Let’s Talk Data

Been dreaming about data, talking about it, just not writing it down this past year.  But with a new year comes a resolution to sit down weekly and capture some of the most interesting data trends that cross my path plus, I want to share the excitement that I feel from the work I’m doing.

Sometimes, I think when you set out to write (be it blog, letter, email), you have this image of the perfect post….and it’s difficult to let it go until you’ve polished yourself to a very dull point.  The same can be said for all projects, and data projects in particular.

Last year I formed a new company called Earthsense with my business partner and a group of crazy colleagues who like to take on really challenging marketing problems.  The idea started simply – to apply common sense to the explosive green movement.  As researchers, we wanted to use our skills at gathering and analyzing data to arm organizations with the information they need to produce products that are good for our earth while being good for the bottom line.  Since early last summer, our team at Earthsense has been immersed in sourcing, collecting, evaluating and standardizing lots of disparate data sources.  Our goal was to create a proprietary study – the Earthsense Eco-Insights Survey but to use our various skill sets to provide more than the traditional banners associated with syndicated market research.

This particular group of people have various backgrounds, but at our core we are all data geeks.  (Yeah, the truth comes out.)  We have expert researchers, marketers, analysts, statisticians, demographers, business folk, a microbiologist, a few with psychology backgrounds, city planners, geographers and ex-broadcasters and a few professors, too.  We have always had an interest in understanding consumers from a holistic sense — and so this survey has a special set of questions designed to understand consumer attitude, motivation and behavior when it comes to eco-friendly products.  For behavior, we had a theory that people express themselves by “voting” with their wallets (product purchases), voting with actions (conservation efforts, volunteering, donating) and also, traditionally and publically, by political affiliation and choice of candidate. 

Oh!  Wait until you see the patterns we are uncovering by examining the largest group of observations on the subject — 30,000 people answered our survey!  (Yes, count ‘em.  It is the largest survey of its kind in this area.)  We see strong relationships between political orientation (conservative, libertarian, moderate), Democrats, Republicans and Independents and attitudes about global warming and who is responsible for getting us out of this mess.  That is, some groups have higher concentrations of people who take personal responsibility and believe that we all need to do our share, while others believe more realistically, government and private industry are the only entities large enough to have measurable impact.

And to make it more challenging, we are actually going farther than just creating segments from survey responses — we’re looking deeper at “personal eco-systems” (mecosystems) where we examine all the influences that affect an individuals propensity to adopt eco-friendly/green/socially conscious behavior.

But it gets tricky.  When do you have to stop collecting and start analyzing?  So many theories and so little time!  It’s not demographics alone, nor lifestyle or lifestage, not the economy alone….is it media? Social networks? External factors like organizations, climate, resources (exographics?)  It’s tricky because there are varying levels of data (geographic based, vector based, point level, summarized, etc.) and they are not all updated at the same timeframe.  The possibilities are endless!

These are the types of data we’re crunching, examining, analyzing.  If you’ve read Super Crunchers — you’ll understand the fire that burns when you have lots of data to look at…its addictive as you move it around (kind of like a Rubiks cube) looking for the solution.  And it is an  new way of understanding the perfect storm needed to incite consumer behavior. 

So, we’re not waiting to release our results until we find the perfect answer.  We’re teaming up with information pros around the country (international has to wait until next year!) to digest our data, enhance it, analyze it, and provide measurable, actionable information for companies who are grappling with growing green.  The green train has left the station — only companies who have open minds and willingness to experiment and learn will wind up on the other side of Sustainabilty Mountain intact.

I’m a vendors’ vendor.

That is, I’ve worked as a vendor in the information industry for most of my career…and I enjoy working with other vendors as well as end users for their information needs. Many of my clients are actually big companies that have their own research departments but are looking for assistance when they’ve run out of conventional options.

I know the inner workings of most of the companies that I deal with — having been there, done that. I know when to buy, what questions to ask, when to push, and when to back off.

Catenate came into existence because I really wanted to be an “emissary” (one who works on the behalf of others) to this world I felt I knew well. I saw unassuming prospects, unaware of their options, make uneducated choices. My goal was to offer a variety of sources that could be used to solve complicated problems — without the bull that goes along with big company sales goals and bureaucracy.

When I first started the business, I worked with vendors I knew well. I set up deals to earn a commission that generally ranged between 20 (stingy) and 60 (good) points (%) of the market value for the project. That is, depending on the greediness of the source, I could sell a project and make between 20 and 60 cents on the dollar. Most of my projects went above and beyond the initial specifications — after all, what good is data if you don’t know what to do with it? Even though it wasn’t required, my team would try to get the most out of what we saw — and deliver to the client without extra charges. (You buy an answer, you buy our brains, not the time it took for us to solve the problem.) Most of the vendors appreciated the real value that a VAR (Value Added Reseller) brings to the table and were very supportive. Let’s face it, if you don’t deliver, clients simply don’t come back for more.

Over the years, more programs became available for information resellers. I spent a great deal of time reviewing the benefits of the various sources before agreeing to resell their stuff. But a funny thing happened. The more time I spent trying to improve the products for the vendors so that they met clients needs (yes, most of these vendors wouldn’t know a real client if he bit them on the ass), the more difficult it became to work with them as a reseller.

“We’re partner friendly” they’d declare, trying to woo me. “We want to have the best product”. But the larger the organization, the more layers of people trying to keep their ho-hum jobs got in the way. Without naming names, suffice it to say that the biggest players in the data and geodemographic industry do not have their clients needs top of mind. They are always looking to squeeze more profit out of a tired product and rarely entertain new ideas that would bring them far more revenue if they just took the time to think about the problems they are trying to solve.

I’m not bitter, just inspired.

If I told you about all the crap I’ve been dealing with over the past few years trying to get vendors to give me advance information on updates and changes so that I can prepare myself, my website, my clients — my own client information that they gather on my behalf, and BASIC BASIC internet advertising statistics — you’d be shocked at how incredibly unsophisticated and uninspired the big vendors are. They play it safe — they play it stupid and leave millions on the table.

I am working on a plan to change the way people get marketing data. I don’t intend to reinvent the wheel, just put together a car that actually moves forward when you step on the gas!

Wouldn’t it be nice to start by telling your vendor what the end goal was and having them give you a “trip tik” (pre-yahoo maps I know!) that showed you all the options and the places you might want to stop and investigate along the way before getting to your end goal?

Imagine a road trip where you knew where all the gas stations were, when you were likely to need them, the restaurants, the loos….all neatly mapped out in relation to your end destination. And the beauty would be that you could investigate any of the paths along the way in more detail…knowing that you could get back on track at any time.

Too often, we data geeks go searching for answers without keeping the end goal in mind. We provide demographic reports, maps, analyses — but fail to answer the question “now what”". Action oriented marketing is what I believe in, and what I intend to deliver in Catosphere V2.

…….

Now back to work!

Where do I begin?

I guess I could start by explaining my spotty blogging this summer.

We live in an area called Central NY. Actually, smack in the center of New York state, we’re in a ‘burb of Syracuse. This is simply one of the most strikingly beautiful places to live — filled with rolling hills, clear lakes, pastures, farms, and indeed a city that has many claims to fame (other than being the home of the Syracuse University “Orangemen” !) Summers here are beyond beautiful….but winters are a little brutal at times. (Syracuse is the fourth snowiest city in the country averaging over 100 inches a year…and when those winds blow, you simply don’t want to go out.)

Anyway, with two small children, summer is the time we let loose and spend as much time outside (untethered to the computer) as we can. (Thank goodness for cell phones and PDAs…I am always able to get a few things done while being mobile.)

This year, my business, Catenate, LLC took on a very challenging project for our favorite client — HP and indeed, that was a big focus during my working (and non-working) hours.

Added to that pressure, of course, we have had our house on the market. Keeping things spotless was a bit challenging — but that was part of our daily lives, too. Knowing that we could move at any time, I’ve been hesitant to change office space and add an assistant or two…I was waiting, in kind of a limbo, until the dust settled.

Like many of us in the sandwich generation, with parents and young kids — this summer was also a time of hospitals and nursing homes.

I am sad to share that after a six year battle with emphysema, lymphedema, depression, with no hope for a cure — my dad passed away last week. He wasn’t happy, he wanted relief from years of pain. He knew the end was near, but I don’t think he really expected to die so soon. While we weren’t shocked, death is never easy, no matter how much you think you’re prepared for its inevitable presence at your doorstep.

Dad was a smart man, and he planned for the future. He had a will and a financial planner, but unfortunately, he wasn’t very organized. My mom, like many women of her generation, didn’t pay the bills, and doesn’t have a handle on the finances. So, my sisters and I are tasked with locating and logging all of the assets he and my mom shared so that we can plan for her future.

So…as you can imagine, my focus wasn’t really on demographic data in the least.

I was intrigued though, by the whole administrative side of death. The questions on the death certificate such as place of birth, cause of death, and other pieces of information that could be used to show how mobile our society is. How do we live? How do we marry? When do we die, and why?

And of course, the first thing that came to mind when we determined that we’d have to hunt for assets is the fact that just about every financial transaction has a social security number associated with it. I’ve been making calls to see if there is an IRS database which might give us clues as to where to look. We’re looking through cancelled checks (which gives great insight), credit card bills (calling for the report today) and other pieces in the paper trail that one can’t avoid while living in modern society.

Looking through receipts we can see where he chose to spend his money — on prescription drugs, food, etc. The analyst in me wonders if there are patterns associated with behavior and death. While hopefully we can use numbers and databases to learn more about one side of the man we loved as our dad, you can never reduce a person down to mere numbers.

Looking at the house I grew up in, the house in disrepair after years of neglect, its hard to put a number on its value — or lack there of. To my mom, its as clear as can be in her head. She adds the years spent together there (40+), the kids (3), the animals, the neighbors, the good memories and yes, the bad…. and can’t imagine moving. My sisters and I see her future tied up in an asset that can be sold and will likely be completely torn down or remodeled beyond recognition. To come to some kind of resolution that preserves and honors her memories yet provides for a future certainly filled with healthcare bills — is something that we need to do. We’ll use databases that show recent sales in the area, upgrades, tax rates — all this data will help us assign a value that can be used to turn memories into cash. But will it be fair? Of course, its all relative.

So, I’m back. And while I can’t promise any revelations, I do look forward to taking a second look at sources of data that we take for granted.

So, here we are, post-data-gathering-phase of the big B2B study we completed. The survey has all kinds of juicy data in it, and it will be examined closely over the next several months as we try to unravel the mysteries of inkjet usage.

But taking a peek at the data has been, well shall we say, less than pleasant!

When you create survey tools that include lots of visuals, and customized questions, the resulting tables are quite big and unwieldy.

Yes, we have SAS and SPSS programmers, tools and all that good stuff, but for your average analyst who just wants to LOOK at the goods, what is usually the tool of choice?? Excel, of course. Or Access.

But Excel has its limitations (great limitations — only 256 columns and 65,000 rows). We searched up and down for tools to let us have Excel-like functionality — yet an ability to handle over 3,000 columns of data.

If you are over the age of 35 — you might remember the WordPerfect vs Microsoft Office battles? Well, upon searching the *wonderous* wide web, we came across an old favorite, from long ago…Corel’s Quattro Pro. This beauty takes 18,000 columns with 1,000,000 rows!!!! And it’s elegant and fast, and so darned easy to use because it works like Excel but somehow it seems even more intuitive. And an upgrade from Excel is only $159.00. How cool is that?

So, if you want to know what I’m up to these days, I’m up to my ears in new data…. gleefully, now that I can see it!

Wow! Time flies. Kids are finally out of school and the summer is really in full swing….

And where is my new demographic data you ask?

You would think that a reseller would be “in the know”…but companies that sell this data are notoriously close to the vest with release dates. I will likely know the day before you do when the new features and new data is available. So much for being a valued partner. I do know that new features are on the way — and that’s good news. But release dates? List of features? Anything? Nada.

I’m learning not to trust what big companies say. I have actually grown to love working with smaller companies — they seem to care more about partnerships and actually respect people who try to make money for them. I like nimble companies that make things work instead of talking about them endlessly and finding excuses why they “can’t” as opposed to investigating how they “can”. It’s universal among big companies. They get so bloated they can’t tie their own shoes… and they don’t apologize when they make mistakes or are slow to respond.

But I digress….

I want to share with you my scoop. I’ve been working on a project where our team is collecting primary data — that is, we’re collecting data from users of particular equipment to help our clients get a better grasp on the market they serve. My scoop is this: web-based research isn’t dead, but the model is going through a dramatic change.

I’ve learned a great deal from this project — and in many ways, am more determined to succeed now than I was when we started over six months ago.

Just four years ago, we did a similar project and achieved great success. We were able to collect enough data to feel confident in our results. This time, the gathering of quality data has been challenging and I believe it is due to the following factors:

1. Over surveying of the target population — this indeed, is a big problem for all researchers –regardless of the instrument and the methodology they choose to execute. Internet-based surveys (once a novelty and now the norm (with estimated statistics ranging from 40-60% of all market research surveys being conducted on the web. ) have taken a great hit. Plainly put, any idiot with a copy of Survey Monkey or one of the myriad other online packages can easily craft a thing that looks and feels like a survey, but doesn’t really meet the criteria for being true “market research”. As a result — consumers and businesses are bombarded with requests for participation in market research. I am sad to say that most of what I see, while good intentioned, is not really well-crafted.
2. Mislabeling legitimate messages as SPAM, and SPAM filters is a huge problem for marketers that use the web. The general rule is to reach out only to people that have given you permission to contact them. Unfortunately, when you are trying to understand the size and scope of an entire business segment, there is no way you can estimate factors without getting data from the entire spectrum of users. And, the only way to reach out to a broad segment of the population is to rent lists from media and trade associations that cater to those end users. So, even if you legitimately rent a permission-based list, and have the organization/magazine/site, mail on your behalf, some end users perceive your invitation as spam and subsequently blacklist you. Additionally, with so many word patterns sending off flags in tools such as “SPAM ASSASSIN”, no matter how direct your subject line — you can be dumped into your recipients junk folder and they might never get a chance to even see your message and judge the merit themselves.
3. Misuse of sweepstakes and prizes as incentives for participation. Not too long ago, before everyone was on the survey bandwagon — you could offer a premium such as a branded mug or $20.00 to get 20 minutes of someone’s time for a survey. Now, the competition is fierce. For the past few years a few companies have grown big by building panels of consumers so that companies could have statistically balanced samples. The way they quickly built up their numbers was to solicit respondents using banners that promise free large screen TV’s and PC and ipods. Most consumers had no idea just how many hoops they had to jump through to get the big prize. After several steps, many just dropped out — and left feeling as if the whole thing was a scam. The consequence is that you have to incent people to come to your site, to complete the survey, and to come back if you wish to work with them again. That involves lots of coordination and re$ources — and the right choice of incentives. Choose wrong and your response rate suffers.

There are likely a zillion other reasons that I could come up with if I had to…and as I do a post mortem on this project as we gear up for the next phase….I’ll write about them.

The main lesson learned is that things aren’t working the way they used to just two to four short years ago. We as marketers and researchers have to devise new ways to pay consumers and businesses back for their input. More thoughts on that later….

Wendy