Research Applications
Brand Tracking
Client Issue:
"We are spending significant sums on global advertising campaigns and on a wide range of geographically specific marketing programs to establish a competitive brand positioning. We need to measure this over time and also assess the performance of individual products... and it needs to be done globally."
RONIN Philosophy:
Global brand measurement and tracking must be administered consistently over time to be a useful gauge of performance. If not handled in this fashion, it is impossible to know if the trends are real or the result of variations in data collection. We address this by using a centralized research model, with all data collection conducted at our Call Center in central London. Operating 24 hours/day with native language interviewers calling into each of the countries included in the tracking study, we deliver absolute control and consistency to the client. This control extends to the project team, led by a senior researcher who oversees all aspects of the research and can apprise the client of its progress and issues instantaneously. All of this is supported by a web-based reporting system that allows the client to follow fieldwork progress independent of any RONIN staff members. We also design projects for multiple uses, when possible. In this instance we recruited a web panel to allow for subsequent drilldown studies. We implemented continuous interviewing so that the client could take a snapshot at any point in time beyond the standard quarterly reports. Further, we allowed for specialized topics to be addressed, allowing the client to stay abreast of trends in the market in addition to the required brand equity measurements.
The Project:
The research encompasses all major countries of the world, including Japan, with all interviewing conducted by phone from the London Call Center. Quota management is stringent and fundamental to the effectiveness of the project, with quotas managed by week (allowing for snapshots at any point in time), respondent type, company size, and country. The results are reported quarterly and encompass multiple views of the data to address the broad usage of the results in the client's company. A file is maintained of all the results since the project's inception, providing the client with a robust time-series database. Multivariate analysis of the data is performed periodically to extract new insight from the findings.
The Bottom Line:
The client has up-to-the-minute intelligence of its own performance as well as that of its competitors. The research is a proven vehicle for identifying market opportunities early in the cycle and has resulted in changes to its strategy and marketing activities.