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How magazine ads help you make the right purchase decision... July 12, 2010
My 86-year old father is in the process of buying a new car. I became aware of this when, to my astonishment, I found him sitting in the sunroom reading lifestyle magazines. My dad is a retired chemical engineer who spent nearly 40 years working for U.S. Steel in Pittsburgh, Pa. His interests are new developments in coke processing, golf, fishing, and the Steelers --- not learning how to make wild rice pilaf from scratch, or a washcloth mitt out of decorative ribbon. When I asked my father why he was reading these magazines, he held up a full-page, color ad for an SUV and said, "Just take a look at this ad. You can really see and appreciate the styling and the detail in the design of this car --- a lot better than on TV or in a newspaper." In fact, magazine ads have a long, rich history of providing people with ideas for products and services that match or enhance their lifestyle. The first magazine ad appeared in 1742 in Benjamin Franklin’s General Magazine. Yet with the growth of new media and innovative technologies, it is easy to wonder if print ads are a good way to spend advertising dollars. Research recently conducted by KS&R on vehicle purchase decision making reveals that magazine ads play an important, complementary role to visual, audio and electronic media. For a consumer shopping for a new car, magazine ads offer real advantages:
Additionally, research indicates that consumers tend to keep magazines around and flip through them several times before finally storing, lending, or recycling them. Why is this important? An ad needs to be seen 3-10 times in order for it to be effective. With a print ad in a magazine, an advertiser can achieve effective frequency in just one issue. Mark Twain said, "Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising". I think my dad would agree, as he sits back on the couch and dreams of GM’s new keyless entry system on his next vehicle. All the best, Announcing Our New Website Design May 11, 2010
When you visited KS&R's website today, you probably noticed that it looks different. We've given our website a makeover, and retooled it to give you direct access to r2r – KS&R's online community for contributing information, exchanging ideas, and staying in touch with you. One researcher to another. We hope you like our new look, and find r2r insightful and inspiring. Take a moment to meet our exceptional team of r2r contributors. We plan to add more multimedia content in the months ahead, including a webinar on customer experience. Be sure to check it out -- It will give you a different perspective on what "customer experience" is and what it can do for your company. For now, I'll leave you to explore our website's new look and r2r on your own. As always, I welcome and value your feedback, dear readers, fans and critics. Feel free to email me at lvandyke@ksrinc.com. Best regards, The Green Glow 
February 17, 2010 I love "Wicked the Musical". I saw it for the first time in October 2003 when it opened on Broadway. The late Ann Michel, Founding Partner and KS&R's first CEO, bought me a ticket. She thought I would enjoy the play where women take center stage and it's easy to identify with the main characters -- both the good and bad. She was right. I have now been to "Wicked" 11 times, including performances in Chicago, San Francisco, and London. If you've had an opportunity to see "Wicked", you know that one of the most memorable moments of the story comes when the green-skinned, black-clad Elphaba laments about the extent to which folks are fixated on her verdigris. Elphaba had it right. "Green issues" remain high on the radar across the globe. Yet a recent KS&R study revealed that in today's current economic environment, where companies are being challenged to do more for less, businesses often forgo green purchasing if it means a premium price. Corporate decision makers, particularly those in small and mid-size businesses, admit that they are more likely to consider environmental and social sustainability factors when making personal purchases than corporate ones. Instead, these companies are looking to leverage the eco-friendly behaviors of their service providers in order to stretch their own "green" credentials. Without having to expend resources, they are able to bask in the "green glow" of eco- association as vendors undertake efforts to recycle, lower their carbon footprint, use natural products, and buy locally. Aesop said, "A man is known by the company he keeps." How eco-friendly are the companies you do business with…and are you making the most of it to reinvigorate your brand and your messaging? All the best, True Sportsmanship December 1, 2009 
Sometimes a focus group moment stays with you long after the final report has been delivered. KS&R recently conducted qualitative research as the initial step in an attitudinal segmentation study to assist a manufacturer of outdoor games/sports equipment make decisions regarding investments in new product development. Focus groups were conducted with parents and grandparents in order to capture the full breadth and depth of their attitudes towards this product category. During the groups, participants created collages using photos, memorabilia, and other objects brought from home. Collages are an effective tool to explore participants' imagery, feelings, and associations. They also often reveal opportunities in every day details to make a real emotional connection with the target market. Participants took turns describing their collages, including talking about the meaning and significance of the various elements. One father's photo really caught my attention. He captured an act of kindness shown by one very young football player to an opposing player. The kind of everyday detail that often goes unnoticed, yet shows that sports can be about way more than beating the other team. And an inspiring, emotional connection I won't soon forget. All the best, Patience, Grasshopper! November 18, 2009 
Black Friday is nearly here. If you don't already know, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when stores kick-off the holiday shopping season. There are multiple theories about the origin of the name "Black Friday". Some believe the Philadelphia Police Department first used the term in referring to the massive traffic jams that clogged downtown streets as shoppers headed out for special deals and deep discounts. Others say it is the day of the year that retailers who have been unprofitable change to being profitable, or "in the black." Either way, from camping out overnight in parking lots, to the frenzy of shoppers pushing as doors open at the crack of dawn, Black Friday is famous for incredible door busters and long lines that stretch around the block. KS&R's extensive work in support of the "optimal customer experience" for our clients reveals that the experiences customers have waiting in line significantly impact their perceptions of the services being provided—and ultimately, the brand. Standing in line for longer-than-desired can cause boredom, frustration, anxiety, and even rage—even if the transaction that follows is efficient, courteous and satisfactory. However, our research also reveals a great deal of consensus about the ways in which retailers can extend customers' wait time tolerances – and make them feel better about the wait:
Real "no-no's" that exacerbate the frustrations of waiting in line include sales staff who are socializing, performing non-critical work tasks, and/or are rude, not knowledgeable. As for me, as I create my "game plan" for Black Friday (making gift lists, checking retail ads, etc), I'll put aside my usual "pain threshold" for wait times and just embrace it as "le sport" and part of the experience! All the best, Dear Diary..... October 13, 2009 Dear Diary, "Am rushing to pick up kids at school to get them home, fed, and off to soccer practice. Just made a call on my new cell phone for take-out -- and misdialed AGAIN 'cause the keys are so close together! Am SOOO frustrated with this device. It looked very small and lightweight in the store so I thought it would be perfect for my busy lifestyle.—NOT! Also had a problem this morning when I couldn't figure out how to use the speakerphone for a conference call with my client when I was on the freeway 'cause it doesn't have a separate button. I need to buy a new Bluetooth headset -- but it won't be the same brand as this cell phone. I won't buy this brand again!"
I am a big fan of homework. I loved watching my son Adam and his father struggle, then succeed, in building a sewage treatment plant out of popsicle sticks for an elementary school science fair. While my husband worried about being too involved/not involved enough in helping with homework, I took great pride in the "Aha!" moments as Adam made connections between process and outcome.
Assigning homework to respondents prior to their participation in a focus group or an In-Depth Interview often results in such exciting "Aha!" moments. While not new, homework -- photo journals, collages, video diaries, online diaries – is a surprisingly underutilized technique. The benefits it provides are tangible and many as it serves as a portal to accurate, candid data and authentic insights.
In a recent KS&R usability study on mobile devices, "alpha moms" were given homework consisting of video diaries – or "talk back sessions" -- using digital cameras installed on the dashboards of their vehicles. The in-car digital camcorder is an inconspicuous video recorder with a high quality zone microphone and low light handling, ideal for in-car use. An attached USB port allows for easy upload of respondents' video after each drive session. Online diaries are another very effective homework tool KS&R employs to capture "in the moment" information and insights. Respondents make notations as they happen through a secure link that KS&R provides. This paves the way for deeper revelations that are key in successfully delivering on the research and business objectives. Time to go and read some homework. All the best, Snow Globes and Ethnography March 23, 2009
I collect snow globes. And so does my 8-year old friend Ann Wallace. We think they are magical. You can hold a miniature world in your hand that is fascinating to observe when you turn it upside down and shake it. I try to pick up a snow globe wherever in the world I find myself on assignment for clients. Colleagues, friends and family faithfully respond to my plea "Bring me back a snow globe!"…even though it's become a lot tougher (just try to get a snow globe through airport security). The first snow globes were created in France in the 1870s, an off-shoot of glass paperweights. Enormously popular in Victorian England, snow globes made their way to the US around 1920.
The parallels between my fascination with snow globes and my passion about ethnography are not lost on me. Adapted from sociology and anthropology, ethnography is a method of observing people in their cultural context. It is a unique and powerful tool that evaluates a consumer's or businessperson's world and behavior in extraordinary detail and intimacy. Our clients use ethnographic outputs to discover new opportunities, optimize product lines, identify consumer "hot buttons," communicate more effectively with customers, and solve tough problems. The purpose of ethnography is to develop an "insider's view" -- to not only see what is happening, but also to feel it. It typically involves three kinds of data collection: interviews, observation, and documents, such as memos, advertisements, correspondence, other written items. In a recent ethnographic study KS&R conducted for a regional drug store chain, the methodology went like this: rigorously-screened respondents agreed to allow KS&R interviewers to follow them around for hours while they shopped in drug stores, documenting the minutiae of the shopping experience and gathering information on everything from the lighting and color scheme of the cosmetic aisle to the respondent's emotional engagement with the pharmacist. The interviewers also kept tabs on how long respondents lingered over certain products; eavesdropped on discussions with sales clerks; and collected the Sunday newspaper circulars respondents had marked up. If you are considering using ethnography to help your business gain a competitive advantage, here are a few guidelines to keep in mind:
Inaugural Entry Hi, and welcome to my inaugural blog! As Vice President and head of KS&R's qualitative practice, I'm very excited about sharing insights and information with you on the latest trends in qualitative research (and anything else that comes to mind). I'll also be providing links to relevant articles and research that lend insights to the topic at hand. As I plan to blog every few weeks, I'm hoping you will check back often for updates. Feel free to respond with your comments and to let me know if there are specific topics you'd like me to discuss. You can reach me at lvandyke@ksrinc.com.
I recently traveled to San Francisco with Jennifer Coppola, one of KS&R's moderators, to conduct qualitative research in support of a client's “brand refresh” initiative. Central to this undertaking is the development and testing of various concepts for a new corporate logo, and San Fran was the first stop on our world-wide focus group tour. Flying in over the Bay, I caught sight of The Golden Gate Bridge. A picture is worth a thousand words! No matter how many times I see the Bridge, it always takes my breath away. While at first glance it appears simple in design, its grandeur, uniqueness, resiliency and complexity set the stage for what I expect from this city.
Staring at the bridge from the window of the plane, I thought about the upcoming focus groups. Testing logos is tricky—which is part of what makes qualitative research so challenging, yet so exciting. Ask someone directly what they think of a logo design and you'll likely get a very logical, rational “left brain” response. But in order to uncover the imagery and emotions (often very surprising) that the logo engenders – and ensure its effectiveness in underpinning the brand -- we need the right brain response, too. And for that, participants need help. To get at how and what people think and feel about logos, KS&R employs architectural images using a “Picture Deck” projective technique. Focus group participants use the pictures as metaphors to describe their perceptions. Each participant is given an identical deck (see photos), and asked to select the photo that best represents the feelings, emotions, and attitudes communicated by the logo. Participants then describe those connections and associations.
The insights generated through the use of KS&R's Architectural Picture Deck also take my breath away! There is real power in such imagery, and the rich information it delivers is pivotal in the creation of a logo that truly maximizes the brand’s potential. All the best, |
I acquired my first snow globe at age 5, a gift from my father returning from a business trip to Niagara Falls. It is the center of my ever-growing collection. Among my favorites are a "sand globe" from Dubai (souvenir brought back by Scott Woodward, a KS&R Senior Research Analyst) and one from Paris that rotates while playing "Non, je ne regrette rien" ("No Regrets").
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