A new brand strategy required new research methods and tactics to gather reliable data
Given the shift from product to customer focus, we revamped our sampling approach to interview respondents with specific job titles rather than users of certain products. Looking for a very specialized audience of decision-makers – PhD’s, researchers, lab directors and technicians – is no easy task in mature markets, let alone emerging markets. To fill quotas in markets that can support online data collection, we utilized niche panel companies and purchased specialized lists from academic and trade journals.
We also reevaluated and updated tracking practices in various markets. In China, for example, the tracking program needed to expand from tier 1 and 2 cities to include the emerging tier 3 and 4 cities where the client expected market growth. But in these smaller cities, no interviewing services existed, so we needed to partner with non-traditional partners to help complete the phone interviews. To ensure the highest integrity of data and insights, we executed a boots-on-the-ground approach in China with in-person briefings by Mandarin-speaking LRW global data collection experts, language monitoring, external validation and data checks for each market and each wave.
