David Winton Award for innovation in research methodology
Sponsored by TNS
This Award is for a
paper describing a new
methodology which adds
to the body of market
research knowledge and
significantly contributes to
the way research is both
thought about and carried
out.
Winner:
A New Measure of Brand Attitudinal Equity Based on the Zipf Distribution, IJMR Vol 50, issue 2
Jan Hofmeyr, Victoria Goodall, Martin Bongers & Paul Holtzman
What the judges said:
This paper created a measure of brand satisfaction based on its position within the individual’s choice repertoire and used to predict sales. The method was extensively validated with panel data in a variety of countries and different product sectors.
All the judges remarked on the open and clear description which would allow this to become a standard, an absolute pre-requisite for the winner of this ‘Gold Standard’ MRS award. While the other three finalists received special commendations for their papers, this was the one that ticked all the boxes this year.
Highly Commended:
Emergent inquiry: A practitioner’s reflections on the development of qualitative research, Qualitative Market Research, Volume 12, Number 2
Sheila Keegan
What the judges said:
This paper provided an authoritative review of trends in qualitative research over the last 20 years, highlighting some of the dangers of the qualitative research process becoming ‘commoditised’. Specifically, the author advanced the case for stretching existing qualitative techniques to the concept of ‘emergent enquiry’. This is a form of participatory inquiry – iterative learning that emphasises a collaborative process between researchers and participants, and also clients, where everyone can bring their own perspectives, views and opinions to help shape a holistic understanding of a particular topic. With this model the researcher is not deemed to be the ‘expert’, but seen as one of various involved parties - researchers, clients, customers, research participants – who can contribute to our understanding.
Harnessing the Power of Metaphor: A New Approach to Measuring Emotion
David Penn
Read David's paper (PDF 490KB, PDF Help)
What the judges said:
Emotional appeal is more likely to yield strong business results. Not a new idea, but Penn persuasively argues that research must cover interaction between frontal cortex (cognitive activity) and the Limbic system (emotional). The author covers the literature very well. While recognising that there are other ways to access emotion, we believe that Penn has brought metaphors into quantitative research. The international test quoted validates the hypothesis that engagement with brands is better measured by metaphors than by verbal scales.
The Design & Precision of Data-Fusion Studies, IJMR Vol 49, issue 4
Trevor Sharot
What the judges said:
The judges were impressed by the analytical clarity and new thinking in Trevor's paper. The paper presents important new theoretical results concerning data fusion - findings with invaluable benefits for both developers and users of fused data. The derivation of effective sample sizes means that fusion can now be used with a known degree of confidence.
Back to Awards |
