DISQUS

NetpopJosh · 1 year ago

It's true, information wants to be free on the Internet. The problem is that much of that free content takes a lot of time to find and it often comes from disparate sources and combined to result in misinformed conclusions.

Reliable market research and accurate insights into consumer trends aren't going away. What needs to change is the market intelligence business model. Currently, vendors are all competing for the same fortune 1000 clients. The reason is that purchasing their research costs in a meaningful way costs $10,000 or more.

It's time that market intelligence was affordable to all businesses regardless of size. After all, 86% of companies in the U.S. employ under 20 people. Can they afford to spend $10,000 on research?

As a provider of primary and secondary research, we face this issue daily. Our response is to flip the market research equation upside down. Netpop provides self-service access to reliable data on the broadband-enabled consumer population. It allows small businesses to mine data for only what they need - starting at $25.

Hopefully, there will be a market for reliable data that is smart, easily accessible AND affordable. Yes, Netpop is part marketing, but more importantly it allows us to deepen our domain expertise and knowledge of how Broadbanders are defining the marketplace around shopping, entertainment and media use in general. When customers and clients need more specific needs, they will work with trustworthy market-researchers who have a deep understanding, and perspective, of the domain to devise primary research studies that uncover insights into their particular problems.

Do you think there is a commercial place for easily accessible data sources to benchmark the influence of online advertising in 2006, 2007 and into the future? I'd like to hear your thoughts, reactions.

keep up the good work.

maxkalehoff · 1 year ago

@Netpopjosh...
Thanks for your comment. Agree with what you have to say -- especially the blind tendency for research vendors to focus on the head of the market. In fact, going after the opposite is also the strategy of my company, Clickable.

Many forms of data and analysis are commoditizing, as underscored in my post, and that's what will become disruptive and make many current models obsolete, or less profitable. Your model is interesting, though I think even it will be squeezed. The first priority for syndicated data and research providers in a future mass niche world will be to achieve scale, ubiquity and adoption. The second priority then will be to monetize on top of that, whether it be through custom analytics, consulting or scalable software tools that tap into those fundamental assets which you give out more generously in the first place.

That's my take for the long-term.
- Max