Recap: The Future of Consumer Intelligence 2014

Imagine a line drawn in the sand that is filled with hot burning coals. To the left of the burning line stands a group of people. And to the right of the burning line stands another group of people. The group of people on the left are all directly facing the burning line drawn in the sand and are staring at the opposing group. The group on the right are also all facing the burning line drawn in the sand, staring directly at the group on the left.

The burning line drawn in the sand represents trust. The group of people on the left believe they are entitled to the right group’s trust because they are trying to help them. The group on the right believes trust is earned and will not easily give it to the group on the left. The tug of war between the two groups over trust causes friction and creates the burning line drawn in the sand that neither can cross without the right tools.

The above scenario is analogous to what was presented at the recent 2014 Future of Consumer Intelligence conference (#FOCI14). The group to the left was Big Business, the group to the right was the Public and we as attendees were willing and able to sit right on the burning line drawn in the sand and discuss how to bridge the gap between groups.

BIG DATA VS. BIG PRIVACY

As marketers and researchers we love to collect lots of data with the intention of using personal information to improve products, services, and lives. But at what point is it considered invasion of privacy? Do consumers really know how their data is being used, regardless of whatever they agreed to? At FOCI14 it was made evident that as marketers and researchers, we teeter on the brink of “Empowerment vs. Endagerment”. The path to maintaining the balance and bridging the gap on the subject of data between Big Business and the Public was made evident: provide clear, concise rules and guidelines for how consumer data is used that moves past legality and into the territory of morality.

MARKETING SCIENCE VS. PEOPLE

Clearly our industry is at a point of disruptive innovation as new technologies and methodologies allow researchers to get a clearer picture of consumer insights. But who are behind all of these insights? That’s right, people. In our industry we label people as consumers, customers, shoppers, respondents, target markets and more. But remember that behind all of our studies are people. And sometimes we can act as a barricade between companies, their brands, and their consumers in an attempt to remain unbiased and objective. So how do we bridge the gap?

For starters, John Havens, Founder of The H(app)athon Project, suggests we can begin by switching out the label “consumer” with “customer”. Whereas Elizabeth Merrick, Senior Customer Insights Manager of HSN suggests we consider research as another touch point of the brand, “We should allow customers to contribute to a brand, not just consume it.”

So it appears the segue between marketing science and people is essentially personal treatment and recognizing that customers are more than a data point within a spreadsheet.

From John Havens, The H(app)athon Project

TECHNOLOGY VS. HUMANIZATION OF DATA

The more I thought about it, FOCI14’s tagline of The Convergence of Technology, Marketing Science & Humanization of Data seemed unintentionally (or perhaps intentionally) dichotomous where both Big Business and the Public were descending upon the line is drawn in the sand. So it goes with technology & humanization.

There is no doubt that technology improves lives at blistering speeds. Ray Kurzweil, Director of Engineering for Google pointed out that, “Information Technology expands exponentially across time, not linearly.” But as we become more technologically advanced, do we lose a piece of our humanity and our identity?

As we discussed more and more about the subjects of technological advances, psychological habits, triggers, and touch points at FOCI14, it seemed the key to closing the gap between technology & humanization of data relied upon engagement. If new technologies enable to us to engage with customers in a more meaningful way and people are able to build stronger psychological connections with each other, then the gap is bridged. If on the other hand, the research community were to stand disengaged with customers and people, then technology & humanization in the field will stand diametrically opposed on a bridge that is about to collapse.

So the real question in all of this is, “Has your organization bridged the line drawn in the sand?”

Tom Krause, VP of Client Services, Gongos Research
"It's all about people"

Chris Ruby is an award-winning Marketing Research & Consumer Insights Executive with Fortune 500 consulting experience. His niche is the ability to turn complex data into compelling stories that induce a call for action among key decision-makers. His work has been featured by MRA, MRIA, IIR, Norstat Times, Chadwick Martin Bailey & the Optimization Group. Keep up with Chris Ruby by following him on Twitter @ChrisRubyMRX or by reading the Chris Ruby Market Research Blog.

Recap of SoCal MRA Education Event 2014: How Technology, Big Data & Cultures have merged in MR

At no other time in the history of the United States has there been such an introduction and growth of new technology that has infused itself into our community. And what is the purpose of new technology you say? The purpose is meant to improve the lives of people and to add greater value to everyday experiences.  And people who use new technology have different values, different beliefs, different principles and different cultures that they live by on a daily basis. And mind you, the keyword here in all of this is PEOPLE.  People invent new technology. People use it. People manage it. People tweak it. And people stop using it once it has become obsolete.

The relationship between technology, people and pop culture exists everywhere, including within the Market Research industry. If this is the case, then it seems natural to ask, “Is there a better, faster, more efficient, more experiential way to conduct Marketing Research & Consumer Insights studies?

This underlying theme was addressed last week at the Southern California Marketing Research Association’s Annual Education Event (SoCal MRA), held March 14^th & 15^th, 2014 at the gorgeous South Coast Winery Resort & Spa in Temecula, CA.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Location Based Mobile Research

The event opened with a Mobile Research panel that discussed the new advent and technology of Location Based Mobile Research.  Imagine, reducing the lag time between the customer experience and their report of the experience by weeks.  Imagine instead, the customer experience is reported in real time, as they enter a retail store per se.  With mobile device in hand, their movements and shopping experience is tracked, all the while submitting pictures and responding to real time survey questions or phone calls  (remember, many mobile devices also act as phones!) Well no need to imagine anymore because the technology already exists and the segmentation possibilities and data collection opportunities for Location Based Mobile Research seem endless.

But not so fast.  There are a few barriers to Location Based Mobile Research at the moment.  The biggest seems to be client acceptance of the new technology.  Surprisingly, some clients are hesitant to add Mobile Research to their portfolio because the new data interferes with their current reporting systems.  And someone at their company spent many hours to perfect that system and doesn’t want to change it.  But are resistances to change a legitimate and understandable reason not to implement it? 

Paul Johnson, Director of Analytics for SSI, believes it is not a valid reason.  “Respondents are already involved in Mobile Research, but you just might not be treating them well.  Up to 25% are entering online survey portals through mobile devices!”  So if a client is hesitant to implement Mobile Research because it interferes with their reporting system, then in all likelihood, they will not design their surveys to address the special needs of mobile devices (smaller screens, smaller fonts, etc.) Would this hesitancy affect respondents overall survey experience? Would not addressing it affect the quality of data gathered? Does resistance to change still seem a viable option given what’s at stake?

Multicultural Values - Different Cultures Do Exist

Another interesting facet of the educational event was the discussion of Multicultural values within the marketplace. And let’s face it…surprise…different cultures do exist in the United States. Ultimately, the research we conduct is with living people with different emotions & different values that are based on different cultures.  But are companies properly addressing the multicultural differences that currently exist in our society?  Carlos Garcia, Multicultural SVP of GfK, suggests there is room for improvement. “Companies still have a tendency to blanket general marketing communications to a general audience (customers), without giving a lot of weight to the different nuances of culture that exist between Caucasians, Hispanics, African-Americans, etc.”

Because of this gap of identification between multicultural communities and their unique experiences and perceptions, in comes the service of a company like RMS Communications and Research who’s President, Rhonda Scott, primarily conducts research in the African-American community. “Traces of the Black culture exist all throughout mainstream America. And even in our own Black culture, there exist subcultures, so you cannot simply categorize everyone as Black. It is just not that simple.”

So if companies on average tend to send out targeted messages to their audience that are not culturally specific, does this leave room for Market Research opportunities within a Multicultural marketplace?

Dr. Jung, Professor of Marketing at Cal Poly Pomona believes there is.  He delved into the concept of multicultural predictability and opportunity. “Typical corporate America values independent culture, such as independent achievements, opinions & activities that pertain to one’s self.  On the other hand, Asians value interdependent culture, where their actions revolve around the concerns of the group, where they don’t want to stand out and where silence is equated with wisdom.  These differences in culture yield lower success rates of Asians in corporate America. So if you can predict one’s independent or interdependent culture, you can predict one’s behavior & success”

So technology leads to advancements that improve people’s lives.  And people have different values, beliefs, and cultures.  And these values, beliefs, and cultures allow one to predict behavior.  So in market research, we gather consumer’s opinions that are full of Multicultural influence, with upcoming new technology, that improves the market research methodology which leads to…you guessed it…the advent of BIG DATA!

Challenges of Synthesizing Big Data

Our industry’s ability to collect tons of data on consumers often leaves us with the challenge of insightfully synthesizing the data and turning it into useful marketing intelligence.  For example, Karen Manne, Vice President of Research for ABC Studios shared with the SoCal MRA, the obstacles and challenges of utilizing Big Data in the world of media measurement.  “With the dawn of new gaming platforms, Video on Demand (VOD), DVR playback, & online playback, synthesizing proprietary and syndicated data to answer a simple question like, ‘Who and how many people watched last night’s premiere’ can be a daunting challenge.”

It’s a daunting challenge because each new form of media has its own individual set of viewing metrics that are not necessarily compatible with each other. Now add the fact that not all media is readily consumed (e.g. VOD & DVR playback) and not all new media collects detailed demographics, and you begin to understand the dilemma that the studios and networks face.

So does experiential research, cultural identification and Big Data leave room for opportunities in the market research industry?  Has new technology in our industry improved or hindered methodology? Has it improved or hindered respondents survey experience? And has it provided our community with more insightful results? The answer is ____________. (Insert comments below)

Chris Ruby is an award-winning Marketing Research & Consumer Insights Executive with Fortune 500 consulting experience. His niche is the ability to turn complex data into compelling stories that induce a call for action among key decision-makers. His work has been featured by MRA, MRIA, IIR, Norstat Times, Chadwick Martin Bailey & the Optimization Group. Keep up with Chris Ruby by following him on Twitter @ChrisRubyMRX or by reading the Chris Ruby Market Research Blog.
The Southern California Marketing Research Association can be reached at www.socalmra.com or Follow them on Twitter @SoCalMRA.