Our experiential marketing research is designed to measure the degree to which the program generated greater purchase intent for a product.
However, we recently conducted a program to measure how a publication influenced thinking among a very specific target audience. That’s a lot different than trying to measure purchase intent.
Launch Strategy
Despite the difference, much of our approach was the same as our other experiential work. We created and distributed a survey to potential readers. We invited participation through an email campaign as opposed to conducting research on site.
Survey to Measure Change
During the survey development phase, we discussed best ways to measure influence. We concluded that we could try to measure influence on a five-point scale. But we wanted to measure more in depth. We added other metrics that help to measure perceived influence.
- How we would us the information.
- Areas of research related to the topic that are important.
- How well the publication addressed those areas.
Change in Results Presentation
Most respondents said the publication influenced their thinking to some degree. They also agreed that the influence was largely positive in nature. We were able to show overall influence, and identify where the influence was strongest by demographics. Finally, we were able to identify the subject matters the readers consider to be most valuable and how that related to their overall influence rating.
While this was a custom survey, we designed this research effort to be scalable. We created an approach that is usable throughout our client’s organization to measure the influence of any publication, regardless of the topic. This goes beyond simply assessing public opinion. We were able to successfully identify changes in consumer thinking and assess their potential impact.
Taking Measure
This was an interesting project. It highlighted the ability of our approach to measure change. Whether we refer to it as impact or influence; purchase intent or perception; a brand or a specific consumer product, or something entirely different, we can measure it. We have the ability and expertise to show how concentrated marketing efforts can affect consumer perception and intent.