In today’s competitive environment, data is a very important currency. The more data available for marketers and company leaders, the better and more effective their business decisions will be, says Rebecca Zammit from Misco’s Marketing and Opinion Research Unit.
A recently published review on smartinsights.com on what the top-rated digital marketing techniques will be during 2017 reveals how Big Data (20.3 per cent) together with Content Marketing (20.4 per cent) will this year be the top marketing tools, followed by Marketing Automation (10.3 per cent), Mobile Marketing (9.2 per cent) and Social Media Marketing (8.8 per cent), among others.
Data, however, can also be very boring especially for all those who do not understand it. This is why we like building a story with data. A story puts the client in the right context, which helps understand where business stands and where it needs to be taken.
Misco has been offering marketing and opinion research services for 33 years. Eventually, it developed the full range of data collection techniques now used through both quantitative and qualitative methods supported by a pool of around 80 experienced and trained interviewers.
Our role is to help customers feel the pulse of people’s behaviour, attitudes, perceptions and opinions, identify and measure market size and market share, analyse the characteristics of markets, understand market developments and focus on the critical factors for success in marketing.
Customers who engage Misco’s Marketing and Opinion Research Section include national and international organisations, operating in both the private and public sectors across a wide range of activities, such as telecommunications, consumer products, banking and insurance services, transport, pharmaceutical and automotive sectors. Misco is also very active in the areas of social research and opinion polling and has garnered extensive experience through its participation in numerous multi-country projects.
Data is universal, so really and truly we are equipped to service any sector. However, our experience and continued investment in technology enables us to be flexible in that we do not apply an off-the-shelf approach but devise a research methodology according to the particular needs of our customer.
Data can be very boring for all those who do not understand it
We do not just collect the data and pass it on to the client but we meet the client and present the data within the right context to help them maximise the benefits of their decisions. We also go further and offer the consultancy part, during which we guide the client on how best to act on the data collected. Advisory is, in fact, an important aspect of our service.
With long years of experience, Misco has had the opportunity to watch the sector evolve and give birth to new trends. One such trend is the increased use of mystery shopping exercises, a research methodology for which Misco is sought after.
We are living in an age where we all want to know how we are being perceived. Brands too want to constantly know how they are being received by their target audiences. Companies constantly request reviews and testimonials because these reinforce their public reputation. No wonder over the past few years most sectors have experienced a dramatic increase in the use of mystery shopping techniques to better understand what they can do to improve their processes, products and services.
Another aspect that makes Misco’s Marketing and Opinion Research Unit unique is the application of specific technology.
All the software we use for our research projects is developed in-house by our own people. This gives us added flexibility that allows us to adapt the research according to the particular client. We feel this is an important advantage for us given the increasing use of technology in today’s modern research methods.
But no matter which methods are employed during research, or how capable one is to interpret data, truth and integrity are two qualities that best define Misco’s Marketing and Opinion Research services.
Clients sometimes hire our services expecting us to give them the answers they want to hear. We challenge the client and ask what the real problem is that we are trying to solve. It does happen that the problem the client is trying to solve is a symptom of a much deeper issue. On a number of occasions, the data we collect paints a different picture from what the client would be expecting.
We know that the methods we use in our research processes return us with a high level of accuracy with which we can assist our clients to move forward.
Therefore, even when the results are way different from their expectations, clients always show us an element of trust. Being trusted and respected helps our clients understand and accept our recommendations more.