Versta Research Just Turned 10
Happy birthday to us! We were born on January 19, 2009 in the depths of a recession with nowhere to go but up. Many of the research firms that were around back then have disappeared, sold themselves off, closed up shop, or consolidated into behemoths.
From a statistical standpoint, we beat the odds, which got me wondering … what are the odds? Hike on over to our just-published newsletter, Five Free Data Sources Every Market Researcher Should Know, and sure enough, there is repository of superb government data that will tell you.
It took me just a few minutes of searching to find the Business Employment Dynamics Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that gave me the answer: 34%.
This data is based on all business establishments that began from 1994 to 2013, from which survival rates are calculated. It not only give us an answer (34%) and a source (BLS) but also reminds us of the fascinating complexity behind the question and answer (what is a survival rate? how are businesses “rolled into” the calculations as they begin and then disappear? and so on … )
This is a small illustration of the kind of work we were born to do. Digging up numbers, designing new research, turning data into stories that answer simple (but not usually easy) questions. Last year we built a new showcase for some of that work —if you haven’t seen it yet, take a look! Here is a sampling of examples that may interest you:
Couples and Dyadic Design—Measuring How We Influence Each Other. People in our social networks can shape our buying decisions in profound ways. Consider research with matched pairs to uncover a deeper layer beyond gap analysis.
Marriage Equality—Research for a Landmark Moment. Anticipate and document change with your research for a story that will captivate an audience and stay relevant within communities.
Personas Old and New—Linked Segmentation that Documents the Whole Customer Journey. Mapping one set of personas to another will give you a more realistic view of how consumers behave.
Tracking Well-Being: Meaningful Trackers, Wave after Wave (after Wave). Enhance tracking studies with validated measures and matched samples from public data.
Supporting Thought Leadership—Every Study Has a Story to Tell. Build a solid, data-rich foundation of research-based ideas and insights that can contribute to white papers, editorials, feature reporting, and advertising.
Thank you for trusting us with your research, and for letting us help you for the last 10 years. We are excited for another great decade ahead!
—Joe Hopper, Ph.D.