Waggle is DRI's brand of market research online community that utilizes a unique modular platform. It focuses your insight gathering while respecting your budget.
What does a Market Research Online Community (MROC) consist of?
MROCs utilize a private social networking platform/website to conduct qualitative marketing research. A group of community members (from 50-300) who meet specific recruiting criteria are invited to become members. Once active, members hold discussions with each other, as well as engage in client-directed activities.
MROCs can be used for a variety of qualitative needs, including:
- Ideation
- Testing social media strategy and tactics
- Trend spotting
- Directional insights when timing is critical
- Exploring attitudes and behaviors
- Testing suitable language for a target
- Campaign development
- Logo or packaging design
What are the benefits of MROCs?
There are three primary benefits of using MROCs over traditional research methods — Insights, Speed and Cost. MROCs provide deeper, richer insights than are seen in many research studies. Imagine this as a focus group on steroids. Plus, you no longer have to wait weeks to recruit a group. Insights can be gathered in days or even hours, at a budget you can work with.
How is this different from traditional research methods?
In some ways, it is not — you are still gathering opinions (through discussions, polls, projective activities, etc.). It's the venue that has changed — instead of a focus group or IDI, you are gathering insights via an online social community. Aside from the venue, there is one important difference in an MROC — listening. Traditional research methods rely on 'asking' questions. In a market research online community, a strong emphasis is placed on 'listening'. It is in listening that we uncover emerging trends, or identify a service problem before it takes hold. This is a completely new way to think about marketing research.
Also, MROCs acknowledge the rapid acceleration of business today. You need quick decisions on important topics — MROC discussions give you instantaneous insights.
How do MROCs differ from online panels?
There are several differences between online panels and online
communities —
however both are valuable tools in uncovering insights.
Online Panels utilize larger sample size than MROCs. Their primary
focus is to obtain quantitative insights. In contrast, MROCs use smaller
sample sizes who participate regularly in the community in order to
gather deep, qualitative insights.
An MROC can be drawn from your panel — in order to meet a key objective.
Ask a Digital Research
specialist about our panel management capabilities.