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1/27/09

What are we weighting for?

Let’s say that you just conducted a public survey of your community for a community needs assessment.  In your community, 29% of residents are between age 18 and 34, and 29% are age 55 or older.  Yet among your survey respondents, 8% are  aged 18-34, while 52% are aged 55 or older (this is a […]

By Beth MulliganRead More

1/19/09

Tradeoffs between survey length and cooperation

In a previous post we discussed how survey length can indirectly drive up participation recruitment costs.  Another often-ignored consequence of long surveys is poor quality data that may or may not be easy to identify.  Even conscientious participants lose the desire to be cooperative as a survey drags on.  By the sixth page, or the […]

By Beth MulliganRead More

1/14/09

Is Detroit now asking the right questions?

A few weeks ago there was an article in the Denver Post about the reason for the demise of the US auto industry (thanks to Chuck, our finance manager, for passing it along to me). In the article, Ed Quillen mentioned an age-old anecdote about asking consumers what they want.  When US automakers built and […]

By David KennedyRead More

1/12/09

The not so ultimate question?

In a recent edition of Quirk’s Marketing Research Review, there was an article (Article ID: 20081004….requires registration, but it is free) on the Net Promoter Score (NPS).  The NPS has long been touted by many as the best way to measure customer satisfaction, and a key characteristic of the system is its simplicity. In case you […]

By David KennedyRead More

1/8/09

Knowing your audience

One of the basic tenets of effective marketing is knowing your target market.  That principle is no less important, and may be even more so, when designing effective market research.  Whether your goal is to encourage people to use your product or service or to encourage them to participate in your study, knowing what motivates […]

By Matt HerndonRead More

1/6/09

Looking forward to 2009

In the tradition of blog posts recapping the previous year and predicting the next year, Corona offers our own opinions on how the trends of 2009 will shape the world of research and strategy. Response rates are declining and reaching a representative sample is becoming harder.  The number of households with no landline telephone may […]

By David KennedyRead More