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Generalise at your own risk Written on July 26, 2010, by Robert Rush.

I enjoyed this blog by Conversition Strategies in response to the New York Times article, “Tracking the National Mood Through Twitter.”

It challenges how the views of the Twitterati are not necessarily a proxy for the view of all Internet users as a whole. *

The NYT article stated that “by gauging the mood of messages on Twitter, a group of researchers from the Northeastern University College of Computer and Information Sciences, along with researchers from Harvard Medical School, set out to determine how happy or sad Americans are at different times of the day and week.”

An interesting and extensive exercise examining 300 million tweets over 3 years, and to all intent and purposes is an exercise done well.

à la ‘peer review’, after examining thousands of Twitter-based comments versus other Internet comments relating to the iPad and gauging each on a scale of ‘happiness’, Conversition Strategies reasonably conclude that Twitter users do not necessarily represent all Internet users let alone represent a whole population.  Whilst it is reasonable that moods of people could be predicted by computer algorithms, Twitter as a data source is not simply and instantly predictive of a general population.

It seems to me that there are potentially so many leaps of faith in trying to express the mood of a nation by examining Twitter, it’s like Chinese Whispers for scientists.

In market research there are always margins of error.  It’s why need to understand how representative our samples are, and why we quote confidence intervals, test significance of small differences and often find ourselves delivering prose with disclaimers as long as the M1.

Sometimes the results are just not all that we think they are, or as profound as one would hope.  Sometimes we need to reign in the conclusions our clients want to draw in their quest to suggest differentiators as they strategise.  Sometimes we just have to point out the shades of grey and that we need to look elsewhere.

* P.S.  Thanks to @lovestats (Annie Pettit) who by re-tweeting the blog brought my attention to it… if you want to know what’s happening in the market research world and be happier for it, then it’s obvious that you must be on Twitter and follow hashtags: #mrx #marketresearch #esomar…

The Researcher: Spring 2010 Newsletter Written on May 5, 2010, by Robert Rush.

We’ve had a busy time carrying out some fascinating projects at PFA. Our survey for Cornish Mutual of schoolchildren into their understanding of the origins of food revealed some incredible statistics – amazingly some pupils believed ice cream was made with fish or potatoes! Read about how our research has helped Cornish Mutual build a very successful campaign, Dig Down South West. We’re also very pleased to be working with some of the South West’s most high profile brands, including the Eden Project and Air Southwest.

The Birds and our Bea Written on April 29, 2010, by Robert Rush.

PFA Research is pleased to announce that they will be supporting the Tywardreath Players during their 2010 production of Daphne du Maurier’s ‘The Birds’ by helping out with audience research.

The views and opinions of users and audiences of not-for-profit and voluntary arts organisations can be essential to survival and future success. These organisations too have to plan and budget the same as any commercial enterprise.

PFA Research Projects Manager, Beate Galke, is stage managing the Tywardreath Players production this year, which is run as part of the Cornish du Maurier Festival.

Having been with PFA Research for over 12 years, Beate appreciates the value of audience and customer research and it’s no wonder that she is the driving force behind the survey.

“We have run customer surveys in the past which have given us great insight into what our audience likes and dislikes, where they come from, and what brings them back year after year. The audience experience is often different to your own – we always learn something we didn’t know!”

PFA Research has sponsored Tywardreath Players over the last few years and we have seen them deliver excellent, innovative adaptations of all of du Maurier’s most famous stories. Unfortunately because of pressures on public finances the future funding of the Festival is not guaranteed. So, just like many businesses in the current economic climate, Tywardreath Players realise that their loyal audience and customer base must not be taken for granted.

Beate says, “The audience will help to give us the answer. They know what kind of plays they would like to see from us in the future and whether we can count on their support should the Festival cease to exist.

“It’s not just about us, of course. Proceeds of the shows support local good causes such as Shelterbox, our chosen charity for this year.”

The Tywardreath Players will be performing ‘The Birds’, based on a short story by Daphne du Maurier, at Pine Lodge Gardens, St Austell, from 12 May – 22 May 2010.

The play promises the unique Tywardreath Players mixture of comedy and dark events. The audience will witness as the laws of nature are turned up side down and the fight for dominance turns into a fight for survival.

We recommend you do not miss this opportunity to see the latest play from Tywardreath Players. To book your tickets to day please call 0845 0940428 or go to http://www.dumaurierfestival.co.uk

Market research is like… moving a caravan?! Written on April 12, 2010, by Robert Rush.

Market research is like…. moving a caravan.

Well, it can be. Personally I’ve never pulled a caravan but I appreciate that it’s as much about good preparation (servicing, load balancing, stabalisation) as it is about pulling in the right direction, good co-ordination and knowing how and when to apply brakes.

Some quick considerations for applying market research:

– When you’re not sure if your product will fit the market. Take a moment, measure, adjust, move again, check….
– When you’re not sure if the timing is right. Don’t go charging in there… what could be the consequences?
– When you’re not sure of the direction. Who’s driving and where will you end up?

At those critical junctures, things can go wrong… so nicely illustrated in this video:

OK… so this blog was a lame excuse to post this video. But you get my drift!

Cornwall Goes To Twestival Global (@TwestivalCor) Written on March 25, 2010, by Robert Rush.

We’re excited! This evening Cornwall will join cities around the world rallying around the important cause of Education by hosting the third local Twestival™ (or Twitter Festival).

Cornwall Twestival, like all other Twestivals, are organised 100% by volunteers. 100% of proceeds from ticket sales and fundraising activities will go to Concern Worldwide, an international humanitarian organisation dedicated to reducing suffering and ending extreme poverty. The money will go towards educational initiatives in some of the poorest parts of the world.

PFA Research was delighted to support the first Cornwall Twestival Global a year ago, the styled ‘Beach Chic’ Twestival event last summer and once again we are championing Cornwall Twestival on 25th March 2010.

From 7pm, Cornwall Twestival Global will be a real-world party where Twitter users and social media fans meet up offline at Truro’s buzzy and popular Vertigo Bar, to put faces to names and enjoy an evening of live music and other entertainments.

Be part of it! http://cornwall.twestival.com

There’s still time to get tickets for tonight’s event. Cornwall Twestival boasts a fantastic musical line-up featuring some of Cornwall’s best up-and-coming talent and some great auction prizes – all for just £10! Be part of it – Cornwall Twestival tickets are available here.

Saltash Presentation of South East Cornwall Business Survey Written on February 25, 2010, by Robert Rush.

Wednesday 24th February 2010: Robert Rush, MD of PFA Research, delivered a presentation of headline results of the South East Cornwall Business Survey to a gathering of the Saltash business community.

Click here to download the presentation.

The full results of the survey are here: The South East Cornwall Business Survey

Business Priorities for 2010 Written on February 19, 2010, by Robert Rush.

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The South East Cornwall Business Survey Written on February 8, 2010, by Robert Rush.

PFA Research has undertaken a survey of 400 businesses in the South East district of Cornwall.  The research was commissioned by a consortium comprising the Rame Peninsula Trust Community Interest Company (CIC), the Looe Area Partnership, the Saltash Community Interest Company, Business Link and the former Caradon District Council (now part of Cornwall Council).

The objectives of the research was to identify the current and future needs of businesses within the SE Cornwall area in relation to ‘staffing and recruitment’, ‘skills and training’, ‘innovation’, ‘business growth and aspirations’, ‘premises’ and
‘business constraints’. The research findings will be used to enable the sponsoring organisations to develop strategies to respond effectively to the needs of local businesses both now and in the future.

The results of the survey have been presented to groups around the district. The report is available for download here:

Scott Spain’s Secrets to Better Email Invitations Written on February 3, 2010, by Robert Rush.

It can sometimes be difficult for the market research company to build in complete best practise, especially if you’re a couple of  steps away from the end client. If you have been engaged as the data collection agent for, say, a consultant charged with undertaking a public sector led evaluation or developing a marketing strategy then I appreciate that sometimes you just have to tow the line and accept the diktat. However, we try to point out the risks and likely constituents for low response if we think there’s going to be a problem.

Scott Spain makes some great points in his blog about effective recruitment by email for web surveys: “The Secrets to Better Email Invitations.”

Careful consideration of the the relationship you hold with the target groups, who the email comes from, capturing attention via the subject line and then the positioning of the web link in the body, will all help to improve response rates.  You can read Scott’s blog post here: http://forum.researchinfo.com/showthread.php?t=1567

Monday Mornings: Seven ideas to get your work week off to a flying start Written on February 1, 2010, by Robert Rush.

If you regularly get to the office on a Monday morning and spend the first 20 minutes staring at the desk, wondering what happened to the weekend, thinking, “I love my work but it would be so much easier if it was Friday”, then here are seven quick tips for getting the new work week off to a flying start.

1) Look at the diary so you know what time you have available for the week.  Then write down what you need to have achieved by the time you get to Friday lunchtime.  I like to have a contingency and if I can get to Friday lunchtime having met the week’s obligations then I have bonus time to do some of those extra things typically identified as “that’s a good Friday afternoon job… we’ll do that when we get a spare hour.”

2) Clear emails and post – give yourself a fixed time (say, 20 or 30 minutes) to have them read, responded to (if you can do so briefly) or flagged for action.   If something needs more time to respond fully yet isn’t urgent, don’t be afraid to send a quick reply to say you have the email and will respond fully this afternoon, on Wednesday, next week… whatever.

3) Make a cup of tea! This doesn’t mean you have to have a tea break before you start… use the 5 minutes it takes to brew up to think through and focus on your day.  Maybe it’s different for you, but the first mug of tea of the day is something that settles me down and helps me to get in the zone, it’s certainly not a distraction.

4) Don’t get unnecessarily distracted by colleagues (discussing Saturday’s football, Sunday’s family film, the weather tomorrow…)  You don’t need to be rude but perhaps offer to catch up over lunch.  You may need to resist asking the “did you have a nice weekend?” question till later in the day for anyone who is likely to want to fill you in on every moment of their weekend!

5) Make sure you know who’s depending on your time this week ahead. It’s amazing how many weeks end on a Friday with “OK.. we’ll sit down and work that out next week” only for Monday to arrive and our minds wiped clean by the weekend.

6) Write a list of seven goals for the day – or five, ten, or however many works for you.  Seven work for me – I usually get to clear at least five and very often all seven. I always make sure I have something that I really like doing and is easy to achieve.  Some of my daily goals are very quick to complete but important, some are more ambitious.  I prefer to call them goals rather than things ‘to do’ – that way I always feel like I’m achieving rather than faced with a list of chores.

7) With a good set of goals defined for the day, get straight on and pick off one of them. Choose the one that is a quick and easy win. Look at the list of goals and make a conscious note that you have crossed one of them off.  Give yourself a pat on the back, feel good about it and look forward to the week ahead knowing that you’re off to a good start!

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