As market researchers, we take pride in the fact that we are listening to respondents, not trying to sell them anything. Not only is this important to gain the respondent’s trust, but also because researchers prefer to believe that they are social scientists, not car dealers.
However, it is obvious that submitting respondents to a stimulus like a commercial (which they wouldn’t be exposed to or to such a degree without the test) will at least increase the awareness for the product advertised. And any marketer will tell you that awareness is the first stop on the road to the grocery store (or box-office).
Research Magazine (again) mentions today in its newsletter a new study by Duke Professor Gavan Fitzsimons (again) that shows that surveys can influence purchase decisions. I haven’t read the full report yet, but will try to find a copy. What is new to me is that interviewing someone doesn’t only increase awareness for a product, but that, according to Fitzsimons, it also “activates a positive attitude to purchase it in the futur”e.
This is an important topic for sampling purposes. When we look for a sample of consumers to take a U&A or tracking study, results can be biased if we use the same respondents who took recently a advertising test for a product in the same category. If I take a survey to test a new theatrical trailer for Superman, and take a survey a week later asking me which movies I have seen recently or am aware of , my answer will obviously be skewed.
To avoid respondent bias, market researchers generally ask for respondents who have not taken surveys in the past 3 months. Now, most online research is conducted via panels, which by definition need to be used frequently. I believe that 3 months is too long and not realistic (is there enough available sample in the market to have fresh survey takers for every new survey?), but I would be interested to hear other opinions. How do you measure past participation? Do you track it through your/your partner’s panel or do you ask the respondent? If you ask the respondent, what are your thoughts on the accuracy of the answer? How long do you wait before you re-interview a respondent for a survey of a certain category, and/or after a certain exposure to a stimulus. If you have done or read research on the topic, please let me know, I am interested!
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