June 2008

1. Advertising Research
   Stacking the Advertising Odds in Your Favour
2. Marketing Research
   Why Green Should Matter to Your Business
3. Public Opinion Research
   Driving for Gold: Ipsos and ICBC Win at Predicting 2010 License Plates

Dear Reader,

Welcome to a special BC edition of Ipsos Ideas!

We've had a busy spring in the Vancouver office–lots of new faces, and lots of new tools and products that we believe will be of interest to each and every one of our readers!

First off, we've introduced a new tool called BrandPulse, designed specifically for those who require a quick turnaround on "emergency" needs for research when traditional approaches are not suitable. Our ever-popular Inter@ctive Reid Fact Guide is one of our most popular downloads with quick stats on Internet-enabled Canadian behaviours and attitudes, and our "Gimme Lessons Learned" is a complimentary series of excerpts from John Hallward's book on the human nature of marketing.

Our Interactive Custom Panel group has grown over 100% in the past year, and has been working with many clients to develop custom, online interactive panels in order to provide two-way, quick turnaround dialogue on products and issues relating to your business. And our "Ethnic and New Canadians" team has assembled some very topical areas that will be of interest to marketers who need to look beyond mainstream Canadian markets to grow their brand.

And of course, some of the big brains in the office–Kim Short, Catherine Dawson, and Kyle Braid–have contributed interesting and thought-provoking articles on some very topical matters. Kim discusses the benefits of testing advertising before hitting the airwaves. Catherine shares the BC perspective on the Green Revolution. And Kyle examines our success in predicting sales gold.

Enjoy the read!

Sincerely,
Steve Mossop
President, Market Research West
Ipsos Reid

Kim Short

No doubt, advertising is a great way of building your brand and getting your message out to the world. Many an ad has become the topic of everyday conversation–some of the best have even found their way into our daily lexicon, with creative that zings and sings, gets attention, and sticks. With that kind of power, why test advertising creative? The benefits are worth a closer look.
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Catherine Dawson

The environment? Of course we care! Topical–indeed almost omnipresent these days–it's a given that Canadians are concerned about the state of the environment. Here in BC, 91% of adults tell us they are concerned (43% very concerned) and the same number (91%) are at least somewhat convinced that climate change is happening (43% completely convinced). So what does that mean for your business?
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Kyle Braid

When it comes to predicting sales success, Ipsos and ICBC have proven to be a gold medal winning team. As an official supporter of the 2010 Winter Games, ICBC wanted to find out how British Columbians would respond to commemorative license plates. This case study examines the strategy behind the remarkable success in predicting sales of the 2010 Winter Games license plates.
» Read more