NorthWest MRA Topline - Spring 2012
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Topline-
The NorthWest Marketing Research Association
Spring 2012
Newsletter of the NorthWest MRA
back
IN THIS ISSUE
Message from the President Jeff Spitzer
Editor’s Note Brian Parker
Feature Case Study: Dub’s Research for Cafédirect
Upcoming Events - NorthWest MRA Educational Conference in Portland
- Joint Educational Conference in Las Vegas
New Year’s Eve in San Francisco
Financial News & Notes
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The NorthWest Marketing Research Association P a g e | 2
Spring 2012
Newsletter of the NorthWest MRA
Message from the President Jeff Spitzer
pril 25th is Administrative Professional’s Day (formerly Secretary’s Day). A day to recognize and
show appreciation for the administrative professionals in your life who help you stay organized,
on task and keep the sales calls at bay.
Of course there are other days throughout the year to honor the other people in your personal life –
Mothers Day, Fathers Day, and Valentine’s Day for your sweetie. But just as you shouldn’t rely on
Valentine’s Day to express your appreciation for your honey bunny, we shouldn’t rely on any of these
other days to show these people how important they are to us in our lives.
This is equally important in the workplace. As we get busy with looming deadlines and client
demands, it’s easy to let the stress mount and forget how much we rely on each other to get the job
done right. Taking the time and effort to show your appreciation for your co-workers and other
business associates is an important part of maintaining a healthy work relationship. Just a few kind
words, a card, a note – any little thing at all to show your appreciation will go a long ways in building
a positive workplace.
Try it today, you might just make someone’s day.
Jeff Spitzer
Universal Survey
President, NorthWest MRA
P.S. In case you weren't already aware, the NorthWest
Chapter now has a presence on Facebook, Twitter and
LinkedIn. Take a moment and connect with us!
A
“As we get busy with looming deadlines and client demands,
it’s easy to let the stress mount and forget how much we
rely on each other to get the job done right.”
Jeff Spitzer
NorthWest MRA
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Spring 2012
Newsletter of the NorthWest MRA
Editor’s Note Brian Parker
In this issue of Topline we decided to try something a bit different. We typically include an article
from a respected member of the market research community, but this time we decided to switch it
up with a case study on a project carried out by Dub for Cafédirect—an ethical coffee brand based in
the United Kingdom (page 4). I feel it makes for an interesting read and serves as a nice change from
the norm.
Lots of great things are happening this time of year. Conference season is in full swing for us market
researchers and I’m personally looking forward to the Joint Educational Conference next month in Las
Vegas (page 9). We also have the Northwest Spring Educational event coming up in Portland (page 8),
as well as the National MRA conference coming up soon in San Diego.
I’d like to thank Elisabeth Geddes and Meredith Ahlberg for their help with this issue. On top of all the
fun stuff going on, everyone seems to be stretched a little thin so I appreciate them sticking with me
on this.
As always, we are looking for contributions to the future issues of Topline. As you can see from this
issue, we aren’t resigned to just articles. We are happy to consider anything that would be of interest
to our members.
Brian Parker
President, watchLAB Studios
Editor of Topline
If you would like to submit something for consideration, or
would like to help out in any way, feel free to contact me at
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Spring 2012
Newsletter of the NorthWest MRA
Feature Case Study Dub Studio’s Research for Cafédirect
Research Company Dub Studios
Client Cafédirect
Industry FMCG (Fast-moving consumer goods)
Products UpClose™
Challenges
• An Innovative way to engage consumers
• Generate new product ideas
• Deliver a cost-effective research and
innovation portal
Implementation 4 weeks
Results
• Continuous consumer dialogue
• Enhanced innovation capability
• A new research culture
• Better decision making
• Major cost savings
• The creation of valuable social capital
Background
n the past, marketing decisions were made based on information gathered from a variety of
sources: forums, online texting groups, video-conferences, and consumer communities. Today it is
possible to more easily spec what seems appropriate for different issues and participants using
software and online platforms. An online platform offers greater flexibility over the long term and it
makes it easy to combine approaches. As a result, a few key participants in
a longer-term community can be asked to participate in mini-focus groups
and tasks can be analyzed alongside forum responses and blogs, for
example.
Following extensive brand segmentation, Cafédirect—a leading ethical
coffee brand—recently sought a new way to engage its consumers and
deliver fresh insight. With the goal of growing the number of shoppers and
increasing the frequency of purchases among two key consumer segments,
they turned to Dub to help build a new research community utilizing an
online platform, one that allowed them to connect with their target
consumers, garner opinions, share concepts, and build valuable
relationships every day.
I
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The Brief
efore developing their solution, Cafédirect’s insight team completed a rigorous segmentation
study to better understand their consumer typologies. Up until that point, they had relied on
traditional project-oriented research and emailed surveys for insight. Although useful, a new research
solution was needed that would be more cost effective and capable of delivering research faster.
With the mission of finding a new way of engaging Cafédirect consumers, as well as a select few non-
consumers, Dub set the following research goals:
• generate new product ideas, develop concepts
• conduct in-home and on-site product testing
• explore usage patterns across the categories they operate in
• develop marketing campaigns
• test ad concepts and digital content
• create content to support trade sell-in
• deliver new social collateral for use in future marketing initiatives
Furthermore, this project involved developing a community strategy and research community
platform that would:
• support qualitative and quantitative research methods
• encourage conversations among consumers and staff at Cafédirect
• be private and invite-only since much of the information being to be shared was confidential
• be easy for consumers of various ages and experience to get involved
• deliver a new digital brand experience that consumers would enjoy and even take partial
ownership of
The Solution
ub customized their online research community platform UpClose™, to embody the look and
feeling of a social network. This custom online research community platform provides features
such as blogs and discussion forums, brainstorming exercises, surveys, live chat rooms, and polls. It is
a place where participants are able to personalize the space, create rich profiles and start their own
discussions, as well as participate in a range of research exercises.
For a community to be successful it needs to enable group members to feel part of something unique
and exciting—a place they had a hand in creating. An emotional bond is beneficial for the success of
B
D
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Newsletter of the NorthWest MRA
members staying active and happily taking on the identity of the community for themselves. For
these reasons and more, the community’s name was a key component.
As such, the Cafédirect community was aptly named Cafédirectors’, playing on the fact that the
research community members were encouraged to take ownership of this space. This name was
selected to give its members the notion that they were a select bunch—a group with a voice and a
say in the future of the brand.
To ensure high participation rates, as well as rich and insightful online conversations, Dub’s team
provided training to Cafédirect’s Community Managers and designed a recruitment strategy to
identify initial members and create an effective process by which introducing them to the
community. Rewards and incentives for participation were critical, so a strategy was created as to
how best to manage this exchange and the creation of motivational drivers.
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Knowledge and Insight Sharing
t was important that the solution made it easy for the Cafédirectors’ Community Managers to
share and disseminate the knowledge and insight they gleaned with the business stakeholders.
Dub implemented two of their products to facilitate this: a Notepad solution and ‘UpStream’ curetted
content feature.
Community Managers can tag, annotate and disseminate insights at the press of a button, keeping
stakeholders informed in a convenient and accessible way. Streams of actionable insight are kept
alive for longer, with ongoing internal discussion supported by way of a digital insight channel.
The Results
• A continuous dialogue with target consumers
• The ability to ask consumers a wider range of
questions which previously possible due to time and
budgetary restrictions
• A new culture of research and consumer-centric
development
• The community’s new pivotal role to help achieve
strategic business objectives of objectives alongside
more traditional research by becoming even more
consumer- and shopper-focused
• Quicker turnaround of research and lowered business
costs
• Validation and support of alternative research
methods
• Rising community membership with minimal effort
• Increased awareness of the brand’s marketing
activities
• Innovative approach to building consumer
relationships
• A platform for innovation
• Better, more insightful business decisions
• Social research harnessed within the business that fuels social capital
• Major cost savings over bespoke solution development
• A flexible, adaptable research resource that the brand owns
• A dramatic sea-change in the way research is used within the business
I
“The community has enabled
us to ask our customers a
wider range of questions
which we perhaps wouldn’t
be able to before because of
time and budget restrictions.
This has ultimately fostered
more of a research culture
and consumer focus with our
business.”
Insights Manager, Cafédirect
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Newsletter of the NorthWest MRA
Upcoming Event NorthWest MRA Educational Conference in Portland, Oregon
May 8, 2012, 8am - 5pm
arket researchers are smarter than you think. We demonstrate cognitive skills that make us
stand out in the business world: using tools, solving problems, having self awareness, and the
ability to communicate insight through storytelling.
This year’s annual NorthWest MRA conference returns to OMSI in Portland
during their “Wild Minds: What Animals Really Think” exhibit. As the OMSI
exhibit will explore how animals’ environments have shaped their thinking
abilities and the evolutionary link between human and animal thinking, this
conference will be exploring the evolution of research tools and techniques
in today’s rapidly changing business environment.
The full day—8am to 5pm—includes lunch and will be followed by a social networking mixer.
Written proposals for program presentations are currently being accepted and must be received by
March 23, 2012 to be considered. Presentation topics should ideally fall within the following areas:
Business management, Research, and Legal.
We expect up to 100 marketing research practitioners to attend, including data collectors, research
companies, research users and suppliers to the industry and presenters gain visibility, recognition and
increased knowledge from the experience.
The submission of proposals is not limited to MRA members, so if you know anyone who can speak
on a topic of interest to MRA members, please let them know about this great opportunity. Please
remember that speakers do not receive direct compensation for speaking engagements, although full
conference registration and lunch will be provided.
Please come help us win the national MRA’s “Best Educational Conference” award for a 4th time!
For information about presentation proposal submissions, contact Amanda Durkee, Senior Research
Consultant, Zanthus, 971-404-0275 ext. 104, [email protected].
M
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Newsletter of the NorthWest MRA
Upcoming Event Research in Action: Producing Results
The 26th
Annual Joint Chapter Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada
April 11 – 13, 2012
Topics and Speakers Include
An Overview of US and EU Privacy and Data Security Laws
Helen Christakos, Attorney, Greenberg Traurig LLP
The Measurement of Emotion through Facial Expression
Maggie Pazian, President, Visual Emotion LLC
What Are We Really Learning with Neural Measurement?
Jerry Johnson, CEO, Nimbus Online
Understanding the Context of Brand & Product Mentions Online
Alkis Papadopoullos, Chief Technology Officer, Voxco, Inc.
Understanding Gen X,Y & V: Trends That Will Impact Your Business
Jane Buckingham, President, Trendera, Inc.
Attracting the Hispanic Market: The Approach & Additional Segmentation
Emilio Vargas, President, Marketing Excellence, Inc.
*Speaker Topic TBD*
Roberto Coppola, Corporate Strategy & Market Research, International Gaming Technology
Early Bird Deadline: Wednesday, March 14th, 2012
egister early at Planet Hollywood (877-244-9474) and receive the conference rate of $99 per
night! Use Room Code SMSMR2. All early bird registrants will be entered into a drawing for a
chance to win a 2012 SWMRA Educational Forum Registration.
Visit http://www.northwestmra.org/vegas2012 for more information,
or visit http://www.swmra.org/2012LVCReg.aspx to register.
R
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Past Event New Year’s Eve Party in San Francisco
he 2012 New Year’s Eve celebration kicked off the beginning of a fantastic year at Butterfly on
Pier 33 in San Francisco. Overlooking the San Francisco Bay (including a glimpse at a visiting
cruise ship!) attendees were treated to
delicious appetizers, potent cocktails, and
thought-provoking conversation with both
new faces and familiar friends.
Guests chatted freely, discussing business
ideas—such as new ways to streamline
internal processes using cloud computing—
while also sharing personal stories. “It was a
wonderful evening. It was great to finally put
faces to names of old colleagues and meet
new industry contacts,” recounted one guest.
The evening was so delightful,
some guests even found
themselves staying much longer
than expected. Ken Roberts,
President of Cooper Roberts
Research, Inc. reported only
intending to stop by for an hour,
“but the other attendees were so
engaging I stayed for almost four!”
Heather McEneany, Director of watchLAB Studios summed up the evening nicely when she said: “In
the busy-ness of business it is always a pleasure to connect with colleagues on a personal level,
hearing about their families, travels and interests. It definitely brings a deeper grounding to our local
market research community. Plus, Michaelyn and Katherine chose a stellar venue – even arranging a
glowing in-port cruise ship for our view!”
Speaking of that cruise ship, here’s a little fun fact: The in-port ship we saw was the P&O Aurora
which started its recent trip in the UK and is making a 98-night around-the-world jaunt, stopping at
41 different ports across the globe. That gets our vote for the next MRA conference! Who’s in?!
T
“In the busy-ness of business it is always a pleasure
to connect with colleagues on a personal level,
hearing about their families, travels and interests.
Definitely brings a deeper grounding to our local
market research community.”
Heather McEneany
Director, watchLAB Studios
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Financial News & Notes Profit & Loss
Marketing Research Association, NorthWest Chapter
July 2011 - January 2012
Total
Income Annual Sponsorship
Event Attendees
Event Sponsors
Membership Dues
Total Income
$6,250.00
$640.60
$700.00
$2,310.00
$9,900.60
Expenses
Bank Charges
Dues & Subscriptions
Event Expenses
Event Expenses - Facility
Legal & Professional Fees
PayPal Fees
Recognition/Awards
Taxes & Licenses
Website
Total Expenses
$60.00
$69.65
$2,839.24
$1,425.30
$500.00
$257.50
$50.81
$20.00
$195.66
$5,418.16
Net Operating Income
Other Income
Interest Earned
Total Other Income
Net Other Income
$4,482.44
$2.92
$2.92
$2.92
Net Income $4,485.36
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Financial News & Notes Balance Sheet
Marketing Research Association, NorthWest Chapter
As of January 31, 2012
Total
ASSETS Current Assets
Banks Accounts
Total Current Assets
TOTAL ASSETS
$51,446.76
$51,446.76
$51,446.76
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Liabilities
Total Liabilities
Equity
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
$51,446.76
$51,446.76
Contact Information NorthWest Marketing Research Association
Mailing Address NorthWest MRA c/o CfMC
547 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94501
General Enquiries [email protected]
Website northwestmra.org