One of my favorite cultural tropes has to do with one of my favorite writers, Philip K. Dick, and his work Minority Report (also adapted as a blockbuster movie, with Tom Cruise and directed by Stephen Spielberg). The storyline essentially deals with law enforcement having the ability to predict a crime before it happens (and arresting a suspect before he

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In market research any new trend often feels like a Pandora’s Box: something a company feels it needs to open but is then blindsided by the outpouring results. Big data, social media, and content marketing are some examples—even as many are finally being harnessed for decipherable benefits. Mobile technology is certainly in this category; as an example, we reported that

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qSample is very proud of our custom online panels, especially our veterinarian and pet-owner sampling. It truly conveys an intimate insight into the amazing world of animals and the love of their (alleged) masters. Furthermore, as a data research firm, we are privy to other statistics and studies of pets and their owners, which not only benefits the market but

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A bad dream for those crafting questionnaires for online surveys might go as follows: Panel members take an online survey critiquing a previous online survey they participated, and that you wrote. The results are overwhelmingly negative. The panel members hate it and admit they offered slapdash information that will not assist in research. You don’t have to wake up. It

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The theme to the Love Boat can almost be heard as Valentine’s Day approaches (at least for those of us not millennials). Yet it’s more like a Love Titanic because of the amount consumers will spend to prove their hearts to significant others (and often not spend). It’s the good, the bad and the ugly of Valentine’s Day business, and

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It was Confucius who wisely said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”  Recent studies acknowledge that as a profession general contractors fall into the essence of the quote—to the point they are living in a Pharrell Williams song, always singing: Because I’m happy! Okay, where did you get this

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Email marketing (or “blasting” in the politically incorrect vernacular) is a vital aspect of online promotion. Unlike its earthly counterpart of flyers and advertising mail, its key component is not “where” to place them (like windshields and gates) but “when” to place them. There is no agreement on the best times to send out email marketing, and that might be

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In his article in GreenBook, Is Online Sample Quality A Pure Oxymoron?, Scott Weinberg presents a “state of the union” on the present online survey industry. The news is not good, according to him. Weinberg boasts more than 12 years of experience in the field with some lauded companies, so his alarming declaration carries some weight. The article is spanning

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Super Bowl Sunday explodes in all its extravaganza on February 1. The New England Patriots face the Seattle Seahawks, with Katy Perry as the halftime bacchanalia. Idina Menzel will sing the National Anthem, and John Travolta will likely not be there to mistake her name a second time. The event is truly the Promised Land for marketers—a quasi-holiday celebrating not

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Eye-tracking technology is a recent tech gift for online marketing and advertising. It allows businesses to evaluate the intimate desires of test subjects—by using a combination of an eye-tracker device (usually digital video camera) to capture eye motion or point of gaze, and software to record and analyze the digital images from the device. In essence and from a selling standpoint,

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