FGI Research » best practices

FGI Research in 2009: A Year of Growth and Innovation

admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:35:23 +0000

2009 was a special year at FGI Research. In the midst of a (hopefully) once in a lifetime economic meltdown, FGI Research enjoyed a record year of growth and performance. In many respects, marketing research solutions are even more important during challenging economic times. And, when you consider the social and media changes that accompanied the financial crises in 2009, marketing research deserved a seat at every strategic table. Even with the inherent advantages to marketing research, the economy proved to be an enormous challenge for many in the industry. So, after a bit of persistent prompting and prodding from some clients and partners, I wanted to reflect briefly on some of the FGI Research success drivers of 2009. They include..

Client Adaptability: Across the board in 2009, FGI Research clients demonstrated an uncanny ability to stay close to their markets and customers, to spot the differences between short-term trends and long term shifts, and to quickly change their strategies to optimize performance under a new set of rules. FGI Research clients invested even more in marketing research solutions in order to gain new advantages during a time of unprecedented change and uncertainty. Steady, savvy and aggressive clients anchored our FGI Research success in 2009.

Marketing Research Innovation: Economies, consumer behaviors and media habits are not the only areas undergoing massive change: the marketing research industry is being revolutionized. Marketing research solutions are changing and improving at rates never seen before in the history of the industry. At FGI Research, demand for some of our newer solutions is fueling much of our growth. These solutions include custom panels, online communities, and social media mining. These solutions are unlocking tremendous benefits for our clients across all industry and all research/business applications.

Marketing Science: Even with the buzz that comes from the newer marketing research solutions, best practice marketing science is a pillar of our success at FGI Research. Ultimately, the business of marketing research requires professionals to properly process, analyze and interpret the data we collect and the observations we make. So, while innovation is key to our success, so to is FGI Research’s insistence on using best practice marketing science to drive the insights and recommendations that ultimately lead to better client decisions and performance. Marketing science had a major impact on FGI Research success in 2009.

So, these are three of the most important success drivers for FGI Research in 2009. Before I wrap up, I would be remiss without tipping my hat to the incredibly dedicated team of professionals at FGI Research. In the end, the character and commitment of our employees is what makes our client projects successful. Their teamwork, attention to detail and quality, and positive approach to every task are the things that underpin our success. Let me close by thanking our loyal clients, talented employees, and dedicated partners for a great 2009 at FGI Research. Let’s do it again in 2010!

David W. Wilson
CEO
FGI Research

The Future of Market Research?

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:18:10 +0000

The changes in the market research industry over the past 30 years have been significant; the widespread adoption of the CATI system for telephone interviewing, predictive dialers to help us reach our respondents more efficiently, the use of sophisticated scanning techologies to speed the processing of mail surveys, and, more recently, the implementation of online research using both qualitative and quantitative methods that allows us to present audio and visual stimuli more easily, shorten field windows, and even reach audiences that had previously been unreachable through random digit dialing. So, what’s next?

As market researchers, the onus is on us to help our clients find new and creative ways to get answers to their business problems, without sacrificing the best practices that make those answers actionable. This could mean combining multiple modes of data collection to ensure we reach our target population where they “live” (web, phone, mail, mobile), finding new environments for clients to interact with their customer base (custom panels, communities, social networks) or investigating new technologies to get at information that might not be revealed using traditional research methods (social media monitoring). The world is changing faster than ever before – we all need to be ready to move with the times.

Heather Woodward
Director, Online Research
FGI Research

Don’t Go It Alone: Partner with Experts Who Stay Invested in Your Success

admin — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:01:30 +0000

You don’t rent a jeep and a rifle and go on safari without a guide. You don’t rent a scalpel and stents and proceed to repair your own heart. No, you insist that the experts stay with you to guide, lead and assist you on the journey to success. In the new world of market research, we believe that custom panel and online survey tools can only take you so far. You need and deserve expert advice and help along the way. You need a dedicated support team full of people who stay invested in your success every step of the way.

In our experience, custom panels and other marketing research tools are maximized when experts are in the trenches helping clients put them to use. Many companies experience frustration and failure when they put too much faith in tools alone to power their research. For example, custom panels are powerful tools, but only when best practice sampling methods are applied. Without proper sampling, custom panel studies may yield the desired number of completed surveys, but with data that is totally unreliable for downstream decision making.

Similarly, social media mining is a powerful, must-have research tool. However, unless key social media trends are properly validated using proven quantitative methods, errant conclusions can be drawn and huge mistakes can be made by decision makers. The point is this: the proliferation of marketing research tools and methods puts an even greater premium on the need for expert help execute all the critical details and make it all work.

David Wilson
CEO
FGI Research

Innovative Methods Still Need Best Practices

admin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:49:41 +0000

The pace of change and innovation in the world and in the market research industry is breathtaking. And, for the most part, all this change is a very good thing. However, the rush to research innovation can be costly and dangerous if not properly tested, applied and managed. Multi-million dollar decisions must be based on reliable data, insights and recommendations. Innovation just for the sake of innovation can lead to wasted resources and even disastrous results.

When innovative new research methods and tools are used, you must insist on the highest levels of quality control and the use of best practices at every step in the process. Custom panels, online communities, social media mining, “quali-quant” methods and other innovative approaches must all be used with proven processes and the steady hands of research experts. Here’s the good news: when innovation meets best practices, the result is cutting edge market research solutions that you can trust for your most important decisions.

David Wilson
CEO
FGI Research