Q: What does a farmer, art gallery director, music guru, journalist and a group of market researchers have in common?

A: They were all gathered in a room in February to discuss what’s hot, not and forthcoming in British society.

Detailing all of the trends highlighted by this [...]]]>

Q: What does a farmer, art gallery director, music guru, journalist and a group of market researchers have in common?

A: They were all gathered in a room in February to discuss what’s hot, not and forthcoming in British society.

Detailing all of the trends highlighted by this gathering of seemingly ‘trendy’ occupations would require a Britannica Encyclopaedia sized book. However, in order to make this an acceptable size for the blogosphere, we have managed to narrow it down into 3 key trends:

Tom, Dick and Harry – Journalist Extraordinaires

A journalist used to be an individual working for a media publication who reported the news out to the masses. However, with the growing popularity of Twitter, almost anyone has the ability to become a social commentator with the power to pass judgement on current affairs. Resultantly, Twitter is now where many news hungry consumers go to find out up-to-the-minute news reports. The fast-speed, up-to-date nature of Twitter has meant that often it breaks news before the mainstream media – e.g. this past weekend Twitter broke the news of Whitney Houston’s death nearly ½ hour faster than the press. What could this all mean? Is the twittersphere going to replace the paper stand? Are journalists going to be removed from a career by the casual social commentator? #possibly.

The Louvre Factor

In an age dominated by reality television, it was surprising to learn that art gallery admissions have notably increased of late. Furthermore, having an art gallery has become a desirable identity pillar for many regions. Looking at the drivers of these attitudes, several logical – and verging on the obvious -trends were identified. We are living in financially turbulent times and art galleries are good VFM. Further, families are now looking for educationally functional ways to entertain children – what better way to do so than a VFM trip to an art gallery? Adults too, seeking to enjoy an educated and sophisticated day out, are heading to their local art galleries. VFM, educational, sophisticated, entertaining – will Britain’s Got Talent soon be Britain’s Got Artists?

Ace of Bas-ic

In a society dominated by seemingly complex technology and processes, it was a bold statement to say that consumers are going ‘back-to-basics’. The rise of street sellers and sales of basic foodstuffs in restaurants shows that in-fact eating out (one of the reputedly ‘trendiest’ forms of entertainment) is the leading sector heading in this direction. Digging deeper, a whole culture exists where consumers are returning to rudimentary eating habits – farmers markets are in the ascendency in rural areas and home growing of vegetables has been increasing for many years. Will this trend spread to other sectors? With the economic downturn seamlessly continuing, it is possible – keep an eye out for black cabs being turned into horse & carts anytime soon!

A Pinch of Salt

Q: What does a farmer, art gallery director, music guru, journalist and a group of market researchers all from London have in common?

A: They are all, on the whole, well educated and part of a well informed microcosm of the UK population.

And that is exactly the problem. It would be bold to say that these trends are currently happening throughout the entirety of the UK, without first stepping out of the ‘trend bubble’ that existed in that room.  However, maybe this would be a good opportunity to let us know whether you have spotted any of the above trends or variations of?

Just like children across the globe, there are things market researchers want for Christmas! So considering experiences garnered from 2011, here are three things that market researchers would like for Christmas this year:

Removal of Negative Research PR

In a society where data is a powerful tool, [...]]]>

Just like children across the globe, there are things market researchers want for Christmas! So considering experiences garnered from 2011, here are three things that market researchers would like for Christmas this year:

Removal of Negative Research PR

In a society where data is a powerful tool, it is common for research to make the news. Unfortunately, 2011 was not a good year for research PR. The 2011 Census garnered many negative headlines regarding length, cost and its ‘real value’. David Cameron’s Happiness Index also created a wave of negative PR regarding cost, validity and predictability of findings. Negative media reports regarding research can cast a shadow over the whole research process. How can this be prevented in 2012? This is largely the responsibility of The ONS – their work is published to an audience of millions, so any issues regarding research design and validity should be quashed prior to publicising elements of the research process – saving government (and market) researchers the burden of negative PR.

Do-it-Yourself but Do-it-Properly

In recent years research agencies have feared the growth of DIY research tools such as Survey Monkey. Now, with more advanced DIY packages available, DIY surveys in the research community are widespread relative to their penetration 5 years ago. To those using DIY surveys, when designing such studies and reporting the findings, do so in a manner akin to professional researchers – by seeking guidance if needs be – this will not only enhance the quality of the research you are doing, but also uphold positivity about the research process whilst giving DIY research more credit.

Licence to Experiment

2011 has been another breakthrough year for research technologies – gamification of research has grown in popularity, infographics have become widespread, 3D research technologies have improved significantly and social media research has continued to go from strength to strength. However, the widespread utilisation of these approaches has been held back by reluctance on the part of research buyers to invest in methods ‘beyond the norm’. If research buyers could share the experimental mentality of agencies in 2012 the benefits of new, engaging and innovative methods can be pushed to the limelight whilst delivering relevant insights.

So what would be the net result of Father Christmas giving these gifts to market researchers?

• Research will have a better public reputation as being an outlet able to provide robust and relevant insights with a choice of professional, innovative tools or simpler, but still effective DIY options
• Effective DIY research would become prevalent – at no expense to the reputation of professional researchers
• Research can show its innovative ways to research buyers – whilst attracting potential research users in the process

These might be a bit more sophisticated than the rumoured 2011 top present (a ‘Doggie Doo’), but what’s the harm in asking….

30 days it took me to grow a small, patchy piece of fluff on my top lip! Having not even trimmed it for the whole of November, I feel like I did my bit for one of the world’s fastest growing charities, even if my moustache wasn’t “fully fledged”.

We spent all month comparing Mo’s [...]]]> 30 days!

30 days it took me to grow a small, patchy piece of fluff on my top lip! Having not even trimmed it for the whole of November, I feel like I did my bit for one of the world’s fastest growing charities, even if my moustache wasn’t “fully fledged”.

We spent all month comparing Mo’s and generating interest amongst friends, family and colleagues. So aside from the money we raised, I feel like we raised quite a bit of awareness also. Having spoken to friends, we all agreed that men must change the way they view their health, it wasn’t all about who could prune the best whiskers (well sort of)! Too often it is the case that men in particular will “wait until it goes away” or “ignore it altogether” and we’re hoping that not only the 5 of us but the 853,497 others that took part around the world have made a change to the mentality of thousands, if not millions of men all over the world. According to the American Cancer Society, one out of every six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. However, only one in thirty-five will die from the condition. Imagine how much higher that number could be if we continue to ignore signs and symptoms and not push forward fantastic schemes such as Movember.

We are so proud to announce that between 5 of us, we managed 4 standard Mo’s, a handlebar Mo and £935 towards the cause!!! Big pat on the back for all of the UK who came second overall with………….£16,089,157!!! Australia were a close third with £15,883,733 but this year’s winners were home of Northstar Research Partners, Canada, with a MASSIVE £24,291,778!!!

And here are the snaps to prove it!!!

Not only does November mean the arrival of shorter days, longer nights and colder temperatures, it also means that you may see a rapid increase in the amount of men donning typically unfashionable moustaches.  I say typically, as in November it is fashionable to have a [...]]]>

Not only does November mean the arrival of shorter days, longer nights and colder temperatures, it also means that you may see a rapid increase in the amount of men donning typically unfashionable moustaches.  I say typically, as in November it is fashionable to have a moustache due to the advent of Movember.

Originating in Australia in 1999, Movember was established to raise awareness of men’s health issues via the growing of moustaches. Now it is a global movement, annually raising millions of pounds in sponsorship. Not only is it individual men who support Movember, well known brands have also shown their support. Here we look at 5 examples of how this is being done in 2011:

Heinz HP Sauce

HP has released 1 million limited edition bottles of their famous sauce with the Houses of Parliament logo removed – replacing the iconic image is a gentleman wearing a bowler hat with a handlebar moustache. Further to this, Heinz is running a Facebook competition where entrants upload pictures of their moustaches in an effort to find the ‘HP face of Movember’.

Wilkinson Sword

Wilkinson Sword is running a series of campaigns to support the Movember movement:

• A series of shaving events are being run across the UK
• Money off vouchers are being distributed to consumers in-store
• A social media campaign is being launched via Facebook encouraging men to participate in Movember, whilst offering ‘mo advice’ from the leading shaving brand

Mr Clean

The notoriously clean shaven face of US cleaning product Mr Clean (branded as Flash in the UK) is showing his support for Movember 2011 in the same way many men will. But how can a brand icon grow a moustache? Social media again provides a key channel – the more ‘likes’ received by his ‘stache-o-meter’ on the Mr Clean Facebook page, the more his Movember growth will progress.

Vitaman

Men’s skincare specialist brand Vitaman is showing their support for Movember in a traditional manner. Vitaman have formed ‘Team VitaMo’ led by Bath rugby player David Flatman, combining Bath RFC and Vitaman staff – including the MD – and will be growing moustaches throughout Movember, raising money for their efforts. To end the month, a VitaMo party will be held to award the best efforts.

Northstar UK

Lastly, but by no means least, we will be supporting Movember with 5 members of the office forming The Northstar League of Extraordinary Mo Bro’s and growing moustaches to aid the Movember cause. All support would be much appreciated. Please donate by clicking here. Photographic updates will be posted in due course!

This seemed to be the over-arching theme of the excellent IJMR Research Methods Forum I attended on 1st November, and was central to the presentation given by Orlando Wood, Managing Director of BrianJuicer Labs.

In essence, eight speakers spent the day answering the question ‘Does Research [...]]]>

This seemed to be the over-arching theme of the excellent IJMR Research Methods Forum I attended on 1^st November, and was central to the presentation given by Orlando Wood, Managing Director of BrianJuicer Labs.

In essence, eight speakers spent the day answering the question ‘Does Research Reflect Reality?’ each according to their own area of expertise. Although each speaker had a different take on the extent to which we access the truth through market research, all agreed on one central idea;

Market researchers have a tendency to overlook the fact that much of day to day consumer behaviour and decision making is carried out instinctively, without any form of conscious, effortful or analytical thought, and, as such, it is of limited use to ask consumers to examine this behaviour or decision making as if they had been conscious of it at the time.

So where do we find the answers?

It is up to the researcher to decode the consumer behaviour they examine, and to try and access the implicit, instinctive reactions and decisions that underlie that behaviour. We cannot rely on the consumer to examine their own subconscious.

Indeed, Professor Gemma Calvert, Managing Director of Neurosense, gave some very useful examples of how these implicit consumer reactions can be accessed through neuroscience.

An old problem

Although there were some exciting and compelling arguments put forward at the IJMR forum, this problem is not entirely new; researchers have come under fire for ignoring the role of the subconscious before, and have sought and found some useful solutions, both qualitatively through projective techniques, and quantitatively by measuring reaction times for example.

However, in the end it takes longer and costs more to unearth the subconscious than to examine the conscious, and unfortunately budgets and deadlines can be unforgiving. Many neuroscience techniques remain frustratingly complex, and, as such, are impractical for use in a market research context.

Therefore, researchers are constantly seeking innovative methodologies to deliver research that is efficient and cost-effective while successfully unlocking insights that lie beyond the reach of consumer consciousness.

The other side of the coin

During our search for the implicit and instinctive, we should never stop asking consumers for their own interpretations of their behaviour.

As Graham Page, Executive Vice President of Consumer Neuroscience pointed out;

It may be true that we ‘think much less than we think we think’ but this is not to say that we NEVER think.

Sometimes consumers do make careful, analytical and conscious decisions that they can accurately report. Even when this is not the case, theories from consumers can help to reveal the context of their implicit decision making.

Market research has certainly been able to reveal some extremely useful insights into consumer behaviour simply through well thought out questioning and careful deduction in the past.

I am inclined to believe that the reality of consumer motivation is shaped by both conscious and subconscious thought. After all if reality does reside entirely in the subconscious we may have some bigger questions to ask.

I remember sitting my exams at school and asking myself why I was so nervous when all I had done all year was stay focused, work hard and be thorough with my work? A similar feeling crept up on me last Thursday when I arrived at Northstar’s [...]]]>

I remember sitting my exams at school and asking myself why I was so nervous when all I had done all year was stay focused, work hard and be thorough with my work? A similar feeling crept up on me last Thursday when I arrived at Northstar’s Ebury Street offices to greet our ISO 9001 auditor from the British Assessment Bureau. The idea that our fate was in the auditor’s hands is a scary one even though the result was actually all down to our own hard work over the year since we were accredited.

Half a day later and we emerged proud and inspired. After commenting that our supplier evaluation database was “the best he had ever seen” (thanks to some fantastic programming by Katia), the auditor left us with some observations to consider for the future and accredited us again … for a further 12 months.

With ISO, we have not only increased the efficiency and quality standards of the business but we can also identify best practices for our industry simply through operational adherence. You soon see that tracking changes to proposals greatly aids in knowing who called, when and to say what.

It has been an all year round, all staff effort especially bearing in mind the schedule of internal audits we have organised! For that I have to thank the Quality Team (Liz, Jess & Katia – I can’t really thank myself can I?!) and all the Northstar staff who have put so much effort to keep the ball rolling and in ensuring the Northstar is the best it can be.

The written word is one of society’s foremost methods of communication. On a global level, billions of words are written every day. Despite this, the written word as we know it could be perceived as losing the value it once had. This may sound complete [...]]]>

The written word is one of society’s foremost methods of communication. On a global level, billions of words are written every day. Despite this, the written word as we know it could be perceived as losing the value it once had. This may sound complete nonsense, but hear me out. The English language has developed beyond measurable significance since its birth and through the stages of Old English, Middle English and Early Modern English. Now we have entered a new era, where alternatives to words are being sought and found.

The acronym, despite pre-dating Modern English itself, has seen a rise to prominence in recent years. Driven undoubtedly by the rise of internet communication, terms such as LOL, DK and LMFAO now have a home in the vocabulary of the ‘broadband generation’. Resultantly, these socially accepted acronyms have, in instances, replaced the use of words and terms used 15 years ago. The rise of acronym usage in general language has been accentuated in commercial fields where terms such as POV, NPD and CRM (to name a few) are dominant. Once we delve into individual organisations, we see that often corporations have virtually developed their own commercial language, containing few words and many acronyms.

The increased use of images in society has also had an effect on the impact words have. Any organisation or brand with a widespread public identity now has a logo. Often it is this logo/image which people associate with – not the word which spells the organisation or brand’s name. Why do brands need to use words to identify themselves? Simply put, they don’t. A brand logo not only has linked images and messages, but they can be designed to aesthetically resonate with consumers – something words often fail to do. For example, what does the word Apple mean to consumers – a fruit, a flavour or a technology brand? Alternatively, what does the fabled Apple logo mean to consumers? It means innovation, design, intuitiveness and premiumness – to name a few of Apple’s core brand images.

To this end, Fred Barnard famously said ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. The rise to prevalence of infographics means this is now truer than ever. A whole field of expertise now exists, dedicated to turning thousands of numbers and words into telling images. Whilst this field has actually been operating since the 1970’s it has recently come to prominence with practitioners such as Hans Rosling even finding themselves on mainstream television.

Given the forces reducing the value of the written word, the question to be asked is; why is this all happening? The answer is in fact fairly simple. We live in a society where time is a premium and thought is currency.  The net result of this is that people would rather quickly scrawl an acronym than invest time and thought in the comparatively longer time-old tradition of writing in the full. This philosophy is epitomised in the world of blogging. The blog phenomenon which started in the 1990’s has now developed into what is known as ‘The Twittersphere’. No longer can people spare (or be bothered to spare) hours of their own time writing paragraphs regarding what they are doing when the current trend is to do so in 140 characters. Given the word limit in this community, acronyms are becoming even more widespread to keep south of 140 characters. Furthermore, the development of smilies J (even Microsoft Word now has a smilie function) and #hashtags means that fewer words are being used in the popular, word averse world of Twitter.

That all said, often it is not the writer who moves away from the traditional usage of words, but the reader who forces them to do so.  Again driven by a time-poor society, we now live in a culture where people do not demand to read page after page of information, giving birth to a ‘Summary Society’ where it is often demanded that content is distilled into as few words as possible in order to save the end reader time. To meet this demand, especially commercially, words are being used with a ‘less is more’ approach – with schematics and infographics being actively encouraged to take their place.

The continuing decline of the value of the written word depends largely on whether acronyms, infographics and such the like continue to grow. Will this continue to the extent the value of the written word depreciates further? Possibly, BWDIK?

Allegedly the mafia’s explanation as to why a hapless victim who has crossed them shouldn’t blame themselves is usually justified as a commercial decision with the “reassuring” rationale “It’s nothing personal – it’s just business”. This scenario (being singled out for business reasons – [...]]]>

Allegedly the mafia’s explanation as to why a hapless victim who has crossed them shouldn’t blame themselves is usually justified as a commercial decision with the “reassuring” rationale “It’s nothing personal – it’s just business”. This scenario (being singled out for business reasons – not execution!) came to mind recently when Northstar researched a global campaign to attract investors to a regional market. The advertising idea was a highly personalised campaign via direct marketing, dedicated print and named URLs – encouraging decision makers to follow their ideals and flattering them by setting it in a context connected to the industry sector they represented. What was fascinating in this age of consumer empowerment, individual dialogue and conversation via social media was the degree of uncertaintyand sheer variety of opinion around “personalised” marketing communications. This got me thinking, as much as anything to provoke a debate, as to the merits of talking to the customer as one given how easy it is to overstep the line and appear even further from the mark by not getting the detail right.

The recent experience at Northstar revealed that consumers started to think harder once they begun to dig deeper. After the initial warm rush from being singled out came questions about the “invasion of privacy” which became for one or two a little more Big Brother than Best Mate. The knee jerk reaction of course is to put this down to age – those that “get” personal connections as par for the course today and aren’t under any illusions the messenger actually cares are younger consumers, whereas  older consumers  are put in the box marked “How Dare You” equating this form of marketing with “junk mail”.  The reality is more complex in that what we expect and want from personal communications is to be treated as adults. We recognise that friendship is a broader concept today; we also like being recognised for who we are or for the group or community we support – but most importantly we want you (the marketer) to get the balance right. If it’s a general call out, then position it that way. On the other hand, if you are going to get up close and personal make sure the detail is spot on. This raises its own challenges. In an era where the individual is king and everyone wants to show they understand their customer, how can you ensure these dialogues appear special and not contrived?

The problem of course with the mafia approach is that the consumer proposition is flawed from the outset. Far from being “nothing personal”, actually you are being rubbed out for who you are or what you’ve done. For the mafia that might be a mere business decision but to the person at the other end of the gun it feels very personal!

Whilst this year’s summer party followed the normal pattern of activity, dinner and celebration – “normal” and “pattern” don’t quite do it justice. The activity presented a far from mundane experience and following the tradition of previous Northstar parties, the afters can best be described as [...]]]>

Whilst this year’s summer party followed the normal pattern of activity, dinner and celebration – “normal” and “pattern” don’t quite do it justice.
The activity presented a far from mundane experience and following the tradition of previous Northstar parties, the afters can best be described as a mixture of the usual and the unusual.

Leaving work at 1.00pm we gathered outside our famous building and headed to the “soon to be more famous than it currently is” Bromley by Bow station. Situated, as far East as I’ve ever been, this would be the start of our tour of the Olympic “Zone” as I like to call it.

The rationale was we had embarked on an all encompassing tour of the local area, regenerated and otherwise, visiting the mills, studios etc before seeing the sights we had REALLY come to see.

After losing a colleague on the train (don’t ask!) and finding them again, we wandered around for about an hour and a half, in surprisingly humid conditions, and saw it all. The Olympic stadium is, for want of a better word, epic. 80,000 black and white seats, intended to create “a wave of energy”. Being a still strictly hard hat area, we couldn’t get too close, but from our vantage point the views were spectacular.

After the guide pointed out the basketball and handball areas, the amazing velodrome and the ingenious “winged” Olympic pool, the question on everyone’s lips was “what’s that”? The “that” in question was in front of us – the gigantic, red, twisting, virtually snarling; Archelor Mittal Orbit – a gob smacking sight, even in part-construction. Funded by the world’s largest steel producer, it creates a stunning visual focal point – something architects and general public alike will marvel over I’m sure for quite some time.

Returning to Bromley by Bow, Brick Lane seemed the obvious place to move on to and let off some steam. Watching all those sporting venues had created a considerable appetite, so it was a sprint to the curry house. A fantastic meal at Preem and Prithi and a pot of Phall sauce later – yes it was quite hot – we decided to wash it down at 93 Feet East’s “Nintendisco” . That proved to be an experience in itself.

The evening took an interesting turn when we discover that the reason for the venue’s moniker was that was a fully fledged Mario Kart championship happening on the dance floor with a projector! I promise it’s true, I can recall it in detail – despite being reasonably well “refreshed”. Yes, the music was good but nothing like the game, a pretty tense affair, taking place on the other side of the room. Interesting is an understatement. In fact so much so that being a slight fan, I decided to approach the champion and ask for some hints on cornering techniques – as you do. Half an hour later, I almost understood the calculations, betting odds and in-depth programming of a game from 1992!

Brilliant fun, a fantastic time was had by all and a positive end to the British Summer. Christmas here we come!

Chances are you have seen pictures of people ‘planking’, ‘owling’ or ‘headless horesmanning’ via social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Flickr. Ever wonder how cultural ideas and practices like these spread like wildfire, rising from obscurity to the height of popularity almost instantaneously? Posing [...]]]>  

Chances are you have seen pictures of people ‘planking’, ‘owling’ or ‘headless horesmanning’ via social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Flickr. Ever wonder how cultural ideas and practices like these spread like wildfire, rising from obscurity to the height of popularity almost instantaneously? Posing crazes like ‘planking’ are examples of viral pop phenomena or internet memes which gain momentum by propagating cultural ideas, beliefs and practices from person to person via the web – largely through social media.

The official planking Facebook group has generated a following of over 100,000 fans and people from all walks of life have picked up on the trend. Celebrities such as Hugh Hefner and F1 racer Scott Dixon have even been getting in on the action. Mainstream media such as television talk shows and newspapers have even taken an interest.

Another example is a flashmob – a coordinated group of people who suddenly gather in a public setting and perform a bizarre act for bewildered onlookers, usually for commercial, humorous or entertainment purposes. Flashmobs are also reliant upon social media and/or viral emails for the successful organisation and coordination of complete strangers – not unlike the London rioter’s use of Blackberry Messenger service to generate a mob. This highlights the importance of social media as an effective unit of transportation for all things culturally significant.

We live in an increasingly connected and shared society where social media can make or break brands – just look at Coca-Cola’s or Starbuck’s success with social media. Thus, it may be beneficial for brands to adopt cultural memes and social media as part of their marketing campaigns in order to engage consumers by giving them what they value and allowing social media do the rest. T-Mobile was incredibly successful at combining cultural trends and social media.

The T-Mobile “Life’s for Sharing” campaign that centred on an impromptu dance at Liverpool Street station, has demonstrated the effectiveness of exploiting a pop culture phenomena/meme for the purpose of a brand communications strategy. By taking advantage of the flashmob phenomena and using social media to amplify its effect, T-Mobile has achieved an overwhelming increase in brand engagement and corporate sales. “Life’s for Sharing” was a huge success. The campaign has inspired more than 70 groups on Facebook; the video has reached over 20 million hits on YouTube making it UK’s 2^nd most subscribed YouTube channel of all time and 22^nd worldwide; and over 95,000 people downloaded the video via Bluetooth, making it the most popular Bluetooth campaign to date. In addition to an increase in consumer engagement, the campaign also resulted in incredible tangible gains, earning T-Mobile upwards of £15 million in incremental sales.

This unique strategy, combining cultural memes and social media, resulted in an award winning marketing campaign for T-Mobile and an engaging campaign for consumers who were left wanting more. The ‘viralocity’ at which social media accelerates pop phenomena results in a robust environment of emerging trends and an opportunity for brands to capitalize on them. With planking, owling and headless horsemanning taking the viral world by storm, it might prove beneficial for a brand to jump on the bandwagon and take advantage of the these pop culture phenomena. T-Mobile’s “Planking’s for Sharing” anyone?