When it comes to research, proximity is critical
Guest Blog Post by Michael Whitehouse:
I have a notoriously inconsistent memory. Strange way to begin a blog post on online research? Yeah, maybe; but read further down, and this preamble will begin to make sense.
My memory can either be high fidelity or totally crap. I can recall scenes from 20 years ago, and I can summon the faces, moods, and surroundings to mind effortlessly. For memories like that, my mind is almost eidetic. Conversely, there are times when I forget peoples’ names mere moments after meeting them. It happens often after pitches and business meetings. “Hey, when we put that slide up, did you notice the look on the face of …. oh shit, I forgot his name.”
When it comes to online research (or any research for that matter), proximity to an event is critical to establishing accurate, precise, and reliable recollections and descriptions of an event or experience. Confounded recall is the bane of much post-purchase market research; as a person’s memory gets fuzzier, the quality of the data they provide gets more and more specious. That’s why I’ve always advocated measurement approaches that capture data in close proximity to the actual (buying or non-buying) experience.
All of this leads up to a survey I got in the mail this week from Maritz Research. I recently bought a 2010 Chevy Camaro, and it’s standard practice for GM Canada to transmit purchaser information to Maritz for data collection as part of their yearly customer satisfaction studies. The surveys are long and exhaustive and capture data points surrounding vehicle satisfaction, vehicle image, purchase reasons, competitive shopping, shopping experience (with a little chunk about the online experience), dealer experience, and much, much more.
The data that emerges from these surveys is tremendously valuable and very well-respected. I know this from first-hand observation. I was at a meeting with Mitsubishi Canada two years ago and some reps from Maritz were breaking down their findings. The team from Mitsubishi were hanging on every work that the Maritz boys were saying like they were prophets from some millenarian cult.
There’s only one small problem here. The survey came through the mail on November 2nd. I bought the car on August 21st. That means that more than 70 days have elapsed between my driving off the lot and my receipt of this survey.
I’ll take a shot at filling it out, but given my notoriously inconsistent memory, the response are likely to be educated guesses at best. Given the importance of this survey and the value ascribed to it by the carmakers, isn’t there a smarter way to go about soliciting participation? Handing me the survey with the keys to the car might not have been a bad idea.
Just a humble suggestion.
Michael Whitehouse
Michael has spent the last five years working in web analytics and voice of customer research. A seasoned analyst and research design professional, Michael has crafted detailed analytical deep dives and strategic website recommendations that have ultimately engendered impressive, documented ROI for brands like Dell, Intuit, and Panasonic. In various research and analytical capacities, he has also stood toe-to-toe with some of most sophisticated consumers of online market research, including practitioners at Procter & Gamble, CBS, IDG, and the Economist. A prolific blogger and contributor, he has given analytics-drive presentations at several web analytics and online marketing industry events, notably eMetrics and the Online Marketing Summit.
