Last month I was asked if I would speak at as new conference in the UK focused on online research. The MRS and Research Magazine were looking to bring together different practitioners (both clients and agencies) to share best practice and case studies in online research. The Online Methods conference will be held on the 3rd June in central London, and I'm speaking about online research communities, specifically about how to work with clients to grow and manage them.
For too long, the online research industry has been focused on one thing: quantitative research. There has been a significant shift from telephone (CATI) research to online research over the last few years. Both panel-based and more adhoc quantitative research is being successfully delivered online. The ability to build and reach a range of people with these surveys is helping both the quality and the cost-effectiveness of this kind of research. But in the last few years, online research methodologies have moved far beyond just quantitative research.
Qualitative and ethnographic research have typically been difficult and relatively expensive. They have involved recruiting and then spending time with specific individuals who meet our criteria, and getting a volume and range of responses has often been prohibitively expensive. Developments online have changed this. Online communities and social media have really changed the face of market research, allowing us to both do old things in new ways and to do completely new things. If done correctly, it is now easier than ever to conduct qualitative or ethnographic research with a wide and often disparate respondent base. You can observe and analyse people in their social context, and get insight into not just what they think but also why they think it.
At the Online Methods conference, I will be talking a little about this, but more about how these changes are causing a fundamental shift in the market research industry and in the relationship between agency and client. The old divisions no longer apply. Previously a client would commission an agency who would go away, do the research and then report back. Now clients and agencies work together, each using and playing to their own strengths. This can make online research communities very cost effective for clients and removes the barrier an agency can sometimes place between a client and their customers. There are lots of ways that online methods are changing market research, but the changes in the agency-client relationship are possibly most fundamental of all.
In a nutshell: A one day conference for buyers and suppliers of online research taking a practical and solutions-driven approach to its uses and applications.
Where? Crowne Plaza - The City, London
When? 3rd June 2009
How to book: Click here
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Some more reading
- Five ways to use an online research community in 2009 (freshnetworks.com)
- How to build an online research community: a podcast (freshnetworks.com)
- Maximising the insight you get from your online community (freshnetworks.com)
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