Summary
Many consumers searching for household appliances are habitual car forum users, visiting the likes of PistonHeads.com to Mumsnet.com. They take advice from people they 'know' but have never actually physically met. Car lovers will stick with their favourite trusted sources for advice on everything from buying a new washing machine, to lawn mower or watch. Effectively they seek advice in what is essentially a 'virtual pub'. Cars are one of the most widely discussed products online, with owners comparing fuel economy figures, sharing stories and photos of road trips and even organising 'meets'. This article advises car marketers on how to reach out to these opinion formers without alienating the ranks of established journalists.

Summary
This report from Warc’s Next Generation Research conference summarises the event’s proceedings under the main headings of mobile, social media and big data. It covers mobile’s potential to offer much more than a ‘survey clipboard’, particularly its ability to capture brand interactions as they happen in real time. Social media is recognised as an option of engaging groups of fans via online experiences, and generating research data via their interactions. The emergence of big data is seen as offering both opportunities and challenges, with an example of its positive application provided by Samsung’s ‘always on’ approach. And a representative from Google Consumer Surveys discusses the company’s entry into the market research space.

Summary
Invitations to web surveys sent out through online access panels usually do not mention the topic of the survey, in order to reduce the risk of expert bias. This study aims to elucidate whether online access panel members use the information on survey topic provided in email invitations in their participation decision and its influence on data quality. In a preliminary study, data about the personal interests of 1,660 panel members were collected. Panellists were then assigned to participate in one of two surveys, receiving emails with different amount of information on the survey topic. The influence of personal topic interest and topic salience on participation behaviour and data quality was measured. Evidence is presented that personal interest in the topic influences participation behaviour and data quality in online panels. Panellists who had been enrolled in the online panel for six months or less were more willing to participate if the topic of the survey was announced in advance.

Summary
Online research has experienced astonishing growth over the past 15 years. To keep up with this growth, researchers have developed new ways of accessing and utilising respondents. Nevertheless, they can still find it difficult to complete the needed number of interviews on time, particularly when the target population is rare or in high demand. For this reason, it is common today for researchers to use more than one sample source for some types of project, such as a tracking survey that measures change over time. Adding one or more sample source to the original might address the need for more respondents, but some evidence suggests that it might also decrease sample representativeness and reduce response accuracy. In this paper, we introduce a new methodology that enables researchers to select potential survey respondents from either a single sample source or multiple sources based on how well their characteristics match an appropriate, evolving standard with demonstrated evidence of external validity. We also present evidence suggesting that, in the aggregate, respondents who are selected through the new methodology are more representative of the target population than respondents selected by other means. Finally, we consider possible implications of the new methodology on methods other than online research with non-probability samples.

Summary
This report from The Market Research Event conference covers a presentation from MasterCard on its increasing use of online and social media as a source of consumer insights in Latin America. Data shows that consumers in the region have poor regard for traditional, offline research methods, but that online surveys hold more appeal. The credit card company believes it needs to translate its latest “Priceless experiences” brand positioning into its approach to its research activities in order to engage respondents for the best results. It has also seen Latin and South American consumers’ engage with its brand on social media (such as in their response to a risqué TV ad in Chile), leading it to identify social platforms as an important source of supplemental insights for researchers and marketers in the region.

Summary
With innovation, research concepts are often explored in research environments where real world context and time to think are in short supply. This creates a situation where logic and reason can have an unrealistic share of voice when ideas are being explored and evaluated. In 2009-2010, BT, the telecoms company, sought to understand how best to position its innovative (for the UK market) fibre optic broadband product. The desire was to get beyond the product facts of headline speed and connection reliability, and to really understand the human impact of supercharged internet connectivity. Using a future-facing global study and a video-enabled blog community, the research managed to use context to answer the brief, galvanise the client and inspire a successful TV ad.

Summary
This paper describes how Symrise, the flavour and fragrance producer, was looking for new ideas and business opportunities for its Mint business line. Symrise decided to launch research on Mint with three key objectives: explore consumer motivations and insights regarding Mint; understand consumer expectations in terms of taste and sensorial experience; and detect new business opportunities for Mint product development. Research showed that consumers were very happy with the Mint experience, but also that Mint could be used in combination with other flavours and sensorial experiences. The research showed strong differences between countries: Mint is strongly linked to cultural habits, and has a strong potential for offering new kinds of sensorial experiences.

Summary
Since qualitative online market research methods are still relatively young, this paper argues for combining them with offline methods in order to maximise their potential and minimise their shortcomings. It references three case studies that identify how the following weaknesses in online qualitative research can be overcome: it is hard to funnel the mass of data in a tangible way; there's a lack of depth in results; and there's a lack of speed in process and delivery.

Summary
This paper demonstrates an evolved approach to capturing and understanding consumer behaviour that utilises mobile and online tools in one project stream. A meta-cognitive approach to self-ethnography that involves training participants to be more self-aware within tasks can result in richer behaviourial data capture and insights that can provide powerful catalysts for the design process. In doing so, self-aware documentation can be as powerful a research approach as in-situ observation. How this methodology is currently being incorporated into the concept development research process of Nokia, the mobile handset maker, is illustrated, and demonstrates how it can produce agile, efficient data capture and analysis for user experience development.

Summary
This paper examines what happens when different devices are used to access and complete online surveys. As smartphones and tablets become increasingly popular, respondents are attempting to participate in online surveys with their various devices, yet online surveys are not necessarily entirely compatible across these devices. When surveys do not work on these alternative devices, no doubt respondents are frustrated and either cannot complete these surveys or enter data that is of poor quality. Further, when respondents experience this frustration, they are less likely to participate the next time they are invited.