The ability to collect real-time data has never been easier. And, it is a powerful tool for brands to enhance their understanding of the customer journey.
That was the message shared by our EVP Raj Manocha when he joined Paul Gareau, SVP of Millward Brown, for a presentation on Geo-fencing and Real-Time Engagement at the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA) Conference in Toronto earlier this month.
Raj and Paul shared insights from a recent mobile data collection project for Kellogg’s Canada, which was designed to measure the impact of an in-store sampling program on brand attitudes and shopping behaviour.
The company wanted to collect data from shoppers as soon after the sampling experience as possible in order to capture stronger recall of what they actually saw and did in store. Raj and Paul embraced this challenge, and developed an innovative technique to help Kellogg’s understand the shopper in ways the company had not previously explored.
The AskingCanadians team geo-tagged the 200+ retail locations across Canada where the sampling program was taking place and developed an app that panellists could download onto their mobile devices. That app included each of the locations, which were meticulously pinned to ensure data accuracy. Panellists were recruited to download the app and prompted to complete a post-shopping trip survey after they had been to one of the pinned retail locations.
“It’s important to reconsider what research panels offer. Data collection firms are not simply providers of email addresses for surveys,” Raj told the audience during the presentation. “These are communities of people who are engaged to give feedback in a variety of ways, through a variety of technologies. If we look at panels in that way, real-time engagement research becomes top of mind.”
For more about the project, including the lessons learned, see the presentation slides at the top of this post or click on the link below: