Commentary
Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda...
- by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, May 29, 2017
“In today's 24-hour news cycle, traditional survey data is outdated by the time it's even collected. Traditional market research usually takes 6-7 weeks, useless for reacting to breaking news and helping brands navigate a crisis,” according to market research expert John Papadakis, CEO of mobile survey platform Pollfish.
Mobile surveying and micro-targeting are quickly becoming the industry standard for gathering market intelligence in real-time, but many brands are notoriously slow at adopting new technology, says the report. According to Papadakis, in his words, three recent scandals highlight why 24-hour market research could save brands in crisis:
1. The O'reilly Scandal: Mercedes, H&R Block, And Jenny Craig
Fearing guilt by association, dozens of brands pulled their ads from The O'Reilly Factor after the sexual harassment scandal. By running a quick micro-targeted survey on how the scandal was actually affecting their brand, they could have foreseen collateral damage and potentially saved marketing dollars.
2. The Passenger Abuse Debacle: United And American Airlines
These brands faced serious backlash over the way they treated their passengers. The way their CEOs handled the fall-out generated even more negative attention. Had they run surveys asking customers which reparations they could offer as compensation, they could have avoided boycotts.
3. The 2016 Election: The Democratic Party
Almost all the polls failed to predict the results of the 2016 election. If Hillary Clinton's campaign had run mobile surveys, it would not have been as blindsided by the final results. It would have read the sentiments of audiences traditional surveying doesn't reach, and adjusted its strategy accordingly.
Just sayin’
For additional information from the mobile survey platform Pollfish, please visit here.
Jack Loechner is the Editor of The Center for Media Research's daily Research Brief. You can reach him at jack@mediapost.com.
Don't put as much faith in the tool as you would in the carpenter.
- Brands pulled their ads from O'Reilly. Thus, they did save marketing dollars.
- The airline debacle was not based on the level of compensation, it was in failing to recognize the right thing to do regarding the customer, both during and after the fact.
- The Clinton campaign was not blindsided by numbers, but by its own hubris.
Agile polling can be useful, but only if used correctly.
Jack, if one calls people on the phone or tries to contact them digitally---"in real time"---that doesn't prevent respondents from lying or becoming confused if the questions are poorly framed.