Ford’s swap your ride “research”
Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 by David Kennedy
Ford’s recent commercial depicts real people test driving Fords under the premise of “market research.”
Does this have an impact on our industry? Does it discredit true research? Will people be suspicious the next time they’re invited to participate in research (especially for an automaker)?
I personally think the effect will be short lived as the ad campaign runs its course, but anyone doing similar research in the short term should be aware of the possible perceptions respondents may bring with them into the research as a result of this ad campaign.
May 27th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
I agree that any effects from this particular campaign will be short-lived, and maybe we can look to the damage telemarketers did to market research’s reputation as a guide to how long such effects will last. Not so long ago, telemarketers and other shady folk used the guise of “market research” to get people to stay on the line and listen to their spiels, and I think perhaps some people’s view of what market research means was affected by that. But I’m thinking now that effect has faded somewhat with the advent of the National Do Not Call Registry and the trend towards cell phone only households.
I can see how potential respondents who assume a researcher might let them test drive a new vehicle for a week could taint their responses, though!