1. Let’s Talk Trackers
Melanie Courtright
Around the Water Cooler
January 2012 Webinar
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2. Let’s Talk Trackers – January 2012
Agenda
 Background on MR and trackers
 Types of trackers
 Research Design Considerations
 Sampling Design
 Survey & Field Design
 Q&A
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3. Let’s Talk Trackers – January 2012
What’s at Stake?
Global Research Spend by
Research Project Type 2010
A $31B global research market in
2010, with modest growth expected Advertising Market A&U Studies
Opinion
through 2011-13 Copy Testing Modeling 4%
Research/Poll New
2% 4%
ing Prod/Serv
2% Dev
Other Qual 6%
Global MR Revenue 2010 12%
Ad Brand
Growth Media
Tracking
Region Rev $ M vs. ’09 Audience/
7%
Research
Europe 13,143 1%
19%
CRM
North America 10,614 3.1% 8%
Asia Pacific 5,082 3.5% Market
Measurement Other
Latin America 1,828 13.9% 23% 13%
Mid East & Africa 573 4.3%
TOTAL 31,239 2.8%
> U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Japan
currently account for 66% of market; Top 10
players account for 55% of all revenues
Sources: ESOMAR, Inside Research
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4. Let’s Talk Trackers – January 2012
First Things First
What is the business question?
What decision(s) are you trying to make?
What do you need know about your customers?
What do you need to know about the market?
What data will I need to answer the questions?
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5. Let’s Talk Trackers – January 2012
What type of Study will answer those questions?
 Brand Awareness & Usage
 Advertising Effectiveness
 Satisfaction
 Attitudes and Trends
 Purchase and Behavioral
 Etc.
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6. Let’s Talk Trackers – January 2012
How should the interviews be collected?
 Tracker versus Ad Hoc Study
 Recurring Question?
 Shifting Market and Product?
 Continuous versus Wave Tracker
 It’s about Comparability
 Snapshot Analysis
 Volatility of the Market
 Service Disruption Impact
 Longitudinal
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7. Let’s Talk Trackers – January 2012
Who Should We Talk To?
 Types of Sampling
 Populations
 Markets
 Customers
 Prospects
 Mixture / Hybrid
7 © 2012 Research Now

8. Let’s Talk Trackers – January 2012
Where Can I Find Them?
 Reachable
 Where do they “live”
 Where do they play
 Where do they “talk”
 Online
 Mobile / Cell Phone Only
 Social
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9. Let’s Talk Trackers – January 2012
How should I set quotas?
 Readable
 Quotas for “representativeness”
 What should my snapshot of the world look like?
 What will the resulting data tell me? What will I know?
 Quotas for Statistics
 Readable in total
 Readable by subgroup
 Comparing subgroups
 Quotas for Data Stability
 Defensible
 Replicable
 Reliable
 Sustainable
9 © 2012 Research Now

10. Let’s Talk Trackers – January 2012
To Target or to Gen Pop?
 Targeting Benefits
 Efficiency
 Effectiveness
 Respondent Satisfaction
 Data Considerations
 Market Share or Incidence
 Ensure Replicability
 What if I need both?
 Consider a Rep / Augment Option
 Consider a Tracker / Ad Hoc Combo
 Consider Prescreening with Screener Data Delivered
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11. Let’s Talk Trackers – January 2012
What Should I Ask Them?
“Measure Twice,
 What will they tell me? Cut Once.”
 How long will they talk to me?
 What will engage them?
 What will disengage them?
 Ask the RIGHT questions
 Need to Know vs. Nice to Know
 It’s about Communicating
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12. Let’s Talk Trackers – January 2012
12 © 2012 Research Now

13. Let’s Talk Trackers – January 2012
Okay, now how do I keep it stable?
 Sourcing Stability
 Beyond methodology
 Think Sample Frame
 Demographic Stability
 Age, income, and insurance status for a cholesterol tracker
 Income and dwelling type for a utilities study
 Data Collection Stability
 Sampling Practices
 Field times
“Movement in the data from a tracker should be the result of changes in
the market place. And they should make sense with what you know
about the market. They should not be a result of changes in the research
process, unless you planned for it.”
13 © 2012 Research Now

14. Let’s Talk Trackers – January 2012
What Have You Seen Impact Data?
 Changes in the Marketplace – Good!
 Changes in the Survey – Okay when planned and modeled
 Changes in the Technology - Depends
 Survey technology (flash, etc.)
 Respondent technology (mobile, etc.)
 Changes in the Sample – Only if Intentional
 Methodology
 Screening
 Recruiting
 Changes in the World – Forced Evolution
Let’s
Document!
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15. Let’s Talk Trackers – January 2012
What if I need to Change the Tracker?
 Purpose
 Why change?
 Plan
 Design a solution that addresses
the purpose
 Parallel
 Side by Side for a Minimum Period
of time to Model Differences
 Partner
 Keep Communication Open with
Research Partners
15 © 2012 Research Now

16. Let’s Talk Trackers – January 2012
To Mitigate Risk with Trackers:

 Research Plan
 Instrument Design
 Sample Plan
 Knowledgeable Partners
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17. Research Now Thanks You!
Tracking@researchnow.com
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