Posts Tagged ‘Business’

2 March 2010

Moving from Social Media to Social Business

by Guest Blogger: Peter Kim

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Thanks to Diane and company for giving me an opportunity to share thoughts with you via Verbatim. I’ve been following Communispace since 2006, when I covered social computing as a research analyst; now I see the value of what the company is doing through a lens of social business design.

Over the past decade, we’ve been witnessing the rise of social media. While we are fundamentally social beings, technology advances and cultural preferences have driven proliferation of these behaviors online. The series of tubes that carry data are wider and reach further than ever. Moore’s law still holds true, as does Metcalf’s—to which 400 million Facebook users across a variety of platforms can attest. We have become conditioned to share opinions on anything and everything in our new digital forums, salons, and echo chambers.

Thanks to Diane and company for giving me an opportunity to share thoughts with you via Verbatim. I’ve been following Communispace since 2006, when I covered social computing as a research analyst; now I see the value of what the company is doing through a lens of social business design.

Over the past decade, we’ve been witnessing the rise of social media. While we are fundamentally social beings, technology advances and cultural preferences have driven proliferation of these behaviors online. The series of tubes that carry data are wider and reach further than ever. Moore’s law still holds true, as does Metcalf’s—to which 400 million Facebook users across a variety of platforms can attest. We have become conditioned to share opinions on anything and everything in our new digital forums, salons, and echo chambers.

At the same time, many of us seem to have realized that pursuing work/life balance ends up as corporate Samsara. Instead, we’ve intertwined work and life to the extent that we do what we love and love what we do. (Or perhaps have gotten much better at fooling ourselves about it.) Along the way, we started bringing our toys to work and realized that our personal technology was better than the company’s.

Good businesses follow the action and most brands finally realize that these trends can be harnessed for commercial benefit. But using social media for business is easier said than done—so far, many brands have been tacking on social real estate to campaigns the same way they’ve been doing with digital microsites and banner ads. To make social media work, businesses must participate in this space differently than consumers; in other words, they’ve got to take a social business approach.

I think Communispace provides a great example in helping companies participate in social business. Using a framework developed by Dachis Group, here’s how I see the company creating social business value:

  • The Ecosystem. Providing connections with prospects and customers to help extend organizational functions beyond those on the payroll, e.g. marketing research.
  • The Hivemind. Allowing brands to become more culturally calibrated with their customers. Understanding motivations paves the way for social calibration.
  • The Dynamic Signal. Bringing out insight from previously unheard voices. The silos in existing listening processes prevent weak signals from being heard.
  • The Metafilter. Moderating discussion and drawing out signals from noise. Listening requires a balance of automated filtering and manual curation.

It’s time to shift from social media and get down to social business. Finding the right partners to help you get there matters.

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19 February 2010

Traditional Market Researcher Saved by Online Communities

by Karen Barone

2 Comments »
All posts by Karen Barone

A lot has been written about the value Communispace brings to its clients . I, however, tend to selfishly focus on the benefits that Communispace brings to me…as a researcher and formerly frustrated focus group moderator.

Here are my top three focus group frustrations all alleviated by Communispace.

A lot has been written about the value Communispace brings to its clients . I, however, tend to selfishly focus on the benefits that Communispace brings to me…as a researcher and formerly frustrated focus group moderator.  

Here are my top three focus group frustrations all alleviated by Communispace.

1. The “That’s All Folks” Frustration:  Many of us have been there.  A focus group has come to an end, the audio/video tape has stopped recording and the clients in the back room are packing up their laptops when…it happens:  the respondents engage EACH OTHER in a conversation that is critical to the client’s business needs.  As a moderator you try to nose your way back into the conversation, you write down notes, you look directly into the two-way mirror and start flapping your arms to get the clients’ attention, but you know the truth:  Your next group starts in five minutes and these folks need to get going.  Opportunity lost.

In the community, these members would start their own activities and/or we’d be able to get back to them (and the whole community, if applicable) directly and probe further. 

2. The “That’s Very Helpful” Frustration:  More often than not, you can’t confidently tell focus group respondents how their feedback will be used.  Despite rumors that respondents are only there for a sandwich and a quick buck, I found respondents desperate to hear that their time has been worthwhile, their opinions respected and actionable. (In fact, some even requested a hug.  It’s true.)   It’s not surprising, respondents want connection and they want to feel (not hear) that their input is valued. 

Communities show members why and how they are valued.  By building long-term relationships, members and clients are often put in conversation with one another.  Part of creating a robust community is providing feedback on how member input is driving client business decisions. 

3. The “Are We There Yet” Frustration:  Travel.

Communities are online.  Enough said.  :)

Certainly, there are more than three ways that online communities alleviate focus group pain points. Stay tuned for an upcoming Vlog by yours truly and fellow blogger, Rocky Prozeller.

2 Responses to “Traditional Market Researcher Saved by Online Communities”

  1. Diane Hessan says:
    February 19, 2010 at 7:58 am

    Thanks Karen! Here are a few more: 1) More than 10 people — Hooray!; 2) If someone in the community is adding no value or being obnoxious, you can (nicely) kick them out; 3) You can circle back and ask follow-up questions; 4) THEY can circle back and add additional thoughts that occurred to them after the “event”; 5) It’s easy to search the community for content; 6) Cost-effectiveness — one month of a community, with 8-12 separate projects, is less expensive than 2 focus groups. I’ll stop now. :)

  2. Nelson Merchan says:
    February 20, 2010 at 4:29 pm

    Happy employees working for great companies deliver better results. Online communities are the way to go. Congratulations!

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3 February 2010

At the Genius Bar, Enjoying an APPLE-tini (aka “Can’t we all just get along?”)

by Jack Cahill

10 Comments »
All posts by Jack Cahill

A long time PC user, I recently crossed party lines and bought my first Mac. I was interested in creating a harmonious co-existence in my home network.

Although the purchase of this new MacBook may seem impulsive, my decision to go Mac has apparently been a gradual one. I know this because it was explained to me by the robotic, well programmed Mac Expert at the Apple Store (a place deliberately designed to lull you into a false sense of having a lot of extra money to spend). He described the PC to Mac conversion as a three part process, probably engineered by Steve Jobs himself:

A long time PC user, I recently crossed party lines and bought my first Mac. I was interested in creating a harmonious co-existence in my home network.

Although the purchase of this new MacBook may seem impulsive, my decision to go Mac has apparently been a gradual one. I know this because it was explained to me by the robotic, well programmed Mac Expert at the Apple Store (a place deliberately designed to lull you into a false sense of having a lot of extra money to spend). He described the PC to Mac conversion as a three part process, probably engineered by Steve Jobs himself:

  • First, you embrace the iPod (check).
  • Then, you switch to iPhone (check).
  • Finally, you purchase your first Mac (and check).

He went on to explain that the rest “happens naturally”—as you work more on your Mac, you start ignoring your PC and eventually stop using it altogether. 

That “natural” part has not happened to me yet. I am impressed with the MacBook and enjoy learning more about it. It is sleek, and well designed. But my PC still is my primary computer (and probably always will be).

Despite how that sounds (and what some of my friends would say), I am not a PC user who previously disliked the Mac. I have worked with the Mac before both at work and school (and I LOVE my iPhone). But most of my professional experience has been on the PC, and Windows Networking is an old hobby of mine that I turned into a career. I just always figured that the Mac did not have any real place in my life (and I did not want to shell out the big $$ for one). 

However, as an IT professional I understand that I need to be familiar with both Windows and the Mac platforms. With the release of the iPad (a rather large new iPod model), and the new more affordable MacBook, I decided now was the time to go down the rabbit hole.

As I try to figure out what role each will play in my life moving forward, there is one thing I have learned through this experience—I am a “PC” who now understands why so many people love their Macs.

Let the hate mail begin.

10 Responses to “At the Genius Bar, Enjoying an APPLE-tini (aka “Can’t we all just get along?”)”

  1. Halley Suitt says:
    February 3, 2010 at 10:20 am

    Nice post … isn’t it best to know as many systems as possible anyway?!

  2. Mike Jennings says:
    February 3, 2010 at 10:29 am

    Great post, Jack. I guess I’m at Stage 2 of the conversion process you describe. I embraced the iPod, then the iPhone, and now I’m looking into buying a Mac. I guess my thinking is – PC for work; Mac for fun (i.e. media).

  3. Charlotte Daher says:
    February 3, 2010 at 10:58 am

    Mike, I completely agree. There are a lot of things that I feel like I can only do on a PC (mainly work related) but I turn to my Mac for the fun things!

    I am actually a new mac user– a friend of mine gave me his iBook G4 when he upgraded to a MacBook, something I plan on doing soon as well! I quickly found that using a Mac to surf the web, use iTunes, and manage digital photos was easier and more fun than on a PC.

    I think someday I will become a Mac, but for now I am a “PC” who loves using a Mac.

  4. Jack Cahill says:
    February 3, 2010 at 11:00 am

    Halley, I agree – being familiar with multiple systems makes a user more versatile. Mike, that is how I see it right now too – PC for work and Mac for play.

  5. Karen Barone says:
    February 4, 2010 at 7:14 am

    Jack,
    In the spirit of computer-related confessions, I’m a Mac gal who’s currently thinking of buying a PC. My Mac just doesn’t offer me a good gaming environment and it bums me out. (Yes, I game too. Am I revealing too much?) I think it’s interesting that most folks think of Macs as their “fun” machine (see Mike’s post above). The truth is…sometimes I think of my Mac as a really expensive place to keep my music and pictures. Sigh….

    That being said, I love, love, love my iPhone.

  6. Jack Cahill says:
    February 4, 2010 at 9:32 am

    Karen, I will send you a link directly to a nice HP notebook, very powerful, very affordable – you should get what you need from it. Not much of a gamer myself, need to find something to try though.

  7. Rosanna Y. de la Cruz says:
    February 5, 2010 at 4:03 am

    Jack,

    I love this post and so appreciate it!

    It has been enjoyable to see you slowly but surely join the bright, sunny side that is the world of ‘being’ a MAC. It is a nice pastime for those of us who are die hard groupies of MAC computers and avid people watchers.

    You bring up some very valid points of discussion re being a MAC or a PC. I agree that depending on what you use the device for, you could be tipped one way or the other.

    Some observations from someone who has been a MAC girl since high school:

    •In my experience, using a PC 100% of the time is akin to being an active member of a dangerous cult, especially if you happen to be an IT professional. Until you spend some time away from the PC environment (or until you are ‘deprogrammed’ by a Mac) you don’t realize anything was amiss with the way you have been operating.

    •As a MAC user, I can totally see why it would be challenging for a PC person to come over to this side, especially if you live and die by the evil empire’s useful apps. Take for example, MS Outlook. I have completely abandoned Entourage, the MS answer to Outlook, as it is extremely frustrating and does not have the functionality I require for being effective professionally. I am sure there are many others like me.

    •I tend to view it as being a ‘native’ speaker of a language. Be it you are a PC or a MAC native, you are always going to be more comfortable in whatever language you grew up with. That said, bi-lingual folks tend to appreciate the positive side effects of being able to express themselves in more than one language. It just makes you better rounded.

    Pls keep blogging about your experience. So fun to read!

  8. Mike Butler says:
    February 5, 2010 at 1:55 pm

    Great Post, Jack.

    I purchased my first Mac after a bad PC experience, hard disk failure after owning the pc for a week. That was 8 years ago. I wanted it for iTunes, and iDvd for home videos. I didn’t go through the 3 stages, I just thought, for what I need at home, this is going to be much easier than anything I’ve seen on the PC. Now I own 3 macs, and I’ve never looked back.

    I’m happy to hear that you’re enjoying your Mac.

  9. Gina Davison says:
    February 9, 2010 at 12:17 pm

    Great job bridging the un-bridgeable gap, Jack.

    I think it’s just a matter of needs and taste just as with any product; I am a loyal Mac user, but hate the iPhone (I still like to have buttons on my phone, thanks).

    TBWA’s Mac vs. PC ads are definitely better than any PC ad I’ve seen in a while though.

  10. Jack Cahill says:
    February 10, 2010 at 4:40 am

    Thanks Mike and Gina! I appreciate the comments.

    Gina, you are actually the very first Mac lover I have heard from who hates the iPhone! Although I do hear you about the buttons (I am a recovering Blackberry user), I still feel the functionality of the iPhone is remarkable. But I must admit that the auto-correct and word-suggest features can drive me crazy when trying to type something on it.

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19 January 2010

How to Sell Listening to Your Organization

by Guest Blogger: Joel Rubinson

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First, let me thank Communispace for inviting me to be a guest blogger. I think I’ll ask Diane to return the favor on my blog in the near future.

Now the topic…

People who are involved with listening approaches (mining conversations in blogs, managed communities, etc.) get a little frustrated sometimes; they ask me for guidance of how to sell listening.

First, let me thank Communispace for inviting me to be a guest blogger.  I think I’ll ask Diane to return the favor on my blog in the near future.

Now the topic…

People who are involved with listening approaches (mining conversations in blogs, managed communities, etc.) get a little frustrated sometimes; they ask me for guidance of how to sell listening.

Here is my advice; don’t think of this as research.  Think of it as process reinvention.

For example, consider how an organization might reinvent its innovation process.  How could any informed marketer, when rethinking innovation in an era of social media, NOT integrate listening into the innovation process?  Listening is about hearing what people rather than the marketer wants to talk about, and hearing it in people’s own words.  It’s a window in the mind, heart and emotions of people, one you need to have your nose pressed up against continuously.  Because things change…really fast…giving agile marketers great opportunities leaving traditional marketers wearing the WTF happened look on their faces.

Traditionally, research has been at the fuzzy front end with qual and downstream with volumetric concept or concept/product testing.  Listening is about realizing that things change constantly.  Consumer needs are not linear and scheduled, they change at any time.  If there is no linear process, there is no fuzzy front-END; this is continuous and listening is essential.  Your concept testing must morph into learning experiments instead of magic number idea killers.  If you missed the action standard, learn why.  Is the underlying premise wrong or the idea impractical from a business point of view?  If not, keep working at; if yes, move on.

Now it gets even crazier.  Innovation is not just about creating new “things” with new features.  Brands are experiences and the innovation might come from a connection made via social media.  For Unilever’s Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, the innovation is in the media—creating social media environments, videos, and events that were intended to change people’s concept of beauty in a way that would enhance female self-esteem.  It was a great and innovative thing to do and not a new SKU in sight!

Now if the fuzzy front end is really a continuous backdrop requiring listening, it also means that there is little difference between new product innovation and existing brand sense and respond.  It’s all about a marketer intersecting their assets with emerging needs to serve people—add value to daily human life—who cares if you do that via media, new products, or rethinking your existing brand?  It’s about the need, not your brand management structure.

In an era when 300 million or more are on Facebook, where word of mouth is becoming one of the most trusted sources of advice, and where people love sharing their feelings online in communities, how can a marketer not want to tap into this constant and organic flow of conversations?

IMHO, that’s how you sell listening.

To learn more about how to become an agent of change for your organization regarding listening, come to the ARF’s workshop on Jan 28th in San Francisco, “Putting Listening to Work”.  All attendees will also receive a copy of our just published book, “The ARF Listening Playbook” which contains 35 great success stories that wouldn’t have happened without listening.

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19 January 2010

An Open Letter to Restaurateurs:

by Jen Maltby

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All posts by Jen Maltby

Over the holidays I spent a lot of time in restaurants. I went to everything from fast-casual to white-table-cloth establishments, and I found that all of them were all but ignoring one important group of customers – children.

I know what you are thinking: Why aren’t you going to those “kid friendly places” that have the clowns and balloons and video games? Isn’t that where parents go? My answer: Have you been to one of these little corners of Hell? Ok, maybe that’s a little harsh, but I am an adult and I want to have a clown-free evening! Can’t I do that and still have my child enjoy the experience?

Over the holidays I spent a lot of time in restaurants. I went to everything from fast-casual to white-table-cloth establishments, and I found that all of them were all but ignoring one important group of customers – children.

I know what you are thinking: Why aren’t you going to those “kid friendly places” that have the clowns and balloons and video games? Isn’t that where parents go? My answer: Have you been to one of these little corners of Hell? Ok, maybe that’s a little harsh, but I am an adult and I want to have a clown-free evening! Can’t I do that and still have my child enjoy the experience?

An article in The New York Times touches on this quandary as it tells the tale of a group of Brooklyn moms who were banned from going to a local bar with their kids. Though I am talking about restaurants rather than bars, one of these moms made me think when she said, “[Going to this bar is] one way of denying that your youthful exploits come with a shelf-life… Psychologically, you feel like, ‘Oh, my life hasn’t changed that much.’”  So I’ll admit it, maybe I am still going to all the same restaurants that I went to before my three year old was born because I don’t want to admit that things have changed that much. But should they have to? Can’t restaurants do a little better job servicing our kids (and their parents)?

So, restaurant owners out there, I have some suggestions and observations that I would like to share:

Rethink your kids’ menu. If you had kids or were thinking about them, you would know that everything needs to have a fancy made-up name (think “super princess burger” not “hamburger”). And don’t be afraid to veer from the old standbys. The happiest my daughter ever was at a restaurant was the time she was able to order a “chocolate sandwich” from the menu. It was simply Nutella on toasted honey wheat bread, but she stared at it in awe and quietly ate the entire plate-sized sandwich without a single peep for 20 minutes. If this restaurant was local I would go there once a week.

Crayons are nice, but can you mix it up a bit? We went to a restaurant last year that brought over “Wikki Stix” when we were seated (for those of you unfamiliar – click here). They even let my daughter pick her favorite colors and brought extras when she had used all of her initial set. She was entertained for the entire meal and I was blown away. And how simple was that little idea? We now go to that restaurant at least monthly.

Kids are customers too. I can’t tell you how many times I have been in a restaurant where the waiter completely ignores my child. I am not expecting them to tell me how cute they think she is (even though she really is cute), but it would be nice if you said hello to her when you were greeting us. And can you work with me on when you are delivering my child’s food? I know best when it should come, and believe me it changes with every meal, so involve me — and for the love of god don’t bring me scalding hot food! Let me tell you my friend, that is one quick way to lose your tip and our business. For good.

So, long story short, Mr. and Mrs. Restaurant Purveyor; I want you to think about kids and their parents. We are an important and underserved target. And if we are going to spend our hard-earned, disposable income in this economy, we are going to choose the restaurants that are doing it right and leave the plain hamburgers, crayons and scalding hot fries behind.

6 Responses to “An Open Letter to Restaurateurs:”

  1. Karen Barone says:
    January 19, 2010 at 8:56 am

    Jen,
    I totally agree with you and those insightful women from Brooklyn. We have found a GREAT adult/KID-friendly restaurant: GASLIGHT in the South End.
    I know. I know. It seems impossible, but it’s true. The food is incredible, there’s parking (!!!!!!!!!) and they’re totally cool with kids. They don’t offer toys/crayons/whatnot, but they don’t mind if the table gets crowded with the ones you bring from home. Not perfect, but it’s a start. (Did I mention the parking?)

  2. Jeffrey Gates says:
    January 20, 2010 at 9:48 am

    Jen,
    you rule! As the father of three children, 1 small, 2 not so much anymore, I hear you sister.
    I will share your blog with our 6 restaurants and who knows, Wikki Stix may be coming to a small French/Mediterranean Bistro/Brasserie or American Bistro near you soon!
    Thanks for continuing to dine out in this troubled economy.
    By the way, in my 30 years of business, I have never fielded a complaint regarding and unruly child patron. Wish I could say the same for all of my adult patrons.
    Please feel free contacting me directly with any comments or requests.
    Jeffrey Gates
    Partner
    Gaslight Brasserie du Coin
    Aquitaine Group
    jgates@aquitainegroup.com

  3. Jen Maltby says:
    January 20, 2010 at 12:03 pm

    Thanks Jeffrey, and you make an excellent point about this troubled economy. It’s really never been more important to pay attention to all your patrons. Keep up the great work and see you at Gaslight soon!

  4. Jani Fraga says:
    January 20, 2010 at 12:15 pm

    Jen,
    I love this entry, and as an ex-waitress, I can completely relate. Although the restaurant I worked at appeared to have an age limit, we had an arsenal of children’s books, crayons, and etch-a-sketches on stand-by for our high-chaired guests. The kids’ menu had a contest every year for the little artists to submit their best drawings of the kid cuisine, and some were featured in the menu. do-it-yourself ice cream sundaes and a good-bye balloon always seemed to leave a sweet impression.

    I always felt that in order for the parents (and myself) to have a stress-free experience, the kids were always key. “appetizer-soup-salad” timelines were modified to “appeI WANT MY HOT DOGtizer-soup-salad” … or any other customized randition :)

    Although I have no kids of my own (yet) I would love to hear more about kid-tested, mother-approved spots to go with my friends and their little ones!

  5. Erin (Giroux) Antonellis says:
    January 22, 2010 at 9:59 am

    As a veteran of the restaurant industry I have seen the best and worst case scenarios of children dining out. For the most part I didn’t agree with parents bringing their children, strollers, diaper bags, toys, CHEERIOS (you will find Cheerios for weeks after) etc. out on weekend night at a busy restaurant. It didn’t seem like the right place or right time for children. This could have been because it was mid-July on Martha’s Vineyard or the fact that I was a selfish twenty-two year old (I am guessing it was me!).

    As I think back I completely disregarded the fact that with every child is a couple of parents who are people too. They want to enjoy a night out, a vacation and God forbid each other! It wasn’t until my friends started having kids that I became the biggest supporter of our favorite couples keeping things status quo and not wanting their “youthful exploits to come with a shelf-life”. I still want to hang out with my best girlfriends and our favorite wine-loving couples with or without kids.

    So why can’t we have our cake and eat it too? Mr. Gates makes a very good point – no one is really going to complain about a child patron. For the most part parents that take their children out to a nicer “non-kid-friendly / corner of hell” restaurant come prepared (toys, extra bottles, books etc.). So in these tough times why not open your doors to these parents and welcome them with Wikki Stix and Princess Burgers because after all…their money is green too!

  6. Jen Maltby says:
    January 22, 2010 at 10:25 am

    Erin,
    So well said; and you bring up a really interesting point that I didn’t consider. Often times when my husband and I go out with our child it is with other couples. So you aren’t just losing our $ when you under-serve us, you’re losing theirs. Something to think about.
    Thanks for the comment!

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4 December 2009

Yahoo! What The Top Searches of 2009 Might Tell Us

by Diane Hessan

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All posts by Diane Hessan

Jon Keller, of WBZ-TV, recently asked for my perspective on Yahoo!’s “Most Popular Web Searches for 2009”. If you haven’t read the list yet, guess what made the Top Ten. What might we have wondered about in 2009? Obama? The war in Iraq? Sarah Palin? Twitter? Mad Men? AIG?

Jon Keller, of WBZ-TV, recently asked for my perspective on Yahoo!’s “Most Popular Web Searches for 2009”. If you haven’t read the list yet, guess what made the Top Ten. What might we have wondered about in 2009? Obama? The war in Iraq? Sarah Palin? Twitter? Mad Men? AIG? 

Most people I interviewed were surprised at the results:  a roundup of pop culture icons—and escapist activities ranging from video games to WWF to American Idol. There are many implications of the results, not the least of which is that as marketers we shouldn’t assume we understand what occupies people’s minds these days, because we’d probably get it wrong. Here’s the link to the Jon Keller piece, where he and I agree that our collective fascination with relatively “shallow” topics is probably more related to needed therapy in stressful times than it is to a Cultural Armageddon. I’d be interested in your thoughts.

2 Responses to “Yahoo! What The Top Searches of 2009 Might Tell Us”

  1. Twitted by CommunispaceCEO says:
    December 4, 2009 at 10:56 am

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1 December 2009

A New Day for Market Research

by Debi Kleiman

12 Comments »
All posts by Debi Kleiman

It feels a little different now, something is in the air. Now, people can’t get enough of customer insights, it’s the connective tissue in the body of business growth. It used to be that market research was this staid, project thing—have a question? Do a study! That just doesn’t work in today’s marketplace where customer attitudes and behaviors quickly become outdated, as markets and needs move at the speed of light.

It feels a little different now, something is in the air. Now, people can’t get enough of customer insights, it’s the connective tissue in the body of business growth. It used to be that market research was this staid, project thing—have a question? Do a study! That just doesn’t work in today’s marketplace where customer attitudes and behaviors quickly become outdated, as markets and needs move at the speed of light.

Last week, I saw two things that made me really excited to be in the customer insights business. First, colleagues who attended the ARF Research Transformation initiative meeting in early November relayed some quotes from a speech made by ARF CRO Joel Rubinson, like this one:

“…marketers must become fast learning organizations. Researchers need to become agents of change to help the organizations they serve transform in this way. Such organizations realize that great ideas can come from anywhere and that there is shared control with consumers. To serve such organizations, the researcher’s role, must expand beyond measurement to also listening for the unexpected in order to inspire the organization.” (My emphasis was added.)

Inspiration!! Yes!! Inspiring takes things to a whole new level, and really, if businesses are serious about customer centricity, shouldn’t the customer be the muse? Isn’t this the way for insights to be strategic and game-changing—not just gathering dust in a binder on the shelf?

Then, to further add to this feeling there’s something big happening… BCG published a study stating that nearly 90% of blue-chip companies aren’t fully leveraging their market research functions because they are simply order takers instead of strategic partners generating breakthrough insights. In the best companies, researchers can answer the “so what” in a meaningful way and provide senior executives with perspective critical to their decision making. Wake up people! It’s time to seize the day!

Given the rapid growth of online market research, especially customer communities, (which according Forrester Research analyst Tamara Barber, is only going to continue to gather steam), there is a huge opportunity for customer insights professionals to get a seat at the C-table. They can have a connection to the voice of their customer (or non customer as the case may be) at all times. They have a listening channel to hear the unexpected—new, fresh, ever-changing perspective, to impact their business decisions both large and small. They can “bring it” every day.

I think we are at an inflection point in our industry; it’s time for transformation to take hold and bring about this new order for market research—customer insights are going to be the lifeblood for organizations that want to thrive in continuous change. (We recently did a webinar which talked about the change in thinking that’s needed for 21st century market research, and how insight communities can meet these needs; listen to the full session here.) Are you seeing this too? What do you think needs to happen to make researchers the “agents of change” in this new business order?

12 Responses to “A New Day for Market Research”

  1. Ken says:
    December 1, 2009 at 10:13 am

    Great post Debi. Terrific content and writing. A must read.

  2. Randy says:
    December 1, 2009 at 10:54 am

    Good insight! I’ve seen so many companies not leverage project results to their fullest. Plus mkt research groups within co’s are too dug into the weeds these days. There needs to be a layer of customer insight pro’s who are the trend spotters, and communicate to c-level. You can’t be digging through the weeds of SPSS, AND spotting the trends, AND pulling the slides together, AND working with c-level on “what’s actionable” on a daily basis.

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    [...] This post was Twitted by drkleiman [...]

  4. Michael Troiano (@miketrap) says:
    December 2, 2009 at 5:11 am

    Amen. Market research is dead. Long live the fast learning marketer…

  5. Rachel Happe says:
    December 2, 2009 at 5:45 am

    Great post Debi -

    I couldn’t agree more and actually I see the secret sauce of all communities being very actionable, real-time, insights. The companies that use their communities to do this will have huge advantages if they can figure out how to quickly roll insights into corporate operations. Of course, all of that is predicated on being able to build robust communities… and that is not small feat and a barrier for many companies at the moment.

    Carry on with the great work you guys do :)

    Rachel

  6. David Meiselman (@dmeiselman) says:
    December 2, 2009 at 6:52 am

    Right on Debi!

    I think what you are driving at is also a corollary of the relationship development aspect of social media and leveraging communities for customer insight. Good insights SHOULD come from good relationships. As we move past the era of mass marketing and into the one of social connectedness at scale, the insights the marketer can get through customer relationships provide a real opportunity to listen to the customer at scale…

    To use one of those old SAT-like analogies, perhaps as Traditional Market Research was to Mass-Marketing, Customer Communities will be to Social Media Marketing…

  7. Cathy Harrison says:
    December 2, 2009 at 6:57 am

    Absolutely agree – these are exciting times. Too often still corporate researchers are excluded from key strategic meetings where they can get a full understanding of the issues. Cross-functional teams (always including a researcher) are the most effective way for companies to get a holistic perspective of the issues/opportunities and work towards a common goal. In the less progressive companies there is a disconnect between product development, brand management, marketing, sales, and customer service – driven by turf wars and inefficiencies. The researchers I know are intelligent and creative, fully capable of evolving with the times, but they need the support of the top executives. Sometimes a change in structure (and accountability) needs to come before a change in thinking occurs.

  8. Twitted by dmeiselman says:
    December 2, 2009 at 7:00 am

    [...] This post was Twitted by dmeiselman [...]

  9. Debi Kleiman says:
    December 2, 2009 at 12:08 pm

    Great comments! Thanks! I am so excited to see the energy around this topic.

    It is about speed and actionability that leads to increased relevance – the holy grail of insight right Rachel? We’re digging deep for it every day, lucky to have amazing curious clients. Thanks. :)

    I agree Cathy, a change in structure could help the mindset shift. I think c-suite says they want insights but then doesn’t make it a priority to go to the source or make it a continuous feed. I think there’s something in the way insight gets served up in organizations that can make all the difference too. It needs to paint a picture, tell a story – inspire!

    So true David, and it creates huge possibilities to learn even more than ever before. It’s a true shift and the market researchers that harness it and recognize the value in these new relationships, rather than getting hung up on the technicalities, I think, are going to be the leaders going forward. Love your analogy!!

    Randy, it’s interesting to think that maybe there needs to be a “translator” skill set for insight pro’s –or a strategy layer on top to help bridge the divide to executives day to day decision making and what they are learning with consumers. Another idea — how about if executives incentives were aligned with how well they truly “get” their consumers. Could there be a measure for this?

    What else? Tell me more of what’s on your mind here…

  10. Barbara Bix says:
    December 3, 2009 at 10:09 am

    Hi Debi,

    Couldn’t agree with you more–yet so few B2B businesses gather market insights as a regular part of their daily operations. Sure, Sales is out there with prospects and customers but they don’t have the time–and aren’t financially motivated to share to disseminate what they learn–with the rest of the organization.

    It was interesting to note that Pragmatic Marketing’s recent survey noted that product managers are working hard on product roadmaps and marketing requirements–yet are spending very little time with prospects, customers or marketing research. It makes one wonder how they get products and communications right.

    Perhaps they’re not. I just sat in on a Marketing Sherpa presentation that said that getting the message right is a key concern for B2B businesses–so I hope they do start taking advantage of social media venues to get easier access to customer insights.

    That said I think the trend is moving in the right direction. With growing interest in web analytics, marketing automation, etc., companies see the impact customer insights can make–and that dearly held assumptions about customer preferences are not always valid.

  11. PRESS RELEASE: GM Announces Leadership Changes – Automotive News | Management Business Wisdom says:
    December 4, 2009 at 1:30 pm

    [...] A New Day for Market Research « Verbatim [...]

  12. foibles says:
    December 9, 2009 at 9:21 am

    speed and actionability indeed. It’s important to be agile. Tools for tracking raw trends and sentiments ‘in the wild’ have a use but they are often crude because the data hose is so fat and noisy (think: Twitter). Polling and surveys still have a place at the table, albeit adjusted for new media platforms. zoomerang’s facebook app comes to mind as one tool for fast action.

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20 November 2009

Dishing with Diane: Jerry Kane shares his perspective on the power of social media

by Diane Hessan

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All posts by Diane Hessan

Jerry Kane, Assistant Professor of Information Systems, Carroll School of Management Boston College, sat down with me recently to discuss how companies can gauge the effectiveness of social media within their organizations. He provides his professional perspective on the future of social networking.

Jerry Kane, Assistant Professor of Information Systems, Carroll School of Management Boston College, sat down with me recently to discuss how companies can gauge the effectiveness of social media within their organizations. He provides his professional perspective on the future of social networking.

2 Responses to “Dishing with Diane: Jerry Kane shares his perspective on the power of social media”

  1. Joe Wehr says:
    November 20, 2009 at 7:18 pm

    Diane

    Nice interview with BC’s “wiki professor”. Thanks.

    What I wouldn’t do to swap places with my nephew, Joe Wehr, BC ‘10.

    Joe Wehr, BC ‘69

  2. Rosanna Y. de la Cruz says:
    November 23, 2009 at 5:40 am

    Fun interview!

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26 October 2009

Reflections from PopTech on Scaling Change

by Bill Alberti

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All posts by Bill Alberti

I’m back in the office today after four inspiring days at PopTech. For those who don’t know or haven’t been, PopTech is an assembly of some of the leading minds driving change around the world… assembled together in Camden, Maine for four days of immersive sharing, learning, and connecting. From musicians to artists, to educators and scientists, to behavioral economists and journalists, to the experimental mayor of Braddock, Penn., all of the presenters are pushing the boundaries of their respective disciplines in new and creative ways. These are truly some of the most brilliant people in the world doing some of the most important work on the planet. I was humbled to be sitting anywhere near them.

I’m back in the office today after four inspiring days at PopTech. For those who don’t know or haven’t been, PopTech is an assembly of some of the leading minds driving change around the world… assembled together in Camden, Maine for four days of immersive sharing, learning, and connecting. From musicians to artists, to educators and scientists, to behavioral economists and journalists, to the experimental mayor of Braddock, Penn., all of the presenters are pushing the boundaries of their respective disciplines in new and creative ways. These are truly some of the most brilliant people in the world doing some of the most important work on the planet. I was humbled to be sitting anywhere near them.

As the conference went along, I kept coming back to a fairly simple question, “Are we innovating for the needs of the environment, business, art, public policy, etc., or are we innovating for the needs of human beings?” One could argue that the two are one and the same. But to me, the former requires a deep knowledge of the issue and a creative approach to its challenges. The latter—innovating for the needs of human beings—requires a deeper understanding of us. Of what it will take to get people—real human beings—and in many cases, lots of them—to change.

All of the presenters’ brilliant work requires us to change. To change our perspectives, to change our beliefs of what is possible, to change our behaviors. And it’s tough to get us to change. We go for the default option. And too often the default, seemingly innocuous choices we make carry with them terrible repercussions.

Many of the PopTech presenters shared alarming statistics detailing some of these repercussions. Did you know:

  • It takes 700 gallons of water to make one cotton T-shirt? 
  • 150K Cattle produce as much waste (untreated) as the population of Chicago? 
  • Education employs 100K people in California, only 40% of whom are teachers?
  • A vegan in a Hummer has a smaller carbon footprint than a meat eater in a Prius?
  • When high school students get less than 8 hours of sleep their rate of depression doubles?
  • Cardiovascular disease kills more people in the U.S. than all other diseases put together… yet 95% of cardiovascular disease is preventable?

But if you only experience an issue in statistics, it’s impossible to engage in it. It’s impossible to feel it. Few have changed as the result of a statistic. 

Rather, it’s emotion that creates action. We are not rational beings that see a better alternative and naturally adopt it. We make bad choices, we behave irrationally (even predictably so as Dan Ariely suggests), we don’t feel the personal imperative or benefit to change and so we don’t change. 

While I am truly inspired by what I heard and experienced at PopTech, I am also struck by how much change is required for many of the proposed solutions to scale. I’m worried that many of the solutions won’t become realized as they don’t fully account for the alternative, the default, the subconscious choices we make every day.

Perhaps then, the biggest challenge is to better understand human beings. To understand not only that people need to change, but how they will or why they won’t.

7 Responses to “Reflections from PopTech on Scaling Change”

  1. Nelson Merchan-Cely says:
    October 27, 2009 at 12:00 am

    As a free lance writer for the Hispanic community in the Treasure Coast, FL with three different columns, Opinion 700 words, In Spanish and Art & Culture 1.500 in El Hispano, a 45.000 issues weekly newspaper, I am ready to promote what I consider good for our community.

    So please e-mail what you know about the subject and I will be very pleased to translate and let them know what is best for them to do.

    By the way that’s what I normaly do, but with your ideas and knowledge they will learn many more things they are not aware of happen in this universe.

    God bless.

    Nelson

  2. Nelson Merchan-Cely says:
    October 27, 2009 at 12:04 am

    Your cooperation is very much appreciated.
    Being in contact with so many intelligent people, through you, I can help my community more positively.

  3. Halley Suitt says:
    October 27, 2009 at 5:59 am

    Very interesting piece and I particularly like what you say at the end, “Perhaps then, the biggest challenge is to better understand human beings. To understand not only that people need to change, but how they will or why they won’t.”

    Another great conference like PopTech is TED. I hope PopTech is presenting their speakers on video the way TED has been doing for a few years. This will help solve the need you mention — the need for change. Getting all these great ideas out there on YouTube is a great way to make people think and change.

    Here’s a link to Will Wright at TED showing his game SPORE which will help us play out scenarios on fictional planets where global warming or other environmental issues happen in minutes instead of centuries. I’ll bet you’ve seen it already. Not only does it help us understand human beings, it lets you build them, and then see how their changing planet affects and changes them.

  4. Halley Suitt says:
    October 27, 2009 at 6:05 am

    Whoops — that link didn’t show up.

    Here’s the link again:

  5. J A Ginsburg says:
    October 27, 2009 at 11:31 am

    Hello Bill,

    I was at PopTech, too, and, like you, have been typing away, trying to figure out what just happened! As I began to reflect, several themes began to emerge. In terms of scalability, there were several ideas I think could be able to go the distance and really begin to move the dial re climate change. I know that’s only one of many issues, but it’s a pretty key one. Anyway, just in case you’re interested in my PopTech 2009 Take-Aways… http://tinyurl.com/yztuso2

  6. Bill Alberti says:
    October 27, 2009 at 11:59 am

    J A,

    Read your blog post. Great detail and distillation of it all. Still intellectually recovering from all that happened at PopTech and your post made the memories rush back over me.

    To your theme in your post, “The most effective way to trigger change is to provide a better alternative to the status quo.” In theory, I totally agree and there were great alternatives presented. I just worry that a better way won’t catch on unless people don’t just rationally process it as better, but emotionally experience why they need to change. Remember Chris Jordan’s photo diary of birds dying on Midway Atoll? http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=11 It made me (and I think lots of others) FEEL the need to be less wasteful…to emotionally experience what has always been a rational argument (i.e., recycle, consume less, etc.) If we can’t figure out how to get people to emotionally experience the need, I worry that people won’t act en masse…

    -Bill

  7. J A Ginsburg says:
    November 1, 2009 at 5:43 pm

    Hi Bill,

    Sorry it’s taken a few days to respond – I caught a cold I’m fairly sure on the plane home…

    I think we’re actually in agreement. Part and parcel of “a better way” is to engage on an emotional as well as a rational level – to spark imagination and hope.

    The latter is in all too short supply. Not only are the issues braided and overwhelming, but getting more urgent by the day.

    It’s funny that you mention Chris Jordan’s photographs of the “dead-by-plastic” albatross chicks on Midway Atoll. That presentation really stuck with me as well. I just put together a grouping of about a dozen on the aggregator, http://www.TrackerNews,net, anchored by his slide show. (TrackerNews is a bit unusual – links are grouped for contextual relevance, so research papers next to news stories next to videos next to websites, etc. – The site changes regularly, so in a few days, that link will take you to a very different page! But everything goes into a searchable database. There is actually a lot more going on with the site, but the surface is fun…).

    I was really surprised to learn that in the first decade of the 21st century, as much plastic will have been produced as in the entire 20th century. Less wasteful won’t even get us back to square one.

    On the encouraging side, there are some very intrepid marine biologists working on schemes to clean up and recycle and mess. I am in awe…

    - Janet

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19 October 2009

Dishing with Diane: Robin Fray Carey on how B2B companies harness Web 2.0

by Diane Hessan

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All posts by Diane Hessan

Robin Fray Carey, CEO of Social Media Today, and I discuss how web 2.0 is transforming the media business and how B2B organizations are harnessing tools and platforms to generate authentic conversations in real time.

Robin Fray Carey, CEO of Social Media Today, and I discuss how web 2.0 is transforming the media business and how B2B organizations are harnessing tools and platforms to generate authentic conversations in real time.

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