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The Words We Weave

I stream the previous night’s national news in the morning. It’s odd, but hey, I work weird hours. I watch multiple evening new shows and I’m always thinking about how the networks choose their content – what to lead with, the best order for the audience, and so many other questions.

Mostly I try to understand how networks choose different phrases to describe the exact same story. A journalism class I took in college opened my eyes to the ways the same story can be told and how readers and viewers feel as a result.

This morning blessed me with a great example and I’d like to know what you think. I watched the evening news of 3 different networks who had a short spot about the raid on a mayor in Oakland. While the topic was the same, how they reported was ever so slightly different, evoking a different feeling, and ultimately, I think, biasing the reporting. How do these phrases make you feel?

“Did not respond to comment”

The implied activity is that the reporter tried and the person in the story did not respond. But wait, why is the person not responding? There’s a load of assumption on this one. I’m thinking that we have good reporters doing their job, and the bad person is not talking to them. But wait – did the reporter have the right contact info? Maybe the person in the story was at the gym. Maybe he was working. Maybe he was on the can. All we really know is the reporter did not get a response. So why do I feel negative about the person who did not respond?

“Was not available for comment”

This one clearly states that the person in the story was unavailable, but it tells me nothing about any effort on the reporter’s part. There’s a tacit feeling that the person in the news story is being evasive, but maybe this person was on vacation? At a funeral, whatever. Sadly, this one says nothing about any efforts to contact the person, simply that they were not around. Why do I suddenly assume they should have been around? How rude, right?

“Could not be reached for comment”

Ahh, love this one. Tells me the news organization worked to get it and the poor soul could have been anywhere. Why do I think this guy must be avoiding the reporter? This one definitely implies the news organization tried, right? But did they? Maybe the reporter’s phone died and she simply couldn’t call the guy to get a comment. If the reporter did nothing, then the person really couldn’t be reached. Vague and safe, but kind of leaves me confused. Ms. Reporter, a little more detail, please.

So What?

Certainly reporters and news organizations are going to do what they do. Unfortunately, I think it’s up to us to listen carefully and truly hear what is being reported in the news.

When it comes to marketing research, it’s up to the researcher to listen carefully and understand what interviewees are saying. The same idiosyncrasies in the news exist in our discussions with each other. If only I could probe the reporter! Thankfully, I get to ask people a lot of follow-up questions in my job.

How do you experience the news?

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Canine Comparison

I love dogs. Almost in a weird way, but whatever. Observing my two very different dogs, and experiencing a dozen others in my lifetime, I can’t help but see the similarities with us when it comes to personality and behavior. Do you see what I see?

There are obviously a multitude of personality traits to consider. Everyone, and every dog, is different. I, however, happen to have 2 dogs, each with a completely different textbook personality.

Tank

“I’m sniffing over here, relax already. Who do you think I am, Lassie?”

Tank might go to look at the ball you just threw, but he sees no connection between that and any action on his part. Tank is not bringing it back because you threw it away.

Not only is Tank unaware the ball is yours, he could give a poo. Really. Tank loves you because you care for and love him. Should you decide to take a jog around the neighborhood, he knows you’ll be back. Tank has no job. No responsibilities. We love Tank.

Bailey

“Really? I can go? Like go get it?! Oooh, I cannot wait to get your important thing, thank you for trusting me with this critical assignment! I will not let you down!”

Alternately, Bailey knows that whatever you’re about to throw is something you want back, and his job is to go get it and return it with pride. Bailey feels joy and love in groups small and large. Bailey is grateful for this golden opportunity to be a dog. He may not know why you threw it, but Bailey is on the ball. We love Bailey.

What If…

The stark difference in their two personalities is profound. And that got me thinking (warning), if these dogs were marketing researchers, what would they be like?

Torpid Tank Talking

How many times have you unfortunately had to work with Tank? You don’t really want to work with Tank if you can avoid it. He’s careless, self involved, not concerned with your problems, and he begins every journey with little to no enthusiasm. Have questions you need research to answer? Tank interviews his family at Sunday dinner and writes a topline he calls genius. Tank delivers little. To him, you are food, comfort, and a door opener.

Brisk Bailey Brings it Home

You want to hire Bailey. He’s loyal, obedient, will warn you of problems, and he will begin every journey wanting to know what you want and need. Bailey runs after your critical business challenges, seeks answers, analyzes collective results and returns to you with the actionable results of your dreams. To Bailey, you are his everything.

Bottom Line

And if I take this discussion back to my two dogs… if they really were human and working with me, I’m pretty sure I’d be busy feeding Tank and Bailey would be busting some serious ass.

A Final Thought

It is true that at one time my office included 6 dogs every work day. We all made the walk, we all took breaks at the same time, we ate together – it felt like a real team. I’m realizing now, many years later and after all my little buddies have passed, that OMG, they were all Tanks and I was Bailey!

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What Would You Do?

Below is a RFP we submitted to a B2B farming company a few years ago. I just recently came across our proposal again and wondered what you might propose. Different methods? Different tools? Different process? And did we get the job?

The Background for this study was provided by the client in the RFP and the Objective was identified after a detailed conference call with the client, including their internal marketing department.

Background

RM Co. sells industrial farm tools to wholesalers around the world and wants to expand their collection of products to sell. Currently they make commercial irrigation and fertilization systems and want to get into the fertilizer products farmers spread using their machines.

Objective

Identify unmet needs with RM Co.’s current clients, the unmet needs of both customers and prospects with fertilizer products, the most useful and appealing characteristics and features of a better fertilizer, biggest pains, and any others areas prospects and customers would like to see improved regarding their fertilizing process.

Plan of Action

Obtain list of RM Co’s best clients in different industries. Research and identify their farming specialties, volume of fertilizer and brands used, prices for sale, and delivery methods offered. Additionally, identify list of RM Co.’s current and future competition (direct & indirect), and list their farming specialties, what makes them a competitor, their fertilizer machinery, their volume of fertilizer and brands used, and delivery methods offered.

Secondary Research: Amount used/year, brands used, price ranges paid, and delivery method choices.

Competitive Questionnaire: Design program, administrator, and analyze survey questions among farmers across the globe to quantify unmet needs, work priorities, and potential new fertilizer features. Survey will be designed in English and translated in 6 other languages to accommodate the varied geography of RM Co.’s clients.

Tour multiple RM Co.’s global plants in-person, take notes/videos/pictures. Interview farmers on-site, take notes/videos/pictures.

Ethnography: Go to the client to observe workers and go on-site to observe farmers using fertilizer and fertilizer machines.

Interview RM Co. employees, RM Co. stakeholders, and RM Co. product users.

IDIs and Online Focus Groups with employees off-site, stakeholders online, & farmers on-site about challenges identified in the survey. Analyze the transcripts and provide insights into attitudes, behavior, and values of all segments.

Work with RM Co. & their advertising agency to design effective ad strategies and tangible concepts for consideration/testing among the different target segments identified.

IDIs and online focus groups with segmented farmers and show new concepts developed by RM Co.’s advertising firm.

Analyze the transcripts and provide insights into farmer feedback received.

Present results as live actionable findings that directly address RM Co.’s research objectives, including an overview of the fertilizer Industry, aerial view of methods used, brands preferred, unmet needs, etc., with suggestions for next steps, improvement, and landmines to avoid.
Data Handover: RM Co. will receive all the research materials, including the written survey, the discussion guide, raw survey data collected (spreadsheets, media files), cross tabulations, infographics, and the final slide deck (w/speaker notes).\

We did get the job and the client was thrilled to be able to get InsideHeads. That said, we know there are many (good) ways to address a challenge, so we’re curious, how would you have done it?

Geek Out On Statistics

Have you seen the enormous volume of publicly available data, as well as written analyses, tables and maps? Whatever stats make your skirt fly up, you’ll find them at the US Census Data website.

2020 Census Data is still coming in. You can signup to receive updates as new information becomes available

You may find some interesting bits of info to share with your client or maps to to add depth to your next pitch or proposal. I could go down the Census Data rabbit hole for days, literally. In addition to raw data, they provide analysis tools as well as written analyses on a ton of topics. Quick Facts, cross-tabs, and even infographic maps can be conjured up with a few clicks.

Play time with Population Pyramids

Megalopolis. Seriously.

Have you heard of Megalopolis? Thanks to this jaw dropping visual, it’s easy to see why this population dense region was so named. It’s also fun to say. Megalopolis.

Jean Gottmann penned the term in his 1961 study about urban trends. He determined Megalopolis to be a region within the northeastern United States that extends from northern Virginia to southern New Hampshire. The area includes popular cities like Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.

Today, approximately 50 million people live in this band of 103 counties, representing about 15% of all Americans.

Oh-so-much more available to you at the US Census Bureau website.

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The Marketing of Omission

Some people like golf, I like finding marketing mistakes. I read cereal boxes, Ikea instructions, the fine print on the 12-pack of Bounty paper towels. If I see words, I’m moving in.

Like the committed and determined members of medical detector clubs, I enjoy finding spelling errors & other mistakes in massive print runs. It’s a sick hobby, I know, but the pure joy of “it wasn’t me” is a high like no other.

What keeps this odd obsession going? Because Big Foot exists. Mistakes are made. My favorite category are the marketing errors of omission.

Here are some truly odd advertising from popular brands. I’m not sure which of these two brings me more joy. Have you seen others?

Bag Lifting That’s 50% Easier

This beauty came from a Rubbermade trashcan purchased from Ace Hardware in Bonita Springs, FL in 2017. The cardboard wrap over the lid very clearly wanted to explain that lifting out bags from their newly vented version was “50% Easier”. I read the small print only to find what I assume is the same message in other languages.

At first glance, “50% Easier” sounds impressive, but how is the new & improved version 50% easier? And 50% easier than what? They mention the reason is the venting channels. I had no idea such statistical problems were being managed and measured at Rubbermaid, which IMHO is the real story, but I digress. I can’t shake the thought that someone approved this. Once adorned on the trash cans in retail establishments across the country, few customers will question the claim. I shall continue my quest like Marketing Robin Hood, merrily revealing the confusing to the masses.

A Jar of Sweet + Small

One of my all time favorites is this jar of Peter Piper’s Sweet Midgets. These were purchased in 2015 at a local grocery store in the US Virgin Islands, where neither the FDA nor the FTC must not have any offices. This jar does not have the word pickle or cucumber anywhere. No ingredients list. Kudos for including nutritional information, weight & size, and a star-worthy “new sweeter taste”, but yet the buyer still can not be confident what the food actually is in the container except that the label says “Sweet Midgets”.

A quick search on Google reveals only one place (Harter House) sold a jar that looked similar, but today the “page is not found”. Is it possible a pickle producer was dumping their remaining supply of poorly marked Peter Piper’s pickles in paradise?

Wouldn’t be the first time. Year’s ago, bottles of Joy dish detergent for sale in Coral Bay read “Not Your First Choice” proudly on the front. Disgruntled employee? Office dare? Dang, I love this stuff. Years early I witnessed an entire end cap at Walgreens displaying large boxes clearly named “Potable Speakers.” I had to ask another customer to confirm I was reading it correctly, in other words, wrongly. Another notch! “Is there a job for people to do this full time,” I dream.

So back to the sweet midgets. I did finally get up the nerve to fish one of the tiny green turds out of the mystery container. I took a brave bite and I’m pretty sure it was a pickle. Pretty sure.

Does anyone else out there look for marketing mistakes?

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Truth Telling Tips

In an informative blog online at Quirks.com, Market Researcher Maxwell Wang lays out the 4 basics of a good interview.

I don’t want to spoil it for you, Mr. Wang does a great job of explaining each step in detail. Here are the highlights from his tips:

Establish equality, not superiority

Diplomacy in differing opinions: Be confident, not arrogant. ie., Be thoughtful & inquisitive, and firm on following the agenda. Wang notes that non-verbal cues can be helpful here, though I can attest that his tip is equally applicable to audio or text only interviews.

Show Respect

Another helpful reminder is to offer a high level of respect for the intreviewee. Communicate it truthfully, abundantly, and reiterate how valuable their time and opinions are.

Substance over performance

We’ve all seen folks tank on this one and it’s cringe worthy. Pride in your excellent work and career is not the point. The client is all that matters. What does the client need. Understand the ultimate objective of the research, the client’s past experience and current beliefs, and aim accordingly.

Prepare to Improve

As your interviews begin to tally up, remember that it’s ok to regroup and discuss improvements to the discussion guide questions and flow. Concious iterations and acknowledgements where things could be done better are what make the results of a good study a great one. Learn as you go, adjust accordingly, and keep moving forward. Call it “agile”, call it “iterative learning” – we call it continual improvement of the process so we hit that bullseye objective.

Expect the Unexpected

My dad coached my softball team when I was a kid and he would always tell the infielders to crouch with bent knees, because “you never know which way the ball is going to come at you. You want to be able to pivot left or right.” The best players learn to react quickly to the ball’s impending trajectory. A good interview rolls the same. The keenest insights come from what you didn’t know you didn’t know. Stay alert out there!

Oh Crap, The Incentives

And while we’re on the topic of getting to the heart of the matter, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about incentives: what participants are paid to share their time and opinions. There are different schools of thought on this one, with some believing incentives bias results. Personally, I believe participants should be fairly compensated. Tom Rich wrote a insightful article about how incentives drive outcomes. Good stuff.

What strategies do you apply in your research to ensure truthful responses?

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Spotlight on Good News

There’s a concerted effort among news organizations today to leave the audience on a high note. Popular series include Steve Hartman’s Kindness 101. The Uplift , NBC Good News, Inspiring America, CNN Good News, regional happy spots (Los Angeles, San Diego, Houston, and New York), GMA Good News, and Fox’s Be Well health spots. There’s a clear news push to find something good in all the mess.

While I listen to Bill Withers singing””Lean on Me”, the human need to connect and feel love sinks in. We live in a world of kinetic chaos that could squash the human spirit, but yet somehow, we find the good. The media offers up these happy bits and we cling to them like life savers. It is my pleasure to throw you one of my favorites.

Austin’s Altruism

Austin is a superhero and it’s not just because he dons a cape. He helps feed the homeless in Birmingham, Alabama. The fact that Austin has been on this earth just 4 years is almost irrelevant. He’s single handedly making a difference. Using his allowance and lunch money, he politely provides and reminds all to “don’t forget to show love”. How did this happen?

Austin’s dad seems just as perplexed, but equally supportive and proud. My favorite part of Austin’s story is that his superhero name is President Austin, as he believes this is what a President does. May we be so fortunate. You have my vote, Austin!

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Marketing on the Move

“Target market”, “SWOT”, “Unique Selling Proposition”, “Influencer” and whatever comes next – if you’re in the field of advertising, marketing, or market research, you best hop on the bandwagon and learn your client’s love language.

While promotional fields of study have been around longer than you probably realized, the popular words used to describe the practice change over time. Time moves forward. Culture changes. People age out of the business as new ideas from younger professionals enter into the ring. Whatever you want to point to as the reason, the fact is: change happens.

Over time, we have learned to use the terms our clients are using. We also are quick to ask them to describe and define what their words mean to them. The latter is the key. The different perspectives are vast.

Brand positioning? Brand identity? Graphic identity? Brand image? Brand Building? Brand repositioning? So many variations of intent. As a result, we move forward with what the client needs to move forward, all the while using their marketing love language. When in Rome.

“Full service or DIY”, “user experience or usability”, “iterative learning or agile research”, “unmet needs or voice of the customer” – the terms are definitive to those using them, and it’s up to us to be curious, fluid, and purposeful.

What marketing terms have populated your world and why?

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Spring Ahead, Fall Back – But Why?

In the US today, the 2nd Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November, most of the country recognizes Daylight Savings Time (DST).

From the human desire to commune with nature to the yearning for a longer golf game, nothing was enough to win the argument for change until the trump card came calling: the great war. It took the need to save energy to officially move the needles.

Despite popular belief, Daylight Savings Time (DST) was not implemented in the US to benefit farmers. It was first used in the US in 1918 for 7 months as a means to conserve energy for the wartime efforts of WWI. It was repealed until implemented once more during WW2, referred to as “War Time”.

DST wasn’t a uniform policy in the US until 1966, when Lyndon Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act into law on April 13, 1966. It took 8 years for the law to be fully and effectively implemented across the US.

Arizona and Hawaii have never recognized Daylight Savings Time. US Territories closer to the equator also do not recognize DST, including Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

Did you know… Daylight Savings Time in the US is called Summer Time in most of Europe.

Did you know…. in 2005, President George W. Bush changed the dates of DST in an effort to further save energy. What had been the first Sunday of April to the last Sunday of October for decades, 2007 began DST the second Sunday in March and to the first Sunday in November.

Did you know… most of the world either never observed, or has since stopped observing, DST.

Did you know… All of China is under one time zone.

Did you know… India is also under one time zone (India Standard Time, IST), yet it’s on the half hour (UTC +5:30) and nobody knows why. Theories include the fact that New Delhi is halfway between meridians, so instead of choosing one over the other, they split the difference and applied it across the country.

Did you know… Newfoundland and Labrador is another location on the half hour (UTC -3:30). Why? Well, Newfoundland, at least, at the time was its own domininion, and hence had the right to choose its own time zone. And alas, in 1935 the Newfoundlandians selected their time zone based on the actual time from Grenwich time: 3:30 hours.

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Spring Shake

Daylight Savings is over in the US and whether you schedule it or not, somehow we see grime more clearly after the cold. Blame the angle of the sun, the current Swiffer advertising strategy, or other more logical reasons for Spring cleaning, humans are wired to clean up this time of year. Whether you DIY or contract out the cleaning services, there’s a certain need to start the warmer season with a clean slate.

Why Spring?

One logical reason to clean your house in the 1800’s was because every piece of the interior was covered in soot, the result of burning coal and wood to light the home. Add to that the heating and cooking, and you have yourself a home that resembles the underbelly of a barbecue grill, the covered area we all pretend isn’t there. I imagine living in that time and rejoicing at the first opportunity to open all the windows and begin the cleansing.

Another reason is based in religion. The Jewish tradition of cleaning in preparation for Passover has long been known, as they want to rid their homes of all yeast in support of eating unleavened bread to celebrate the holiday. Christians are also known to “clean house” before Lent and the Persian New Year includes cleaning, or “shaking the house”, for the first day of Spring.

Even today, the simple transition from cold to warm prompts our eyes to see the dirt through the windows we are opening. So the tradition continues, let’s be careful out there.

Spick & Span Success

Whether you have 5 minutes or an entire weekend, you can find ways to get your cleaning done. We tapped into the superior tips from Better Homes & Garden and found a great plan for deep cleaning.

Here are some of the best tips EVER on how to keep your sneakers white. Who knew?? Leather or canvas, there are tried & true methods out there that really work.

And what would a blog offering Spring Cleaning tips be without the tips from the master herself, Ms. Martha Stewart. She starts from the beginning and ends at the finish line, leaving nary a crumb. So if you’re looking for some adult supervision in this area, this is the website for you.

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