In this Webinar, we will help you understand how social media can be a promising new option for market researchers and show you some of the tools now available to address common research needs like ideation and innovation, communications optimization, product testing, and consumer understanding. We’ll explore the value of social media for gathering insight; what types of research are well-suited to social media and how to get started!

1. Active Learning through Social Media: How to Leverage Consumer Conversations and Engagement to Answer Traditional Market Research Questions Christopher Wilkes April 27, 2010 chrisw@ripple6.com

2. Agenda Introduction Why Social Media Research? How Do You Use It? Case Studies What’s Next? Q&A

3. Ripple6 Social Insights™ A service to conduct qualitative and targeted quantitative research in online communities, where marketers can quickly gain valuable insights Highly Engaging – Natural, Organic and Guided Conversations Enabled by Technology Features Fast, Cost Effective Enables brands to gain feedback from having conversations directly with their consumers, leading to lasting relationships Consumers love it! Studies oversubscribed, feels like a conversation, not research

4. Agenda Introduction Why Social Media Research? How Do You Use It? Case Studies What’s Next? Q&A

5. The Tide is Moving Quickly 1 out of 6 (17%) Up 82% in 2009 Source: Nielsen Online; IDC.

6. Consumers want companies to interact 72% feel a stronger connection with companies whom they interact with in social media. 49% feel companies should use social media to solicit feedback on products and services 68%feel better served by a company when they can have a conversation with them in social media Source: 2009 Cone Consumer New Media Study, conducted September 2009 by Opinion Research Corporation

7. Debra Aho Williamson , February 10, 2010 “The voice of the consumer is only going to get louder and stronger. It will shape what social media is and what it will become. Not too long ago, a company might have made major changes to its products or services based on a few focus groups, some financial planning and a degree of gut instinct. Social media has already changed all that. And more changes will come.”

8. Qualitative Insight the Traditional Way Um… Brand Y? Brand Y Brand X Weeks/Months later Brand Z Yeah! I think….

9. Social Media: More Experiential & Less Constrained Converse Brand Y Brand X Yeah! Brand X is… Listen Better! Brand Z Right?! Engage

10. What is the value of social media research? Direct Pipeline to Consumers with less regard for issues like incidence. Large Scale Ethnography understand day to day interactions of consumers on a grand scale Longitudinal Potential observe and probe over days, week, months Complement Traditional MR Help determine what questions to ask

12. Converseon

14. Passenger

15. Facebook fan pages

17. Google Search

18. Tweetdeck

19. Blog Rolls

20. Radian6

21. CymfonyListen Engage

22. Listening is great, but…. 10,000 miles wide But an inch deep Great for hypothesis building But no avenue to confirm Only one side of the coin You can always “listen” within a community, but you can’t engage and conversethrough a listening-only approach

23. So, why engage? 5% of conversations are branded** Might approach 25-30% in higher involvement categories (autos, cellphones, etc.) 2009 McKinsey study: 20% of companies open innovation to employees and customers 20% rise in number of innovations What are the other 80% doing??? ** Tom O’Brien; April 3, 2009, “Communities Don’t Care About Brands”, http://humanvoice.wordpress.com

24. Social Networks and Community are Key More time being spent on social networks Could surpass traditional email in next few years Respondent cooperation for traditional surveys (phone and internet) is already an issue Could evolve into an even bigger one as social networks become a preferred interaction method

26. Have rich profiles

27. Have trusted networks

29. Agenda Introduction Why Social Media Research? How Do You Use It? Case Studies What’s Next? Q&A

33. Awareness in digital space

34. Themes/attributes

37. “Next big thing”

39. Deep, Qualitative Innovation Understand unmet needs and desired benefits in a category and testing new products Usage and Awareness, Needs gap analysis Early stage concept development Pre-volumetric concept evaluations to understand key drivers and limiters of appeal

40. A Shout Out to Vitaminwater

41. Make the community a sounding board for messaging Collaboratively develop your positioning and advertising with consumers who can tell you how they want to be communicated with Early stage ad concept evaluation Creative optimization through stimuli exposure Iterative laboratory to optimize your messaging over a period of days or weeks!

42. Take the IHUT to the masses! Use the world’s largest ethnographic pool -- understand how consumers are interacting with your products on a grand scale In-home use tests can be easily scaled to provide a wealth of data Community technology enables interactive diaries and journals Recruit current users of products already in market to understand satisfaction and perceived benefits

43. Deeper understanding of the consumer POV of your brand The deepest understanding of the functional and emotional dimensions of a brand are best realized through conversation. Not limited to a battery of attributes or a couple of hours of discussion Create ongoing conversations to ladder up over time to the core benefits of your brand. Projectives and activities allow fun community interactions that break down barriers and inhibitions

44. Quick, flexible, immediate insight You have a burning question and need insight now, but can’t justify a full research study and don’t want to settle for simple numbers. Get qualitative and, if needed, quantitative responses quickly and easily Whether a simple survey question or the motivations behind the answers, you have the flexibility to get at both “what” and “why”

45. Building a community based on the community’s needs The “Field of Dreams” approach to community often fails. Collaborate on the design of your community with its first members to build advocacy from Day One. Get member insight into desired content, features, benefits from within an actual community – so you know what will make them come back and evangelize your message. Low risk, cost effective way to start building a community today.

46. Social Insights™ Applications Social Brainstorm CopyCreator HomeLab BrandTank MOMnibus SmartStart

47. Ripple6 Social Insights™ : Options Operate research projects within an existing social network Build a stand-alone research community Create a stand-alone research community and leverage existing social networks to complement panel

48. Agenda Introduction Why Social Media Research? How Do You Use It? Case Studies What’s Next? Q&A

50. Their online behavior during their journey towards getting pregnant: from deciding to get pregnant all the way to conception.

52. Recruited mix of 50 women per country, ages 20-40, TTC first child and those with children

54. Confirmed a “one size fits all” communication strategy fails to address needs states and sensitivities of different groups.

55. Strong need for a place where they can share and discuss without being judged and feel safe talking about their experience and emotional state

56. Opportunity revealed to facilitate that community to:

57. Provide a forum for women to share. Brands or properties which can provide a place for these women to share are trusted (Babycenter.com, for example).

59. Recruitment of desired target demographic within 48 hours

60. Delivered actionable insights on 15 questions

62. The Future? Brand and research communities in synergy Always on Enabling outreach and building advocacy Affinity-based research communities Become the “Backyard” Shift from project focus to continuous engagement Smaller, ad hoc, fluid Conversational

63. Research community in synergy with brand Fans/Followers Public: 50K – 1 million+ consumers Fans/Followers Public: 50K – 1 million+ consumers Word of Mouth Campaigns Public: 5K – 50K consumers Word of Mouth Campaigns Public: 5K – 50K consumers Advocate/Innovation Private: 2K – 3K consumers Advocate/Innovation Private: 2K – 3K consumers Insights Private: 200-300 consumers Insights Private: 50-300 consumers at a time from larger pool

64. Where do you start? Start small Start specific Start selling it Just start!

65. Want to join the discussion? Check out: community.ripple6.com Click on “Social Market Research” and the link on the avatar Join the “Active Learning” group and get in on the conversation!

66. Question & Answer

67. Active Learning through Social Media: How to Leverage Consumer Conversations and Engagement to Answer Traditional Market Research Questions Christopher Wilkes April 27, 2010 chrisw@ripple6.com