Posted:
6/25/2009 8:51:19 AM by
Mike Rogers | with
3 comments
On Friday, June 19, 2009, several experts on social media gathered at Advanced Focus in New York City for a panel discussion on social media and it’s and what it means for market research. In order to get a broad perspective of the subject, the panel was made up of people from a wide variety of industries including market research, technology, CRM and PR.
The panel members included:
Mike Rogers, Chief Brain - Brainloaf
Mike Carlon, Moderator - MarketVision Research
Tom H. C. Anderson- Founder & Managing Partner- Anderson Analytics
Susan Roth, Vice President, Online Qualitative – TNS
Leslie Campisi, Vice President & Partner - Affect Strategies
Rob Petersen, President - BarnRaisers Group
The event was sponsored by Brainloaf, an interactive/social media company based in Stamford, CT and Jack Campisi, VP of Client Solutions, hosted the two sessions.
While opinions varied on many topics, there were a number of interesting lessons gleaned from the day. As Tom Anderson would say afterwards in his blog; “…regardless of what social media means to me, to consumers social media can mean very different things to different people. These meanings/definitions/strategies can also change rather quickly for some individuals.”
Mike Carlon summed up the day nicely for both the qual and quant side of the fence...
“On the qualitative side, social media provides a new set of tools for gathering consumer insights. As consumers become familiar with blogs, social video sharing, and video based chats, moderators can use these tools to engage consumers using methods that seem "natural" to them. We agree that there will always be a need to conduct in person qualitative interviews but are excited about adding new tools to our tool box. On the quantitative side, the vast amount of "conversations" that consumer's have about brands and/or trends open up opportunities for insight mining using text mining. Large numbers of conversations can be mined for insight and trended over time. This seems like a natural fit for those tracking the impact of PR as well as buzz around new product launches.”
Coming from the technology angle, Mike Rogers helped explain the wide variety of tools available from the social media toolbox. But he was quick to add that before you choose your tactic, you must have a sound business plan and social media strategy. Otherwise you risk wasting a lot of time, effort and money.
So what was the final conclusion?
C'mon, this is social media. There are no FINAL conclusions. It's a constantly growing and evolving thing.
I guess it's safe to say that while there is a lot of common ground between social media marketing and social media for market research, there are also many significant differences. Social media for market research presents a unique set of challenges but also offers a very exciting new facet of communication and method of insight-gathering to the field.
A link to the event video will be posted here soon.
Posted:
6/16/2009 8:04:40 AM by
Mike Rogers | with
0 comments
For those who are not on twitter yet, I would encourage you to at least take a look at what is going on surrounding the Iranian elections. People inside Iran are posting messages, photos and first hand accounts. Journalists who are now confined to hotels are tweeting small bits of information. It is pretty astounding.
I now believe that social media and services like twitter can make traditional media largely irrelevent. Look at what is going on in Iran and make sure you follow #iranelection People around the world are discussing, linking to details of the activities there. Check out this great post about supporting the iran protest efforts using technology.
A good number of powerful images out there are from the AP, this will cease to exist after Iranian authorities crack down and begin to shut traditional journalists down. We can only hope that they contine to secret information out of Iran.
I know that skeptics and detractors will say that media like this is equivalent to opinion pieces and that facts are unchecked. However, I think it is up to us as readers to be critical of the sources we choose to believe and read. Don't blindly accept things as facts. However, I do believe that the nature of social media where the same information is reported by and distributed by multiple original sources is a form of fact checking and corroboration. Remember that the methods and practices of a journalist, not his/her medium of choice is what gives news and information credibility. A TV or newpaper journalist can be everybit as unreliable as a blogger. One "old media" role that will certainly need to be translated for our new media world is that of editor. Someone needs to be the gate keeper of good reliable content, but the role will no longer below to one person, it will take the form of the entire community, quickly voting good content in, and bad content down.
Posted:
6/9/2009 1:17:51 PM by
Mike Rogers | with
1 comments
Brainloaf annouces two New Workshops:
Social Media Is Everywhere, But How Does It Affect Market Research?
Social Media is not just a catch phrase or a fad, it's a powerful medium that has changed the way we do business and how we communicate. And it's here to stay. It's important to understand these new tools and techniques... and here is your chance to get started.
and
Integrating Web Video in Qualitative Research
Video has quickly become a standard method of gathering and delivering content, and can be a powerful tool for qualitative research. The 90 minute session will cover the basics of web video, some of the latest tools for editing and sharing video and the practical applications of video specifically in market research.
Posted:
6/1/2009 1:57:52 PM by
Mike Rogers | with
6 comments
Online video is HUGE. Big isn't always better, but online video is still in its infancy. Keep innovating!