Telephones used to be an awesome way to find a random sample of Americans. Nearly all Americans had a home telephone, nearly everybody would answer if you called, and most were willing to answer survey questions to help researchers understand public opinion. In fact, telephones have been so central to scientific survey research that the…
Over the last few years it has become clear that random digit dial telephone surveys—once the gold standard of survey research—are no longer so golden. But the New York Times has been a holdout among media giants, refusing to use online polls or to report findings from them. They have clung to the false idea…
One of the most useful techniques for in-depth qualitative interviewing is to ask respondents not only what they think, but what their friends, family, or colleagues think. It opens a whole new level of conversation and insight because all of the sudden respondents feel free to talk about their understanding and assessment of the world…
This week, after nine months of intensive study and practice, we published our Summer 2014 Newsletter with a feature article on How to Make Spectacular Infographics. It offers tips and tricks and some how-to insights. It is based on a company-wide internal initiative launched last fall to develop an infographic summary of research findings for…
I used to get more worked up about survey answer scales than I do nowadays. I didn’t like even-numbered scales, including 1 to 10 scales (no midpoint!) or five point scales (too blunt!) or seven or nine point scales (not intuitive!). I liked zero to ten scales—and still do—because they offer good opportunity for respondent…
Last week we wrote about social media and market research, and suggested that industry experts agree it is not yet shaking the foundations of how we do research. So what about the other gigantic Internet development of the last decade—mobile technology? It should be shaking the foundations of how we do research. Current estimates are…
It’s been four years since the AMA convened a panel of thought leaders in market research to ponder questions about how social media fits into research practices and methods. An excerpt of our discussion was published in Marketing News in 2010. Last month, another top industry group (AAPOR) released its Emerging Technologies Task Force report…
Readers of this newsletter and blog know how much we value and respect the New York Times. It is one of the few resources we cite regularly, as it always has relevant, authoritative information that informs our work and that of our clients. So my heart sank when I read this description of a new…
Last week I learned about a surprising niche of marketing specialists that I never knew existed: Consultants who fix terrible reports written by market research vendors. Not to toot our horn too loudly, but I received this note from Gary Schmidt, Chief Catalyst of West End Consulting, who does just this type of consulting: Joe,…
A couple of weeks ago we highlighted the top tier marketing research priorities identified by a select group of corporate executives who are members of the Marketing Sciences Institute, and who represent the corporate-user side of marketing research. Every two years they vote on where to direct the institute’s research funds for academic research. Not…