Category Archives: research

Conference presentation accepted

Excellent news: My conference paper has been accepted by the MRIA’s National Conference Program Committee. I’ll be presenting on my Audience Development work with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Winnipeg, May 25-28, 2008. Of course, now I’ll have to craft a worthy presentation.

I’m planning to demonstrate the application of insights derived from various types of research methodologies in solving a major business issue at the nation’s leading live performing arts venue. (That’s a mouthful!) Because I not only conducted the research but facilitated the strategy process, the outstanding business results (see previous postings) achieved already make a great example for “return on research invesment.”

I’m also planning on making an argument for the idea of “integrated research.” After all, today integrated marketing and integrated decision-making are everywhere – at least in words if not in deed – and I see opportunities for marketing researchers to advance a conversation about customer insight and its application.

Strategic Moves – Thinking : Business

Respect for the customer

Arguably, the most important asset a marketing researcher has is … a respondent. The Canadian industry association, MRIA, has created a Respondents Bill of Rights – and much effort goes into best practice development for research methodologies that both respect the respondent and provide insight on which to base business decisions.

What is the most important asset an advertising agency or a marketer has? I think the answer is … a customer. Not inventory, not intellectual property, not real estate, not world-class leadership, not strategic location, not stock price, not exclusive market rights, not employees (even though in my mind employees are intrinsically linked to the customer).

Why is it then, that there is so little effort made to care for the customer or the potential customer? Over 90% of new products fail and fewer than 50% of advertisements are effective – so why are they getting created and who are they really speaking to?

Instead of relevant, timely, opt-in, creative marketing activities, much of marketing seems to still be trying to yell louder or funnier or whatever at a fairly large group of people.

If advertisers want to be relevant then they might reconsider their focus and place the customer at the heart of business and marketing considerations. There are successful CRM implementations and there are impressive case studies of brands connecting with customers by acting on the knowledge they collect about them and creating many meaningful, memorable interactions.

Because it’s the customer that matters. Not so much mind share, or intent to purchase.
Instead, try measuring the degree of relationship a customer has with the organization and the degree of relationship the organization has with the customer.

Online Research Conference in Ottawa

On November 5, the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association will hold its second Online Research Conference, called Net Gain 2.0. Like I do on the Ottawa Chapter board, I am volunteering on the conference organizing committee, responsible for marketing and communications.

I’m interested in this area because just like marketers and media/advertising agencies have to go where people are – rather than where they used to be – so do researchers. Accomplishing that in ways that are reliable and valid, and thus can yield solid insight to base business decisions on, is important.

As Canadians are living and interacting via the web, are letting go of landlines in favour of cell or PDAs and are increasingly viewing their opinions as something valuable, the research field is rapidly evolving. I’m looking forward to hearing from research practitioners who we are at the leading edge of this field.

It’s My Cornwall contest way to win trust

Over the last few months I’ve worked with a team from Banfield-Seguin on the City of Cornwall Economic Development Department’s rebranding and business / resident attraction programs.

We gained a great deal of insight from the research process, where we talked to a lot of people in Cornwall about Cornwall, conducted a review of economic development success stories as well as a reputation assessment based on news media and web coverage. Based on the findings, we felt that the next strategic move would be to give the people in Cornwall even more of a voice in shaping the city’s new brand story. We thought the benefits of that approach would be considerable: we would shift perceptions about Cornwall, earn the residents’ trust in the work, make it real and foster buy in to the process and its outcomes.

In close collaboration with the team, we came up with the It’s My Cornwall contest. With great local media support, and direct, on-the-ground engagement, for instance through a day at the mall to solicit on-the-spot video and audio submissions, we got more than 130 entries in 19 days. Then we short-listed the 20 best entries, and promoted voting: 5,071 votes were cast.

The energy and enthusiam generated was palpable. We even got CTV Ottawa coverage for this initiative. All that bodes well for the next steps in rebranding and marketing Cornwall.