my presentation for "esomar best of russia 2014" clients session

CLIENT PANEL SESSION Direct From The Client

Alexander Bugakov Senior Market Researcher, Yum! Restaurants Russia (Pizza Hut and KFC Brands), Russian Federation

Cu#ng corners: is the adop+on of online ad-‐hoc research shi2ing budgets from MR agencies to online panels?

ESOMAR “Best of Russia 2014” Client panel

~80% of market research tasks are quite simple, if not trivial:

•  Which variant of this ad should we run? •  Did our last digital campaign add to the overall coverage? •  Is it a good idea

to make this guy -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐> our “brand ambassador” in Russia?

•  We have 3 op+ons for new product naming – which do we choose?

ESOMAR “Best of Russia 2014”

Earlier I’d have liVle scruples to do this:


…but since we have 100K strong community in social media and can do stuff like that overnight, for free – why not?

OK, that was a liVle bit over the top

“Social media research” never will be a viable op+on for lots of reasons; we’ll s+ck to more “academic” solu+ons But what are our (clients’) op+ons?


Typical workflow of CAWI projects

1.  Client dra2s the brief 2.  MR agency takes ~day to digest it and offer +meline / pricing

(in fact, it relays the brief to online panel) 3.  Project gets approved, researcher in agency dra2s the

ques+onnaire and sampling design 4.  Online panel takes over, programs the script and sends out

ques+onnaire invita+ons 5.  As the fieldwork ends, panel provides MR agency with the

data 6.  Agency dra2s the report for the client


Let’s “disrupt” it a bit:

1.  Client dra2s the brief Usually the task is so simple that one Email does the job

2.  MR agency takes ~day to digest it and offer +meline / pricing (in fact, it relays the brief to online panel) If I write to panel directly, I get the response in 4 hours

3.  Project gets approved, researcher in agency dra2s the ques+onnaire and sampling design If it is one-‐page ques+onnaire, I can dra2 it myself

4.  Online panel takes over, programs the script and sends out ques+onnaire invita+ons

5.  As the fieldwork ends, panel provides MR agency with the data 6.  Agency dra2s the report for the client To have my answer I need

simplest Excel crosstab in most cases ESOMAR “Best of Russia 2014”

Pros for clients:

•  More research gets done. Nothing boosts the respect for internal MR func+on more than “yes, we can have it on Friday this week”

•  Exper+se is s+ll here – there is no fault an experienced panel employee won’t no+ce that MR agency’s staff would see

•  No concerns about data quality – they are the same suppliers MR agencies do use, a2er all

•  Panels are more flexible, more “into” Internet & digital – no need to explain them what the “cookie” is

•  Budgets are saved – which is very no+ceable on small projects (N < 1000) where fixed part of MR agency’s pricing share is rela+vely large


Cons for clients:

•  Yes, it is REALLY “semi-‐manufacture” •  You basically compensate the fact that you get half-‐way

product by inves+ng your own +me and effort •  And you are the only person who can no+ce a bug in the final

ques+onnaire script :)


What can MR agencies do with this trend?

If you can’t stop it, take the lead. Some already do (but not in Russia):


Automated tools are NOT your compe+tors – dialogue and exper+se maVer


This trend is not only about cost culng, it is about client rela+onships:

When was the last +me you’ve asked the client “what were the recent researches you chose NOT to run, and why?”


my presentation for "esomar best of russia 2014" clients session

Marketing

ons butwhatareourclientsop

client panel session

a2erall panelsaremoreexible

kfc brands

onforlots ofreasonswells

restaurants russia pizza

melinepricingin fact

russian federation