Voices: the CMB Blog

Seems like everywhere I turn I see a QR code. From product packaging to billboards in the airport, those funny little black and white designs are popping up all over—even on T shirts.  So we set out to ask consumers what they think about the 2D bar codes known as Quick Response or QR codes in our latest Consumer Pulse: Scan Me-9 Things To Know about Consumer Behavior and QR codes.

There is no doubt it’s a very cool tool brands and companies can use to engage and share information with consumers, but even the coolest  tools and applications need to provide meaningful information to be successful.  Just like Twitter, Facebook and other social media marketing tools it always comes back to insightful content that consumers will value. The success of QR codes will depend on the content behind the scan.

What do consumers think?  CMB partnered with iModerate Research Technologies to see why consumers scan QR codes and what they expect from the little black and white squares.

As a marketer here are a few facts that stood out to me. Watch This:

Nearly 1 in 5 who scanned a QR code made a purchase after scanning (Tweet this)

81% say they’ve seen a QR code, but only 21% knew what they were called (Tweet this)

Half of smartphone users have scanned a QR code (Tweet this)

70% of those who scanned QR codes, said it was very easy (Tweet this)

Results are mixed on QR codes' usefulness, 41% say the information they got was useful (Tweet this)

Magazines and newspapers are the most common QR source for those who’ve scanned a code (Tweet this)

46% of those who’ve scanned a QR code did so because they were curious (Tweet this)

We found smartphone owners and non-smartphone owners alike are curious about QR codes for information and for discounts, free gifts and exclusive deals, and they find the process of scanning to be really easy. But as more and more consumers get smartphones and the ability to scan, marketers must go beyond the novelty of the application if they expect customers to scan again and make it a regular part of the purchase process.

I’d love to know, are QR codes part of your 2012 marketing plan? Will QR codes gain steam in 2012 or fizzle out?

Download the full report here.

Posted by Kristen Garvey. Kristen is CMB's VP of Marketing, a mom of two, and thinks QR codes  can be as useful as the content behind them, and that they will have their place in the marketing toolbox for 2012.

One of the great things about managing the Voices of CMB Blog is getting to hear perspectives on market research (and more) from CMBers at every level and across our company. The expertise, insightfulness, and creativity of our employees makes editing and reading this blog a real pleasure. And before we gear up to meet 2012, we thought we’d take a look back at just a few of our favorites:

Brant Cruz makes the connection between the Denver Broncos quarterback and segmentation: The Striking Similarities Between Tim Tebow and Strategic Segmentation

Sean Kearney ponders the impact of event sponsorship:
A Slam Dunk for Kia: Social Media Extends the ROI of Event Sponsorship

Judy Melanson looks at taking customer loyalty to the next level:
Customer Loyalty: Are you ready to tattoo your customer's name on YOUR arm?

Marty Murk discusses what happens when customer satisfaction surveys go terribly wrong: Tying Compensation to Customer Satisfaction – A Slippery Slope

Have a market research topic you’d like us to tackle in 2012? Tell us in the comments!

Posted by Megan McManaman, Megan is CMB's Content Marketing Manager. She gets most of her (non skiing and hockey) sporting insights from this blog.

Are you experienced, insightful, and creative? We're hiring, take a look at our Careers Page here.

The new year is a time for reflecting and looking forward to the next 12 months. And for businesses, as we enter the last weeks of 2011, it is critical that companies in all industries reflect upon the past year’s decisions and peer into the future.

There is little doubt that the economic strain of the past three years will continue to affect companies across industries. Yet, 2012 will hold both opportunities and challenges for market researchers.  More than in the past, our clients will need the ability to manage, analyze, and integrate massive amounts of data while gleaning insight and recommendations within very constrained budgets. 

Price sensitive clients will be asked to choose between mountains of data at low prices, or more targeted consultative approaches focused on insights, action and outcomes. To differentiate ourselves, research companies will need to create true partnerships that work to address the core needs of our clients. My prediction is not that 2012 will be an easy year, but that we as a company will continue to evolve and perfect practices that help our clients make sense and use of the data we collect.

We are urging our clients to read Drinking from the Fire Hose; authors Chris Frank and Paul Magnone effectively detail the issues related to having too much data and how effective companies and managers can ask the right questions to insure focus on their companies’ goals and decisions. Take the time to explore the “7 Questions” that they outline and revisit these questions throughout the year.

As with every year, 2012 will have its own set of challenges, but success lies in our ability to channel the lessons of the past year and make smart decisions for the coming year by asking the questions that count.  At Chadwick Martin Bailey we believe more than ever, in the importance of being true partners with our clients, so together we can connect the data points and develop strategic insights that lead to better business decisions.

For more on Drinking From the Fire Hose, read Christine Gimber's take on our recent event with Chris and Paul here.

Posted by Anne Bailey Berman. Anne is the President of Chadwick Martin Bailey and enjoys volunteering in the community, traveling with her family and spending time in her vegetable garden.

Just as the news of Wegmans opening its first store in New England starts to settle, the excitement is ramping up all over again for a new “urban concept” store opening in Newton, MA. Since my husband first heard Wegmans was coming to MA he has been really looking forward to shopping there, I mean REALLY looking forward to shopping there. He even still has his shoppers club card from college (which was quite a few years ago I might add).  And John is not alone in his love for Wegmans. I don’t think I have ever seen so many people so passionate about a grocery store. You could almost compare it to the opening of an Apple store in the retail space. In fact, the Boston Globe and Boston Herald wrote about the supersized crowds who lined up at the crack of dawn to the new Northborough store. As a marketer, it’s the kind of customer passion we all dream about.

Of course I had to go see for myself; and I do think it’s one of those things you need to experience to “get it.” As simple as it seems, it is a very pleasant shopping experience. I find myself slowing down there and dare I say even enjoying my shopping experience. From the gas fire place in the food court to their extremely helpful and friendly employees; Wegmans has the secret sauce in making their experience different:

Three key ingredients to Wegmans Secret Sauce

2 Cups of Engaged Employees: When I shopped in the new Northborough store it was hard not to notice how outgoing and friendly the staff was. It was clear to me Wegmans must invest a lot in making their employees happy. A happy and engaged employee makes such a huge impression.  It was written on the smiles on their faces. When I was doing a little research for this post I was not surprised to find Wegmans has consistently won CNN/Money’s Best Places work.

1 Cup of Senior Staff: Maybe this was because I was new, but I also noticed the store had a lot of senior staff ready to help if anyone (more junior employees or customers) had a question. They led by example by also being extremely friendly and asking me about my shopping experience.

1 Cup of a Great Shopping Experience: All of this contributes to an all-around better and more pleasant shopping experience. I admit I thought the customers waiting in line on opening day were a bit crazy, but after shopping there I can see what the fuss is about. I don’t think I will be waiting in line at the opening of the Newton store, but I would drive out of my way to shop there.  For me it just feels better shopping there. The quality of their products, the cleanliness and brightness of the store and that food court of fresh prepared food is amazing, but above all I feel better shopping at a store where the employees enjoy working.

The funny thing is my Wegmans experience reminds me a lot of CMB. We know our clients have lots of choices of where to shop for their research and we truly appreciate when the choose us. Often after that experience it becomes clear that the experience of working with CMB makes us different.  I think we share the same recipe for the “Secret Sauce.”

For more on the power of the customer experience and  customer satisfaction, read T.J. Andre and Jeff McKenna's take on customer satisfaction in their article Not Very Satisfying in Quirks.

Posted by Kristen Garvey. Kristen is CMB's VP of Marketing, a mom of two and she will be heading to Wegmans to get her food and wine for the holidays. BTW if she’s not back by 5 you may find her by the gas fireplace enjoying a cup of coffee and a few minutes to decompress from the holiday rush.

Last week CMB hosted Chris Frank and Paul Magnone, authors of Drinking from the Fire Hose, at our Boston office and invited our local clients to join us. Chris, Vice President at American Express responsible for advertising, brand, and business-to-business research, and is a long-time CMB client. Paul added the internal client perspective to the discussion, having been a consumer of research at IBM for 21 years and now heading business development and alliances at Openet. As the book’s title implies, the conversation centered on how to sort through the massive amount of data we, as researchers, are confronted with to get to that moment of truth.

As it turns out, it is not about the information, but about asking the right questions. The book outlines seven “essential questions” that will keep you focused on only the information that you need. The first question is “What is the one vital piece of information needed to move forward?” That may sound obvious, but during the discussion we heard from many of our clients that identifying and focusing on what really matters isn’t easy. The challenge is to re-focus clients on the business decisions being made. As we heard from Chris, Paul, and our clients, this requires a major effort.

Focusing not only on why you need the information but what you are going to do with it is also key. One of my favorite stories of the evening was about an internal client who was faced with the question “If the results of this research dictate it, will you close the business unit?” He retorted that if research came up with that result, then they were talking to the wrong people. With no intention of closing the business unit, it was clear he was asking for answers to questions that were not actionable.

It was interesting to hear the authors talk about what we at CMB call a “business decision focus.” At CMB we spend a great deal of time helping our clients (and their internal clients) stay focused on the decisions that they are making with the story the data tells. It was exciting to hear how that simple focus can change the paradigm.  It was a great event, and if you attended we hope you enjoyed it. If you were unable to attend, stay tuned, we’ll be posting more highlights and video of the event. And of course we recommend reading the book.

Posted by Christine Gimber. Christine is an Account Executive with the Financial Services and Healthcare teams, and loves great questions, essential or otherwise. When she is not at CMB, you can find her running or biking, which also helps keep her in shape as she tries to keep up with her three small kids.