Research Tidbits

I facilitated a 6-hour Zoom session – and lived to tell the tale!

Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/yelling-formal-man-watching-news-on-laptop-3760778/

Obviously, we’ve all been doing a lot of Zoom calls lately.  I’ve heard the term “Zoom fatigue” about how tiring those calls can be.  But I’ve wondered if they’re any more tiring than the in-person meetings we used to do.  I got an opportunity to contrast and compare: last year, I did a full-day in-person strategy session with a client (well, 6 hours, from 10am to 4pm).  This year, the same client needed to do another 6-hour session, but (of course) on Zoom.

It was indeed tiring, but there was an upside: when we took breaks, we were all in our own homes, so we got to take a true break, rather than just getting up and getting a cup of coffee with the other participants. 

Also, I had a few tricks up my sleeve and I was able to get some tips from my colleague Eric Snyder at Ignite 360, who had just done a full-day workshop with another client.  And it worked!  Everyone remained engaged throughout the day and we were able to get results!  (Though I will admit to being dead tired when it was done.)

Here are my tips for surviving a 6-hour Zoom session:

  • I scheduled a 15-minute coffee break in the morning, a 30-minute lunch and another 15-minute coffee break mid-afternoon – and I stuck to that schedule (politely cutting people off – it’s an art!).  So people didn’t have to go longer than an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half between breaks.
  • We did a few fun things throughout the day.  We sent some cookies and snacks to all the participants in advance which I encouraged the people to have during the coffee breaks and talk about which treats they liked best.  And rather than doing regular introductions, I had everyone send me the information about what they do at the organization, but also a little known fact about themselves and one or two photos of them doing something fun or unexpected.  I put them in a PowerPoint deck and used them as “palate cleansers” between topics.  I would first just show the little known fact and ask participants to guess who it was, and then revealed the person and their photos.  It really served to break up the day and lighten the mood.
  • Here’s something I didn’t do, but Eric has done with great results: offer small prizes for things like the first person to answer a certain question.  It could be as small as a $5 Starbucks card, but people love the competition!

In addition, I discovered some helpful points about how to best utilize Zoom’s features… and handle its shortcomings:

  • I knew it would be important for everyone to see each other speaking, so I asked them in advance to all use a computer and not a tablet (which only lets you view 9 participants at a time – we had 12) and definitely not a mobile phone.  And I made sure everyone was in Gallery Mode (or as I put it, “It should look like Hollywood Squares, where we are all in rectangles of the same size”).
  • I consider the chat panel an added bonus when compared to in-person discussions.  If someone has something to add to what a person is saying at that moment, they can type it in the chat panel, rather than interrupting.   Also, having two types of input – the voice of the person speaking and the text in the chat panel – actually helps people stay more engaged.  When you just listen to a person speaking, your attention is more likely to wander.
  • One of the drawbacks of Zoom is that when two people start talking at the same time, it takes a few seconds to realize that, and neither can be heard.  But the silver lining: it forces a more orderly discussion.  I had people raise their hands to indicate they wanted to speak next and I confirmed in the chat panel (e.g., “Next: Barbara”).  And when two people did start talking at once, I just had to play traffic cop and say something like “OK, Mary, you go ahead, and then David.”
  • We were planning to work together on crafting a vision statement and I had intended to share my screen so we could all agree on the text.  But I realized that participants wouldn’t be able to see each other that clearly while screen sharing.  Instead, I typed the suggested text in the chat panel, as well as subsequent revisions, until we had a version everyone agreed on.  (Note: that would be a good time to click the “save chat” link in Zoom!)

Let’s talk about the best approach to find the answer to your strategic questions. Call me at 760-469-9266 or email info at bureauwest.com.

Posted on by Jay Zaltzman

Marketers define new best practices

I recently joined my colleagues at ThinkGlobal Qualitative in conducting research with marketing and insights leaders around the world to understand the challenges they are facing and their best practices in handling those challenges.

Their biggest question: how can we strategize and move forward during this crisis when customers’ attitudes seem to change every few weeks?

Certainly the changing circumstances have required some quick course changes for businesses around the world.  But upon further discussion, we realized that obtaining a deeper understanding of our customers can uncover their foundational values to help us better navigate their changing circumstances.  Qualitative research is particularly well-suited to get at that kind of deep understanding.  It goes beyond the surface questions and asks “why?”

I co-wrote an article based on the research, “Marketers Get a GRIP on the New Normal.” 

Article: Marketers Get a GRIP on the New Normal
http://bureauwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Marketers-Get-a-GRIP-RJ.pdf

GRIP refers to the top four challenges discussed:

  • Growth – how to maintain and grow the business in a volatile world
  • Recovery – how to function most effectively in the new normal
  • Innovation – figuring out the new ways brands will interact with customers
  • Pivot – how to make those changes quickly and effectively

The article discusses meeting those challenges and outlines approaches companies can use to not only survive the crisis, but actually thrive.  Click here for the article.

Let’s get a deeper understanding of your customers in order to figure out how your organization can meet those challenges. Call me at 760-469-9266 or email info at bureauwest.com.

Posted on by Jay Zaltzman

In the current crisis, it’s innovate or die

OK, maybe I’m overstating it … or am I? 

https://pixabay.com/photos/puzzle-pieces-of-the-puzzle-play-81457/

The pandemic has caused significant changes for almost every company.  Many have seen a sharp drop in revenue.  Others have had revenues remain the same or even increase, but customers’ needs have changed.  Many have new rules and restrictions about how they can do business.  Some restrictions may be relaxed soon… but customers aren’t sure it’s safe to go back to their old behaviors.

The result of this chaos can be summed up in one word: Disruption.  And when it comes to dealing with disruption, companies that fail to innovate do so at their peril. 

We’ve all heard the stories of companies that ignored disruptions going on around them.  Nokia didn’t realize that data would become more important to users than voice.  Kodak ignored digital photography.  Blockbuster refused to believe their model could be improved upon.

And then there are the companies that recognized disruption and innovated.  Netflix was in the business of mailing DVDs to their customers.  The company saw the growth in high-speed internet and developed its streaming service.

More recently, online meeting provider Zoom grew immensely as a result of the lockdown… and then had to deal with significant disruption when security flaws were discovered.  As a result, many companies and organizations stopped using Zoom.  The company reacted quickly, releasing versions of their software that addressed vulnerabilities and going so far as to acquire security company Keybase to help with their security and privacy efforts.  Now the New York City Department of Education and other organizations have lifted their bans on Zoom use.

So how can you ensure your company doesn’t get crushed by disruption?

We recommend conducting a brand innovation process, which includes the following:

  • A review of how the competitive landscape has changed as a result of the current crisis
  • Research with customers and prospects to understand how they feel and what they are doing right now
  • Disruption workshop with your key stakeholders.  Looking at each of the “4 Ps” –Product, Price, Place, and Promotion – what has changed in the current environment?  How should the brand evolve to address those changes?  A SWOT exercise leading into brainstorming: what could be done better or differently when it comes to each of the four Ps?  What are ways to leverage the company’s strengths and opportunities (including new opportunities) in order to overcome the weaknesses and threats?

Can Bureau West help? I thought you’d never ask!  I have teamed up with Joe Sharlip, an expert brand strategist, to offer brand innovation to our clients. Call me at 760-469-9266 or email info at bureauwest.com to discuss how best to tailor the process for your needs.

Posted on by Jay Zaltzman

The “new normal” — what do people want?


Credit: CNN https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/07/world/dutch-restaurant-reopen-greenhouse-trnd/index.html

Many companies are conducting research, asking their customers how they intend to behave and what they want as we move toward emerging from lockdown.  What they’re finding is that people just don’t know.  This is such a strange and unprecedented time that people aren’t sure how they feel or what they want. 

Anecdotal evidence says that people are not necessarily returning to their previous behaviors as soon as their local government eases restrictions.  But they don’t seem to know how they will actually behave until the easing happens.  One thing is clear: most are worried about staying safe.

Companies are looking for creative ways to allay customers’ fears.  A restaurant in Amsterdam has introduced “quarantine greenhouses” where a glass structure encloses tables of up to four diners, enabling them to maintain social distance from others.  Servers wear face shields and use long boards to serve dishes to diners.  The restaurant is booked solid until the end of June.


Credit: CNN https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/07/world/dutch-restaurant-reopen-greenhouse-trnd/index.html

But… if people don’t know what they want, how can market research help?  Several ways:

  • Conduct research about actual behavior.  While people are having trouble getting their heads around the current situation and may not always be able to explain their own behavior, we can uncover patterns in their actual behavior.  This is a time to consider using apps and other research methods that track behavior as it happens.
  • Get their reactions to new ideas and concepts.  Customers didn’t know they wanted to dine in personal greenhouses until the idea was presented to them.  We didn’t realize we wanted face masks with cool designs until we started seeing Facebook ads.  People have time to participate in market research right now and are happy to react to ideas we present to them.
  • Consider co-creation.  While it’s difficult for people to predict how they’ll behave tomorrow, they are willing to participate in co-creation and do in-depth work on your product or service.  In fact, for many it’s a welcome distraction from the concerns of this pandemic.

Let’s talk about the best ways to learn from your customers. Call me at 760-469-9266 or email info at bureauwest.com .

Sources: Bureau West research; “This restaurant in Amsterdam introduced ‘quarantine greenhouses’ so diners can eat while social distancing,”CNN.com, 5/7/20; “I’d Gladly Eat At This Restaurant During The Global Pandemic,” View from the Wing, 5/10/20

Posted on by Jay Zaltzman