Top 10 most trusted industries and sectors

7 Mar

Continuing with the ‘TRUST’ theme, we wanted to better understand which broad industries and sectors consumers thought were the most trustworthy. In February 2012 we presented panellists with a list of 20 industries / sectors and asked them to pick ONE which they thought the most trustworthy.

The list was not necessarily all-encompassing, but it does present some interesting insight. More than 7000 people voted – and here is the top 10:

1. Emergency services (31.1%)

2. Charities (14.1%)

3. Supermarkets (8.8%)

4. Universities (8.1%)

5. Banks / Building Societies (5.9%)

6. Solicitors / Lawyers (5.9%)

7. Airlines (4.3%)

8. Local tradespeople (3.2%)

9. Pharmaceuticals (3.1%)

10. Car manufacturers (2.9%)

 

It is also worth noting some of the sectors that did NOT make the top 10. With 2.8% of the vote, it is interesting to see that relatively few people say they most trust their local council – significantly lower than the likes of supermarkets and banks.

Of the 20 sectors represented most were primarily consumer facing, however, bottom of the pile (we’re afraid to say!) came the marketing companies – with 0.2% share (just 17 votes!). Utility companies (0.5%) and car dealerships (0.5%) fared only marginally better.

To request a full breakdown of the results (and to see how sectors such as estate agents, insurance companies and mobile phone networks rated), please call Jo Iaconianni at Ci Research on +44(0)1625 628000.

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Top 10 most trusted trades

24 Feb

Continuing with the TRUST theme, Ci Research and marketresearchexpert.co.uk ran a poll to see who the public perceive the most trustworthy trades people to be.

Over 8,000 people voted in January and February 2012, and here is the top 10:

1. Gardeners (21%)

2. Window cleaners (14%)

3. Carpentry / Joiners (13%)

4. Electricians (12%)

5. Decorators (7%)

6. Heating specialists (6%)

7. Pest controllers (6%)

8. Plumbers (6%)

9. Builders (5%)

10. Tilers (2%)

No place for roofers, plasterers, bricklayers or scaffolders in this top 10 unfortunately!

Top 5 recurring themes from the Ci Nation online research community

20 Feb

 

Ci Research recently delivered a syndicated online community trial for clients in the financial services sector.

The community ran for 12 weeks, and gathered over 2000 contributions from 100 participants.

This was delivered through the new Ci Nation community portal, which included online discussion forums, polls and live online chat with consumers.

Here is a taster of some recurring themes from the online discussions.

1. Increasing frustration surrounding in-branch banking experience
(falling further behind other sectors in terms of standards) – long queues, overly formal, unwelcoming.

“I could go on all day with the issues I have with UK bank branches! I don’t think I have ever had a good experience in-branch. Partly to do with incompetent staff, partly to do with the stuffy nature of the branches themselves” (Male, 17-25)

2. An overriding sense that banks (and to a lesser extent other FS organisations) do not have the customers interests at heart. Perceptions of ‘pushy’ counter-staff trying to up-sell.

“I prefer to do my banking online and only go in-branch when there isn’t an alternative. If I am going in a branch I set myself up in advance for a long wait followed by the multiple questioning at the counter about my other financial products, when I usually only want to pay a cheque in.”(Female, 36-45)

3. Consumers feeling more informed than ever before – savvy and empowered to negotiate deals or preferential rates (across FS products).

“I have used Confused & Go Compare for car insurance, but have never bought through them. I use them to get a base price then call a company directly to get them to beat it. Seems to work 90% of the time. They will match it the other 10%.” (Male, 17-25)

4. That said, a thirst for further financial education was apparent. The need for this is of greater importance amongst young people (according to older consumers and the young people themselves).

“Unfortunately young people, my own children included, cannot see the importance of investing, preferring to focus on the here and now such as socials, holidays etc. I am sure there will be a time when they realise the error of this approach. I just hope that they realise sooner rather than later. Financial planning / education will help. But attitudes with regards to the ‘live today society’ need to change.” (Male ,56-65)

“I’m nearly 22 and I know next to nothing about investments apart from the basics of ISA’s. I have no pension (being that I am a student and can’t afford to pay into one) but from everything I’ve heard I’m not sure a pension plan is the best way to go. I suppose I am investing in my future with my education, but I do really need to learn more about this stuff – especially with the recent issues with pensions.” (Female, 17-25)

5. A demand for more tailored insurance products

“With insurance I sometimes feel they are trying to fit everyone in the same box. They don’t take into consideration that people are individuals. They should provide policies that are matched to people’s lifestyles.”  (Female, 26-35)

If you would like more information on the Ci Nation online community please contact Anthony Shephard or Richard Walker at Ci Research on +44(0)1625 628000 – or send us an email.

anthony.shephard@ci-research.com

richard.walker@ci-research.com

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Top 10 Most Trusted Websites in the UK

16 Feb

Top 10 most trustworthy websites

Following on from our special feature on TRUST, published on How-Do.co.uk earlier this week, Ci Research would like to reveal the initial findings from a series of online polls designed to understand which are the UK’s most trusted and least trusted brands and organisations.

Where better to start than online? We were keen to know which websites (either specific brands or genres of sites) had managed to best capture the trust of the general public.

Over 7,000 people voted in this online poll during January and February 2012, and the headlines results show:

  • Google (31%) and Amazon (27%) lead the way, accounting for well over half of the public vote;
  • Such brands considered even more trustworthy than online banking websites (9%);
  • High trust ratings for websites that play heavily on recommendations and user/buyer feedback – e.g. eBay, Trip Advisor, Amazon;
  • Facebook (5%) considered the most trustworthy of the social networks – well ahead of Twitter (1.1%) and LinkedIn (0.4%).

The top 10 most trusted websites (from a given list) were as follows:

1. Google (31.0%)

2. Amazon (27.1%)

3. Online banking websites (8.7%)

4. eBay (5.9%)

5. Facebook (4.6%)

6. Trip Advisor (4.0%)

7. Moneysupermarket (3.0%)

8. Wikipedia (2.7%)

9. Yahoo (2.3%)

10. Online grocery shopping websites (1.5%)

 

Which websites do you trust the most and why? Which don’t you trust and why?

Please add a comment below.

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Top 10 Market Research Projects for 2012

20 Jan

The New Year has arrived, along with a new set of challenges for clients across multiple sectors. Insight is integral to understanding what customers want, and how to deliver value for their discretionary spend. In these increasingly competitive and straitened times, here are ten insight projects that should be considered in order to give your business the edge.

1. Use research to generate ideas and solutions

More clients are using open exploratory techniques, including video observation and communities, to identify behaviours, frustrations and opportunities for innovative solutions. Such projects are essential if a business is committed to ensuring its product/service development and innovation is aligned to delivering solutions, not products.

2. Use research to test designs and concepts

Qualitative and quantitative methods can be used to refine and improve designs and concepts, giving them greater chance of success.

3. Use research to monitor your brand alignment

The value of brand alignment is becoming increasingly realised, and more businesses are using techniques such as the Brand Alignment Monitor (BAM™) to measure the extent to which they are aligned to a clear and differentiated vision – across multiple stakeholder groups (customer, prospects, influencers, staff, etc.)

4. Use research to measure customer satisfaction

Maintaining a satisfied client or customer base is a pre-requisite to building and sustaining a successful business. Beyond generating measures of satisfaction, a customer satisfaction survey can generate actionable insight around what service elements have most influencing on driving satisfaction, advocacy and loyalty.

5. Use research to understand the customer journey

Customer needs, attitudes and expectations change as time passes, and more clients understand the importance of monitoring and understand this through quantitative and qualitative research. Such consultation allows us to understand experiences and requirements at key stages of the journey, thus maximising revenue opportunities and minimising the risk of churn.

6. Use research to test your communications

Ensuring your messages are clear, easily understood and on brand.

7. Use research to understand needs and motivations

As incomes are squeezed further in 2012, businesses need to better understand the customer’s end goals and objectives – what are they looking to get from that product, service or experience?

8. Use research to measure usage, behaviour and attitudes

How exactly are customers using your products and services versus competitors? What is the wider context for their usage – what occasions exist and how are these fulfilled? How does usage and behaviour differ across different groups, locations, and through time?

9. Use research to identify priority segments

How does the customer base / wider market segment? What unique and differentiating attitudes, needs, behaviours, motivations and traits exist? Segmentation research allows businesses to understand which discreet groups deliver the greatest value, and which show the greatest opportunity for future growth.

10. Use research to generate competitor intelligence

Research can be used to engage with your business ‘prospects’ to understand their requirements, but also to understand what your competitors do differently in order to shape acquisition strategy. Insights about the competition can allow you to make decisions on all element of your own business – pricing/discounting, product, service, innovation, communication, etc.

For more information on any of these example projects, or to request case studies, please contact Colin Auton or Richard Walker at Ci Research on +44 (0)1625 628000.

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Top 10 Sporting Events of 2012

11 Jan

2012 is likely to be a great year for sports fans in Great Britain. Of course there is the Olympics in July – but much more besides! With this in mind, Ci Research wanted to run a poll to see which sporting events people were most looking forward to. Respondents were presented with a list of 20 sporting events and competitions to choose from, and were asked to select one. Over 4,600 people voted, and here is the top 10.

10. Darts – world championships (2%)

With the PDC version of the world championships just completed (won by Adrian “Jackpot” Lewis) and with the BDO version well underway, it seems that darts fans just cannot wait until the next major tournament.

9. Cycling – 2012 Tour de France (4%)

Cycling fans in the UK are undoubtedly excited at the prospect of Mark Cavendish defending his Green Jersey with his new Sky teammates, including Bradley Wiggins who will be making another bid for the coveted “Maillot-Jaune”.

8. Rugby Union – The 6 Nations (4%)

With the World Cup successes and failures of Northern Hemisphere sides still fresh in the memory, many are looking forward to the start of the 2012 6 Nations. The opening round of games on the weekend of 4th February sees Scotland at home to England and Ireland at home to Wales.

7. Football – conclusion of the Premier League (4%)

With little to choose between Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at the top of the table, and with Chelsea and Arsenal pursuing, the climax of the 2011/12 season could be one of the closest yet, and may well see a new name etched onto the trophy.

6. Formula One – the 2012 season (5%)

Formula One maintains a dedicated following. Many will be looking forward to the extended coverage and dedicated channel in 2012 by Sky Sports, and to see whether Sebastien Vettel and Red Bull can continue their dominance.

5. Cricket – England’s summer against West Indies, South Africa and Australia (5%)

Having claimed ‘team of the year’ and ‘coach of the year’ in the recent BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards, many will be looking forward to see how the world’s best test team fare against the competitive South Africans.

4. Tennis – Wimbledon (8%)

Wimbledon remains a key highlight of the sporting calendar – despite the strong summer competition. Will Andy Murray claim his first major victory (if he hasn’t already in Melbourne or Paris). How will the rising stars of the British women’s game fare?

3. Football – the 2012 European Championships (8%)

The 2012 championships will be held in Poland and Ukraine, starting on 8th June. England and Republic of Ireland have qualified, and will start against France and Croatia respectively. Will either of the Italian managers be able to deliver success after 46 ‘years of hurt’. Spain will be strong favourites to defend their crown.

2. The Olympics in London (21%)

One in five of those responding said they are most looking forward to the 2012 Olympic games being held in London. From the opening ceremony on 27th July through to the closing ceremony on 12th August, Great Britain will be hoping to add to the tally of 19 Gold medals from Beijing. Given recent form, there will be high hopes in swimming, cycling, athletics, rowing and boxing in particular.

1. Other (25%)

Surprisingly, the most common response received on this poll was ‘other’. Please let us know which major sporting events and competitions were missing! Should we have listed other motorsport events? The University boat race? Maybe people are most excited about the London Marathon or the Great North Run – particularly if they are the ones competing.

Or maybe it was the default option chosen by those that would say they are not looking forward to ANY sporting events this year!

 

For the record, the full list of events – and responses – was as follows:

20. Rugby Union – Club competitions (e.g. Heineken Cup) (0.3%)

19. Rugby League – Superleague XVII (0.7%)

18.Golf – 2012 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes (0.7%)

17.Golf – 2012 Ryder Cup (in Illinois) (1.0%)

16.The Paralympics in London (1.5%)

15. Snooker – World Championships (1.5%)

14.Horse racing – the big races (Grand National, Derby, Gold Cup) (1.6%)

13. Football – Champions League (1.9%)

12. Football – FA Cup / Scottish Cup (2.1%)

11. Cricket – England’s winter against Pakistan and Sri Lanka (2.2%)

10.Darts – world championships (2.3%)

9. Cycling – 2012 Tour de France (3.5%)

8. Rugby Union – The 6 Nations (4.1%)

7. Football – conclusion of the Premier League (4.3%)

6. Formula One – the 2012 season (5.1%)

5. Cricket – England’s summer against West Indies, South Africa and Australia (5.3%)

4. Tennis – Wimbledon (7.6%)

3. Football – the 2012 European Championships (7.8%)

2. The Olympics in London (21.2%)

1. Other (25.4%)

What sporting event are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below.

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Top 10 News Events of 2011

23 Dec

For a final blog post of a very eventful year, the team at Ci Research wanted to know what people believed would be the most memorable news episodes and incidents of 2011.

We presented a panel of over 1,400 research respondents with a list of 20 events to choose from – here is the top 10:

 

10. The New Zealand earthquake (3.2%)

9. Anti-cuts and tuition fees protests, marches and public sector strikes (3.5%)

8. Libya and the death of Colonel Gaddafi (4.3%)

7. Death of Osama Bin Laden (5.7%)

6. Eurozone crisis (5.9%)

5. August riots (8.6%)

4. UK economic crisis (8.7%)

3. The Egyptian revolution / Arab spring (9.3%)

2. The Japan earthquake and tsunami (12.3%)

1. The Royal Wedding (25.8%)

 

What will you remember 2011 for?

Personally speaking, what sort of a year has it been for you?

Add your comments below, and vote in the poll on the right of the screen to let us know how 2011 compared with previous years from your perspective.

…and finally, have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. See you in 2012.

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BBC Sports Personality of the Year – an alternative shortlist

19 Dec

In a week’s time, the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards will be held at Media City in Salford Quays.

The run-up to this year’s event has been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the absence of any female sports stars on the shortlist of 10.

The shortlisting procedure itself, (the list of 10 contenders was put together by a panel of sports editors from national and regional newspapers and magazines) has been the subject of criticism, despite some notable female successes in individual and team events, including swimming, golf, martial arts, endurance events and cricket.

The winner, as always, will be decided by a public vote.

Ahead of this vote we wanted to run our own test on the appropriacy of the short-list, and so circulated a ‘medium list’ of twenty sports stars – male and female – to see who would attract the most votes should the nominees be extended.

Over 2000 people voted between Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th December 2011, and the results are as follows:

 

10. Sarah Stevenson (70 votes, 3.5%)

World Taekwondo champion Sarah Stevenson did not make the BBC shortlist and just squeezes into ours in 10th place.

 

9. Mo Farah (88 votes, 4.4%)

Mo Farah takes 9th spot for his gold in the 5,000m gold at the World Championships in Daegu – which followed his unlucky silver in the 10,000m just a few days beforehand.

 

8. Rory McIlroy (97 votes, 4.8%)

It was a procession at Congressional, as Rory McIlroy won golf’s US Open by eight shots – just a few weeks after capitulating at the previous major championship – the Masters – where he lost a four shot lead going into the final day. Aged just 22, McIlroy became the youngest US Open champion since 1923, and youngest first-time major winner since Tiger Woods in 1997.

 

7. Darren Clarke (102 votes, 5.0%)

Darren Clarke is one of the bookmakers favourites for the Award after winning his first major at the age of 42. Clarke was the first UK winner since 1999 and triumphed by three clear shots, He dedicated his Open victory to his sons Tyrone and Conor and his late wife Heather – who died in 2006 from breast cancer.

 

J5. Amir Khan (106 votes, 5.2%)

Khan recently lost a controversial points decision against Lamont Peterson in Washington DC, otherwise may have attracted more votes for defeating Zab Judah in five rounds in their light-welterweight unification fight in Las Vegas in July.

 

J5. Alistair Cook (106 votes, 5.2%)

Alistair Cook just batted and batted and batted and deservedly won the Man of the Series award Down Under for his 766 runs in 5 Ashes Tests. At one point he had batted for over 1000 minutes without dismissal. He also scored a massive 294 runs against India in one innings this summer – playing a key role in England’s march to the top of the test rankings.

 

4. Andy Murray (145 votes, 7.2%)

In such a competitive era in the men’s game, many people have recognised Andy Murray’s achievements in running Novak Djokovic close in the Australia Open final in January, before defeats to Nadal in the semi-finals of the three other majors. Prior to injury, Murray had risen to third in the world rankings.

 

3. Mark Cavendish (151 votes, 7.5%)

The ‘Manx Missile’ is the bookmaker’s favourite to win Sports Personality of the Year having won the green jersey points classification at this year’s Tour de France and having won the also won the world road race (the first Brit to do so in 46 years). Despite now having 20 stage wins on the Tour de France, of the 20 candidates on our ‘medium list’ Cavendish only just makes the podium.

 

2. Shane Williams (168 votes, 8.3%)

It might be argued that votes are being cast in recognition of an exceptional career rather than an exceptional year of achievement. That said, Wales’ most-capped winger starred in and scored the final try for the Barbarians in the recent test against Australia, and scored three tries in Wales’ thrilling run to the Rugby World Cup semi-final, where they were unlucky to be beaten by France. Dubbed by many as one of the most exciting rugby players of his generation, perhaps the omission of Shane Williams from the BBC’s shortlist of 10 is an oversight. Almost one in ten of our voters certainly think so.

 

1. Rebecca Adlington (534 votes, 26.4%)

The vast volume of votes cast for Rebecca suggests she has been a serious omission from the BBC Sports Personality of the Year shortlist.

Moe than one in four votes were cast in favour of Olympic, European and Commonwealth champion Adlington, who added the World 800m freestyle title to her list of achievements in July 2011 (in addition to her silver in the 400m).

 

Only three from the BBC shortlist do not make our top 10:

  • Golf’s World number one and PGA Player of the Year Luke Donald (69 votes, 3.4%).
  • Ashes winner and England’s test-match cricket captain Andrew Strauss (61 votes, 3.0%)
  • Gold-medal-winning 400m hurdler Dai Greene (28 votes, 1.4%).

 

Despite being on our ‘medium list’, there is no place in the Top 10 for the likes of marathon open-water swimmer Keri-Anne Payne, triathlete and triple world ironman champion Chrissie Wellington, or BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year Chaz Davies.

Note: voters were given a list of 20 men and women to vote from, including:

1.        Rebecca Adlington

2.        Chris Ashton

3.        Mark Cavendish

4.        Darren Clarke

5.        Nathan Cleverly

6.        Alistair Cook

7.        Chaz Davies

8.        Luke Donald

9.        Mo Farah

10.     Dai Greene

11.     Amir Khan

12.     Rory McIlroy

13.     Andy Murray

14.     Keri-Anne Payne

15.     Kevin Sinfield

16.     Sarah Stevenson

17.     Andrew Strauss

18.     Judd Trump

19.     Chrissie Wellington

20.    Shane Williams

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Top 10 tips for dealing with quiet and dominant respondents in focus groups

8 Dec

Every focus group is different. Not only in terms of subject matter and techniques, but also in terms of the most important ingredient – the respondents.

Any moderator will be able to regale their own tales of interesting, colourful and memorable discussion group participants. Bringing together a mix of personalities, characters and opinions is often a recipe for unforgettable encounters.

Focus groups are all about engineering and managing the discussion and debate (and, sometimes, conflict) in order to develop meaningful understanding and insight around the subject matter and the research objectives. Managing the dynamics between the group members is, therefore, critical to delivering balanced viewpoints. Keeping control is essential – and this means hearing from all respondents in equal measure.

In this particular blog post, I have dissected the top 10 tips into two – we have 5 tips for dealing with the quiet and nervous respondent, and a further 5 tips for dealing with the noisier, potentially dominating respondent.

Encouraging the quiet respondent

1. Spot them early (check their defensive body language – they more likely to be sat furthest away from the moderator), and ensure that everyone is given the chance to speak early in the session;

2. Refer to some of the quieter respondents by their first name, and give them verbal and non-verbal encouragement;

3. Ask nice and easy questions from the start – don’t start off with complicated and difficult questions that will scare the nervous participants;

4. Break into smaller groups for tasks – less confident respondents may be more willing to speak up in smaller groups;

5. Refer back to earlier comments from the quieter respondents to prove to them that you’re listening.

Managing the dominant respondent

6. Spot them early (anyone who seems over-confident – they are more likely to be sat nearest the moderator – directly to the left or right);

7. On occasions and where necessary, take advantage of the seating position of the dominant respondent by leaning forwards and giving a ‘cold shoulder’;

8. Deal with interruptions – a hand in the air, palm outwards, is often sufficient to stop an interruption in its tracks;

9. Tell the dominant respondent directly if they are interrupting or talking too much. Initially you can make light of it, but if they know the rules and keep flouting them then you have reason to have a stern word!

10. As a very last resort, kick them out. A dominant and domineering respondent can be damaging, and it is essential that the group isn’t compromised.

Of course, we would always have checks in place so that the group is spot on in terms of recruitment profile, that people are ‘warmed up’ and made to feel welcome upon arrival, and that they know the rules and expectations prior to the session starting. Feel free to try these techniques and let us know how they work out for you. And please feel free to share any tips of your own in the comments area below.

Richard Walker is a director at Ci Research, and has 16 years qualitative research experience. He is still actively involved in qualitative research – designing discussion guides, developing new techniques, moderating groups, devouring transcripts and presenting insights.

He has also been a key figure in developing Ci Research’s new suite of online qualitative techniques, including online groups, online communities and social media engagement tools.

For more information on moderator tips, feel free to contact Richard on +44(0)1625 628070 or richard.walker@ci-research.com

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Top 10 Tips for delivering Brand Alignment

29 Nov

To coincide with the launch of the How Do Top 100 Northern Brands Survey (powered by Ci Research), we have compiled a Top 10 tips for delivering brand alignment. For more information on brand alignment and brand research, contact Richard Walker at Ci Research or Gary Moss at Brand Vista.

10. Remember that brands are much more than a logo, they are the product of ‘thousands of small gestures’ – everything you do and everything you say will have impact on how your brand is perceived.

9. Support from the top – it is essential that the business leaders are bought into alignment and are open to change

8. Have a clear and differentiating vision – this is fundamental to stand apart from the competition. Something more imaginative and meaningful than “the best”, “the leading” or “the number one”

7. Empower people to act. Communicate the vision, the values and what the brand means to everyone who is required to embody the brand

6. Focus on short term wins – the quick wins and fixes that will improve alignment ratings

5. Have a 360 degree alignment plan – a plan for all stakeholders, channels and touchpoints

4. Go with the grain – protect the best bits of the brand by delivering brand evolution not revolution

3. Measurement – monitoring how aligned your brand is with the vision is critical to understanding what needs to be done and how changes are being received (check out the Ci Research / Brand Vista collaboration the Brand Alignment Monitor for more information on how to go about this)

2. Keep it simple – the reporting and outputs should focus squarely on what is and what isn’t working – where and with who are we aligned, where and with who are we misaligned, what needs to be done to improve alignment? Avoid death by PowerPoint and black-box brand tracking solutions

1. Understand the emotions – the personality of the brand and the relationships stakeholders have with it. A strong brand promise is built on emotional as well as rational values, which is why branding research should incorporate qualitative techniques to go beyond the rational (e.g. product, service and price) to get at the intangibles, the irrationals, and the downright core emotions.

 

Richard.Walker@ci-research.com

 

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