Online Marketing Research Comes of Age

Brandweek, Oct 30, 2000 by Jon Rubin

For all its value, online marketing research does contain several drawbacks. For one, not everyone has Internet access, so it is difficult (but not impossible) to draw samples that mirror the U.S. population. As the Internet becomes more pervasive, this obstacle will diminish.

The random-digit dialing method of sampling commonly used in telephone research is not easy to achieve online, as e-mail addresses are not published in the same way that phone numbers are, and are considered private to each Web user.

Also, online focus groups currently are text-based, meaning the client cannot see the body language or facial expressions of the participants. However, the technology should soon eliminate this drawback.

Some clients are still skeptical about the security of images, product designs and other top-secret information contained in online research studies, fearing that hackers or competitors are more able to gain access than with traditional methods. While no system is 100% secure, online companies are building highly secure systems to eliminate this worry.

Finally, panel-based online marketing research companies must convince participants to agree to be surveyed and to share highly personal information, which all raises the privacy issue. The most critical element of successful online marketing research is a panel that provides reliable, high-quality responses that accurately mirror the opinions and attitudes of targeted demographic groups. Unless the industry polices itself and sets tough standards for privacy protection, government intervention is as inevitable as respondents' reluctance to "spill their guts" if they feel their responses are being shared with the universe. It's fair to say online research will not reach its promise unless the privacy issue is squarely addressed by the industry itself, as my company and others are vigorously doing.

As the sophistication of online marketing research grows, including the integration of Web sites and streaming audio and video that cannot be integrated into offline surveys, the prevalence of online marketing research should continue to explode, as long as the industry does a good job of policing itself and protecting its most important element: the online respondent.

Jon Rubin is up of Green field Online, Wilton, Conn., a major online research organization.