Research company puts software to the test

When Marketing Research Institute (MRI) of Jackson , Miss. is hired to complete a complex, multi-faceted study, they confidently put their software to the test. Dr. Verne Kennedy, MRI’s president and senior analyst, illustrates this with a story.

“A few years back, the Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture asked us to develop a marketing plan to turn crawfish, a popular Louisiana delicacy, into a nationally accepted seafood. We had to develop a complicated questionnaire that required not only categorical data, but numeric responses and answers to open-ended questions as well.”

MRI has been inputting research data since personal computers were first introduced in the late ‘70s. “We wrote our own software back then because there wasn’t a package on the market that could handle research,” Kennedy says. While most analysts would write their own questionnaires and collect the data, the analysis of the data was always done at “tab houses.”

“Writing our own software certainly enhanced our research gathering ability,” says Kennedy. “The only drawback was, we had to alter the program each time we began a new project. That was a costly and time-consuming effort.”

Computers upgraded

Then, in 1982, MRI upgraded their computers to increase their proficiency. “With the upgrade came an emerging need for an interfacing software package. So I examined the two or three products available on the market at the time,” Kennedy says.

He went with a package called StatPac, written by Walonick Associates, Minneapolis, Minn. For MRI, Kennedy says, StatPac “was clearly the best package in terms of versatile analytical capabilities. Plus the program was extremely easy to operate, requiring far less training time.

“Looking back, our own programs could not have handled the magnitude of the crawfish project,” he says. “We have a systems analyst on staff, and we know we can’t write a better program.”

Crawfish study

To complete the crawfish study, MRI selected a sample based on urban zip codes nationwide with a high “yuppie” profile. Because their office maintains a database with 126 demographic variables for every ZIP code in the country, they were able to target this survey to 1,200 seafood consumers nationwide.

“StatPac was instrumental in selecting our target market,” Kennedy says. “In addition to interviewing 1200 individuals, we loaded into the program the 126 different demographic variables describing the neighborhood in which they lived.”

Once the market was defined, Kennedy keyed the package with 50 categorical questions such as, “Which of the following types of restaurants do you frequent?” to determine the market’s likes and dislikes. The second set of questions (such as “How many times do you eat lunch/dinner in a restaurant?” and “What do you spend on a meal?”) required numeric responses.

Finally, they entered “free format” or open-ended questions into the program and then interfaced with a word processor for answers to questions like “If you saw crawfish on a menu, what is the first thing that would come to your mind?” The answers were then transported back into StatPac to complete the statistical analysis.

“The results of that survey were used by our company to write a marketing plan for the Louisiana crawfish industry,” says Kennedy. “It was a sophisticated study that required a sophisticated program.”

MRI now operates three StatPac programs to handle an average of three market surveys each week. “We have additional programs, but it is considered a staple in our office. Everyone must know how to use it. In just two to three days, we can train a new employee to operate at least the basic package. We simply could not be doing the business we’re doing without a program like this in place.”

Kennedy played an important role in refining the StatPac program. “We expressed some specific needs we wanted to see incorporated in the package. And they were real receptive to our suggestions. I like that kind of responsiveness, because we both end up with a better product. “

Advanced program

The result of their open communication was an advanced program called StatPac Gold, to which Kennedy added a feature to suit his company’s needs. “I simply added a supplemental package that produces high-impact, three-dimensional graphics, because when my clients pay for a market survey, they expect very sharp reports.”

Marketing Research Institute has come a long way from writing its own programs in the late ‘70s. The crawfish study is just one of many large-scale projects the company has undertaken. They have completed research in all 50 states and one foreign country.

“Today we can accomplish so much more in much less time,” Kennedy says. “And when crawfish becomes a household word, you’ll know it all started right here in Mississippi.”