Posts Tagged ‘trust’

Bon Appétit’s Big Lie Survey

Thursday, March 1st, 2012

I received this e-mail invitation because I subscribe to Bon Appétit:

Important survey from Bon Appétit – We need your help to get 100% participation.

At Bon Appétit, we really care what you think. That’s why, as Vice President & Publisher of Bon Appétit, I’m personally asking for your help with this online survey. As a thank-you for your valuable time, you will be entered into a sweepstakes giveaway for a chance to win $50,000.*

I know you may receive countless emails each day, but frankly this is one of the most important surveys we conduct all year, so please take a moment to fill this one out.

Clever headline, an ambitious goal, a well-written letter about the value and importance of readers’ opinions, and Bon Appétit is going to give $50,000 to one of its readers to make it happen, right? (more…)

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Posted in Data Collection, Market Research | No Comments »

Allstate’s PR Misstep with a Silly Study

Friday, February 4th, 2011

Research can be powerful for PR efforts because new data and analysis often help anchor a story with facts and figures that have a deep interest and appeal to readers.  But if the research is not clearly designed to support key messages in your PR plan, you may find yourself apologizing to managers for a campaign that failed.  Worse yet, you may find yourself apologizing to an audience who got exactly the wrong message.

Last week, Allstate found itself in this unhappy situation when it released findings from “research” showing accident rates based on drivers’ astrological signs. (more…)

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How to Stop Fraudulent Polls

Friday, September 10th, 2010

With the sad proliferation of silly surveys, non-scientific interest polls, and downright fraudulent polls, the research industry is stepping up with a number of key initiatives to combat the trend.  Versta Research is part of that effort, and in August announced that we are part of the Transparency Initiative being developed by the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR).

As of this writing, Versta is one of 67 prominent survey and polling organizations currently supporting the initiative. The initiative is designed to create protocols and recognition for regular disclosure of methods when survey organizations conduct public polls. (more…)

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Posted in Future Trends, Omnibus Surveys, Public Polls, Public Relations | No Comments »

Optimize Your PR—Don’t Do Silly Surveys

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

We are strong advocates of using surveys for public relations outreach.  Commissioning surveys that answer interesting questions to help drive news stories and other types of communication can build a credible foundation so that journalists and other audiences take note and listen.  But we are not fans of silly surveys that rely on outlandish, sexy, or clever comparisons designed primarily to get quick flashes of attention and media hits.

There are three tiers of survey research common in public relations, only two of which can truly optimize your PR: (more…)

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Keep Your Surveys Honest

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

One problem with new survey technologies that make it easy (and inexpensive) to design and field surveys is that we now have an explosion of poorly done and ill-intentioned surveys.  Have you ever suspected that a survey isn’t quite legit?

Dilbert.com

Keeping your survey efforts honest is critical.  Sincere efforts to document issues through rigorous surveys succeed, and when done correctly, people are influenced by numbers.  But trying to shock or manipulate with sensationalist, biased, and phony data gets you only so far.  For a great survey, keep it honest, rigorous, and valid, and carefully control for bias.  We, at Versta, can help you succeed with this.

-Joe Hopper, Ph.D.

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Posted in Funnies, Presenting Research | No Comments »

People Don’t Lie on Surveys

Thursday, December 24th, 2009

For some reason I’m always a little surprised that people tell the truth on surveys.  I like to think of my “healthy skepticism” as a professional asset, because it forces us to check and double check, corroborate and triangulate.  Before we commit to the findings of a research effort, we need to feel 100% sure we’re right and that our findings are based on solid data. (more…)

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Posted in Data Collection, Market Research, Methods & Tools, Online Surveys, Sampling | No Comments »

Forensic Polling Analysis

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

Bad pollsters give the market research industry a bad name, so it is encouraging when smart people figure out clever ways of ratting them out.  What is a bad pollster?  One who makes up data to support an agenda, or who asks biased questions to get preferred answers.  The only good reason for doing research or public opinion polling is to learn or share something new.  All else is suspect.

Two researchers recently came up with methods of testing whether polling data is legitimate in a case where a research firm is accused of falsifying publicly released data. (more…)

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Posted in Future Trends, Public Polls, Public Relations | No Comments »

The Walmart “Poll” of Chicago Residents

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Mistakes to Avoid when Conducting a Public Relations Survey

Surveys and polls can be powerful tools to understand what people are thinking and doing, and they can provide good data for public relations efforts and community outreach.  Unfortunately they can also be gimmicks, which erodes trust in polling and in the organizations sponsoring them.

(more…)

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Posted in Public Polls, Public Relations, Sampling | 1 Comment »