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MNBoxster · 09-22-2005, 08:40 PM

WOW,

Much more protest than even I expected.

It is pretty well known within the Marketing community that if you want a favorable survey with which to advertise your product, you go to JD Powers. I have had clients tell me this as well.

OK, consider this: You are a Marketing Company and want to produce surveys for sale to Manufacturers. What do you do? Well, first, you design a set of criteria about your company which gives the allution of credibility. You have follow-up forms which are sent out to past and prospective buyers. They are all tabulated, right? Hmmm... well, they must be right? I mean they have to right?

Oh, and you must fund your surveys independently of the Manufacturers, otherwise people won't believe them - Easy, I'll put out my money and then recoup it once the company buys my survey - that'll work. I can't believe those Consumer Reports guys, selling a magazine to fund their surveys, what idiots! If only I could get around that Non-profit thing, oh well, you can't have everything, maybe people won't notice.

But wait, what if the companies don't want to buy my surveys? Then what? This survey business is expensive, salaries, printing, postage, etc. I better concentrate on surveys they will buy. Too many unsold surveys and we're circling the drain...

OK, I'm a company looking for some favorable survey data to include in advertising my product... Oh look, here is a company with a veritable smorgasbord of surveys...Hmm... let's see... Oh no, not that one, it says we're #8... "Hey how come we're only #8?" "OK... but what if you only include people with 1 year Post Graduate education, and say earning between $85k & $125k? Now we're #6?... What if we only include singles?... #4? OK, now what if we only include those living in major metropolitan areas? #2..? Better, but what if we narrow it further to those in major metropolitan areas on the eastern seaboard? #1? That's Great!! "I'll Take It"! But wait, culling the responses this way drops our sample from 30,000 to only 16,000, well we don't have to use a specific number of responses, I guess it'll be OK.

But this could never happen right? Advertising doesn't ever lie, I mean, I did lose 6 lbs. and my hair is filling in a little (I think), my dick does look bigger to me, and that TV Dinner does sorta taste like Mom used to make, and that last Yugo? It was probably made on a Friday, not Yugo's fault at all, those darn UAW workers...This is maybe my main point, these surveys are merely Advertising, they are there merely to add credence to a product. The data is not compiled from professionals, it's from ordinary people. These people have already made their Buyer's decision, it's Human Nature that they would be more inclined to confirm their earlier decision than to contradict it.

Why are the cars rated #1 by JD Powers rarely the sales leaders in their categories? I guess people just didn't see that darn survey...too bad for them, the fools.

I am not here to try and convince you. You may choose to believe me or not. I merely passed on what I know, use it as you will.

And, I have absolutely no axe to grind with JD Power, I think what they've done is brilliant! Further, I am no conspiracy buff - I believe that Elvis is dead, that Nixon did purposely erase the 18 min. of tape, that there are no UFOs and that OJ did stab his wife

They're making a ton of money for both themselves and their clients. They're generating tax revenue and jobs. And they're doing it all legally!

I have no quarrel with the piece about BMW responding to Post-Consumer polling, this is just another service provided by JD Power. I once worked for Hyatt Hotels, and we used a 3rd Party firm to conduct customer satisfaction polling because the expense and burden of doing it in-house was too great. Many companies perform these services, chief among them would be Harris Polling.

But, there is a distinction to be made here: This data is produced for the Manufacturer's consumption, that is very different from producing surveys for potential buyers.

Where else, besides advertising, does the JD Power data get distributed? The CNN and Magazine news pieces? Well, they are not validating the data, they're just reporting what the survey said. The fact is, there is no validation, they simple present it for you to accept (it's fair to assume they do not present it for you to disbelieve).

I simply won't use them as a source of information when making purchasing decisions for all the reasons I've already outlined; you may do as you wish.

But, whenever a company sells survey data for profit, no matter how you disguise the process, that material cannot be seen as anything but suspect. It's your money, spend it wisely! PEACE!

Happy Motoring!...Jim'99

09-22-2005, 08:40 PM	#17
MNBoxster Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, USA Posts: 3,308	WOW, Much more protest than even I expected. It is pretty well known within the Marketing community that if you want a favorable survey with which to advertise your product, you go to JD Powers. I have had clients tell me this as well. OK, consider this: You are a Marketing Company and want to produce surveys for sale to Manufacturers. What do you do? Well, first, you design a set of criteria about your company which gives the allution of credibility. You have follow-up forms which are sent out to past and prospective buyers. They are all tabulated, right? Hmmm... well, they must be right? I mean they have to right? Oh, and you must fund your surveys independently of the Manufacturers, otherwise people won't believe them - Easy, I'll put out my money and then recoup it once the company buys my survey - that'll work. I can't believe those Consumer Reports guys, selling a magazine to fund their surveys, what idiots! If only I could get around that Non-profit thing, oh well, you can't have everything, maybe people won't notice. But wait, what if the companies don't want to buy my surveys? Then what? This survey business is expensive, salaries, printing, postage, etc. I better concentrate on surveys they will buy. Too many unsold surveys and we're circling the drain... OK, I'm a company looking for some favorable survey data to include in advertising my product... Oh look, here is a company with a veritable smorgasbord of surveys...Hmm... let's see... Oh no, not that one, it says we're #8... "Hey how come we're only #8?" "OK... but what if you only include people with 1 year Post Graduate education, and say earning between $85k & $125k? Now we're #6?... What if we only include singles?... #4? OK, now what if we only include those living in major metropolitan areas? #2..? Better, but what if we narrow it further to those in major metropolitan areas on the eastern seaboard? #1? That's Great!! "I'll Take It"! But wait, culling the responses this way drops our sample from 30,000 to only 16,000, well we don't have to use a specific number of responses, I guess it'll be OK. But this could never happen right? Advertising doesn't ever lie, I mean, I did lose 6 lbs. and my hair is filling in a little (I think), my dick does look bigger to me, and that TV Dinner does sorta taste like Mom used to make, and that last Yugo? It was probably made on a Friday, not Yugo's fault at all, those darn UAW workers...This is maybe my main point, these surveys are merely Advertising, they are there merely to add credence to a product. The data is not compiled from professionals, it's from ordinary people. These people have already made their Buyer's decision, it's Human Nature that they would be more inclined to confirm their earlier decision than to contradict it. Why are the cars rated #1 by JD Powers rarely the sales leaders in their categories? I guess people just didn't see that darn survey...too bad for them, the fools. I am not here to try and convince you. You may choose to believe me or not. I merely passed on what I know, use it as you will. And, I have absolutely no axe to grind with JD Power, I think what they've done is brilliant! Further, I am no conspiracy buff - I believe that Elvis is dead, that Nixon did purposely erase the 18 min. of tape, that there are no UFOs and that OJ did stab his wife They're making a ton of money for both themselves and their clients. They're generating tax revenue and jobs. And they're doing it all legally! I have no quarrel with the piece about BMW responding to Post-Consumer polling, this is just another service provided by JD Power. I once worked for Hyatt Hotels, and we used a 3rd Party firm to conduct customer satisfaction polling because the expense and burden of doing it in-house was too great. Many companies perform these services, chief among them would be Harris Polling. But, there is a distinction to be made here: This data is produced for the Manufacturer's consumption, that is very different from producing surveys for potential buyers. Where else, besides advertising, does the JD Power data get distributed? The CNN and Magazine news pieces? Well, they are not validating the data, they're just reporting what the survey said. The fact is, there is no validation, they simple present it for you to accept (it's fair to assume they do not present it for you to disbelieve). I simply won't use them as a source of information when making purchasing decisions for all the reasons I've already outlined; you may do as you wish. But, whenever a company sells survey data for profit, no matter how you disguise the process, that material cannot be seen as anything but suspect. It's your money, spend it wisely! PEACE! Happy Motoring!...Jim'99 Last edited by MNBoxster; 09-22-2005 at 10:02 PM.