Archive for the ‘Brand Management’ Category
The Future of Market Research: 5 Innovations to Watch for in 2012
The great David Ogilvy once said, “I notice increasing reluctance on the part of marketing executives to use judgment; they are coming to rely too much on research, and they use it as a drunkard uses a lamp post for support, rather than for illumination.” Those words from the great David Ogilvy are as true today as they were then.
Market research professionals, firms and organizations from IBM to Forrester Research are projecting the next trend in market research to be “making the transformation from research to insight.” If you ask me, that’s what market research has always been. An effective market researcher should be able to plan, conduct, analyze, and report actionable market insights and solutions to clients.
If you can’t do that, you’re probably just sharing stats that you found on eMarketer. I’m not discrediting eMarketer, which is an excellent research provider, but I see many advertising and marketing professionals searching for and relying too much on the latest stat or trend instead of taking that data point and translating it to something of value. Does that trend even make sense for your client’s unique situation? Or are you simply trying to impress them? This is not a problem with the research provider, but the researcher himself.
Instead of projecting the next trend in market research to be “making the transformation from research to insight,” which should already be innately infused into the mantra of the market researcher, I project the future of market research to be the convergence, or mash-up, of emerging technologies and lateral creative thinking across industries with the discipline of market research.
We are all living in a perpetual state of beta. We all have the ability at any time, to analyze our past and present to optimize for the future. And for market researchers, now is the perfect time to seize the opportunity to innovate the industry in ways George Gallup could have never imagined. So borrow from other competitors, borrow from other industries, borrow from culture – use lateral creative thinking to expand your potential and create new methodologies to reveal new insights and solutions. Below are five examples of this approach, which will continue to grow, especially in 2012.
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Emphasize Customers and Realize Value
It’s a huge value, you know that, right? If a business would place more emphasis on their customers instead of themselves they will see better results for both their customers and their business.
In one well-known example, The $300 Million Button, UIE’s Jared Spool made one simple change and the rise in revenue was enormous. He writes:
When the team contacted us, they’d already pretty much decided what the problem was and how they were going to fix it, even though they had never watched any shoppers make purchases. And they were dead wrong. Not only was their fix not going to help, our research showed that it was going to increase abandonment.
Two weeks of usability testing on the live site (and on competitors’ sites), followed by two weeks of iterative paper prototype testing produced a streamlined checkout process, which, once implemented, showed a dramatic increase in revenues. It’s amazing what you’ll learn when you actually watch your users.
Our first Super Bowl commercial microsite
We didn’t make a Super Bowl commercial, but we did make a microsite that supports a Super Bowl commercial.
It’s not an ad for companies that sell beer, pickups or soft drinks; it’s for a foundation that helps people start companies that could someday grow big enough to pay $4 million for their own Super Bowl spots.
Our client is the Kauffman Foundation, a Kansas City organization that studies and promotes entrepreneurship. The commercial asks viewers if they have it in them to become the next great entrepreneur and directs them to the website we built for more information on getting started.
The entrepreneurial subject matter, unusual for a Super Bowl spot, has caught the attention of CNNMoney.
The commercial is airing only in the New York, Washington, Kansas City and San Francisco markets, but the microsite can be seen everywhere.
No Matthew Broderick or Go Daddy girls on the site, just information on turning dreams into reality.
Super Bowl commercial preview
There was a time when you would have had to actually watch Super Bowl XLVI to see the commercials. This year, the best ones have leaked out all over the Internet. In fact, there have even been commercials supporting the main commercials.
Ferris Bueller is back. So are the Coca-Cola polar bears. In case you haven’t had the chance to see the commercials, here are links to some of the best:
- Volkswagen, “The Bark Side”
- Honda CR-V, “Matthew’s Day Off”
- Chevy, “Happy Grad”
- Acura NSX, “Transactions”
- Suzuki, “Sled”
- Audi, “Vampire Party”
- Pepsi MAX, “Check-out”
M&Ms will also be making a splash first quarter with the introduction of their sixth computer-animated mascot and second female M&M, Ms. Brown. Ms. Brown and the M&Ms crew have been promoting her anticipated arrival on the M&Ms Facebook page to drum-up excitement.
Other advertisers, like Coca-Cola®, are also incorporating social media into the mix. For instance, the Coca-Cola® Polar Bears will throw their first-ever Polar Bowl Party via Facebook. According to the CokePolarBowl Facebook page, fans can watch the game with the famous polar bears, receive highlights, learn how to do a polar dance or two as well as chat with friends.
No matter who wins, Super Bowl XLVI is sure to be an exciting advertising game!
Adcom hires Stacey Vaselaney, Derryl Strong, Alicia Lenhart and seven others
CLEVELAND, OHIO – February 1, 2012 – The Adcom Group of Companies, a Cleveland-based full-service marketing firm, is proud to announce the additions of Stacey Vaselaney as senior public relations strategist, Derryl Strong as art director, Alicia Lenhart as senior media planner and buyer, Jacob Pniewski as email marketing developer, Rachel Bucey as content and SEO strategist, Steven Logan as digital production artist, Jay Bonning as back end developer, Morgan Rooks as digital media traffic manager, Michelle Phillips as media associate and Steven Eng as assistant systems administrator.
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Adcom helps KeyBank thank customers
KeyBank wanted to thank its customers in unusual ways over the course of a week. Adcom helped create the promotions and mapped the social media campaign that spread the word throughout Greater Cleveland.
The Adcom campaign in mid-December was a big success, earning KeyBank lots of friends and lots of free media. It turns out giving away free food, popcorn, movie tickets, T-shirts, parking, ice cream and coffee is a pretty good thank you.
Adcom Group hires Nick Dyko, James Abrams and Benjamin Murphy
The Adcom Group of Companies, a Cleveland-based full-service marketing firm, is proud to announce the additions of Nick Dyko as interactive designer, James Abrams as account executive and Benjamin Murphy as assistant account executive.
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The Adcom Group and Rites of Passage Create New Hub
The Adcom Group and Rites of Passage Create a Hub for Child, Youth and Community Development
National Rites of Passage Institute (NROPI) and Cleveland’s leading marketing agency, The Adcom Group of Companies, proudly announce the launch of RitesofPassage.org, a nonprofit website that provides services and training for local communities to incorporate rites of passage into their programs. Continue reading The Adcom Group and Rites of Passage Create New Hub
Support Our Local Red Cross Heroes
Hey Clevelanders!
There are only four days left to vote for your favorite Red Cross Hero Award nominee! The Hero Awards honor individuals who have shown extraordinary courage, compassion, character or humanity by saving or improving the lives of others. Continue reading Support Our Local Red Cross Heroes
Insight of the Day
As the research and strategy arm of The Adcom Group of Companies, the Insights department plays a vital role in understanding the environment that The Adcom Group clients exist within, including:
- Client
- Consumer
- Competition
- Culture
- Content