Digital Hive

A new vision for how research can contribute

Last week I had the great pleasure of participating in a day-long ARF panel discussion about how social media is transforming brands' ability to "listen" to consumers.

There were many luminaries in attendance (e.g., Pete Blackshaw, Ed Keller, David Rabjohns, Lynd Bacon, Kim Dedeker from P&G, Josh Chasin from ComScore, Donna Goldfarb from Unilever, Gayle Fuguitt from General Mills, Ann Green from Millward Brown, etc.).

Here's the deck I shared to stimulate thoughts, it highlights a Communispace white paper Diane Hessan shared that I found very interesting:

Download arf_07152008.ppt

We had a day of spirited discussion about how social media transforms the nature of listening and really raises the bar on how consumers will expect companies/brands to behave. We had a big discussion around how we need to pivot from focus on "brand's back yard" to focus on "consumer's back yard" - meaning, developing a broad understanding of what's important to consumers BEYOND the brand or product you're marketing. An obvious point for agency folks but still new for many brand marketers, I think.

The breakout group I was part of (along with David Rabjohns, Gayle Fuguitt, Josh Chasin and Bob Barocci - who runs ARF) came up with the attached vision (click to enlarge photo above) for how the research function (inspired and enabled by social media) can add more value to the enterprise by being a catalyst for growth, not just a downstream evaluator of ideas (that's what we meant by "validation purgatory"). Moving upstream was a key theme all acknowledged - specifically drawing a tighter connection between research and upstream ideation, as pulling in-market results into a feedback loop that drives program iteration.

An inspiring and energetic session which I hope will help inspire the research industry to develop new strategies and offerings, as well as offer diverse career and development paths to research practitioners who want them.

ARF (under leadeship of Joel Rubinson, chief research officer) will continue to push this topic over coming months, via white papers, etc. Look for it!

Couldn't resist sharing this pic of Gayle Fuguitt with her trademark blue pen, which got her into a lot of trouble with David Rabjohns.

Ethnography: some helpful tips

I found a great post about ethnography on This Blog Sits at the Intersection of Anthropology and Economics which I always enjoy checking in on. Grant McCracken identifies some of the key success factors for an ethnographer:

- humility, empathy and patience

- the ability to draw a respondent in to the interview

- the ability to identify the best approach at any given moment (aka working well on the fly)

- the ability to "shift frame" to see the significance of what the respondent is saying; this reminds me of the point I am always making about how context can inspire customer insights

- the ability to follow up and drive the intellectual inquiry without losing your place or failing to be in the moment and listen

See, it's easy! Actually, it's not. You need a real head for this activity, as well as a lot of practice. Its challenging nature makes it (once mastered) a valuable skill, therefore worth pursuing.

Also, I find these skills are absolutely critical for planners even when not doing ethnography - particularly when inspiring teams to develop Big Ideas. These are great key principles for the planning craft, in my book.

A closer look @ online behavior (part 3): Are blogs tribal?

More observations from our recent study

One of the more polarizing observations gleaned from our mini-ethnographies involves consumers perceptions of blogs. We witnessed a pervasive “blogs are for liberals” attitude among consumers residing in so-called ‘red states’. Some are so off put by their perception that they are simply uninterested in finding out more about them at this time. Even though plenty of conservative blogs exist in the blogosphere, a disproportionate number of blogs and bloggers would probably be deemed ‘liberal’. One look at Blogpulse’s 2005 year in review (where “Unitarian Jihad” ranks as the #1 top media story) supports this hypothesis.   

One can’t help but wonder, however, how their list might have read if the popularity of blogs had blossomed during the Clinton years. Could the liberal-conservative pendulum swing under a different administration?

Regardless of the perceived majority voice, blogs could represent one of the most effective platforms for vocal minorities to express their views. They are in a sense, virtual town hall meetings. But how persuasive are they with visitors of a different POV? Do they only serve to reinforce their believers (e.g. by preaching to the choir)? Ultimately, blogs probably function more as ‘cyber-tribes’ of ideas and like-minded souls. Or even as a sort of digital group therapy - for free.

When it comes to branding, implications abound. Obviously, transparency is a very good thing. And brands who know who they are and avoid making the mistake of trying to be everything for everyone will probably meet with more success than their less confident and/or schizophrenic counterparts. Moreover, given the tribal nature of blogs, pull marketing seems to be at the essence of it all.

Small Businesses: No Small Fish

Recent studies report that the number of small businesses (defined as those with fewer than 100 employees) numbers around 7 million. While much is known about basic audience demographics, like industry affiliation, and numerous research reports discuss small business behavior - such as their tendency to rely on informal sources for advice – little was understood about the ethos of the small business. Qualitative research with small business owners and staff, specifically Day in the Life interviews conducted across industry and geography, helped us to better understand 1) how they perceive themselves and 2) what they value in the companies and people they choose do business with.

Part 1: Self-Perception and Beliefs

The majority of those interviewed had worked for larger companies or corporations in prior lives, but expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of control associated with a corporate job. Their decision to open or work for a small business was a conscious one, brought about by a small degree of luck and a large dose of courage as they sought to create an environment that better suited their needs.

Today, they carry themselves with a remarkable degree of self-confidence. Even more incredible to discover was the underlying belief that they have some superior understanding of the market or the customer that allowed them to identify and offer a truly relevant ‘solution’.

Their sense of possessing some unique knowledge leads small businesses to self-identify as a risk-taker on a grand stage, more so than a small fish in a big pond. Listening harder, responding faster, or delivering greater customization are all ways in which they demonstrate their superiority over big business and seek to deliver better value to their customers.

Part II to come....

A closer look @ online behavior (part 2)

Highlights and observations from our recent study 

We generally assume that our audience will savor the full, rich media experiences we create. Yet, when targeting Gen Xers and beyond, can we really be sure that everyone is experiencing our magic to the max? Not necessarily. We were surprised by the extent to which a considerable number of thirty-something-plus consumers we interviewed continue to cling to pre-high speed habits and behaviors. Even though they have technically embraced a broadband/high speed world, the legacy of dialup lingers in the way they configure their systems and interact online. These consumers live in the uppermost part of the internet vortex.

A closer look @ online behavior

Everyday, we are bombarded with a deluge of statistics stating where and when consumers engage online. Often, the data confirms our own behavior. Yes, we watch more videos online than ever before. Yes, we spend more time researching big ticket items online than off. And (sigh) yes, we shop online more at work than at home.

In a quant-driven world, it’s less common to find internet data with insights and anecdotes addressing the how and the why. Qualitative helps us inspire better creative now, and imagine the role the internet will play in our lives over time (and prepare for it). After all, we have entered a new phase akin to the early years of TV. Initially, everyone assumed TV would simply become a sort of radio-in-motion. Who could have predicted the advent of sitcoms? Or reality shows?

In this spirit of discovery, we recently hit the road (and the skies) to conduct a series of mini-ethnographies with more than thirty middle and upper income consumers representing states of the red and blue variety. Our planning sojourn offered us a unique opportunity to get to know our consumers in their home and work environs, talk about their online worlds, and observe their habits up close. This posting represents the first of a series in which I’ll highlight observations and interesting insights from our study.

Mind the Gap

GapMinder is a not for profit site that presents information on global human development trends.

This team has done an exceptional job of presenting fairly complex statistics in an engaging and easy to use manner. The content is compelling and important, but it's presentation is the primary reason to take a look.