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In this final episode of The Research Insider’s interview with NBC’s Horst Stipp, we explore an unconventional media research metric – Google search – and conclude with some thoughts for research suppliers as they attempt to navigate the rapidly evolving and increasingly competitive media research marketplace.
Check out the podcast
View the transcript
By Marc Dresner, IIR USA
“People can come up with statistics to prove anything. Fourteen percent of people know that.”
~ Homer Simpson’s response to a TV news interview question in which the local anchor cited an inconvenient statistic
With Halloween so close, I thought we might all be up for a good, scary story.
What you are about to read is confidential and may get me in trouble, so please don’t share it with anyone…not a soul! (Beware: even weaker Halloween puns ahead.)
A closed-door meeting of my condo association’s board of directors took an amusing and slightly alarming detour the other night into the realm of statistics.
We five had gathered to finalize the 2011 budget and – more importantly – to review bids from several cable and satellite TV providers.
(I stress that the latter is more important because while I do not enjoy budgeting, I do enjoy what little television I have time to watch and I am dissatisfied with our current bulk services provider.)
The budget discussion was relatively uneventful. But the cable conversation was a bit more…spirited. (I warned you.) Apparently I am not the only person with strong emotional ties to the tube.
First, we needed to be able to justify the switch, because any option other than staying with our current provider would nearly triple everyone’s monthly cable bill. With more than 260 units, that’s a lot of rotten produce being thrown our way at the next homeowner’s assoc meeting if our call turned out to be dead wrong.
Now, we’re confident that most of our residents are unhappy enough with our current provider to accept the increase; however, beyond anecdotal evidence and a two-year-old survey with a lukewarm response rate, we really didn’t have much else upon which to stake our decision.
So you can imagine my reaction when one of my board colleagues – who is much smarter and more accomplished than I, and by whom I will likely be sued if he reads this – suggested that the vast majority of residents are probably open to accepting a new cable/satellite services provider at triple the price in a recession BECAUSE – drum roll – conventional wisdom in political polling dictates that for every person who bothers to make their opinion known, there are one or two others who feel the same way, but do not say so.
So, one vote equals two, maybe three? Based on our two-year-old survey results, that would constitute a sizable majority of residents (most of whom did not bother to respond to the survey).
Interesting stat, no? And, by the way, let’s hear it for self-selection error!
It gets better…
In response, another of my board colleagues – again someone much smarter than I, with outstanding credentials – leaned in and said, “‘Joe,’ this is not a political poll.”
Re-read that last line, just for laughs.
So, board member number two’s issue was not with the accuracy of board member number one’s math, but with the nature of the topic being polled. Apparently, the 1=2-or-maybe-3 rule indeed applies to political polls, but not to non-probability sampling in matters regarding cable television services.
Now, I am by no means a statistician and I did not dispute this line of reasoning (the meeting was already running long, and it was a harmless point well taken), but I believe both of my colleagues were slightly mistaken.
Isn’t the correct rule of thumb that for every one person who voices a complaint, there are 27 others who feel the same way but don’t complain? Or should we defer to the ole adage: “A happy customer tells a friend; an unhappy customer tells everyone”? It’s all so confusing…
I relate this tale all in good fun, and I mean no disrespect to my wonderful condo board colleagues, none of whom – I trust – will call for my resignation if they happen to read this.
At the end of the day, my point is that the blasé tossing about of questionable stats is frighteningly commonplace – and educated, intelligent people routinely and willingly accept them without question.
Which reminds me: we have an election coming up!
I’ll keep my politics to myself, but I’ve already seen enough push polls and suspicious numbers to sustain me through the next four election cycles. And while it’s easy to point the finger at politicians (I have a special finger for that), the worst offenders are the journalists who lack the background and/or inclination to verify the validity and reliability of the numbers they so eagerly push out into the echo chamber as fact.
This sentiment was echoed in IIR’s recent podcast interview with NBC’s SVP strategic insights and innovation, Horst Stipp, who had some pretty strong things to say about the irresponsible use of research, and who noted that journalists and politicians are not the only offenders: Researchers, too, occasionally lapse.
Bottom line: I think we can all agree that the misuse and manipulation of statistics – in journalism, politics, commercially and even by condo boards…for whatever end – is totally out of control, with grave implications for research credibility.
So what’s your scary stats story? We each have one, so I’m interested in hearing all three of yours.
Happy Halloween!
New issues; new challenges; new solutions…same questions? In episode three of our four-part interview, NBC’s Horst Stipp delves into the exponentially increasing complexity of media measurement, and highlights some promising research technologies and methodologies – neurological feedback, the Tobii eye-tracking method, etc. – that may help marketers answer age-old questions for the first time.
Tune in tomorrow for the last part of this four-part interview!
Check out the podcast
View the transcript
In the second episode of our four-part interview, NBC’s Horst Stipp compares YouTube-style “video snacking” to viewing behavior for more traditional programming. He also discusses how the network’s research team is working with advertisers to not only prove that commercials still work, but to actually improve their effectiveness in spite of media fragmentation and fast-forwarding.
Tune in tomorrow for part 3 of the podcast!
Check out the podcast
View the transcript
Special Four-Part Interview: NBC Universal’s Research Innovation Head Channels The Modern Media Consumer In Uncertain Times
“There was a time when owning a television network was like printing money,” recalls Horst Stipp, senior vice president of strategic insights and innovation at NBC Universal.
The days of one-stop shopping are long gone. An explosion of channels; time-shift viewing via DVRs; the Internet; mobility; new devices; ubiquitous connectivity… The media landscape is radically, rapidly changing, and so is the media consumer.
Media research is changing, too: It is more complicated, more sophisticated and more important than ever.
Enter NBC’s research innovation team, whose mission sounds deceptively simple: keep pace with change.
In this special four-part interview installment of “The Research Insider,” the man responsible for helping a network – and perhaps even an industry – navigate flux shares his approach to continuous transition in the face of disruptive innovation.
Tune in for a new episode every day!
Listen to Part One
Part One Transcript
Horst Stipp will present “New Insights on Today’s Media Consumer” in two parts at The Market Research Event with Dan Zigmond of Google TV – first on Monday, November 8th and again on a separate, but related component, on Wednesday the 10th.
For more information, please visit http://www.iirusa.com/research/event-home.xml
Win a pass to The Future Market Research Leaders Education Series,which is taking place November 7-9, 2010 in San Diego, CA. Brought to you by the producers of The Market Research Event and faculty from Notre Dame University, this course will prepare you for a successful career in market research. This intimate classroom style event will be co-located with the The Market Research Event giving you access to select combined networking opportunities. In 2 days you will get the knowledge and meet the contacts that will help lay the groundwork for a career in market research and consumer insights.
In order to enter you need to submit the following information to Anastasia Ioannou – aioannou@iirusa.com with Future MR Leaders Contest in the Subject Line.
Name:
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Winners will be selected next week. Enter today for your chance to win.
The Market Research Event 2010 is taking place this November 8-10, 2010 in San Diego, California. Every Friday leading up to the event, we'll be recapping one session from The Market Research Event 2009.
At DreamGrow Social Media, they recently posted a very interesting article about how there can only be one dominant social network. The public does not have time to invest in more than one network at one time, and to support this hypothesis, author Kallas pulls together a graph showing social networking market share over the past few years. View the chart here. As MySpace died out, Facebook has taken over it's share of having the most users. While many other networks remain used, Facebook is clearly the winner in the minds of consumers.
What do you think? Can consumers support more than one dominant form of social networking at once?
Media researchers are already having troubles measuring the viewership of television programs. From the first-run broadcasting time slot, to post-viewership via DVR, as well as online availability, it can be difficult to find out what viewership actually is. However, an article at MediaTel looks at another key to the puzzle - piracy of the media content.
Measuring the viewership can be difficult. The amount of pirated media is difficult to measure, as is the numbers of users viewing media this way. This article takes a different spin and examines why many individuals pirate media content. The biggest reasons were for lack of control. Lack of control over availability, distribution and usage rights. Many times viewers in Europe don't want to wait for a program that is already available in the US.
If companies producing media take these three situations and examine them, can something be done to help better measure the actual content use?
You could earn a complimentary All-Access pass to one of the world’s largest market research events by serving as a guest-blogger. As a guest blogger at The Market Research Event, you’ll have access to the amazing visionaries, authors, academics PLUS retailers, manufacturers, industry authorities and explorers. With six track sessions, networking hours and innovative sessions – you’ll learn and have a great time and this premier event.
Responsibilities will include attending specifically assigned sessions and blogging live or same day. You must have industry experience within the market research field. In exchange for guest blogging, you will receive an all-access pass to the event $3,000+ value. Guest bloggers are responsible for their travel and lodging.
Apply today by sending your name, company, biography and links to your blog directly to TMRE Media Marketer, Jennifer Pereira at jpereira@iirusa.com. Deadline for submissions has been extended to Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 12pm EST.
The Market Research Event 2010 is taking place this November 8-10, 2010 in San Diego, California. Every Friday leading up to the event, we'll be recapping one session from The Market Research Event 2009.
ns, peer focus groups, and learning connects to fully understand their consumer's retail experience. 
Online Networking Performs Brilliantly in Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness Study, and Makes a Two-Time Believer of a One-Time Skeptic
When Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness (SSW) initiated its first annual “Wellness & The Economy” survey in 2009, Chief Strategy Officer Johanna Skilling was – to put it mildly – skeptical about the utility of social media in quantitative survey research. But ironically, when it came time to design and field the study, budget constraints left Skilling and her team with no viable option other than social media…
Find out what happened in this first installment of IIR USA’s TMRE podcast series, “Inside Insights”! In a candid interview, Skilling recounts the methodological concerns, challenges and triumphs of conducting a national study solely via social media – and how the approach subsequently played a critical role in the 2010 iteration’s modal mix.
Listen to the podcast
View the transcript
Skilling plans to reveal the 2010 results and discuss SSW’s “Wellness & The Economy” study in detail in a Culture & Research Trends symposium Monday November 8th at IIR USA’s The Market Research Event.
For more information, please visit http://www.iirusa.com/research/event-home.xml
Join us for a Complimentary Web Seminar
Thursday, October 14th from 2:00 PM - 3:00PM EDT
Space is limited.
Reserve your Web Seminar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/365828665
Sustainability has been called the first megatrend of the 21st Century. And as sustainability moves beyond eco-efficiency, it will become a major force for innovation.
But what constitutes world-changing ‘green’ innovation? And how can corporations embrace it for maximum returns?
There are three trends that are proven indicators of successful innovation. Understanding and embracing them is vital for any company embarking on a path of green innovation.
In this webinar, Mike Maddock and Marc Stoiber will provide the big picture on these trends, and outline their role in creating successful ‘green’ innovation.
Featured Speakers:
Mike Maddock, Founder, Maddock Douglas
Marc Stoiber, VP of Green Innovation, Maddock Douglas
Mike is founder of Agency of InnovationTM Maddock Douglas. He has helped 25% of the Fortune 100 successfully invent, build and brand. A serial entrepreneur, Mike has launched three successful businesses and chairs the Gathering of Titans entrepreneurial conclave at MIT. He is a featured innovation columnist for Bloomberg-BusinessWeek and author of Saving the Idea Monkey, a book due out in early 2011.
Marc is VP of Green Innovation at Maddock Douglas. He was an award-winning creative director prior to founding his own green brand agency, which was acquired by Maddock Douglas. He writes for Fast Company and Huffington Post, speaks on the subject from coast to coast, has been featured at TED, and regularly appears as a green expert commentator on television.
This web seminar is presented to you by:
The Market Research Event
The only conference in the world designed specifically for market research & insights executives. The Market Research Event covers the latest and greatest in how research can be used to affect change and drive your business forward So when your company challenges you to attend just one conference this year, you know you have the answer. This is it.
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Join The Market Research Event LinkedIn group
Earn a complimentary All-Access pass to one of the world’s largest market research events by serving as a guest-blogger. As a guest blogger at The Market Research Event, you’ll have access to the amazing visionaries, authors, academics PLUS retailers, manufacturers, industry authorities and explorers. With six track sessions, networking hours and innovative sessions – you’ll learn and have a great time and this premier event.
Responsibilities will include attending specifically assigned sessions and blogging live or same day. You must have industry experience within the market research field. In exchange for guest blogging, you will receive an all-access pass to the event $3,000+ value. Guest bloggers are responsible for their travel and lodging.
Apply today by sending your name, company, biography and links to your blog directly to TMRE Media Marketer, Jennifer Pereira. Deadline for submissions is Friday, October 15, 2010 at 12pm EST. Early submissions encouraged.
The Market Research Event 2010 is taking place this November 8-10, 2010 in San Diego, California. Every Friday leading up to the event, we'll be recapping one session from The Market Research Event 2009.
Looking Under the Hood of Corporate Social Responsibility: A Nestle and BuzzBack Market Research Study
Speaker: Brendan Light, BuzzBack Market Research
Brendan states some research conducted in conjunction with Nestle that helps answer some of these “fuzzy” questions.
• Does the effort resonate with consumers?
• Do we know how to communicate to consumers?
• Do consumers believe it?
• Which efforts work globally which works better locally?
The research was done across 3 markets: USA, UK, and Germany.
A big concern that came from the results is that more than 2/3 of people are disappointed with how companies are conducting business.
How should companies act in terms of CSR issues? It should be seen as voluntary for these companies, but just because it is voluntary now it doesn’t mean that in 20 years these CSR issues won’t be regulated in the future. The definition of CSR should not come from the marketers, but it should come from the consumers so it is important to have conversations with them.
Consumers in Germany view being a good employer as a big issue for CSR, whereas consumers in the USA think more externally and view broader issues as important CSR issues. BuzzBack used their patented eCollage system which allowed consumers and all respondents to pick images for analysis.
From the analysis, we learned that consumers are aware of CSR but their buying decision is not affected by CSR.
Brendan was able to share with us some insights from his presentation. Check out the clip below.
Updated:
For those of you not at TMRE 2009, you can view the recent archived webinar recently presented by Buzzback that looks at this presentation.
