Old Marketing Poltergeists: They’re Ba-a-a-a-ack!

Old Marketing Poltergeists: They’re Ba-a-a-a-ack!

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…

Execs Vote on Top Research Needs in Marketing

Execs Vote on Top Research Needs in Marketing

Every two years marketing executives from more than 60 corporate members of the Marketing Science Institute (MSI) vote on the most important marketing topics they need to understand better.  They represent companies like Kraft, Colgate-Palmolive, Bank of America, Nielsen, and Walmart.  MSI—a think tank, of sorts, whose mission is to “bridge the academic and business…

What Financial Advisors Need from Marketing

What Financial Advisors Need from Marketing

Our financial services group at the Chicago AMA hosted a panel last night of financial advisors to talk about the challenges of reaching customers.  We recruited three advisors of different types: Todd Johnson from New England Securities (MetLife), Michelle Dunigan from BMO Harris Financial Advisors, and Patrick Cote from AssetGrade.  The panel was moderated by…

Choosing Your Top Three Messages with TURF

Choosing Your Top Three Messages with TURF

Last week we wrote about the optimal number of benefits, features, or claims you should make in your marketing materials.  Research shows that three maximizes the impact because it aligns with a buyer’s sense of data sufficiency.  Going beyond three invites skepticism because it reminds buyers that the message is “just marketing,” not information. So…

Versta Research Post

The Downside of Measuring Loyalty

Over the last decade satisfaction research has shifted strongly towards loyalty research.  This shift has been driven, in part, by widespread interest in Net Promoter Scores (NPS) as a way to benchmark against other companies and link the customer experience more directly to financial outcomes.  But it turns out that focusing so much on loyalty…

Farm Lessons for Stellar Market Research

Farm Lessons for Stellar Market Research

If our last newsletter convinced you there are insights to be found in academic journals, we hope our fall newsletter will convince you of another source: Henry Brockman, organic farmer friend extraordinaire and keen observer of consumer behavior.  During market season, I volunteer for and work alongside Henry at the Evanston Farmer’s Market.  Here are…