A short course in Market Research with Ray Poynter

(English language)

Lesson 8 Tuesday, 29 July Ch. 15, Research ethics and guidelines Ch. 14, Current areas of sensitivity Ch. 18, Questions from new researchers General Q&A – all questions answered!

@RayPoynter ray.poynter@thefutureplace.com

RESEARCH ETHICS AND GUIDELINES Part A

What are codes and guidelines?

• Codes and guidelines tend to overlap in their meaning – Codes tend to be the principles we follow

– Guidelines tend to be advice

• The ESOMAR website has many guidelines, including social media, research with children, and mobile research. – So do most national research organisations

• The codes and guidelines: – Prevent bad regulation via laws

– Give advice on good practice

– Give protection for respondents and clients

What do the codes tend to cover?

• ICC/ESOMAR Code – is the main international code

• Guidelines – Opinion polls

– Online samples

– Children and young people

– Customer satisfaction

– Mystery shopping

– Social media

– Mobile research

What are the key areas of tension?

• Companies from outside market research do not know about and do not follow market research codes and guidelines.

• New approaches such as mobile, neuroscience, passive data, big data, and facial coding are all challenging the concept of “Informed Consent”

• Laws about data collection and about moving data across borders are all becoming more strict.

• How strictly should the codes and guidelines be ‘policed’?

Three top ethical tips

1. Do no harm. Respondents give of their time and attention willingly; do not abuse it.

2. Be respectful. The information we are given is usually personal; be careful with it.

3. Obtain consent. Do not assume consent; make sure the respondent agrees to participate.

Ethics and Guidelines

Questions?

CURRENT AREAS OF SENSITIVITY Part B

Can we do Nationally Representative Research Online?

• In general no! – There are some types of people who are not

online, even when 80% of people are online.

• Most online research is conducted via online access panels – Which are not created via random probability

sampling.

• However, for mass products and with the use of weighting – Online panels are often good enough

– i.e. they are often acceptable

What method can we use globally?

• No single method can be used globally – Global studies should use more than one mode

• Online studies in developing markets, such as China, India, and Indonesia are a challenge. – Good for users of expensive products, e.g. iPads,

Samsung smartphones, international airlines etc

– OK for users of international branded products • Especially if the data is not being compared across

countries

– Bad for comparing social phenomena with more developed markets • E.g. attitudes towards health and education in India,

China, Japan, USA and Singapore.

Do Behavioural Economics and Neuroscience suggest Market

Research does not work?

• No! – BE, neuroscience, and other developments have

reminded us that ‘sometimes’ market research with ‘direct’ questions does not work.

• Challenges – The limits of memory – The reasons why we do things – Predictions about the future – Predicting what we will do if the word changes

Can we use anything we can find in social media?

• No!

• The ethics and practices of social media are still developing

• But: – Consent is still important

– Anonymity is still important

– Copyright and intellectual property are still important

– Listening is good, stalking is bad!

Current are of tension

Questions?

QUESTIONS FROM NEW RESEARCHERS

Part C

How do I prepare a proposal when I don’t understand the reasons for the research?

1. Try to understand the reasons – Can you talk to the client, asking for more

information?

– Share the proposal with colleagues to ‘brain storm’ the real meanings

– Search the internet for papers and articles

2. Try to do exactly what is being asked for: – This applies more to ‘field and tab’ (which means

data)

– Applies less to any form of advice or consultancy

My client has developed a questionnaire that is very long, should I use it?

• Very long is a relative phrase – 40 minutes is a very long online access panel

study

– 20 minutes is a very long mobile survey

– 10 minutes is a long long intercept or community survey

• Explain to the client that very long survey results in: – Bad data (satisficing)

– More dropouts (meaning less representative results)

The research shows the client in a very negative way, what should I do?

• It is important to the client to know the truth

• But, you do not want insult the client

• Recommendations – Tell the client in advance that the results are not

favourable

– Discuss with the client the best nouns & adjectives to:

• Communicate

• Avoid too much offence

– Include recommendations for improving the situation

The client wants insights not data. What should I do?

1. Find out what the client means by insights – Ideally see examples from other projects.

2. Consider including: – A Big Picture

– The reasons why customers are doing things – not just what they are doing or saying

– Suggestions for what the client should do next

– Ideas for further research

What is the difference between market research and social research?

• There is some overlap – Some social research is conducted by market

researchers

– Some market research is conducted by social researchers

• Social research normally seeks to understand society, not specifically market situations – How people live?

– Opinion research?

– Hopes, beliefs, and priorities?

How do I stay informed about new trends in market research?

• Twitter: – Follow #mrx, #NewMR, & ESOMAR

• LinkedIn: – Grow your profile and contacts

– Join the NewMR group

• NewMR: – Webinars, mailings, and blog

– GreenBook, blog

– Research-Live – articles and blogs

• JMRX!

Questions from New Researchers

Questions?

General Q & A

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