Kantar's Profiles Blog

In our complex world, the accelerated pace of innovation and technology has created a struggle in the marketing research industry. Consumers are our greatest assets, but they are overloaded: countless digital marketing campaigns, social media platforms and infinite numbers of apps are fighting for their attention. Our attempts to quantify their behavior and attitudes are heavily influenced by technology. But with the frequency of change so rapid, how do we judge if we are capturing the ‘norm’? Are we capturing their full attention?

There is always debate on what makes a great researcher. Many focus on more traditional research skills such as questionnaire design, data analysis, and presentation skills. However, I think what truly turns a good researcher into a great researcher are critical thinking skills.

Does the distraction induced by mobile devices impact a respondent’s attention?

Consumers are following, perhaps even driving, the move towards mobile technology. Asia Pacific remains at the forefront of this adoption, with Nielsen recently reporting that smartphone penetration is at its highest in Hong Kong and Singapore at 87%, followed by Malaysia (80%), Australia (75%) and China (71%).

Australia may have been a slow starter in ecommerce, but the pace is definitely picking up. Consumers are regularly buying goods and services via the internet, with 20% of our Australian panellists having made a purchase online in the last 24 hours. And with 79% of Australians using the internet, meaning a massive 18 million consumers are active online across the country. It is no wonder that marketers, businesses and researchers alike are taking notice.

Fifty Shades of Grey has many claiming it was one of the 'worst' films to hit the box offices in years, yet its $567 million box office worldwide total speaks differently. The film’s global influence offered brands an “opportunity to engage with the young, upmarket, early-adopting, social media savvy audience the film is set to attract” according to Karen Stacey, CEO of Digital Cinema Media (DCM) in AdAge.

Getting feedback from panelists gives you a perspective about survey design that you sometimes miss. They are honest and straight to the point. Whether on PC or mobile, respondents consider grid questions tedious and rate surveys with more grid questions as less enjoyable. Comments include:

• Too many questions on the pages. Too many columns. Difficult keeping track of what box to check.
• This survey was HORRIBLE. It was TOO wide & TOO long to fit the screen so I had to keep sliding back & forth.
• I hate having to fill in so many bubbles.
• I can’t stand surveys with buttons across and all those rows down. They give me a headache.

As our lives become ever more digital so too do the means of technologically amplifying our reach to consumers. Data driven marketing is now commonly accepted as standard practice for the industry. This is no surprise, as online intertwines itself with our physical world through the devices we have come to rely on.

Recently, we’ve been receiving inquiries from our clients around the world on the length of surveys. With increasing numbers of respondents accessing surveys via mobile devices, one of the key questions is how long is too long on a mobile device? To address this question Lightspeed GMI has conducted research in Australia, China, India, and the United States.

If you’re anything like me, you’re reaching for your mobile device as soon as the commercial break hits to answer a text, email, or simply refresh social media apps to see the latest and greatest. Well guess what, you are the most important part of how custom content works for sports advertising.