by Robert Walker | Oct 24, 2022 | Analytics, Communications, Marketing and strategy, Marketing research
A recent conversation on A/B testing with a client revealed an interesting perspective about messaging and positioning. The client, extolling their company’s rigorous A/B testing approach, failed to recognize a simple but scary fact: it is easy to compare multiple...
by Robert Walker | Sep 20, 2021 | Customer experience, Customer satisfaction, Marketing research, NPS, ROAS, ROI
In our age of automation and AI, marketers risk becoming detached from how their business practices, products, and services are perceived by their customers. Marketers have it all wrong by focusing solely on customer satisfaction or a willingness to recommend: these...
by Robert Walker | Aug 17, 2021 | Communications, Customer experience, Strategic research
A quick Google search of the words “relevance” and “marketing” turned up very few useful or informative hits. I found this surprising. Too much digital communication (email, banner ads, YouTube teasers, etc) fails to connect to the consumer in a meaningful, relevant...
by Robert Walker | Jun 24, 2021 | Business strategy, Marketing and strategy, Marketing research
If you have been in business long enough, you know that the hard work of research is sometimes seen as optional or discretionary by some management teams because it’s hard to calculate the true ROI of research. But we’re thinking about this all wrong. Companies...
by Robert Walker | May 26, 2021 | Business strategy, Marketing and strategy, Strategic research
Whenever we go to Amazon, or Netflix, or any other site, we are immediately presented with dozens, if not hundreds, of choices. Many of these choices are randomly selected by the retailer based on past purchase behavior across the buyer’s digital mesh. Across...
by Robert Walker | Apr 28, 2021 | Analytics, Marketing research, Quantitative research, Survey research
Looking for a quick way to get started understanding the results of your research? Projects that are survey research-based can be daunting. So can projects that involve the analysis of sales, promotional activity, advertising, or other marketing-related activity. We...
by Robert Walker | Mar 25, 2021 | Analytics, Marketing and strategy, Marketing research
Those of us who have spent some time in research departments tend to think in linear terms. By that I mean that there is a “classic” sequence to follow to understand customer needs, new product opportunities, line extensions, new advertising, etc. For example, we...
by Robert Walker | Nov 13, 2020 | Business strategy, Customer satisfaction, Research design, Sales forecasting
Automated surveys are everywhere, triggered by retail and online purchases, a flight you took, or your dentist. If you are like me, you probably get wee bit cranky when you experience a badly conceptualized customer feedback interview. We seem to be swimming in an...
by Robert Walker | Nov 9, 2020 | ROAS, Survey research
Marketing research – notably strategic survey research – has not always provided useful insights for informing a company’s digital strategy. This is especially true for media targeting and ad spending. Why is this? Well, simply put, insights – even from large-scale...
by Robert Walker | Aug 25, 2020 | Business strategy, Customer satisfaction, Marketing research, ROI
I have seen many CSAT programs change a company’s culture by quantifying problems and isolating their causes, thus boosting retention and profitability, and moving from reactive to proactive. Conversely, some companies don’t think that customer satisfaction (or...
