CO LU M N I ST S
CO L U M N IST S
magic, spontaneous and discovery. In terms of the creative
process itself, the vocabulary is punctuated with active
Beyond the Conventional
descriptors like free-flowing, stretching, boundless, risk-taking
Lindsay Porter
and ground-breaking. And how does the creative vocabulary
Ipsos Camelford Graham
describe outcomes of a process? With words like
unconventional, expansive, uncharted, brilliant and innovative.
Thinking outside the box is that crucial ability on which
You’ll notice, in the creative vocabulary, that there is a
market researchers pride themselves. But an especially effective
notable absence of judgmental and performance-directed
approach is to take this thinking one step further – fostering
words. You don’t often come across success factors, results or
the same lateral thinking in respondents by having them
action standards in the creative process.
engage in artistic activities and methodologies.
So how is success defined in the creative vocabulary? It is
The art of creativity yields different perspectives. Developing
characterized as uncharted territory, empowering, limitless and
nontraditional, artistic methods allows our respondents to
innovative, to name a few terms.
engage in research by thinking about, and seeing themselves
Take some time to reflect on how the creative vocabulary
outside of, their conventional ways of thinking – stepping
might inspire you to embrace some of these principles.
outside of what Gestalt psychology calls their “functional
fixedness.”
THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION
Market research methods that are designed to facilitate
Common Sense May Be as Good as a Survey –
creative and artistic expression can allow a respondent’s
and Cheaper
thoughts, emotions and attitudes to be expressed more
holistically – verbally, visually or behaviourally. Through these Ruth M. Corbin, CMRP
unconventional means, we can uncover those key insights that CorbinPartners Inc.
might otherwise remain hidden.
Many respondents do not see themselves as being artistic or The Supreme Court of Canada, in its recent “Masterpiece”
creative, as we have come to narrowly define these categories to decision (Masterpiece Inc. v. Alavida Lifestyles Inc., 2011 SCC 27),
sent a strong message to the legal and social science communities
artists, designers, writers, musicians, and the like. Yet when
with respect to survey evidence.
granted permission and liberty to create art through specially
The case involved a dispute between two companies
designed activities and methods, respondents can think outside
operating
in the retirement residence industry, one using the
the box, allowing us to learn new things about how they think
trade-mark
“Masterpiece the Art of Living” (among others),
and feel about a category and/or specific products and services.
and one using the trade-mark “Masterpiece Living.” The
The resulting data are unconventional, yet highly useful to
Court determined that there was likely to be marketplace
developing successful strategies, communications and
confusion between them and ordered the latter expunged
advertising.
from the trade-mark register.
The expert evidence in the case had included a small-scale
THE INNOVATION ACCELERATOR
survey,
as part of a broader opinion, illustrating that
The Creative Vocabulary
confusion would likely exceed 70 per cent. The Court found
Margaret Imai-Compton, CMRP
the survey portion of the opinion unnecessary, saying that the
Imai-Compton Consulting
likelihood of confusion could have been determined as a
matter of “common sense.” It expressed dissatisfaction with
When you think about it, every discipline has a proprietary
the acrimony of the criticism that had been made in reply.
language complete with acronyms, shorthand and exclusive
The decision contained unexpected implications for
descriptors. When I first started at Apple, without a techie
sampling and questionnaire design, implications that are
background, I felt totally illiterate. What were male sheep
explained in more detail at the following link:
doing in computers when techie types boasted about RAM?
And what the heck did WYSIWYG stand for? Apple and the www.iposgoode.ca/2011/06/whithersurveyevidencewhatthesu
premecourtofcanadasaidinmasterpiece/
world of the personal computer had their own quirky
MRIA’s Litigation Resource Committee will be considering
language, exclusive to that industry.
Like other disciplines, creativity has its own language, full whether MRIA should issue a published commentary on this
of words like flow, fluid, crystallization, authenticity, wonder,
high-profile decision. The committee has also undertaken to
QUALITAS
vue July/August 2011
33
CO LU M N I ST S
draft guidelines for professional conduct when MRIA
members are engaged to evaluate the work of another expert
witness.
If you have any comments for the committee on the issues
raised by the Masterpiece decision, please send them to me at
[email protected]
STANDARDS
Market Research Standards for Mobile Surveys
Donald Williams
NADbank
Standards and guidelines for mobile surveys in market
research are relatively new. Most of the existing standards are
related to fieldwork protocols for dialing cellular phones.
These guidelines were developed early in the new
millennium. Since then, the world has changed drastically.
Many of today’s mobile phones – those known as
smartphones – possess functionalities similar to those of
desktop computers. The number of people using these mobile
devices has grown exponentially, and technology experts are
predicting that, in a few years, mobile phones will surpass
desktops as the primary device in North America and Europe.
Market research standards applying to surveys conducted on
cellphones. MRIA’s current Code of Conduct does not offer
any specific details on cellphone interviews. In 2007,
however, the Field Management Group Committee
submitted the following basic guidelines:
• Avoid using autodialers (including self-dialing modems and
predictive dialers) to place calls, unless the cellphone owner
grants permission.
• Avoid using text messages to make advanced contact with
opt-in permission, as doing so may breach privacy laws.
• From an ethical standpoint, review fieldwork protocols,
including time of day for calling, maximum number of
callbacks, and frequency of callbacks.
Issues for emerging standards in conducting mobile surveys. First,
there is sample frame. Most countries lack a definitive list of
mobile phone subscribers. There are now list providers who
supply mobile phone numbers for market research purposes.
Even in cases where there is a credible list, the ability to limit
a sample frame to a specific geography is a challenge.
Another issue is eligibility. Most surveys are based on
“qualified” age criteria (e.g., adults 18 and over). The owner of a
mobile phone could be a child or an adult, and therefore a
confirmation is required to ensure that the respondent is eligible
to participate in the survey.
Other issues are also important. Interview length, nonresponse, cost, and other issues are being considered by
ESOMAR and similar organizations around the globe.
Summer is a great
time… to join MRIA
Starting on July 5,
new members can join at the following
pro-rated rates for a membership valid until
December 31, 2011:
• Regular member: $209*
• New practitioner with less than two years of work
experience in the industry: $119*
* plus $65 activation fee, plus taxes
HOW’S THAT FOR A HOT DEAL!
To join MRIA as a new Individual member, visit the MRIA Portal at www.mriaportal-arimportail.ca
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