February 23rd, 2013 Nina Nichols, CEO
Warren Buffett has been championing the Wells Fargo brand recently, even going so far as to say that Wells is his favorite bank. That’s a pretty big statement and one that will surely get the attention of multi-million or billion dollar businesses in the heart of San Francisco where Wells Fargo started and dominates. One can applaud Wells Fargo for many of the same reasons that Buffet does – the low cost of funding for business lending and the attentiveness of CEO John Stumpf, who says he starts everyday reviewing the bank’s deposit figures, are among Wells Fargo’s many offerings. (Stumpf has his own Wikipedia page too, btw.) I expect that Buffett likes ROI kinds of guys. As do I. As a market researcher who firmly believes that success comes with research-based planning, I imagine that Buffett would join me in applauding Wells Fargo for reaching out to the C-level decision makers who choose which bank they work with to ask them questions directly. I think that’s a very smart move.
Follow Nina on Twitter: @ninanichols
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February 22nd, 2013 Hayden Geller
The New York Times recently reported that many hotels are carving out space in their lobbies and business centers for use by the hour. Having seen their fair share of makeshift meetings, networking events, and conference calls over the years, many hotels are now starting to spruce up the areas a bit and charge a premium for use of these spaces. (A premium, by the way, that many users are thrilled to pay in exchange for guaranteed, suitable workspaces.) These hotels are just catching on to what we at Resolution Research have been doing for years!
Hotels offer a warm, comfortable, safe, inviting, and sometimes luxurious alternative to the traditional focus group facility. Resolution Research often opts for the more attractive hotel setting when choosing a facility for our studies, and we encourage our clients to do the same. Whether you’re hosting a focus group, a one-on-one interview, or even serving Manhattans to ad executives in Manhattan, who wouldn’t prefer the warmth and tranquility of the Ritz over the cold, blank walls of a focus group facility?
We encourage our clients, especially those who work with high-end clientele (like, for example, the CFOs of $500+ million revenue companies in San Francisco), to ask themselves: where would your C-level executive rather spend an hour? Where would YOU rather spend the hour? Something to consider for your next project!
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July 12th, 2012 Katherine Albers
If you are spending time updating your hard copy, paper resume, you may want to re-think your method. According to Doug Gross’ article on CNN.com, the “dead-tree summary” outlining one’s accomplishments is losing value as an accurate representation of one’s self. Employers seeking candid summaries of potential employees are turning to potential candidate’s social media presence (LinkedIn, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and even Pinterest) to determine a more visceral, realistic portrayal of personality and experience.
You’re probably wondering how to translate “Masters in Finance, Yale University” into a YouTube presentation or “pin” on Pinterest. Are you supposed to post all of your academic writing alongside your travel blog? For many, social media presence and career experience and achievement are two completely separate worlds, so to somehow unite the two sounds difficult, to say the least. Allowing your potential boss access to your photos from that “you only live once” Vegas trip can present potential problems. However, according to Gross, companies are less concerned with unflattering findings but rather interested in core personality traits and noticeable achievements that can not necessarily be conveyed on paper. A Union Square Ventures statement regarding social media searches of potential employees sums it up nicely: “We expect your Web presence to represent who you are, not who you think an employer wishes you were, so please don’t waste time sanitizing your Web presence before sending us there. We get it.”
That said, there are some preventative measures you can take that will ensure that you’re putting your best foot forward. I recommend removing any inappropriate photos, videos, and/or text from your profiles and bulk up your social media presence with materials that portray you in a positive light, just to cover your bases. Other than that, no need to recite and analyze Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace on YouTube.
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June 15th, 2012 Katherine Albers
We all remember our first hero. For some it was Superman, for others it was Spiderman, Batman, or Wonder Woman. But for many, it was (and still is) our dear old Dad. This Father’s Day, Resolution Research wants to salute all the heroes out there who know what it means to be a Dad: the late nights, the worrying, the endless pursuit of happiness for your children. The protection and love one feels from a father is incomparable and this Father’s Day, Resolution Research wants to remind you to make your hero feel as protected, comforted, and loved as you have felt all these years.
For fun Father’s Day facts and trivia, visit: http://www.chiff.com/a/fathers-day-trivia.htm
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June 14th, 2012 Nina Nichols, CEO
Every day I learn something new, especially being in the market research industry. I’d never heard of Restless Leg Syndrome, for example, before we conducted a huge study about it several years ago — soon after, I saw ads about Restless Leg all over the TV. And so it goes, to borrow from Linda Ellerbee, a female journalist I’ve followed & admired. And this week, I’ve learned about Peyronie’s Disease, another disease I’d never heard about and one that is no laughing matter and an extremely sensitive subject especially for men. Peyronie’s is a disease that causes a curvature of the penis that makes intercourse difficult — it can also be quite painful as well as embarrassing for men. Wikipedia , surprisingly or not, even has a picture with its description. And, once I started looking online, I almost immediately found a great article in the NY Times by Andrew Pollack (an outstanding writer who focuses on the business & science of biotech) published just this month. Fortunately for me, the business I’m in comes with a free education and I like it that I learn new things — and I like it even more that I feel like I’m in some small way getting to contribute to the advancement of science, medicine, and even products and services by conducting market research. If you have Peyonie’s or know someone who does, please click on the following link (or send it to a friend) to be screened for our Peyronie’s research study: http://clearvoicesurveys.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0W0LwGGxMQKTlD6 (Qualified participants are paid $150.) If you like learning like me, I invite you to join our market research panel where you can participate in studies that are relevant to your life: ResolutionPanel.com You may not know that you’re paid to participate in these studies because your opinion is valuable to all the companies out there trying to improve their products, services, and offerings. Cheers– and here’s to learning about the next big thing!
Nina Nichols, CEO
twitter.com/ninanichols
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June 5th, 2012 Nina Nichols, CEO
This is not mine, but if you write at all, it is worth the read:
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/02/07/david-ogilvy-on-writing/
Nina Nichols, CEO
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May 26th, 2012 Katherine Albers
“These martyrs of patriotism gave their lives for an idea.” ~Schuyler Colfax
The day which marks the official arrival of summer is finally here: Memorial Day. Pools will be crowded with hot bodies eager to soak up some rays, back yard grills will be dusted off to prepare summer meals, and that perfect pair of flip-flops will be fished out of the summer storage box. Celebrated on the last Monday in May, this Federal Holiday originated after the American Civil War to honor fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our country. So this weekend, as you enjoy the extra day off of work, soaking up summer’s infant sun and sipping new seasonal ales, be sure to take a moment to remember the origins of the holiday.
Here are some fun facts to share with your friends and family this weekend:
1. On Memorial Day, the flag should be at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff.
2. Red Poppies are recognized as the Memorial Day flower.
3. Memorial Day was first called “Decoration Day” because of the practice of decorating soldiers’ graves with flowers.
4. New York was the 1st state to officially recognize Memorial Day.
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May 24th, 2012 Katherine Albers
Resolution Research wants to recognize our very own Madolyn Jones, one of 550 people who attended President Obama’s campaign event at the Hyatt Regency in Denver, CO on Wednesday. Tickets started at $250, and afforded attendees a chance to hear the President speak about his campaign and thoughts about opposition. “This election will be closer than last one,” said Obama. “People don’t remember last election was close. We’re going to have to contend with even more negative ads, even more cynicism and nastiness and just plain foolishness.” Madolyn was able to decipher every word clearly (not that Obama has any issue with articulation) but because she was one of the few very close to the stage.
“To be included in such an intimate environment with President Obama and other business, community and political leaders of Colorado was an empowering experience…second only to standing among thousands to watch him accept the Democratic Nomination in 2008″ -Madolyn Jones
Earlier in the day, President Obama had delivered the commencement speech to 2012′s graduating class at the Air Force Academy.
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April 20th, 2012 Katherine Albers
“To me, boards are a very human way of seeing the world. The site is about helping people to discover things they didn’t know they wanted — things that feel like they’ve been handpicked just for you.” –Founder of Pinterest, Ben Silbermann
According to this article on CNN.com, the virtual pegboard site Pinterest.com is currently the third most-visited online social network site, putting it just behind social media behemoths Facebook and Twitter. Pinterest allows users to establish their identities and interests through the use of “pins” – visual links and various images on categorized boards. Users can follow their friends, strangers, or even President Barack Obama, who recently became a member.
Perhaps most remarkable about Pinterest’s rise to success is the time in which it took the site to reach a level comparable to that of Facebook and Twitter. Founded in March 2010, Pinterest reached 17.8 million unique visitors by February 2012. Founder Ben Silbermann seemed taken aback by the site’s fast-growing phenomenon, stating at a Q&A during the 2012 South by Southwest Interactive conference, “It’s a really humbling feeling that all these people are using something that you helped make.”
Curious? Jump on the bandwagon and check out what all the hype is about at www.pinterest.com.
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March 23rd, 2012 Katherine Albers
Can an experience in a virtual reality actually influence the way we behave? According to Mike Olsen’s article in Wired Magazine, if a person witnesses him/herself in a virtual reality, that person is more likely to alter their behavior according to what they’ve seen. For example, when a person experiences him/herself as heavier, they are more likely to hit the gym. Additionally, being introduced to one’s future self (aged) influences people to save money for retirement, most likely because one’s future self is no longer a stranger but a soon to be reality. Scary, right? So if you’re looking for a push in the right direction, whether it’s to work out more, drink less, or save more money, perhaps you should experience the appropriate virtual reality for some proven effectiveness.
(Olsen, Mike. Wired. Nov 2011, page 048).
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