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13 Jul

Posted at 15:03h in Corporate, Podcast
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Episode 5 – Careers in Market Research concerns just that – the stories straight from market research. In this episode, we sit down with a panel of young research professionals who are a part of the Insightrix team to listen to their perspectives and points of view on what it’s like to be a young research professional working in the field of market research. These young research professionals offer up some of their unique experiences and perspectives as they have worked to begin their careers in MR, and some of the tricks of the trade they’ve picked up over their years on the job. They share some of the challenges they’ve faced and overcome, the skillsets and credentials that helped them secure their positions and to be successful in them and they give us an idea of what a day in the life of an MR professional looks like. If you’d like to put a face to the names you hear on our podcast, check out the extra bonus video we produced. It’s also available on the Insightrix YouTube Channel. We are also joined by Insightrix Research Director, Lang McGilp, for a chat about how market research has changed over the years in both practice and the tools used to do it. Lang also provides insight for young researchers looking to enter the field of market research in regards to the skillsets, education and specializations that will help them stand out when they look to pursue their new careers in market research. The newest episode of Stories of Market Research: The Insightrix Podcast is now available on our website player, and on the podcast listening application you like best: iTunes Google Music Stitcher PodBean  SoundCloud And all episodes are also NOW AVAILABLE on YouTube.   Check out past episodes of Stories of Market Research: The Insightrix Podcast Earlier episodes of Stories of Market Research: The Insightrix Podcast are also available on your podcast player of choice, as well as through the player on the Insightrix website.    Interested in learning more about how the worlds of market research and marketing collide and co-exist? Episode 4 of Stories of Market Research speaks to just that We’re joined in this episode by Insightrix Creative and Digital Strategist, Sharday Torgerson, as co-host for the episode. She shares her experience for a forthright discussion about how marketers use market research to better inform their marketing strategies and initiatives. We also discuss how and where the practices of market research and marketing inform one another. We also welcome marketing guru, Paige Gignac, Manager of Marketing and Communications for the United Way of Saskatoon and Area, and president of the Saskatchewan Professional Marketing Association (SPMA). She offers her perspective on the place of market research in marketing, as well as how marketers employ market research methodologies (like A/B testing) and gives reasons why marketers and marketing agencies should continue to employ market research firms. Are you interested in hearing about how market research can be used to gauge and affect the overall customer experience (CX)?   Episode 3 of the Insightrix Podcast is all about CX In our third episode, Market Research and the Customer Experience, we are joined by Market Research Professional, Jhumur Choudhury, as the co-host for the episode. She offers her experience and viewpoints for a chat about market research customer experience programs with our guest for the episode, John Morton, a voice of market consultant and expert in the field of customer experience management. John’s perspective on customer experience and Jhumur’s experience provide a great resource for those looking to learn more about emerging technologies, best practices and why customer experience programs are so critical to businesses of all kinds. You’ll probably also want to download this whitepaper about Insightrix Customer-Centric Experience Programs. It will help to fill in any blanks that may have been missed in our discussion of the topic at hand. How about an episode that speaks to how market research and the people who do it give back to their communities?   Episode 2 is all about corporate social responsibility in MR  In the episode, Market Research Gives Back, we discuss how market research and the skill sets and methodologies used therein can be used as a force for good with volunteers from Data for Good, a Canadian non-profit organization who gives back by volunteering their data science skills to non-profits, not-for-profits and NGOs. For Episode 2, we’re joined by phone from Toronto by Joy Robson, co-founder of Data for Good. Joy shares with us what the organization is all about and how it all got started. We’re also joined by the other co-founder of the organization, Geoff Zakaib, from his offices in Calgary to talk about how the Calgary Chapter of Data for Good held a Meetup in November of last year, and to give his thoughts on the movement of volunteering data science for good causes. Filling out the episode, founder of the Regina Chapter of Data for Good, Kevin Hayes, joins the podcast to talk about the challenges and pleasures of starting the newest chapter in the organization. You can contact Data For Good through their website. You can also reach each chapter individually through Twitter: Calgary Chapter: @DataForGoodYYC  Regina Chapter: @dataforgoodyqr  National Chapter: @Data_For_Good  But how about an episode that speaks about the changes in styles of reporting the market research industry has seen over the years? Episode 1 of Stories of Market Research is all about visual reporting in market research In our inaugural episode of the podcast, we speak with Ellen Eastwood, an independent research and insights consultant, instructor with the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA) and research storyteller. During the podcast, we chat about the shift that has occurred over the past few years in the way that market research agencies have chosen to report their data to clients and to the public. Rather than the data-dumping style of reporting common in the last few decades, more and more market researchers and their agencies have chosen to adopt a more client-friendly approach to their reports. They have done this through developing reports that are more narrative in nature, telling the story of the data in ways that are actionable and understandable upon first reading rather than providing reports that leave clients with little more than charts and figures with little perspective on their importance. If you’d like to learn more about the MRIA, check out their website.   The Insightrix Podcast has you covered If you have an interest in market research (or any other field that crosses paths with it), be sure to subscribe to Stories of Market Research: The Insightrix Podcast and never miss an episode. It’s available on all of your favourite podcast apps, as well as iTunes, Stitcher, Google Music, PodBean and SoundCloud. And you can also find all episodes of Stories of Market Research: The Insightrix Podcast on YouTube. ...
 

04 Jul

Posted at 08:46h in Business, Manitoba, OnTopic, Saskatchewan
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Gauge citizen engagement - check in with the people who matter most Imagine you are a manager within a municipal department and/or provincial ministry. Now, imagine you are asked if citizens are aware of and satisfied with your department’s services, or perhaps if they have seen and can recall your department’s ad campaign.   Yikes!  How are you going to do this? How can you measure your success and get data to help in planning your next steps? OK – take a minute to breathe. It’s not really happening! This situation is fictional, of course. After all, this isn’t 1988. Today, you can easily get this data! However, budgets are tight and you need research that is not only timely, but that is affordable as well. Policy planning cannot be built on intuition. To do any good planning upfront or to validate those plans later, you need a pulse check to ensure initiatives or plans are on the right track - and any good plan has proper research behind it. How does omnibus research work? Government employees who employ omnibus research work together with research professionals to develop expertly crafted research questions to obtain the information they need. These research questions can be asked in one or two ways, either as closed or open-ended questions, depending on the kind of intelligence desired. Examples of closed questions Closed questions are designed to get a specific response from the population – either a yes or no answer, or perhaps a response to a multiple response question (one that asks for responses that involve picking one or more responses from a pre-determined list of possible responses). Example of an open-ended question Open-ended questions ask the population for a verbatim response, allowing for you to obtain citizen engagement in their own words. With the choice of either open-ended or closed questions, you have the choice of asking either qualitative or quantitative research questions – meaning there is virtually no end to the types of issues you can examine.   What kinds of market research are available to government managers? With omnibus research, you can obtain intelligence of almost any kind, and benefit from consultation with experienced researchers to ensure the survey is accurate and regionally representative. Measure citizen engagement and citizen participation in new or existing initiatives. Understand how initiatives have performed with the people who matter most – residents in your province or city itself. Provide needed information to inform stakeholders of the importance of a cause or issue. Answer objections that may be raised about a proposed policy change before rolling it out. Demonstrate popular support for a specific policy or program.   There are very few research topics market research cannot answer for governments. In the past, Insightrix has provided research insight on many policy and planning decisions. Awareness and usage of government services Recall rates of government advertising campaigns Satisfaction with specific government services Citizen opinion research relating to hot-button issues like the legalization of cannabis, anti-bullying policies, etc.   Government can do fast, lean research In times of shrinking budgets, the research budget is often one of those hardest hit. Maximize research budgets by employing omnibus research. Omnibus research allows you to do fast, lean, regionally representative research at a fraction of the cost of custom studies. How fast? Omnibus research allows for you to submit research questions and receive actionable data and insight back in just a few days. With the Insightrix omnibus service, you can begin a research project, put it into field and receive valuable insights back in only 7 days from beginning to end. How affordable? Omnibus research projects field multiple research projects together, all at once, at the same time every month. Combining questions from multiple research projects in a single survey increases government purchasing power by spreading costs across a larger sample. Choose the sample The Insightrix omnibus service, OnTopic™, allows you to choose the geographic location of interest. If you’d like to know about what people in Regina or Saskatoon feel about a specific topic to validate initiatives against the opinions and beliefs of those regions or against those of rural or northern demographics, OnTopic can accommodate. OnTopic allows for sample to be taken from either Saskatoon, Regina, southern Saskatchewan, northern Saskatchewan, or just one of these places - or all at once for the whole province. We set age, gender and region quotas to ensure the sample is representative of the area of interest. If you are a government decision maker in Manitoba, we’ve got you covered too. Insightrix OnTopic gets you regionally representative sample that is either specific to Winnipeg or province wide. How you use omnibus research is up to you. Are you interested in using omnibus research? The Insightrix omnibus service, OnTopic, is just an email or phone call away. Our experienced researchers and analysts are here to consult with you on the formulation of research questions, to put them into field and to assist in making the most out of the results. We run OnTopic once every month in Saskatchewan on the first Friday of every month, and we provide detailed tables that contain useful, actionable insights only a week later on the following Friday. We also do follow the same process in Manitoba, on the following week. Get the intelligence you need for a fraction of the cost of custom research projects.   ...
 

22 Jan

Posted at 08:50h in News Release, OnTopic, Polls, Saskatchewan
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NEWS RELEASE: JANUARY 22, 2018 A new independent poll conducted by Insightrix Research® in partnership with CJME and CKOM highlights a tight race for the top chair in the Saskatchewan Party, and the new premier of Saskatchewan. Between January 9 and 17, 2018, we conducted an online poll with 1,004 randomly selected Saskatchewan residents from our SaskWatch Research® online panel. Out of these 1,004 respondents, 72 report being a Saskatchewan Party member. To increase the accuracy of our results among Sask. Party members, we conducted additional surveys, targeting only Sask. Party members. This resulted in a total of 104 Sask. Party members in our study. Note that in select cases numbers do not add precisely to 100% due to rounding. Who Would Make the Best Premier? When asked which of the five leadership candidates would make the best premier, a large portion of Saskatchewan residents are unsure (48%).  Ken Cheveldayoff emerges in the lead, but only 16% of Saskatchewan residents name him as the best choice.  Alanna Koch follows at 9%, with Gord Wyant and Scott Moe each garnering 5% of Saskatchewan resident responses and Tina Beaudry-Mellor just behind at 4%.  One in ten (12%) believe none of the candidates would make the best premier of Saskatchewan. Of note, among the 104 Sask. Party members polled within our general public survey, the findings differ somewhat.  Specifically, equal proportions believe Ms. Koch (22%) and Mr. Cheveldayoff (21%) would make the best premier.  Mr. Moe (13%) and Mr. Wyant (12%) earn roughly equal support and Ms. Beaudry-Mellor trails behind at 3%.  A sizable proportion of Sask. Party members (27%) are unsure which candidate would fit the job best and the remaining 3% feel none of the candidates would be the best as premier.   Saskatchewan Residents (n=1,004) Sask. Party Members (n=104)   Likelihood of Voting for the Sask. Party in the Next General Election Dependent on Leader Residents were next asked how likely they would be to vote for the Sask. Party in the next general election if each of the candidates were premier.  At this point in time, a large proportion state they are uncertain whether they would be more or less likely to vote for the Sask. Party regardless of who is selected as leader (roughly 50%).  However, a greater proportion say they are less likely to vote for the Sask. Party in the next general election regardless of who is leader of the party. This suggests that whoever becomes leader must prove themselves over the coming years to perform well in the next general election. *Calculated by taking the % of much more and somewhat more likely minus % somewhat or much less likely (example: Mr. Cheveldayoff: 11% + 13% - 9% - 19% = -4) Voter Intent - Sask. Party Members* Of the 104 survey respondents who report being a Sask. Party member, voter intentions vary slightly from public opinion on who is believed to be the best premier.  Out of the 104 Sask. Party members, 77 say they intend to vote (or have already voted) and have decided on their candidate selections. In the first round of candidate selections, it appears a fair amount of vote splitting may take place.  Specifically, Mr. Cheveldayoff and Ms. Koch are statistically tied with the most votes in our poll, yet Mr. Moe and Mr. Wyant also earn very similar vote counts to each other in the first round.  Ms. Beaudry-Mellor trails notably behind.  This means second choice candidate selection will likely be important in determining final voter outcomes.  Directionally, our poll suggests comparatively fewer Sask. Party members intend to vote for Mr. Cheveldayoff as their second choice, potentially limiting his impact in gaining momentum in each subsequent round of the voting process. *Caution is advised in interpreting the above findings due to the small sample size and larger margins of errors.  The estimated margin of error on “first choice” is ±11.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.  As such, these findings should be considered directional in nature, and actual voter outcomes could differ notably. Research Details A total of 1,004 randomly selected SaskWatch Research® panel members participated in the online research study between January 9th and 17th, 2018. Quotas were set by age, gender and region to match the general population of the province and as such the data did not need to be weighted. An additional 32 surveys were completed, targeting only Sask. Party members to boost the sample size to 104 for questions related to Sask. Party member voting intentions. Since the research is conducted online, it is considered to be a non-probability proportion sample; therefore, margins of error are not applicable. However, had a probability sample been utilized, the margin of error would be estimated to be ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20 for questions answered by all respondents (n=1,004). The margin of error on voter intentions among Sask. Party members would be estimated to be ±9.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. About SaskWatch Research Insightrix began developing its SaskWatch Research online market research panel in October 2007, using high quality techniques including telephone recruitment and referrals from existing panel members. Presently, there are over 18,000 active panel members representing all regions of the province and distributions of the general population. Panel membership closely matches the 2016 Census, based on age, gender, household composition, household income and education.  http://saskwatch.ca About Insightrix Insightrix is a dynamic, Western Canadian, full-service market research company. It exists to serve businesses and government entities with insights-driven research solutions, and interpretive analysis through leading-edge tools and senior-level expertise across a broad range of industries. Insightrix is based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. For a PDF version of this release click here. For full details click here. For more information, please contact: Lang McGilp, Research Director Insightrix Research Inc. Tel: 306.290.9599 Email: lang.mcgilp@insightrix.dev1.commandbase.ca Web: insightrix.dev1.commandbase.ca...
 

14 Dec

Posted at 09:11h in News Release, OnTopic, Polls, Saskatchewan
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PRESS RELEASE: DECEMBER 14, 2017 With the one-year anniversary of the Honourable Charlie Clark’s election as the Mayor of Saskatoon, and the one-year anniversary of the re-election of the Honourable Michael Fougere as the Mayor of Regina having both occurred recently, Insightrix® asked residents to weigh in on how both mayors have performed through the past year. From December 5 through December 7, 2017, we conducted our own independent poll with 405 randomly selected Regina residents and 405 randomly selected Saskatoon residents from our SaskWatch Research® online panel. Here is what they told us. Perceived Levels of Approval for Both Mayors When asked how good a job they feel Mr. Clark has done over his first year as mayor, 44% of respondents state they feel Mr. Clark has done either a good or excellent job. Thirty-two percent (32%) feel Mr. Clark has done a fair job, while 9% believe he has performed poorly. Fifteen percent (15%) of those surveyed state they are unsure. Assessments of Mr. Fougere’s performance in his first year returning as mayor of Regina are somewhat less favourable. One third (33%) feel he has done a good job while a similar proportion (32%) say he’s done a fair job, and just under two in ten (17%) believe he has done a poor job as mayor since the most recent election. Eighteen percent (18%) of respondents stated they were unsure. Perceived Actions that Received Approval for Both Mayors When we asked residents of Regina what they thought Mr. Fougere had done well over his first year back as Mayor of Regina since his re-election, the top response was that he is professional/good leader (11%), followed by dealt with a difficult budget (9%) and improved/maintained roads (8%). Other responses are noted below. *Note that respondents could have provided more than one response which is why the following numbers add to more than 100%. Similarly, when we asked residents of Saskatoon what they believe Mr. Clark had done well since his election approximately one year ago, the most common response was attended the Pride Parade/community involvement (17%) followed by being seen as professional/good leader (13%), transparency/communication (9%) and did not raise taxes/tried to save money (9%). Other responses are noted below. *Note that respondents could have provided more than one response which is why the following numbers add to more than 100%. Research Details A total of 810 randomly selected SaskWatch Research® panel members participated in the online research study on December 5 through December 7, 2017. Quotas were set by age, gender and region to match the general population. Since the research is conducted online, it is considered to be a non-probability proportion sample; therefore, margins of error are not applicable. About SaskWatch Research® Insightrix began developing its SaskWatch Research® online market research panel in October 2007, using high quality techniques including telephone recruitment and referrals from existing panel members. Presently, there are over 15,500 active panel members representing all regions of the province and distributions of the general population. Panel membership closely matches the 2011 Census, based on age, gender, household composition, household income and education. For more information, please visit SaskWatch. Insightrix is a dynamic, Western Canadian, full-service market research company. It exists to serve businesses and government entities with insights-driven research solutions, and interpretive analysis through leading-edge tools and senior-level expertise across a broad range of industries. Insightrix is based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.  For more information, please contact: Lang McGilp, Research Director Insightrix Research Inc. Tel: 306.657.5640 ext. 229 Cell: 306.290.9599 Email: lang.mcgilp@insightrix.dev1.commandbase.ca Web: insightrix.dev1.commandbase.ca...
 

05 Dec

Posted at 14:53h in Corporate, News
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Throughout the month of November, Insightrix Research and SaskWatch Research ran a promotion to support and promote SaskWatch® – Saskatchewan’s favourite and largest market research community – as a way, not only to reward our new and existing community members, but as a way to give back to those who need it at a time when they need it most. The promotion saw unprecedented participation, with people from all over Saskatchewan getting in on the action, sharing and liking our posts on Facebook and Instagram, and referring new community members. Now, with the promotion ended… We have a winner!!! The SaskWatch Free Groceries campaign has ended, and the Grand Prize winner has been chosen – Keith B. from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan won $1,000 in groceries AND gets the opportunity to donate another $1,000 to his local food bank. Congratulations Keith!!! Keith chose to make his $1,000 donation to the Saskatoon Food Bank. Thanks to all who entered! None of this would be possible without your SaskWatch membership!   SaskWatch Research and Insightrix Research would like to thank all of the participants in the first ever Free Groceries promotion. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share, like or refer a friend to SaskWatch this month. It’s with support from community members like you that this promotion, and the community itself, are possible. And, of course, thank you for your active membership in Saskatchewan’s favourite and largest market research community! And a big thank you and welcome to all of the new members of the SaskWatch community! Now that you’re a member, stay active, stay connected and have your voice heard on issues that matter to you – a Saskatchewan resident. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to give back! While getting a chance to cover Keith’s groceries over the holiday season makes everyone at Insightrix and SaskWatch happy, we are extra happy to have the opportunity to give back to the Saskatchewan community through promotions like these. Over the years, SaskWatch has formed relationships with 75 charities in Saskatchewan, and regularly encourages its community members to donate their survey earnings to charities here in the province. Both SaskWatch and Insightrix look forward to having a chance to run promotions and contests similar to the Free Groceries promotion in the future, not just to reward our valued SaskWatch members, but as a part of the social responsibility we feel as being firms who are proud to be a part of the Saskatchewan community. It’s not too late to join up! While the SaskWatch Free Groceries promotion may have ended, if you’re not already a member, it is not too late to head over to saskwatch.ca and register as a new community member. As a SaskWatch community member, you can make yourself heard about matters of public policy and business while making your opinion count. And it’s a great way to make a couple extra bucks for the holidays!  Join SaskWatch Research today! ...
 

03 Oct

Posted at 00:25h in Business, Research
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Customer Experience (CX) programs are constantly evolving past solely obtaining data to score or measure a persona or journey-type. To best create a customer journey map, your organization needs to Dive Deep into the different channels you use, all while learning to incorporate new-found insights into the program. Easier said than done, right!? Well… sort of. You must take the first step to capturing their customer experience – both the consumer and your client-facing employees – to make the customer-centric journey successful. To do this – simply – listen. Forming a deep understanding of your end-to-end customer experience is a powerful tool to enhance your competitive advantage. Your customers hold the key to your insights, and your client-facing employees can fill in the gaps in consumer understanding. Journey mapping can also help organizations employ techniques that are built to measure and that are designed effectively – and situationally – to help your executives “buy-in” to the CX “moments of truth”. So, knowing this -  how do professionals responsible for CX go beyond the standard approach of mapping only individual touchpoints? Let’s dive in. 1. The answer is in qualitative research Journey mapping is made through both customer research and employee understanding. And qualitative research assists by providing that “outside” perspective that should always include both the customers’ and employees' views. As a critical starting phase of any CX program (CXP), journey mapping – with the aid of qualitative techniques – should define the customer scope rather than the organization scope. Your customer’s journey should begin at the moment they interact with your brand – whether searching for your product online, engaging with a sponsored social media advertisement or visiting your physical store, you must acknowledge that the experience begins long before the traditional boundaries of the CXP. Customer journey studies are served well by multifaceted qualitative research methods.    At Insightrix, we build our CX framework as though each customer situation is different. It is our responsibility to report on insights - from many sources - including using innovative qualitative techniques such as online communities, online focus groups, employee insights and more. As a market research firm, we put together role-specific questionnaires and moderator guides to help bring clarity to the data findings and should ultimately help narrow the moments of truth in your customer’s journey.   2. Leverage Research Tools Research tools are an important part of any CX journey mapping toolkit. In order to get the most out of your framework, utilize tools that drive your methodology. By using interactive, rich media methods – your consumer is given an advantage when attempting to explain their experience. Qualitative techniques can benefit from a Market Research Online Community (MROC) platform. Online Communities allow CX professionals to easily consult with their customers and obtain the qualitative data they need to create a customer-centric customer journey map.   3. Use Solid Interview Questions Customer-centric journey mapping has gone beyond the use of closed-ended questions. Rather, it has evolved to incorporate targeted, open-ended questions intended to grasp the full pulse of the customer. Questions like these draw your customer out, and allow you to obtain qualitative data you can use to discover their key drivers and motivations. Solid interview questions provide verbatim to uncover and understand pain points in your CX and allow you to “close the loop” with dissatisfied customers.   4. A customer journey map connects organizations with customers CX measurement programs have evolved beyond obtaining data to create scores or measurement metrics. They have become customer-centric – focusing on the needs of the customer. They have progressed to where CX programs provide detailed maps of the entire customer journey. These customer journey maps speak to the qualitative experience of your customers, and allow organizations to Dive Deep into their customer’s journey.   We recently developed a free whitepaper that deep dives into ways to set up a successful and insightful Customer Experience Measurement Program for your organization:   ...
 

20 Sep

Posted at 00:15h in News Release, OnTopic, Polls, Saskatchewan
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PRESS RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 With the recently announced planned retirement of the Saskatchewan Premier, Brad Wall, from provincial politics, Insightrix was curious to learn how the public feels about his upcoming departure. Between September 12 and 14, we conducted our own independent poll with 800 randomly selected Saskatchewan residents from our SaskWatch Research® online community. Here is what they told us. Perceived reasons for retirement When asked why Brad Wall is retiring from provincial politics, a mix of sentiments is noted. Respondents provided text responses that have been reviewed and coded into positive, negative and neutral categories. At the overall level, three in ten (30%) residents cite positive reasons for his retirement, while 55% mention negative reasons for his retirement. One quarter (25%) are not sure. Note that respondents could have provided more than one response which is why the following numbers add to more than 100%.   Most commonly, residents believe Wall may be “getting out while he can” before negative outcomes could materialize or further materialize (29%), while others suspect he is doing so because of a loss in popularity (9%) or the potential of losing the next election (7%). Fully 6% specifically mention issues surrounding the GTH as a reason for his exit from provincial politics. In contrast, three in ten (30%) offer positive sentiments for potential reasons for his retirement, including that it is simply time to move on (16%), a desire for more family time (8%) and having accomplished desired goals during his tenure in office (4%), among other reasons.   Impact of the Premier’s Departure When asked if Brad Wall’s retirement will be a good thing or a bad thing for the province, and for the SaskParty specifically, opinions are divided. Four in ten (41%) believe his departure will be a good thing for the province, while one third feel the opposite (32%). One in ten (9%) believe his departure will have no effect on the province, and 19% are uncertain. In contrast, four in ten (40%) feel Brad Wall’s retirement will be bad for the SaskParty, and two in ten (22%) feel it will be good for the party. One in ten (12%) suspect it will have no effect, and one quarter (27%) are unsure. A greater proportion of Regina residents feel Brad Wall’s departure will be a good thing for the province.*   Impressions of Brad Wall’s Performance as Premier When asked to consider everything over the past 10 years, there is a mix of opinions regarding Brad Wall’s leadership of the province. One half describe his performance as excellent or good (52%), while a somewhat smaller proportion (44%) describe it as fair or poor. Opinions are largely consistent across age and region, although more males describe the performance of Brad Wall as excellent or good (men 58%, women 47%). Brad Wall’s Legacy When asked to comment on what Brad Wall will be remembered for (i.e., his legacy), a wide range of responses is noted, with a slim majority (51%) citing positive elements. Strong leadership and putting Saskatchewan first (21%), as well as economic growth, including making Saskatchewan a “have” province (18%), are most commonly cited. More than four in ten reference negative aspects such as deficits (8%), corruption and mismanagement (8%), privatization (7%) and the GTH scandal, specifically (7%).   Research Details A total of 800 randomly selected SaskWatch Research® panel members participated in the online research study on September 12 through 14, 2017. Quotas were set by age, gender and region to match the general population of the province. Since the research is conducted online, it is considered to be a non-probability proportion sample; therefore, margins of error are not applicable. *For analysis purposes, the province has been divided into four groupings: Regina, Saskatoon and all remaining areas (south and north). The division of north and south are based on the first three digits of postal codes in Saskatchewan. This division is roughly a horizontal line that stretches across the province just south of North Battleford and Melfort. About SaskWatch Research Insightrix began developing its SaskWatch Research online market research panel in October 2007, using high quality techniques including telephone recruitment and referrals from existing panel members. Presently, there are over 15,000 active panel members representing all regions of the province and distributions of the general population. Panel membership closely matches the 2011 Census, based on age, gender, household composition, household income and education. For more information, please visit http://saskwatch.ca. About Insightrix Insightrix is a dynamic, Western Canadian, full-service market research company. It exists to serve businesses and government entities with insights-driven research solutions, and interpretive analysis through leading-edge tools and senior-level expertise across a broad range of industries. Insightrix is based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.  For complete details visit:  https://insightrix.dev1.commandbase.ca/market-research-industry-blog/ For more information, please contact Lang McGilp, Research Director Insightrix Research Inc. Tel: 306.657.5640 ext. 229 Cell: 306.290.9599 Email: lang.mcgilp@insightrix.dev1.commandbase.ca Web: insightrix.dev1.commandbase.ca...
 

16 Aug

Posted at 08:41h in Marketing, Research, Saskatchewan
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Digital marketing through social media is quickly changing the landscape of advertising in Saskatchewan. It is especially changing how marketers handle their overall marketing mix in influencing consumers to engage with their brand online. We marketers can no longer expect a marketing campaign to succeed without understanding our target audience, their demographics and their buyer journey. In order to figure out our audience segments, we have to cognize their motives - an apt way to do so is by employing basic market research behind your strategies. Insightrix Research is dedicated to equipping professionals with real insights from their customers in order to strengthen their brand.  To help with this, take a look at some insights from a recent study revealing how generations in Saskatchewan – from teens to seniors – use social media and what they expect from the brands they follow.     Nearly everyone in Saskatchewan is on Facebook In Saskatchewan, across all generations, Facebook dominates the media landscape by far, with 9 out of 10 using it daily ????????   But does that really come as a surprise to you? While it is probably safe to determine social media is here to stay, interestingly enough, nearly half of Saskatchewan residents (48%) believe they spend too much time on social media - yet more and more people are frequently accessing it!     Regardless, since 2015, social media has seen a slight lift (4%) in users across all platforms ????   Though Facebook dominates the social media landscape in our province, it is not a favourite among teens.  For example… Of the teens on social media, only 63% claim to use Facebook as often as other favourite social platforms, while 1 in 4 (73%) endorse Snapchat as their No. 1 platform, followed by YouTube (64%) and then Instagram (57%). Of gen-Xers (32 to 48) on social, 92% indicated that Facebook is their go-to platform, yet few gen-Xers (17%) admit they use Snapchat.   Interestingly enough, we also discovered that a number of gen-Xers (11%) claimed to have stopped using Snapchat in the past year.   What encourages Saskatchewan residents to use social media? Understanding a particular generation on social is a must for today’s businesses, as more and more corporations recognize the value of these digital tools. Because social media is no longer utilized for the sole purpose of marketing or making friends - it has evolved to help educate and actively encourage consumers to engage with businesses or brands online. So, by determining a generation’s motives for using social media, you can begin to assess what causes social media users to engage with your content. For example… While 80% of the SK population on social platforms claim to use these platforms to keep in touch with friends and family, it’s interesting to note that millennials (aged 18 to 25) flock to social media to find information (43%) regarding entertainment or events online. And… Gen-Xers (47%) use Facebook groups try to get rid of unwanted household items. Those baby boomers are somewhere in between, looking for a healthy mix of shared family photos (53%) or to get information on current events (50%). And matures 68+ (47%) are always on the lookout for those new recipes…   What do followers want from brands? We discovered that about one third (35%) of social media users in Saskatchewan follow particular businesses or brands ????????   And, while there are many reasons cited in the research as to why residents follow brands on social media, 1-in-5 millennials admit they follow a particular brand or business for the simple fact that they “like” it! Because we know almost 8-in-10 residents who follow brands do-so on Facebook, the real question is… what do consumers want from the businesses or brands they follow? The answer is in the discount!   Nearly 1-in-4 Saskatchewan residents claim discounts would likely get them to follow a business on social media ????‼   While 83% of millennials who follow brands on social media (aged 26 to 31) admit discounts encourage them to follow particular brands, only 42% of matures (68+) say it would likely make them hit the “like page” button. Interestingly enough, half of all residents who follow brands on social media (50%) flock to brand-specific channels for product/brand information and tips and advice.   The influencers in Saskatchewan consumer buyer decisions are…?     We discovered personal recommendations – including those within one’s social circles – play a major role in influencing buyer decisions of social media users in Saskatchewan. 78% of residents on social media claim recommendations from a friend, a family member or a known acquaintance have influence on their buying decisions ???? ????   Further, 1-in-3 social media users in Saskatchewan claim family and friend recommendations have a “high influence” on their purchasing decisions. Younger generations are twice as likely as older generations to be influenced by someone within their social circle during their buyer journey. It is also worth noting that 60% of millennials (aged 26 to 31) claim an online review or a recommendation from someone within their social media circle as influential, while only 38% of baby boomers use social media recommendations to influence purchasing decisions. All generations may be represented on social and some are probably following your brand, but your segments will have different expectations from you. As we have come to see it - teens in Saskatchewan use social for, well, social reasons; millennials use social to do their research and ask questions; Gen Xers use it to coordinate life events and make their day a little easier overall; baby boomers are observers and tend to use social as generalists and matures… matures love recipes. ✔ Want to know more about this Syndicated Report?   Click here!  ...
 

14 Aug

Posted at 16:43h in Innovation, Research
1 Like

There is a new leading-edge tracking technology making big waves – recognition software. Global recognition (e.g., biometric recognition like infrared, odour, face recognition, fingerprint, retina, iris, palm print, voice, signature, DNA, etc.), and geolocation are emerging technologies used for examining people and their experiences - in an attempt to collect personalized information - while avoiding the disturbance of their privacy. In terms of the emerging technology itself, recognition tools are able to track your identity and keep note of things you regularly consume at a near-constant basis, and these tools have been revered as the next big market trend. The fact is, the demand is high for various industries in the race of the global recognition technology market. Government and utilities, military and homeland security, retail, banking, financial services, insurance, digital signage and web and mobile applications all have a stake in the future of recognition technology. They all want to know what you purchase, where you purchase and (the stiffest to measure) why you purchase? It is no surprise the market research industry are major contributors in the capacity to measure emotions and experiences, and with all the emerging recognition tools and technology, it begs the question - how will recognition technology effect the future industry of market research? Retail Juggernauts   Take retail into consideration. The wholesale industry is expected to experience significant growth in the use of recognition technology. Retail companies are interested in per market strategies in order to analyze customers based on target quotas, such as age, gender and other categorical attributes. Retail juggernauts are interested in campaigning to the consumers’ wants and needs, solely to hook you as a loyalist. For example, imagine waltzing into your favourite café and having your coffee already on its way to being made based on your ID via recognition technology. Imagine responding to the real-time notification to pay for your coffee. Sounds pretty forward thinking, right? Many retailers are already experimenting with recognition technology, such as with geolocation tools like iBeacons – a Bluetooth feature that can detect and record the location of smartphones. Like the purchase of a quick coffee, these beacons are often used to employ special offers to tempt consumers into purchase whether a consumer enters the store, or even when outside window shopping and passing by. Geolocation technology has a large market stronghold – with mobile media giants like Facebook, Yelp, and Foursquare all adopting this special technology. Industry analysts have been skeptical for years about consumers broadcasting their locations and were fairly uncertain if this technology could even be monetized. Despite this criticism, geolocation has since created a digital bridge between communication, the Internet and the target quota where on-the-go consumers will likely benefit for years to come. How does this effect the future of market research? With target quotas come innovative methodologies such as Sentiment Analysis. And with the adoption of recognition technology, associations and organizations, both public and private, can expand on anecdotal evidence such as the type of gender and age of recognition. Sentiment analysis can lead to major breakthroughs when analyzing a consumer’s wants when it comes to special retail features. It is commonly used in targeted advertising in order to understand the voice of the customer, and where the company can then analyze consumer interactions and decide if they are being done well. Of course, with the rise in technology growth, there is sure to be a rise in security concerns as these retail giants are rapidly adopting big brother-like technology (such as CCTV recordings), which are analyzed by facial recognition techniques and used for alarm systems, source-tagging and even aggressive advertisement.   Aggressively Advertise, Analyze, Reprise   Today, recognition technology is widely used as an effective advertising campaign tool. By measuring how an advertisement spot sells has been (for years) the No. 1 question on the minds of advertisers, brand developers and marketers alike. Understanding how to sell based on buyer emotions by way of advertisement can prove useful when attempting to quantify emotional expression regarding new products and services, and even promotional events such as media trailers and advertising campaigns. Ever see the film “Minority Report”? This science fiction, neo-noir, Spielberg/Cruise flick (set in the year 2054) features a futuristic city dogged with optical recognition systems (retinal scan), exploited by a militarized government emergency service and used to scan distinctive features in the iris. In “Minority Report”, this technology is further used in the place of security badges and identification, as well as for tailored billboards and ads. Wherever Captain Anderton (good ole, handsome Mr. Cruise) goes, he is tracked by cameras and biometric sensors and, as a result, is consistently bombarded with invasive, personalized ads. In 2002, it seemed out of this world to experience the thought of mind-reading advertisements. But, what was once considered futuristic technology is now on the brink of reality. Though retina recognition devices are still considered in beta, with the progress and high interest in facial recognition, it can’t be that far behind, can it? Do you ever feel like the world of Advertising doesn't speak to you?  Well, much like in the film “Minority Report”, a German beer making company, Astra , is looking to cash in recognition technology as a vehicle for targeted advertising. In 2015, Astra introduced a new beer advertising campaign focusing on a Bavarian brand geared toward women. By using a digital billboard, a built-in web camera and the latest in facial recognition technology, Astra was able to detect if a passerby was male or female, and based on the demographic the digital billboard, would either try and sell you a beer (female) or tell you to take a hike (male) – a bold move by a company that generally sells a product focused on men. The real kicker is the public billboard was able to tell if advertisement onlookers were not legal age, and advised the minors that walked by to just keep on moving. Innovative use of recognition technology or obtrusive product selling?   Sometimes this type of targeted advertisement can be used for social awareness campaigns, too. For example, to coincide with the 2014 International Women’s Day, a London, UK-based agency teamed up with Women’s Aid and Ocean Outdoor to create some noteworthy digital billboards that brought awareness to domestic violence. With the use of facial recognition, when an onlooker paid attention to the billboard of a battered woman, the billboard would remove the injuries. As more onlookers gazed directly, the cuts and bruises on the victim’s face would completely disappear - communicating that with each bystander we can make a difference in eliminating domestic abuse.     Make way for Biometric Recognition   The human face has approximately 43 facial muscles that can produce roughly 8,000 different combinations of smiles, smirks and upside down frowns. Expressions are not voluntary, nor are they dependent on social origin or ethnicity. That is the neat thing - facial expressions happen automatically, and at a flash speed (no more than 10 to 20 milliseconds). To be able to tap into a technology that can capitalize from recognizing standardized expressions will arguably change the way that advertisement designs are conceived and tested, making them more likely to succeed in the long run. Not only will advertisement benefit from biometric technology, but as the recognition tech industry rapidly evolves as a whole, high-tech enhancements will help lead us toward a future of adapting a level of behavioural recognition across all major industries — including market research. Behavioural research (or biometric recognition) often refers to an automatic recognition of individuals based on a particular feature from their physiological or behavioural characteristics. By using biometrics, a person can be identified based on who they are (e.g., face, finger scan, retinal scan, etc.) rather than what they are (card, token, number), or what they know (password, PIN). Traditionally, passwords and key cards have been used to restrict access to secure systems, but these methods can and have been breached before. The technology has become industrially unreliable and, therefore, biometric technology can make identity virtually impossible to steal, forget or forge - creating a lust for behavioural recognition technology among those organizations with the need for high-security clearance. How does this effect the future of market research? Emotional (and behavioural) recognition is a new frontier recognition technology. This method is accomplished by identifying patterns of certain behavioural triggers as they correlate to facial expressions – which are considered universal. By doing so, researchers are able to collect psychographic data at an unprecedented rate and at a much lower cost than what we’ve ever been able to do before. This is the opportunity marketers have been waiting for –  the capacity to acquire a much deeper understanding of their customers’ needs without the barrier of being obtrusive. Not only can the market research industry benefit from the use of biometric technology as research, MRX can also benefit from its use as a security measure to house its sensitive databases.   The Push to Quantify Emotions   With these emerging technologies come promise to clients that market researchers are now able to quantify emotions. Better tools for tracking emotions hold better promise for bringing awareness to how we feel through via outer feedback. This type of technology also promises to make it easier to understand websites, mobile applications, advertisements and a consumer’s emotional state or response to the product or service. For example, qualitative tools such as speech emotional analytics work to analyze vocally-transmitted emotions in real time. This kind of technology can decipher the speaker’s mood, an attitude toward the subject and emotional personalities (drivers for decision making) – an example of the innovative methods that market researchers can utilize in order to provide a deeper meaning when attempting to achieve emotional feedback. How does this effect the future of market research? Techniques like speech emotional analytics can be employed to sort voice messages according to the emotions portrayed by the caller in call centre applications. Among other things, a dialogue system may deploy knowledge on emotional user states to select a strategy in speaking with the potential respondent. This type of technology may even change the way we survey customers on their satisfaction levels - imagine being able to deploy a customer satisfaction survey with the use of emotional analytics. Interested in how Insightrix uses recognition technology? Visit: https://insightrix.dev1.commandbase.ca/case-study-neuroscientific-market-research/...