Ciao Surveys GmbH – Internet Survey Solutions

BREAKING DOWN BORDERS: MIGRATING INTERNATIONAL TRACKING STUDIES ONLINE Richard Thornton, Managing Director, Ciao Surveys GmbH Ciao Surveys GmbH – Internet Survey Solutions Name of Presenter Date

Introduction • In today’s crowded marketplace, it is critical to create a competitive edge. • Attitudes and behaviours can change rapidly—and the research providers that keep up with these changes gain this competitive advantage. • Online as a methodology is playing an important role in allowing research buyers and users of tracking study data to deliver the right insights at the best price in the optimised time

However… Gaining a competitive edge and delivering actionable decisions does not come without challenges….

It all starts with smart research planning Sample Sizes Multi-Media? Target Group Fieldwork Time Nat Rep Samples? Penetration Rate Qual or Quant? Local legislation Languages Countries

Partner with an agency you can trust • Tracking studies run online will invariably be run on panels • The good news is that you have more choice than ever before • But be careful as quality varies within the industry Make sure your : • Research-only panels • Panel quality • Recruitment should use the same model locally adapted per country • Panelists should be “active” • Adherence to local data protection laws • Members of local and global market research industry associations: ISO, ESOMAR, CASRO, MRA, MRS…

Anything else I should know? • Most panel companies claim to deliver a one- stop-shop approach but you should check… • If your panel partner is outsourcing to third parties: • different panels have different profiles • different recruitment methods • specific set-up processes • software requirements • how are panelists targeted • For operational support & infrastructure to handle international studies • Whether the panel company has prior experience of running similar multi-country projects

Panelist Value proposition Sign-up process $$$ (Incentive) Survey Experience Support (Help Desk) If you choose the right partner, a good panel has a happy and responsive panel!

Lost in translation… • Use professional native-language translators only • Supplier approval process where external translation agencies are used • What works in one country might not work in another! • Formal vs. informal • Question types, e.g. asking ethnicity can be offensive in some countries • Tailor appropriate language and tone to specific target groups – use localization • Make sure your panel partner is testing survey- links by speakers of relevant languages • Check for plausibility • Local market differences • Clarity of question wording • Make sure your partner has translation software integrated with survey software

Providing the right incentive… • Small incentives for completion of surveys are recommended • For international projects, incentives might need to be weighted per country • In Europe the trend appears to be “cash is king” • In North America prize draws, points, and pools are more widely used • In Asia a reward systems based on points redemption is popular • Different target groups require different incentives • Consumer vs. kids vs. B2B • Panel companies need to ensure payment prophecies are streamlined

International fieldwork made easy… • Compared to traditional research methodologies, online research enables… • larger samples and geographic areas due to cost savings • typically quicker fieldwork completion times for multi-country projects • Sample deployment should factor in time-zone differences for international projects • Online panels allow real-time monitoring of multi-country projects from one location • Quota management, incidence rates, response rates, & screen-out information are available at touch of a button • Top-line results can be provided in real-time for interim meetings and quick decisions

But can online deliver quality results? • Agencies and clients should request as much transparency as possible when running any projects, especially international studies • Online panel companies should run sanity checks at all stages of the fieldwork process • translation through to data delivery • Panel companies should have a dedicated panel support team and Q&A team for all languages supported • Quality assurance screening checks should be in place for… • surveys completed “too quickly” • for click-through patterns or “straight-lining” • Clients should evaluate the panel company’s performance • Respondents should rate the survey experience – this is not happening and needs client buy-in!

So the challenge is to engage the respondent and boost response rates Engagement Model Survey Length AppropriateIncentives Response Respondent Satisfaction Panel Involvement SurveyNarrative Survey Invitation Survey Design Source: Ciao / Fat Planet

Tracking Studies definition • Tracking studies are considered to be any study intended to be in the field on a continuous basis (at least three times per year). • Data is collected over time, changes interpreted and cause/effect relationships determined based on activities (advertising/economic events). • Therefore it is essential to keep independent variables such as target groups or study designs consistent. • Trend data can provide companies with a benchmark or meaningful standard by which adverts, products or services can be measured.

Tracking Studies: Study Designs Multiple study designs are possible! Advertising/Brand Tracking – Awareness of brand, usage, as well as purchase intent. Example – Study conducted amongst general population to gauge ad awareness and effectiveness. Usage/Behavior Tracking – Attitude and usage of a brand over time. Example – Study conducted amongst users of a specific product to gauge trial adoption, and usage patterns. Longitudinal/Diary Tracking – Trial & adoption or specific product. Example – Study conducted to gauge consumer reactions to a specific product, ease of use, product attributes, etc.

The markets are moving fast … • Markets fluctuate more rapidly and require constant monitoring • Markets are becoming global, but consumers remain diverse • There is pressure on market researchers to lower research costs while expecting faster results

… as the internet • Internet users are becoming more and more representative of the offline population • Nearly half of individuals in the EU25 used the internet at least once a week in 2006 • A third of households and three-quarters of enterprises had broadband internet access • Household internet access ranges from 23% in Greece to 80% in the Netherlands Sources Eurostat nov 2006

251 millioninternet users in Europe Source: internetworldstats.com, August 2006

Online tracker studies have the advantage of: • Providing more flexibility to allow faster turnaround on changes that affect strategic decisions • Having access to international and large samples to better target actual and future customers in their local environment; also with low incidence. • Lowering research cost. • Benefiting from proven infrastructure for fast delivery and better control. • Using multimedia capabilities to better capture the respondent feedback and explore new research themes • Yielding data of comparable qualityto offline.

1 Online provides more flexibility to meet new customer expectations • Online methodology enables a wide range of studies to be conducted, from concept testing, brand awareness, trade-off studies and purchasing intentions. • Can see real-time results and therefore react quickly to unexpected changes that occur during the course of the tracker • Complex survey skip patterns, rotations can be quickly changed • Easy changes to survey questions even during the field stage, including quotas

2 Online provides large profiled and qualified international customized sample • Access to 25 proprietary country panels on 4 continents, with partners covering 40 countries. • Access to a range of 10 vertical pre-selection panelist profiles • Access to large sample size and high response rate to reach low incidence target groups with ease • ALL our members are active panelists who have participated in a survey or joined the panel within the past 6 months

Ciao proprietary Panels Partner Ciao Surveys extensive international panels coverage Ciao: Europe > 2 Mio Ciao: America > 3.3 Mio Ciao: Asia/Australia > 315k

Price CATI Online Sample Size 3 Online provides significant cost reductions • Internal studies have shown that an online data collection methodology for tracking studies is less than half the cost of an equivalent CATI or Face to Face study • Cost reductions are made through savings on phone, mail and interviewer costs; printing and paper costs; data entry costs • Pre-selecting eligible respondents is a key money-saver, especially for traditionally low incidence groups • “This methodology has the advantage of being more cost-effective than other traditional data collections methodologies.”Chris Nash, Research Manager Feedback Consumer

4. Online provides high control in running studies • All surveys are administered centrally meaning a 100% comparable structure in all countries can be guaranteed and changes can be effected in all countries simultaneously. • Results can be viewed in real-time, with online reporting. • Respondent activity and questionnaire ‘stumbling blocks’ can be quickly highlighted and corrected. • Provides insight about the profile of screen-outs.

5 Online provides unique use of Multimedia options • Questionnaires can incorporate visual and audio cues, enriching the survey experience and delivering more comprehensive results • Multimedia keep the respondent interested for long surveys • Multimedia helps to increase respondent engagement • Multimedia tools encourage instantaneous responses

5 Examples of online Multimedia options Shelf Test Page Flip Image Slider “The medium of online tracking means that we are able to show stills or video clips, which is extremely useful for measuring which executions people might have seen” - Chris Nash, Research Manager Feedback Consumer

…results will not be 100% consistent vs. an offline study • Online users are typically more familiar with IT and technology compared with telephone respondents. • Respondents tend to be more open and honest when answering open ended questions in private and at a time that is convenient to them. • The presence of an interviewer in offline methodologies automatically introduces the potential for interviewer bias • Unaided awareness questions may be less complete when comparing online studies to telephone. • Online has response bias towards those consumers with internet accesshowever this is becoming less of an issue • However, overall trends will be consistent and similar conclusions will eventuate Source internal validations study 2006 Brand testing

There is another benefit… … Online panellists'’ engagement level is high and contributes to high quality survey • 50% say the primary motivator for joining a market research panel was being able to voice opinions about products and services • 74% say they participate in research for the chance to be heard, to have an impact, or to influence the decisions of companies • 75% believe that acquiring knowledge about new products/services is another significant motivator for participants Source GreenfieldOnline Ciao study 2006 50 completes in 10 countries

How switch to online? • Check the suitability of your topic for online research • Check whether your target group is accessible online • Do a cost comparison • Parallel run for a period • Demand consistency • Switch and enjoy  Offline tracking Adjustment Online tracking

Tracking studies executed Attitude & Usage In Home Usage Testing Ad Tracking Concept Test Website Evaluation Product Positioning Market served Travel & Tourism Telecommunications Beverage CPG Advertising Automotive Pharmaceutical Our experience with Online trackers 50 current on-going trackers 10 dedicated Projects Managers with Tracker expertise

Summary • Providing more flexibility to allow fast turnaround changes and support strategic decisions • Having access to international and large sample size to better targets actual and future customers in their local environment • Lowering research cost while keeping the same quality of data • Benefiting from proven infrastructure for fast delivery and better control • Using multimedia capabilities to better capture respondent feedback and explore new research themes

Case Study: EasyJet Brand Tracker for GfK NOP • Background: • Ciao were successful in the bid to run a large-scale international brand tracking study, which was previously being run by another online agency. • In order to review consumers’ attitude towards the airline, it was necessary to establish a strategy by tracking the brand attitude of this product. • “The survey is one if the largest and most complex online projects that we conduct - 17 countries, 64 markets with quotas for fliers and non-fliers in each market” – Zoë Laurance, AD, GfK NOP. • Of this, Ciao covers 14 markets. The global reach of our proprietary panels ensures we only have to go to partners for 5 of these markets. • n=28,500 completes conducted in 2006.

Methodology • We are able to minimise problems with more difficult markets by prioritising them - if people use more than one airport to travel from, the lower incidence airport is prioritised. • When we were asked to cover additional, difficult markets, we undertook a recruitment drive to ensure enough sample was available to achieve the required sample size. • Providing GfK NOP with a dedicated project management team has meant that a complex project has become easy to manage – from both sides. • Although GfK NOP are hosting this survey, our team check the script on each occasion to pick up any logic/sense errors, as well as routing/scripting errors. This ensures both teams are working closely together, towards the same goal.

Results • Attention to detail and a customer-focused approach ensure that we minimise panel burn and maximise efficiency. • “We have been using Ciao panellists for 14 of the countries (48 markets) and they have proved themselves to be highly professional business partners. Their management team provides constant support as well as help with script checking in the numerous languages required. Most importantly Ciao are very pro-active in making sure the required number of interviews are acquired to deadline”.

Ciao Surveys GmbH – Internet Survey Solutions