Author Archive

Chris O.

The Top 10 Verbatim Articles of 2012 (so far…)

Chris O.
7.30.2012
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We’re halfway through the year. OK, maybe a bit more than halfway. But we thought this would be a good opportunity to look back on 2012 so far and round up the most visited, most read articles we’ve published on market research, social media, and consumer behavior.

Here are the top ten most-read Verbatim articles of 2012 so far, thanks to you:MORE…

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Consumers and The New Summer [Infographic]

7.16.2012
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Chris O.

We spoke with hundreds of members in our proprietary private online communities to find out how their spending has changed, what kind of plans they are making for the summer, and what brands and feelings they associate with the season.MORE…

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Airlines can avoid customer anger from new fees

Chris O.
6.12.2012
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Charging for “premium” (read: everything but the middle) seats is the latest tactic legacy airlines and low-cost carriers are implementing to boost revenue,

Delta, American Airlines, US Airways, Spirit, Frontier, and Allegiant are among the carriers identified in a CNN article last week as charging customers more money for “desirable” seats. Airlines are marketing the new fees as providing “greater choice and flexibility” and “enabling more passengers to travel in their seat of choice.”

But even a cursory glance at online comments on the article shows that flyers aren’t buying the marketing message.MORE…

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Communispace adopts a class and hosts young entrepreneurs

5.18.2012
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Chris O.

Question: How do you ensure a first try of a delicious tray of candy sushi?
Answer: Host a class of young entrepreneurs and coach them as they develop and build their innovations.

Last week, as part of the Communispace Adopt-a-Class program, 6 student teams from the Josiah Quincy Upper School were on site at Communispace to present their final business plans. Students worked hard all semester with the assistance of Communispace volunteer coaches to develop and finalize their entrepreneurial business plans. After opening remarks from Diane, a rock star panel of judges including Aubrey Conquergood, Gary Arena and Lauren Dougherty had the difficult task of selecting three teams to proceed to the New England Regionals being held next week at Babson College.MORE…

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Note to automakers: Cars aren’t just about driving [infographic]

Chris O.
5.10.2012
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Watch nearly any car commercial and you’ll see SUVs gliding through city streets, sedans drifting and sliding through deserts as they kick up epic sand clouds in their stead, gleaming aerodynamic surfaces slowly revealed by spotlights. Cars – not surprisingly – are sold to drivers.

But when we asked over three-hundred drivers to weigh in on the auto experience and tell us what their dream cars would feature, we noticed a surprising disconnect: drivers equated being in their cars to almost everything but driving, referring to their cars as a “second-home,” “mobile office,” and “outlet” box.MORE…

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Micro Center wants to know how they can get more of my game-related purchases

5.2.2012
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Chris O.

Today, I received an email from Micro Center asking for my help: they want to understand how they can win more of my video game purchases. If I still had time to play computer games (besides the occasionally Civilization IV bender) I’d probably be more useful. But, I figured, let’s see what we can do.

I like Micro Center.

I like that it’s the closest I can get to Akihabara without having to fly to Japan. I like that when I was helping my brother build a PC for his video-editing business, there were people there who were excited to help us build a monster of a machine – and who were truly knowledgeable about the pros and cons of faster dual-core versus slower quad-core processors. MORE…

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Google Consumer Surveys: We welcome our new robot overlords

Chris O.
4.5.2012
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No really, we do.

Last week, when Google announced their formal market research offering, the industry was understandably concerned about its impact. Just ask Omniture or WebTrends if they’re glad that Google Analytics is as ubiquitous as it is. Gmail, AdWords, Google Maps, Analytics – all of them dominate. Brands like Genentech, Virgin America, National Geographic, and Motorola use (and evangelize) Google Apps, replacing expensive enterprise services.

Most B2B businesses are not too happy when Google decides to launch a formal offering in their wheelhouse.MORE…

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Israel Loves Iran shows how online communities can forge real-world bonds

3.23.2012
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Chris O.

It started with a poster, created by a designer living in Tel Aviv, and posted on Facebook – a simple message from two Israelis to Iran: “We will never bomb your country. We love you.”

Within twenty-four hours, hundreds of Israelis had repurposed the poster, including photos of themselves behind the words and sharing it on the web. It took only one more day before messages of response began pouring in from Iran – even more stirring because internet access (including access to Facebook) is heavily restricted in Iran and posting can be difficult – even risky.MORE…

Posted in enjoy | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments