From the blog: Stats & Strats

What’s in a Brand Name?

In late March, Kraft Foods Inc. surprised the business world with the name chosen for their global snack food business. The new name, Mondelēz International, is a combination of the Latin-based word “monde” (meaning world) and “delez” (a form of delicious) – or as Kraft explained, “delicious world.” Kraft had asked employees for ideas, and from 1700 submissions, this name came from an employee in North America and another in Europe. The new brand name will be used on packages of popular snack foods such as Oreo cookies, Ritz crackers and Cadbury Eggs. Kraft’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mary Beth West,...

Latest Campaign Reform Effort Causes Trouble for Survey Industry

People are fed up with negative campaigning, so much so that states have attempted to protect constituents with various state laws that pertain to negative campaign tactics. However, in several states, laws against the practice known as “push polls” have led to some serious difficulties for legitimate market research companies and political consultants to conduct their research. Push Polling, as stated in the Marketing ResearchAssociation (MRA) and American Association of Political Consultants’(AAPC) joint letter to Attorney General Michael Delaney of New Hampshire, “is not polling at all – it is a form of negative phone banking disguised as polling…It is...

Market Researchers Are Watching You

Fresh Direct, a New York-based grocery delivery service, often includes free samples in customers’ boxes. Orders for a case of generic seltzer prompts a sample of the company’s own Pellegrino-style sparkling water. The link between a similar order and two small bottles of high-end Italian soda (one lemon, one tangerine) is less clear. Was it the gingerale? The citrus? The artsy neighborhood? The seltzer (again)? The customer actually likes those sodas very much, but doesn’t buy them for reasons of health (cutting back on sugar) and budget. But it is unsettling that a company can so accurately predict, through non-obvious...

Communications Lessons for Non-Mind Readers

When I was surly teenager, my mother used to admonish me: “I’m not a mind reader. You have to tell me what you want.” The same philosophy extends to business communication. Your ideas may be industry-changers, but if your employees don't understand what's going on, your inspiration may never fly. People can’t read minds, and what seems obvious to you might seem muddled to someone else. A few tips for better communication: Over-communicate - It can be hard to tell how much is too little. If employees only know half the story, they may not know enough to ask the...

Campaign 2012 -Know Your Voter

Political polling is so 90s. As the first primaries and caucuses of the 2012 presidential race kick off, the media constantly focus on polls. But campaigns have moved beyond simple voter questionnaires to revolutionize online data mining in order to better reach constituents -- practices with the potential to move into the business world as well. President Barack Obama's campaign four years ago was the first devoted to such practices on a large scale. The campaign didn't just compile emails and addresses. Staffers used social media, geographic databases and chat room posts to create an integrated research tool that allowed...