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Thoughts on everything that matters right now in marketing, communications, and insights.

Category: PR

Quality of own-label brands on a par with branded goods – Research Live Posted on June 24, 2014 by Simon Dunn

Research shows shoppers regard own-label products to be as good as, and sometimes better than, branded equivalents as austerity impacts people’s shopping choices.

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Brands should harness research to fight own label challenge Posted on June 18, 2014 by Simon Dunn

There was more good news for shoppers today. Inflation has fallen to its lowest level in almost five years, with the consumer prices index down to 1.5 per cent in May. The result, which puts inflation at its lowest level since October 2009, was driven by the first annual decline in food and non-alcoholic drinks prices in more than eight years – a consequence of the escalating price war between Britain’s major supermarkets. Source: Brands should harness research to fight

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Retailer brands are holding their own – Marketing Week Posted on by Simon Dunn

Shoppers regard supermarket own-label products as on a par with and sometimes better than branded equivalents – but not in every category, a study finds Source: Retailer brands are holding their own

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Targeting the baby boomers Posted on by Iosetta Santini

Research reveals that those aged 50 and over feel excluded by brands and misrepresented in advertising and with stats showing that a third of the population are 50 plus, is this a missed opportunity for brands? Source: Targeting the baby boomers

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Twitter data: misused and misunderstood Posted on June 12, 2014 by Iosetta Santini

Arguing that Twitter can’t be used for market research purposes is missing the point says Annie Pettit of Peanut Labs. Source: Twitter data: misused and misunderstood

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Retailers’ price cuts are hard to avoid Posted on May 14, 2014 by Iosetta Santini

The pressure from supermarkets to cut prices throws into question the value consumers place in brands. Sainsbury’s Justin King played down his rivals’ price cutting tactics as a “skirmish” but our research found that 85 per cent of people now prioritise cost over ethics when they shop, and only 13 per cent buy products for their brand status. Bargains are becoming a driving force and brands and retailers alike have a bigger job to do to keep consumers close. Source:

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Five top tips on getting media coverage for researchers Posted on April 7, 2014 by Iosetta Santini

Are you sick of seeing the names of your competitors plastered in print and wondering how they’re getting all of that glorious media coverage? Ever thought about trying to get some coverage yourself? Here are some tips to help researchers get into the media:   Define your objectives.   Think about what you want to achieve with your coverage and who you want to read your story – and then work out what they read. It might sound fantastic to

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What I learnt at IIeX Posted on March 10, 2014 by Lucy Davison

Insight Innovation Exchange was a whirlwind. It was the first of its kind in Europe, and with upwards of 40 presentations a day, I often found myself with room envy. Condensing my most memorable memories has been a challenge, but here goes: 1. Virtual Reality. This is a reality - Lieberman Research Worldwide’s VR headset (in the exhibition) plus VR simulator 'Avatar', by  Hall & Partners and Simudyne, exemplified that. I personally had a terrifying time plunging into the virtual reality

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How can market research companies gain people’s trust? Posted on March 7, 2014 by Lucy Davison

Recent research by the Global Research Business Network found that 41% of people don’t trust market research companies with their data. Although the reason for this is not difficult to rationalise – the commoditization of personal data, qualms about technology and unethical data use – the real question is how to counter the mistrust. To change people’s perceptions, something must change in the way market research companies communicate, and the key to consumer trust is for a brand to behave

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The ten commandments of mobile research Posted on February 25, 2014 by Iosetta Santini

We've arrived in 2014, which has been hailed ‘the year of the mobile’ - much like every year since 2008. But mobile presence does continue to grow – notably, January saw the launch of the iPhone in China, Samsung has just unveiled the Galaxy S5  (pictured) to great fanfare. This growth of mobile has created several very significant changes for the marketing industry – not least the ability to gather insights in a moment by surveying consumers on their mobile devices. 

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