What can gameification do for market research?

Gameification is a strong ally for many industries, and one industry poised to benefit is market research.  In a recent interview with Rajat Paharia, of Bunchball at Research., he examines what it can do for the industry - not just enhance the experience users have while participating in market research, but possibly enhancing the sense of loyalty the participants have towards the brand presenting the options for research.

Accordign to Paharia, "When done correctly, gamification creates a stronger sense of loyalty with the brand, agency or company providing the application. Reward and prize-based incentives work, but if they aren’t automated and part of a system that someone can regularly return to, they won’t keep people engaged. In addition, if these achievements aren’t visible to the rest of the community, they might not be as compelling."

At The Market Research Technology Event, Jane McGonigal, Institute For The Future, will be on hand to present the keynote speech, "How Games can Empower you to GET Data" which will examine directly how market research could harness this powerful tool. For more information on Jane's speech and the rest of the program, download the brochure here.  And, as a reader of this blog, when you register to join us April 30-May 2, 2012, in Las Vegas, and mention code MRTECH12BLOG to save 15% off the standard rate!

What do you think about gameification for market research?  What benefits could it have for the industry?

QuestBack Expands Global Presence with New North American Headquarters

Leading European provider of Enterprise Feedback Management pursues growth opportunity in North America

Oslo, Norway – January 31, 2012 – QuestBack, a global leader in enterprise feedback management (EFM), customer experience management and social CRM solutions, today announced the opening of its North American headquarters. QuestBack is Europe's foremost supplier of feedback management solutions and is recognized by Forrester as a leader among market-insights-focused EFM vendors. As part of the company’s North American expansion strategy, the Bridgeport, Connecticut office will be the foundation for rapid growth across the region and help support the company’s more than 5,000 international customers.

“QuestBack has experienced extraordinary international growth, particularly as a growing number of companies search for ways to leverage feedback from customers and employees through social channels,” said Ivar Kroghrud,
chief executive officer. “We see a great opportunity for growth in North America and have already experienced demand from businesses across all sectors – from consumer goods to financial services – to help foster current relationships and reach new audiences. Our North American headquarters will enable us to capitalize on this demand and work even more closely with our current customer base.”

With more than 16 years of global management expertise in the market research industry, Suresh Subbiah, president of North American operations, is driving QuestBack’s market penetration in the region. As part of the expansion, Suresh plans to double QuestBack’s North American revenues in the next year. To help support this growth, the company is focused on building out its sales and marketing talent in the U.S. with experienced market research veterans. Recent hires include Jill Ransome as the head of U.S. Marketing and Todd F. White, Eric Bell and Gigi Hayden have joined QuestBack as directors of Insight Solutions.

Founded in 2000, QuestBack quickly established itself as one of the leading global EFM providers. To help clients improve business insight through social media channels, the company recently acquired social CRM provider Globalpark and launched QuestBack Social Connect. Additionally, QuestBack's web-based services for relationship development helps companies to improve their performance, enhance satisfaction amongst employees and customers, as well as heighten market expertise.


QuestBack is opening its official North American headquarters at 1000 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport, CT. For more information please visit: http://www.questback.net/.

About QuestBack
QuestBack Group is Europe's leading Enterprise Feedback Management and one of the world's Top 5 vendors. QuestBack provides online survey solutions, panel solutions and social CRM solutions - web-based services for relationship development through the collection, analysis, and follow-up of business critical information. QuestBack's clients achieve better financial performance through increasing the satisfaction and loyalty among their customers and employees. QuestBack was founded in 2000 and has achieved double-digit growth ever since. The Company is headquartered in Oslo, Norway with subsidiaries in seven countries and offices in a total of 17 countries, and serves over 5,000 customers across all sectors and industries, including Volvo, Ernst & Young, Coca-Cola, Microsoft and Bosch.

** ** **
The Forrester Wave™: EFM Vendors, Market Insights Platform Providers, Q3 2011, Forrester Research, Inc., September 27, 2011

Media Contact:
Cassie Smith
LEWIS PR
Phone: 617-226-8840
Email: QuestBack@lewispr.com

Prediction from The Market Research Technology Event Keynote

"The market research industry will not exist in its current form by 2020. Even by 2013, significant, clear signs of evolution will appear...

•             One or two new players will emerge and become a big industry force by the end of the decade

•             Technology will dramatically shape the way the insights industry evolves

•             Big search engines and social media companies - with access to millions of individual insights - will become strong insights industry players

•             There will be increased emphasis on on technology-enabled observation and listening type research

•             There will be a dramatic increase in the use of Smartphones

•             Big Data Analytics - led by consultants and IT giants - will amp up the pressure on traditional full-service industries

•             As representative samples become impossible, MR will abandon that idea for most research studies"

- Stan Sthanunathan, VP-Marketing Strategy & Insights, Coca-Cola Co. (Atlanta, GA)

From market research to business intelligence, the tools available are growing exponentially, the knowledge available is astounding, the game is changing, and therefore, so are we. We proudly present the new and expanded: Market Research Technology Event, a holistic synthesis of intelligence, insights and implications. This is an event with practical lessons, productive debate and inspirational messages for moving forward and driving innovation in your organization.

Keynote Spotlight

Join Stan at The Market Research Technology Event as he keynotes on "Technology...Embrace it or Get Left Behind!"

Rapidly changing technology is impacting the world of insights in a big way. It is going to fundamentally change the way insights are generated. Shift of mind-set, upgradation of skill sets and willingness to adapt are becoming existential imperatives. This presentation will provide an overview of some of the technologies that will shape the future of the insights industry. It will also articulate crucial success factors for not only surviving but thriving in this new world order. Understand how we need to change, how we change, and understand what new skills are required to survive and thrive in this rapidly changing world of insights.

Download the brochure for more information on Stan's session and the complete Market Research Technology Event program.

The Market Research Technology Event will deliver marketplace intelligence, from social media to mobile, to CRM, research innovation, text analytics and data mining. It's a holistic synthesis of intelligence, insights and implications. Join us in this new technological wonderland.

If you have any questions about the event, feel free to email Jennifer Pereira at jpereira@iirusa.com or visit the webpage here.

Cheers,

The Market Research Technology Event Team

The TMRE Online Network:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tmre

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marketresearchevent

CALL FOR PRESENTERS: The Market Research Event 2012

CALL FOR PRESENTERS: The Market Research Event 2012
November 12-14, 2012 * Boca Raton, Florida
Email kschram@iirusa.com by Friday, February 3, 2012.

** ** **
NOTE: Presenters are accepted on a rolling basis so early submissions are encouraged.

About TMRE
The Market Research Event (www.themarketresearchevent.com) is all about the business value of market research. With more than 140 sessions and 175 speakers, it is by far the most comprehensive market research conference in the world. Multiple tracks and symposia allow participants to truly customize their experience based on their unique learning goals.

Presenter Qualifications
TMRE is seeking client side executives to join the speaker faculty. Speakers can come from any department within the organization. Content must be original and not have already been presented at this or any other industry conference. Note: ONLY client-side submissions will be reviewed. If you are a market research firm, vendor, or consultant, please see below.

The Audience
In 2011, TMRE drew more than 1000 participants with more than 60% representing client side companies from all major industries including: CPG, Media & Entertainment, Finance & Insurance, Travel & Tourism, Durable Goods, Pharmaceutical & Healthcare, Retail, Energy & Utilities, Telecommunications, Technology, & Automotive and more.

Attendees have backgrounds in market research, consumer insights, marketing, intelligence, brand insights, marketing analytics, R&D, product development, innovation, customer experience, strategic planning, shopper insights and advertising among other related areas.

Suggested Topic Areas

1. 1. Social Media & Communities
2. 2. Shopper Insights
3. 3. Consumer Trends
4. 4. Segmentation
5. 5. Biometrics & Neuroscience
6. 6. Ad & Media Research
7. 7. MR Leadership & Strategy
8. 8. Market & Brand Insights
9. 9. Insight Driven Innovation & Product Development
10. 10. Business to Business Research
11. 11. Data Analytics
12. 12. Innovation in Tools & Techniques
13. 13. Strategic Global Expansion
14. 14. BRIC
15. 15. ROI & Measurement
16. 16. Activating Insights
17. 17. Big Data
18. 18. Mobile & Technology

We are also happy to consider topics not listed here that you feel would add value and be appropriate for the audience.

Submission Guidelines
Those who wish to be considered for the TMRE speaker faculty should send the following via email to Kelly Schram, Conference Director at kschram@iirusa.com no later than Friday, February 3, 2012:

1. 1. Benefit oriented title of session
2. 2. Summary of session (no more than 150 words)
3. 3. What is NEW about the presentation
4. 4. Full contact details for speaker including name, title, company, email, phone and mail

If your submission is selected, portions of your summary will be used to promote your participation. In an effort to ensure the utmost quality, all final presentations will be subject to review by our content review board prior to the event.

Past Speakers Include:

Stan Sthanunathan, Vice President, Marketing Strategy & Insights, The Coca-Cola Company, Paulette Kish, Strategic Insights Officer, Mars Petcare, Julia Oswald, Vp, Strategy & Insights, Domino’s Pizza, John Wright, Director, Consumer Insights, Safeway, Renee Pezzi, SVP, Research, Citizen’s Bank, Mike Greco, EVP of Strategic Insights, A&E, Bill Hoffman, SVP, Consumer Insights Best Buy, Susan Wagner, VP, Global Strategic Insights, Johnson & Johnson, Stan Turek, VP Customer Strategy & Shopper Insights, PepsiCo, Dan Zigmond, Technical Lead & Manager, Ad Quality & Pricing Group, Google TV, Joel Aach, VP Consumer Insights, Darden Restaurants, Barry Blyn, VP, Consumer Insights, ESPN

Benefits to speakers
Each speaker receives the following:

1. 1. Free pass to the event including access to all pre-conference symposia and workshops
2. 2. Continental breakfast and lunch
3. 3. Admittance to exclusive networking activities
4. 4. Unique discount code entitling anyone who uses it to 20% off the standard conference rate

Special notices to market research firms, vendors and solutions providers
This call is limited to client side presenters. If you are a vendor, consultant, solution provider, or technology provider and would like to speak at TMRE, please contact Jon Saxe at jsaxe@iirusa.com or 646-895-7467 or Sarene Yablonsky at syablonsky@iirusa.com or 646-895-7474.

Lock in the Lowest Rates to Attend The Audience Measurement Event Today

Have you heard the news? The producers of The Market Research Event and Shopper Insights in Action are bringing you The Audience Measurement Event, an event focused on understanding and translating consumer media consumption.

For 2012, we invited the most visionary thinkers and future forward industry pioneers to share real world case studies and new, never before seen content.

Joining us as a keynote is world-renowned cognitive scientist, Deb Roy, CEO of Bluefin Labs, a tenured member of the MIT faculty and director of the Cognitive Machines Group at the MIT Media Lab. In his recent Harvard Business Review Blog post, Roy shares insight on the implications of social engagement to mass media. At the event Deb Roy will share what this means for brands. (Mass Media's New Engagement Measures)

Keynote Spotlight: Closing the Gap Between Social Media & Mass Communication -

People have always talked about what they watch on television - be it sitcoms, sports or commercials. The emergence of social media platforms now makes it possible for people to voice those opinions publicly, frequently, in real-time and on a scale previously unheard of. Bluefin Labs' innovative technology links social media comments directly to their televised source, enabling networks, brands and advertisers to gain deep insight into how audiences are responding.
• The benefits of understanding how audiences react to TV
• Eye-popping visualization of the social response to mass media
• Actionable insights for optimizing programming, ad planning and creative decisions


It's finally the event your industry has been asking for - 100% real world, new perspectives and practical in every way. Download the conference brochure for full details.

If you're passionate about what's happening now and what's next, join us. Save $400 when you register today. Mention your exclusive Code: AMBLOG. Register here.

Predictions for the Future of Market Research from Industry Insider, Stan Sthanunathan

Prediction from The Market Research Technology Event Keynote, Stan Sthanunathan, VP-Marketing Strategy & Insights, Coca-Cola Co. (Atlanta, GA)"

"The market research industry will not exist in its current form by 2020. Even by 2013, significant, clear signs of evolution will appear...

• • One or two new players will emerge and become a big industry force by the end of the decade
• • Technology will dramatically shape the way the insights industry evolves
• • Big search engines and social media companies - with access to millions of individual insights - will become strong insights industry players
• • There will be increased emphasis on on technology-enabled observation and listening type research
• • There will be a dramatic increase in the use of Smartphones
• • Big Data Analytics - led by consultants and IT giants - will amp up the pressure on traditional full-service industries
• • As representative samples become impossible, MR will abandon that idea for most research studies"

From market research to business intelligence, the tools available are growing exponentially, the knowledge available is astounding, the game is changing, and therefore, so are we. We proudly present the new and expanded: Market Research Technology Event, a holistic synthesis of intelligence, insights and implications. This is an event with practical lessons, productive debate and inspirational messages for moving forward and driving innovation in your organization.

To learn about this innovative program and for more information on Stan's session and the complete Market Research Technology Event program here.

The Market Research Technology Event will take place April 30-May 2, 2012, in Las Vegas, NV. As a reader of this blog, when you register to join us and mention code MRTECH12BLOG you’ll receive a 15% discount off the standard rate! If you have any questions about the event, feel free to email Jennifer Pereira.

The value of the tablet to market research

From April to September 2011, there was a 73%  increase in the number of emails open on a tablet.  One of the most popular ways for market researchers to collect survey results from respondents is to send emails.  This coupled with the ease and use and portability of the device gives Market Researchers a whole new world to examine when it comes to collecting results for surveys.

However, Kinesis Surveys cations that Market Research not get completely caught up in the new trend, as many consumers are still working on all platforms, and that it is very important to continue to offer the surveys where the consumer will take them, which still includes the PC and via SmartPhones. The need for an integrated, multi modal research plan is more important than ever.

At The Market Research Technology Event, Roxana Strohmenger, Analyst, Forrester, will be on hand to present "Leveraging An Integrative Approach With Multiple Mobile Techniques To Get A Richer Understanding Of The Brazilian Consumer" will look at how Forrester did research in Brazil to get a complete understanding of their customer - connecting with them in the survey format that best suited their customer.  For more information on this presentation and the rest of the event, download the brochure here.  Also, as a reader of this blog, mention code MRTECH12BLOG to save 15% off the standard rate when you register to join us this April in Las Vegas!

In the past year, the tablet has already caused large waves to roll through the traditional market research methods.  What do you see as the role of tablets in market research technology in 10 years?

Mobile shopping up in the 2011 Holiday Season

Consumers are ready and willing to begin making their holiday purchases on the phone according to a new study from Foresee.  However, return and repeat purchases often depend on the satisfaction of that online shopping experience.  This past holiday season, 34% of shoppers used their cell phones to visit mobile retailers online and 15% of those consumers purchased directly from them.  This is an 11% increase from the 2010 holiday season.  Amazon and Apple ranked as some of the highest in satisfaction with mobile consumers, while Target, Walmart and Sears  ranked among the lowest.  According to Venture Beat, when sites are evaluating their mobile presence for shopping for their consumers, they should also take into consideration that happy mobile customers are 54% more likely to return and purchase a product in the future.

At The Market Research Technology Event, taking place this April 30-May 2, 2012, in Las Vegas, there will be a full day symposium focusing on mobile market research and the impact mobile has on your customers called "Mobile Research & Technologies Symposia."  Companies featured include Forrester, Nokia and HP.  For more information on this symposia and the rest of the agenda, download the brochure here.  Also, as a reader of this blog, you receive an exclusive discount of 15% off the standard rate when you register and mention code MRTECH12BLOG!

How big of a role do you see mobile shopping playing in the future?  What are some of the best companies, other than Apple and Amazon, best prepared for the consumer experience?

Complimentary Web Seminar: How the Impending Facebook and Google Invasion Will Revolutionize MR

Title: Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear
Speakers: Kevin Lonnie & Sean Holbert, KL Communications
Date: Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT

Presenters: • Kevin Lonnie, CEO & Founder, KL Communications
                     • Sean Holbert, Executive VP, Client Relations,

Register here. 

About the web seminar:
This webinar will examine the opportunities presented by New MR (e.g. social media listening, mobile, text analytics, MROCs, Crowdsourcing, Neuromarketing, etc.) and offer recommendations/best practices on how to bring them into your research arsenal.

Over the next ten years, the MR industry will see its relationship with consumers evolve from respondents to participants. And we will best achieve this new collaborative relationship by weaving our research tools with the interactions provided us via social networking.

Attendees will learn about:

• • Social Media Listening: How to integrate conversations about your brand into your traditional MR to validate findings and generate new hypotheses.
• • Gamification: Survey designers will need to become survey engagers in that it will be as important to create an appealing fun environment as it will be to craft questions.
• • CrowdSourcing of New Products/Services: Passionate customers don't want to just sit on the sidelines, they want to participate in the creation process.
• • Neuromarketing: Learn what consumers really think about your new product/ad with a roadmap of firing neurons that words just can't equal!
• • MROCs: No longer just one sided conversations. MROCs will evolve so that members largely determine the content, allowing clients to tap into the wisdom of their passionate customers.
• • Mobile: Finally, we can capture customers in the moment of their purchase decision.
• • The Impending Facebook and Google Invasion: Utilizing their massive proprietary database, these goliaths are well positioned to dominate our industry unlike anything we've seen before.

Register Now. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.  Sponsored by: KL Communications.

The Market Research Technology Event Full Program Now Available!

From market research to business intelligence, the tools available are growing exponentially, the knowledge available is astounding, the game is changing, and therefore, so are we.

We proudly present the new and expanded: Market Research Technology Event, a holistic synthesis of intelligence, insights and implications. This is an event with practical lessons, productive debate and inspirational messages for moving forward and driving innovation in your organization.

We are arguable in the midst of the most major sea of change the industry has ever seen. Historically market research has been the main driver of data collection - but now, with the explosion of data available and convergence of so much data - researchers are expected to perform data integration, aggregation and prediction alongside their data collection.

Download the brochure for the full speaking roster and session descriptions.

Don’t forget, as a reader of this blog, we’d like to offer you an exclusive discount of 15% off the standard rate when you register and mention code MRTECH12BLOG! If you have any questions about the event, feel free to email Jennifer Pereira at jpereira@iirusa.com.

Online television viewing habits in the UK slowing

The growth of online television program viewing in the UK is slowing.  According to The Guardian, between November 2010 and 2011, there was a growth of 5%.  In the group of 4,000 viewers, 11.2% of them watched television onilne in 2010 and a small increase of 14.4% watched TV online the next year.

What could be causing the slowing growth is the increasingly easy to access set-top-boxes on demand and rewatch instantly services.

However, with internet television growing slowly in the UK, one area intersting area seeing growth is the viewing of  television shows on mobile devices. This was up from 1.9% in 2010 to 3.0% in 2011, the demographic showing the most growth was age 15-39, with a growth from 5.8% to 9.8% in the span of a year.

This year at The Audience Measurement Event, TiVo & Acxiom will be on hand to present Your Segments – Their Viewership to look at who watches television, where, and how to best invest your advertising medium through this medium.  For more information on this session and the event,download the brochure.

Augmented reality glasses on the way from Google?

Can you imagine walking around with a pair of glasses on and targeted information appears in the lens of your glasses?  According to a recent post from Fast Company, Google is working very diligently at making this a reality.  Their connection with the Android makes the technology possible, and their extensive database with user information would allow anything that appears on the glasses lens to be selected specifically for the user.

At this year's The Market Research Technology Event, we'll have a full day symposium on Mobile Research & Technologies Symposia, which looks specifically at new technologies like this that can look at how people use technology on the go, and possibly how augmented reality could fit into the picture in the future. As a valued reader of The Market Research Event’s blog, we’d like to offer you an exclusive discount of 15% off the standard rate for The Market Research Technology Event when you register and mention code MRTECH12BLOG! If you have any questions about the event, feel free to email Jennifer Pereira at jpereira@iirusa.com or visit the webpage.

What impact could technology like this have on the user?  What would be the advantages for marketers with an augmented reality like this?