Business Intelligence, Business Statistics, Stats for Business
Jon Christiansen, PhD
Validity and Reliability

All marketers who conduct research should know that in order for findings to be of value and use, they must be both reliable and valid. But how well do you know these terms? 

Validity and Reliability
Business Intelligence, Marketing & Strategy, Marketing Research
Jon Christiansen, PhD
Staying on Target - Build & Execute Strategy ...

Whether you're writing a questionnaire for marketing research or building a five year company strategy, you must start with a clear, sustainable target (avoiding a "moving target").  As obvious as this seems, the lack of a well defined target is a critical mistake we see time and time again.  Learn why the execution formula - set a sustainable target, align your strategy to the target, and execute according to your target - is critical to success.

Staying on Target - Build & Execute Strategy around a Sustainable Target
Customer Experience, Consumer Behavior, Marketing & Strategy
Guest User
All’s Well that Ends Well: Happy Endings To ...

The way we experience something is not the way we remember it. According to peak-end theory, we don't remember our feelings throughout an event or experience, but rather our emotions at the peak and end of that experience. By utilizing the peak-end rule, you can take customer satisfaction into your own hands and influence the way your customers remember you. 

All’s Well that Ends Well: Happy Endings To Customer Experience
Marketing Research
Rich Groom
Don’t Live in the Ivory Tower – 5 Important ...

Conducting Marketing Research is something that nearly every successful company does.  But not all research is equal - some companies are much better at thinking strategically and getting the most out of their research than others.  In this article, we'll arm you with the 5 important questions to ask when conducting marketing research in order to fully maximize your research plan and objectives.

Don’t Live in the Ivory Tower – 5 Important Questions to Ask When Conducting Marketing Research
Marketing Research
Jon Christiansen, PhD
Four paradoxes of research – how to accurately ...

One of the most difficult (and in certain times, the most difficult) aspects of research is the need to draw conclusions from results. Sometimes the difficulty lies in the “Monday Morning Quarterback” assessment: we asked the wrong question. Other times, the results are counterintuitive, and speak to the opposite spectrum of accepted theory and practice. 

Then there are simply human errors of perception and judgment, notably relating to results interpretation and the expectation of research outcomes. Sometimes we have lofty, and even unrealistic, expectations of our research.  What we often do not realize is that, when unmet, this in-and-of-itself is a spectacular outcome.

All this noted, let’s explore four interesting paradoxes of research.

Four paradoxes of research – how to accurately use research to drive decisions

Marketing & Strategy

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Marketing Mind Control: The Subconscious Side of Branding

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Marketing Mind Control: The Subconscious Side of Branding

When you see something, you don't just see the physical object in front of you. You see what it means to you. And when that product has emotional value, you chose it over competitors. This instinctual pull towards a brand is your subconscious mind guiding your decisions. Every experience you have with a brand is automatically added to a massive subconscious network of feelings and associations about the brand. These subconscious associations form the gut feeling you have towards a brand, which becomes your intuition, motivating and influencing your buying behavior.

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Staying on Target - Build & Execute Strategy around a Sustainable Target

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Staying on Target - Build & Execute Strategy around a Sustainable Target

Whether you're writing a questionnaire for marketing research or building a five year company strategy, you must start with a clear, sustainable target (avoiding a "moving target").  As obvious as this seems, the lack of a well defined target is a critical mistake we see time and time again.  Learn why the execution formula - set a sustainable target, align your strategy to the target, and execute according to your target - is critical to success.

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Correlation vs. Causation - A Lesson in Careful Interpretation

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Correlation vs. Causation - A Lesson in Careful Interpretation

Understanding the difference between correlation and causation is a critical skill for any business or marketing analyst, as well as any managers or executives using data analysis to drive business decisions.  Knowing how they work, and being able to distinguish between a causal and non-causal relationship could be the difference in a multi-million dollar decision working in your favor, or helping out your competitors.
Part 1 of The "Marketing Analyst's Guide to Business Statistics" Series

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All’s Well that Ends Well: Happy Endings To Customer Experience

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All’s Well that Ends Well: Happy Endings To Customer Experience

The way we experience something is not the way we remember it. According to peak-end theory, we don't remember our feelings throughout an event or experience, but rather our emotions at the peak and end of that experience. By utilizing the peak-end rule, you can take customer satisfaction into your own hands and influence the way your customers remember you. 

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5 Mistakes You're Making Marketing to Millennials

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5 Mistakes You're Making Marketing to Millennials

“Millennial,” the all too familiar buzzword that strikes fear into the hearts of every silver-haired executive. The prodigal child who refuses to be reached by the marketing marvels of the Mad Men era. But what exactly are Millennials, and why are countless blogs, books, and seminars dedicated to deciphering them?

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Choosing the Best Survey Method to Reach Your Customers: A Comparison of Mail, Phone, and Online Surveys

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Choosing the Best Survey Method to Reach Your Customers: A Comparison of Mail, Phone, and Online Surveys

When surveying for data, the first and most important question is: who are my target respondents and how will I reach them? the three most popular methods of surveying are phone, mail, and email. This post highlights the pros and cons of these three most commonly used survey methodologies. [infographic]

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Delicate data – how to properly structure your data

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It seems that every company, consultant and guru today has jumped on the data bandwagon.  While we all seem to understand that data is important, many struggle to properly structure and store data in a way that’s usable and useful.  Fewer still actually use data to make an impact with their company’s goals – usually because their databases lack the proper structure need to pull out insights.

Despite the focus on data, we find that more often than not this is misunderstood and improperly executed.  To help get you started on the right path, we put together this introductory guide to help you understand the components of data and how they fit together in order to properly handle and store this delicate but powerful resource.