For decades, consumer product manufacturers have used research such as focus groups to test new products and marketing campaigns to help ensure that they resonate.  And much of the time, those traditional techniques have been effective.  But the Internet has added a new twist to consumer research, one that makes it easier for people to voice their opinions to the world.  More and more, consumer goods firms are finding that listening to what customers are saying on message boards and dedicated web sites can yield even more insight to what …

Pete Blackshaw
Is “listening to the unprompted consumer voice” finally going mainstream? Last month, Nielsen co-chaired a sold out Industry Leader Forum delivered by the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF). Among other things, the event focused on how social media is spurring online conversations about brands, companies, products and services. How do we ‘listen’ to these conversations? And how do we utilize these findings? These insights are expanding the role of research beyond measurement and testing, inspiring a new vision for market research. At this exciting event, I gave a presentation …