Influx

People have been using the web to do consumer research for over a decade. Its had its fair share of problems especially in quant, where it’s already been proven that only a very distinct group of consumers ever complete surveys online.

However, as people become comfortable with sharing more and more of their lives online, it’s becoming a very interesting place to get a feel for what people are thinking and doing. People are using blogging tools and media uploading tools to help them get a better understanding of their consumers and these are often richer and more insightful than the typical focus group.

With 2.0 technologies, all this only going to improve.

One example I really like is Noah Brier’s Brand Tagging project. This simple application that allows people to enter words they associate with specific brands

and see the results from others.

What I like here is that the tool employs some good thinking. It feels more like play, than research. It doesn’t take a lot of time and who doesn’t want to be rewarded after they’ve contributed by seeing everyone’s results.

Obviously, Brand Tagging isn’t going to replace anything fast, but it illustrates the power of a relatively simple and low cost tool to generate some useful insight.

It would be great to hear of more examples of this type of thing

Posted by Ed Cotton