MROC = A private online community where a targeted group discusses research related topics on a weekly basis.

1. Marketing Research Online
Communities

2. [Research timeline]
Online Research
Communities
Online Panel
Online Research
Phone interviews
Face-to-face research

3. [What is a MROC]
MROC = A private online
community where a targeted group
discusses research related topics on a
weekly basis.
Interactions between participants are
moderated and nurtured with
engagement exercises.
The client receives information through
a periodically reporting process.

4. [How can be built a MROC?]
Social Network + Online
Community tools Qualitative MROC
Capabilities
Research communities
draw on the latest social The combination of
networking and These Web 2.0 are these tools creates
community combined with online an environment
=
tools, including qualitative research where participants
forums, blogs, photo
sharing, profile
pages, friends/connectio
+ techniques (but also
with quantitative
research
methods), submissiv
can connect and
collaborate, while
sharing their
ns etc..., combining feedback through
them in a way that e research and ongoing discussions
allows research question research. and surveys.
participants to connect
and share their thoughts.

5. “While online is a clumsy observational
medium, it is a tremendous engagement and
confessional medium” (Forrester Research)

6. [Advantages of MROCs]
Deep and relevant Listen to your
Get fast feedback
insights consumers
Communities help
researchers get a unique
A MROC is a “virtual
perspective into the Communities can cut the
station” where you can
lives of participants, research cycle time
listen to your
truly understand their helping companies
customers, give them a
needs, and collaborate make timely decisions
voice to express their
with them in ways that and speed the product
opinions and talk about
are not possible through development cycle.
your brand.
other point-in-time
methodologies.

7. [Advantages of MROCs (2)]
Knowing better your consumers
will help you to understand their
lifestyle and the way they interact
with brands. In this way you’ll
Better…
have the big picture of the links
A lower budget
By tapping into a targeted between lifestyle and purchase
group of participants on an decision process.
ongoing basis, companies can This collaborative approach
save thousands in makes possible to build a strong
recruiting, incentives, facility rental relationship between brands and
and travel costs. consumers based on loyalty.

8. [Applications for Research Communities]
Identify and track trends Qualitative tracking of
among a targeted audience brand perceptions
over an extended period of alongside competitive
time brands
Generate ideas for new Formative and exploratory
products and services research around new
alongside prospective markets, audiences and or
customers topics
Evaluate customer
experiences through product
Refine product concepts
diaries, blogs, discussions
and surveys

9. [Community variations]
Project community
Shared communities Ongoing
Communities can be very
effective when used on a
communities
Research and consulting
small scale and short-term firms that have an expertise
basis. For example, a in specific segments or Ongoing communities that
community of 50-100 industries may find a last for many months or
participants over 3 months multi-client “shared” years can be useful in an
can be effective as a community to be an effective advisory capacity, where
replacement for way of using communities. companies are tapping into
multi-city focus group For example, a company the community for their
studies. may setup a single ongoing feedback on a wide range of
These project-based community and run topics. These
communities smaller ad-hoc or communities tend to be
can be valuable for “deep- syndicated studies inside of larger (200+ members) and
dives” the community for multiple designed around a particular
on a targeted set of clients. brand, product or service.
objectives.

10. [Detalii despre comunitate si recomandari]
Research community sizes vary, although most are between 50-300 people. We
typically recommend around 150-200 participants to keep the feedback
Size manageable while encouraging connection among members.
The duration also varies by the objectives. Communities are typically at least one
month, although they can last years. We’ve found great results with research
Duration communities that last between 3-6 months.
Market research communities are primarily a qualitative methodology, although it
is possible to obtain hybrid qualitative and quantitative feedback through a larger
Methodology community size
Communities can be built around a targeted set of objectives (e.g., new product
development, ad testing, website redesign, etc...), or address a wider set of
Focus objectives (e.g., general audience understanding).
The output is similar to other online qualitative studies. Transcripts from all
research activities are available immediately, with ongoing reports delivered in
Output presentation or newsletter-style formats.

11. Thank You!