Advantages of Short Term Market Research Online Communities, or Neighborhoods

Research Neighborhoods and Communities — the advantages

Neighborhoods offer a number of advantages over conventional “point in time” qualitative research methodologies (like focus groups and online bulletin boards), including:

• Stays Active and Available in Parallel to Internal Decision Making Process – Decision Making within a company’s brand management, or executive management, structure happens over days, weeks and months. Options are developed and explored, criteria set and modified, creative ideation sessions held, and importantly, creative thinking incubation happens. Communities and “neighborhoods” can run externally in parallel to this internal process.
• Depth and Quantity of Feedback - By spending a few months with a targeted group of individuals, you can explore a research topic in much more depth than in a focus group, short term bulletin board, face-to-face depth interviews, or surveys. The volume of verbatim transcripts can be extensive as participants evolve in their own thinking and expression about your brand and the competition.
• Deeper Understanding of Customers and Prospects - Working closely with participants over the course of time allows for a deeper understanding of them and the context for their answers.
• New Questions and Insights - Over time, participants often direct the conversation to areas you may have never thought to explore initially, opening up opportunities for new questions and insights.
• Cost Savings over Focus Groups or Repeat Qualitative IDIs  Communities offer large savings over multi-city focus group studies especially when travel, facility rental and recruiting costs are considered.
• Adaptive Research Goals and Discussion - In an MROC, learning happens everyday. As the conversation evolves around a topic, we can, in consultation with you, modify the Discussion Guide.  The process is interactive, merging research goals, listening, learning, and modification; all in real time. Participants guide where the discussion goes.