If you’re a psych major you can probably rattle off The Big Five traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism – or OCEAN) a lot easier than remembering what SHIELD stands for (Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate.) But for our purposes we are going to forego some of the psych talk and define respondents as “Black Widows”, “Thors”, “Iron Men”, “Captains Americas” and “Hulks”.

Let’s begin with Black Widow, a spy played by Scarlett Johansson. Much like openness, she’s up for adventure; she’s curious, brings unique ideas to the table and is in tune with her emotions. A seemingly great respondent… until you get the feeling she’s the one interviewing you! Sometimes a Black Widow goes so far as to call out your techniques, shifting the focus to you and your questions. Often times you can get the conversation back on track with a widow by adding in phrases that show shared common sense, such as, “though this might seem obvious…” Confiding in them by disclosing why you’re seeking the information and reminding them that their opinion is highly valued also works. Stroking an intelligent respondent’s ego never hurts, so give them their credit and quickly get back to the objectives. You may get off topic for a moment, but at least they won’t beat you down.

Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, is a demigod. Not a very relevant profession in our world, but his qualities exude that of the conscientiousness persona; Dutiful, self-disciplined and acting with purposeful/predictable behavior. You can usually count on a Thor to answer your questions and participate in a manner that reflects the norm. A typical respondent who gives typical answers makes it all too easy to coast through the conversation. It’s very tempting to go; “Q&A, Q&A – here’s your reward, thank you”- but because our job is to seek deeper insights, it’s important to stay creative and self-disciplined. You have to ‘bring the hammer down’ on yourself and use different approaches to get beyond surface answers. Asking questions that utilize the teachings of cognitive theory, trying different projective and enabling techniques, and other indirect and clever lines of questioning can help a Thor tap into his own psyche. Your persistence and creativity will pay off when you strike that lightning bolt of insight you were looking for.

Robert Downey Jr. plays a perfect Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man. A narcissistic genius, millionaire, playboy, philanthropist, Stark is a near perfect extrovert. He is outgoing and regularly “seeking the stimulation of others”.  As a respondent, Iron Man can be a lot of fun and very candid, but it can be hard to keep him focused. With his mind going a hundred directions at once, Iron Man often wants to chat or joke around, even going so far as to ask about you and your personal life. The research can quickly take a back seat to chatter and amusing anecdotes. As a moderator, our job is to conduct sound research within specific time frames. It should be fun and engaging, but if someone isn’t taking it seriously, that’s a problem. We find the best bet is to not play into it. Simply deflecting the extra chit-chat by either ignoring it or by using, quick, objective and close-ended acknowledgements (as it’s important not to use encouraging language) – “understood”, “I hear you”, “Gotcha”, and “Noted” can often do the trick. Adding precursors such as “thinking critically…” or “getting focused again…” before questions can also help steer them back on course. When an Iron Man can stay focused, they have the potential to give you some of the most substantive feedback around. After all… the arc reactor in Stark’s chest keeping him alive proves he has a heart. Simply keep him on track, and he’ll speak from it.

Captain America (Chris Evans) is the original super hero in the word of Marvel™. Like agreeableness he is compassionate and extremely cooperative.  He also tends to be very traditional, and after being frozen for sixty plus years, that’s understandable. Captain America isn’t very technologically savvy which can certainly put a strain on conducting smooth online qualitative research. He generally types a little slower and needs to see concepts more for memory. Occasionally when there is media involved he takes a few extra moments to get it working. The best way to deal with Captain America is to be clear, helpful and patient. A little reassurance that there is no rush and that he is doing fine can go a long way. If you can relate to him and put things in his terms he will more than likely deliver wonderful results. Even though he may shield himself from modern product concepts, he’ll lead you to good old fashion quality insight, as long as he knows you’re on his side.

Lastly we come to the Hulk played by Mark Ruffalo. The Hulk is classic neuroticism, a brilliant scientist named Bruce Banner one moment, a rage of emotions the next. Neuroticism is classified as having tendencies to experience unpleasant emotions easily such as anger and anxiety. “Hulk no like long research, Hulk was told this would take ten minutes! Where is Hulk’s reward? Hulk thinks these questions are boring and stupid!” Now you have a dilemma. Do you drop Hulk out of the airplane, or appeal to his human side? It can be hard to salvage such a beast, but sometimes all it takes is a little TLC. Try a little empathy. Apologize, and be very clear about what is to come, how long it will really take, and remind them that their efforts will be rewarded. Sometimes a little love and incentive is enough to get Bruce Banner back, just make sure you’ve got a change of clothes for him.

Is it possible for qualitative researchers to handle these individuals as well as director Nick Fury? That’s up for debate, but hopefully I’ve given you some nuggets from our qualitative research world to take into consideration. After all, knowing what you’re up against will always give you an edge.

However, being a strong brand has its benefits. CSM could leverage its strengths in content to provide both a print and an online format while attracting younger audiences. But, in order to do this, they needed to find out more about their target audience as it relates to their journalistic likes and dislikes, what their current news diet consists of, and what it lacks.

The best way to do this was through qualitative research that could bring this particular audience to life. Our one-on-one conversations provided the perfect format to get beyond one-word responses and uncover a deep understanding of what readers are looking for from their news sources.  As you can read in this case study, the research was sucessful in giving CSM a clear picture of what their audience wanted.

If you’re answer was to head over to Treasure Island for a few rounds of War, please keep reading. We’re here to help! Presenting our ”hot” guide to Las Vegas.

Don’t just eat… dine in style
If money is of no concern, limo over to Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars for one of the best, most inventive Parisian meals you’ve ever had. Don’t have a crew to go with? Check out the entertaining counter service stylings of L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand or grab a coveted seat at the bar at N9NE Steakhouse at the Palms. Want to dine with the cool kids but don’t want to leave the premises? Check out STK and Jose Andres’ gem, Jaleo right at the Cosmopolitan.

Market research can be stressful, so relax like royalty
Canyon Ranch at the Venetian and the Spa Bellagio are two of the best places to relieve the stresses of every day qual and quant. Canyon Ranch is world renowned and features their exclusive Aquavana suite of water and thermal environments. Want a more intimate experience? Spa Bellagio offers a full complement of therapeutic and rejuvenating facial and body care treatments, plus their Signature Journey is a can’t miss.

You can find me at the club
The hot clubs change quickly, so it’s a good thing you have us. Right now, your hotel features one of late night’s finest in Marquis. This classy and extravagant establishment will put a dent in your wallet, but the atmosphere, music and clientele make it worth every penny. Tao Nightclub at the Venetian is tops on our list as well. This establishment capitalizes on an ultra-cool Asian motif and draws in celebrities galore with its second-to-none bottle service area and 10,000 square foot dance floor. Finally, if you’re arriving in Vegas a bit early and want to tell all your fellow researchers about the famous DJ you saw spin last night, check out Lil’ Jon at Tryst, the Wynn’s super-posh lounge, on Saturday night.

Pools aren’t just for swimming
Part of the hipster experience in Vegas is checking out one of the many “beach clubs” where swimming takes a back seat to mingling. While every resort has one, not each one deserves you as a patron. One of our favorites is Aria’s Liquid which boasts two luxury VIP pools, eight cabanas and flat screen TV’s. Not quite satisfied? Check out Moorea Beach Club at the Mandalay Bay where guests enjoy the juxtaposition of high-energy music and poolside massage services.

MR’s sexy side
We know there’s tons to see and do, but don’t forget what brought you here in the first place. The Market Research Technology Event promises to be one of the best trade shows of the year, bringing forth the emerging technologies that are being used to collect, analyze and evaluate business intelligence. From data, to insights, to foresight, this conference has it covered. Some of the presentations we are looking forward to include:

• Consumer Insights at Facebook: The Role of Flexibility in Using New Technologies Sheila Normile, FACEBOOK
  
• Robot Researchers Conducting Netnography – whatever next?John Kearon, BRAINJUICER
  
• Collective Intelligence: Using Technology to Focus Your Entire Company on the Customer Experience Jeff McKenna, CHADWICK MARTIN BAILEY
  
• Two Birds, One Stone: Google Consumer Surveys Monica Plaza, GOOGLE

We’ll be over at booth #1 talking research and giving away casino chips (we think free money is pretty cool) so please make a point to stop by. Remember, when in doubt use the guide, and have a great show!

[excerpt] In the end, you can come up with the most insightful study in the world, but if it doesn’t mesh with the user’s technology and display exactly the way you want it, how effective is it?

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So, you may ask, what is a Klout Score? The Klout Score is a way to measure your influence and ability to drive action. Every time you post, tweet, or join a LinkedIn group, a Klout Score is calculated based on your true reach (how many people you influence), your amplification (how much you influence them), and your network impact (the influence of your network).  Put them all together and you have a score between 1 and 100 (100 being the most influential), with the average person landing a score somewhere around 20.

But it doesn’t stop there. If you think having another way to brag about your social status isn’t cool enough, Klout offers you incentives to increase your score in the form of Klout Perks. Klout Perks are free incentives offered by a variety of companies just for having a high score. Companies that have participated include, but are not limited to, Neutrogena, Level Up, Moo, Sony, Disney, Capital One, Chili’s, and Popchips. Chevy actually even offered Klout Score-holders with a score of 35 and above the opportunity to test drive the new Chevy Sonic for 3 full days, a perk I myself would have thoroughly enjoyed.

After hearing all this you may think, “What isn’t to like about the Klout Score? It’s a win-win for all,” and Klout would agree with you. In fact, the company even goes so far as to say that they can match you up with your next romantic interest using the Klout Score alone. Yes, you read that correctly: according to Klout, your Klout Score is “an authentic measurement of sophistication, wit, cultural savvy and appeal” that is a “more trustworthy measurement than the typical online dating site bull-hockey-factors of height, weight and income.”

And while I am by no means a professional matchmaker, I would say that Klout has blogged itself into some pretty big claims with that one.

The bottom line, though, is that before you sign up to find out your latest social status or newest lover, know that some consider Klout scores to be an unnecessary evil that should be rendered irrelevant due to the fact that its authority is questionable, it potentially violates privacy rights, and it uses you to make a profit.

After reading the criticism that has come crashing down on CEO Joe Fernandez, one is left trying to choose whether to give in to the temptation of reconfirming one’s appeal and influential impact, or to reject the potentially harmful score that could taint the social media world altogether.

Which do you choose? Comment below!

While current virtual shopping and eye-tracking platforms exist, they have their limitations. Most of these vehicles require that respondents sit at a computer and interact with the stimuli on a screen. “Google Glasses” could provide a much more precise and accurate reading, as they interact with the respondent directly and allow consumption to be much more natural. Researchers could explore and test virtually anything by collecting real-time video diaries, easily, and in a less invasive manner than ever before. Consumers would simply follow the research instructions and record what the glasses capture, no other cameras or mechanisms necessary. Imagine being able to view the world directly from the eyes of a consumer, observing their step-by-step shopping experience. Researchers could see exactly what a dad with two kids is doing in a grocery store; they could watch which aisles he visits, which shelves he looks at, what he notices on a product package, and whether or not he really reads the nutrition labels. This would open up a whole new world of ethnographic research.

Beyond giving researchers an open window into consumers’ lives, Project Glass could also offer a more dynamic and seamless way for researchers to interact with respondents and send stimuli. How much easier would things be if any form of communication or imagery was literally in front of a respondent’s eyes in seconds?

Of course, all this could be a fantasy, or at the very least a few years away. But the fun thing about budding innovation is that its possibilities are only limited by one’s creativity. We’re curious. How would you envision this technology applied to market research?  Leave your thoughts below.

Enter Steve Jobs – the name that engenders modern innovation when spoken. Apple has always been a contender in the battle for the GUI (Graphical User Interface) oriented operating system, but had difficulty gaining any real traction. Why? Windows is business-oriented and had proprietary software tools that created the necessity to own it through tools such as Microsoft Word and Excel. Steve Jobs was placed in a position to do what he does best. He made the game changer, and called it the iPhone.

And it changed everything. People began to re-imagine the way they interacted with basic computational ideas. It’s a phone that’s a browser. It’s a browser that’s a GPS. It’s a GPS that’s a camera. The iPhone is portable, it browses the web anywhere, it’s lighter than a laptop, its battery lasts longer, its programs are cheaper, its apps are more diverse … and oh yeah, did I mention it’s hip? Individuals who weren’t sure if the investment in a high-priced computer would be warranted no longer needed one.

This, of course, gave birth to the tablet which, quite possibly, may end the reign of the PC. Apple’s iPad is nowhere near the power of the computer, but doesn’t need to be. The average user doesn’t need a high-end processor and graphics card. What they really want/need is something to browse the internet, play quick games and read books. Following suit, others have reached the same conclusion and are replicating the idea. Google repackaged the Linux Ubuntu operating system into a tidy system called Android – Apple’s biggest rival in tablet and smartphone sales. Even Microsoft has realized the need to change and will unveil its new tablet-oriented Windows 8. We’ll see the first of these tablets this fall, most likely brought to us by Lenovo. With this new era of computing, we are seeing the golden age of computing, right?

Well, maybe. The problem with progress is, as always, change. Each system wants to be the system and in the world of technology that means proprietary ideas/differences. Consider Adobe’s Flash product. It was one of the simplest ways to create visually appealing websites with moving parts. However, Apple refused to support the software, stating that it wasted battery power and granted power to web designers that could be disruptive to the user experience. Google’s Android on the other hand, disagreed and openly supported the product. That leaves software developers with a simple, albeit painful, decision. Should they continue to program in Flash and target the Android audience, or should they attempt to tackle HTML5 (in its earliest phases of infancy at best with little backward support to older PC’s)?

As market researchers, we’re faced with an even more complicated dilemma. In the majority of cases, we aren’t really afforded the luxury of targeting specific types of devices. Our technological requirement is diversity, creating surveys and studies that reach out to all individuals, regardless of device or platform. Clients expect this of us and our job is to suit their needs, first and foremost. Of course, it’s all well and good to say that, but is that even possible?

For the most part, yes, actually, but we have to take the time to be smart about it. At iModerate, we have taken the time to identify certain key uncertainties and come up with some innovative solutions. A good example of this would be a browser detection pattern that automatically detects the platform and identifies an optimal display pattern for that device. For our studies, whether the respondent is on a well-aged (but trusty) PC, or on a new stylish iPhone, the system reads the screen to show a survey that will provide the best possible user experience.

When all is said and done, there’s no absolute solution to the problem. For this reason, research designers have an obligation to consider the various possibilities associated with who they are trying to reach and get their tech team involved to do the necessary work up front. In the end, you can come up with the most insightful study in the world, but if it doesn’t mesh with the user’s technology and display exactly the way you want it, how effective is it? There are many factors that go into getting the best results, and this is one that I fear is too often overlooked.

After all, not all respondents look the same. Right now, as you’re reading this, what device are you using, and how does that identify you?

In the world of qualitative research, we all know how difficult it can be to get people to express their motivations, reasoning and emotional connections. So how do we get deeper and unlock the consumer psyche? We have some ideas…

Check out our 20-minute presentation entitled, Why the Deepest Insights Play Hard to Get to find out about some of the newer, more creative projective techniques, enabling techniques and custom approaches. You’ll get the scoop on some things you can apply to your research, and get an understanding of why these techniques work, how to implement them and their pros and cons.

I find this new phenomenon, Social TV, fascinating and so do my colleagues. So, here at iModerate, we conducted a new study that shows the impact Social TV is having on our viewing habits. Our study also reveals who the biggest participants are, or as we call them, “The Social TV Gurus”. Finally, we found that beyond giving feedback and supporting their shows, the other main reasons individuals engage in Social TV are to be relevant and recognized, be part of a community, maintain relationships, and have virtual “hang out time” with friends.

Ultimately, Social TV is a new movement and it’s not going anywhere. It’s even creating jobs I’ve never heard of before and changing the way we watch TV and engage with people.

Want to learn more? Download the study here.

“Social TV is a huge phenomenon,” said Adam Rossow, VP of Marketing at iModerate. “The respondents in this study consistently remarked that it makes TV more fun. They love the social interaction and frequently add shows to their viewing lineup due to social chatter and the desire to keep up with the conversation. That adds up to more time spent on social networks and more hours watching television.”

Beyond the impact of Social TV, the study also revealed who these Social TV participants are and why they partake. iModerate found three different types of “Social TV Gurus”: The Spots Nut, The Extrovert and The Girlfriend.

The Sports Nut is a 25-54 year old male who partakes in Social TV primarily for “big games”. He posts more than 5 times a week on Social Media and enjoys debating sports, razzing buddies, celebrating and venting about teams’ successes and failures, and showing off his knowledge of sports.

The Extrovert is an 18-34 year old male who has a vast network of virtual and personal friends all over the world. He makes new friends online through chat rooms and via posting about Social TV and considers online social network connections “real” friends, even if they don’t actually “know each other”.

The Girlfriend is a 25-44 year old female who mainly engages in Social TV while watching dramas and reality shows. She relates deeply to her favorite shows and looks forward to the “girls’ night out” aspect of interacting with them through Social TV.

The study also found that beyond giving feedback and supporting their shows, the other main reasons individuals engage in Social TV are to be relevant and recognized, be part of a community, maintain relationships, and have virtual “hang out time” with friends.

About this research
The full Social TV report which includes additional findings is available as a free download from iModerate. The week of February 6th, 2012, 150 respondents completed an online quantitative study and 40 individuals participated in one-on-one conversations online. Respondents included both males and females age 18+ who spent at least one hour per week watching television and typically comment or post about programming at least once a week.

About iModerate Research Technologies
iModerate Research Technologies is a leading qualitative market research firm with a distinct approach to uncovering the most meaningful insights. Based in Denver, Colorado and founded in 2004, iModerate is known for pioneering and championing the online one-on-one. With over 100,000 conversations to our credit, and an in-depth knowledge of how consumers think and behave, we have helped countless organizations obtain the insights that matter most to them. For more information please visit http://www.imoderate.com

Media Contact
Adam Rossow arossow@imoderate.com Phone: 303.928.8406