to use brands that do not exist.“Even the very beginning of any project, the invitation process, can significantly impact the quality of the data collected,” said David Day, CEO Europe at Lightspeed Research. “Targeted invitations that provide subject matter and incentives for qualifying could cause respondents to take a survey just to receive the incentive, even if they know they do not qualify, which clearly could invalidate the entire research undertaken.”
The study took a sample and divided it into two groups, demographically matched by age and gender. A non-targeted invite was sent to one group and explained that the survey would last about five minutes and respondents who completed it would win 10 entries for the monthly prize drawing. There was no mention of the questionnaire subject matter. The second group was sent a targeted invite clearly indicating that the study was looking for people who went fishing at least once a month and if they qualified and completed the survey they would receive a three-euro electronic gift voucher.
In both groups, those who met the qualifying criteria were then asked four questions regarding fishing rod brands. The list of brands was made up of 15 real brands and 10 non-existent brands. Among the group that had received the targeted invite 21 percent claimed to be aware of non-existent brands compared to 9 percent of the non-targeted group. A similar result was also shown when respondents were asked to list the brands they actually used. In the targeted invite group 14 percent of respondents claimed to use non-existent brands, compared to 5 percent of non-targeted respondents.
Hunger grows for organic baby food
Though it accounts for a fraction of the $3.1 billion baby food market, sales of organic baby formula were up 19 percent from 2005, to $6.6 million for the year ending August 12, according to ACNielsen figures reported in an October Brandweek article.
“Our research showed that when women are pregnant, they start looking at healthier lifestyles [and] are more open to organics,” said Keri Butler, a spokeswoman at Similac, a division of Abbott Ross, Columbus, Ohio. Last February, Similac was the first national brand to launch an organic baby formula. Wal-Mart rolled out Parent’s Choice this past summer. Organic food company Hain Celestial, Melville, N.Y., started shipping Earth’s Best Infant Formula in October.
All three brands will have marketing support, and all are targeting a desirable demo, “Yoga Mommies,” a term coined in a study from Packaged Facts, New York, last February on the U.S. infant product market. The study examined the lifestyles of affluent 20- and 30-something moms, and estimated they spent $8 billion in 2005 on baby-related items, excluding food.
Similac launched marketing efforts with a major focus on its Web site, similacmomsalliance.com, and has signed six high-profile women, including Olympic gold medalist Summer Sanders, as spokesmoms. “We knew we had to be relevant to their lifestyle - no TV for them,” said Butler. “They make purchasing decisions more organically, through chats with peers, friends and family. The Web is central to that.” The spokesmoms will each have a link at the Web site, sharing thoughts about motherhood.
Ads for Hain Celestial’s Earth’s Best state that its organic formula is “Patterned after breast milk,” a nod to the medical community’s preferred method of infant feeding. “Breast milk is the first choice for our infant’s growth - but if you choose formula, you’ll feel good knowing there’s an organic choice,” the ad copy says.
Wal-Mart was the first - and still the only - mass merchandiser to offer a store-brand organic baby formula. Wal-Mart, not surprisingly, is trying to outsell the competition with lower prices. Wal-Mart sells a 25.7-ounce can of Parent’s Choice for less than $20; Similac sells 12.9 ounces for about $15.
While organic foods are hot right now, the jury is still out on organic baby formula as being a healthier option to traditional baby formula. “There is no scientific data showing any significant health advantage to buying organic,” said Dr. Ari Brown, a representative for the American Academy of Pediatrics, Washington.
“Organic Baby Formula Segment Growing Fast,” Brandweek, October 2, 2006
Sci Fi network tests pilot online
A July 22nd Wall Street Journal Online reported on the Sci Fi cable network’s online testing of the pilot of an animated show. The show, The Amazing Screw-On Head, played on Sci Fi’s Web site in the weeks before it aired on TV on July 27. Viewers were asked to fill out a survey about the show, a historical superhero adventure voiced by Paul Giamatti and David Hyde Pierce.
The network said the feedback would play a large role in whether it picked up the show as a full series. “We’re asking a lot of the same questions we’d ask in a focus group,” said Craig Engler, senior vice president of SciFi.com. “But instead of 10 people we can get tens of thousands of people.”
This summer, the article noted, some shows took the American Idol voting formula to a new level: Asking Web surfers to weigh in on decisions usually made by executives, from casting choices to script input. These moves are surely promotional efforts to boost viewership but they also demonstrate a feature of the Internet that TV networks and Web companies are finding increasingly valuable: They can test concepts cheaply online and get instant feedback, without relying solely on Nielsen ratings.
“How to See a New Show Early - and Change It,” Wall Street Journal Online, July 22, 2006