Ipsos and Techneos Link for Mobile MR Innovation

Ipsos and mobile data collection technology firm Techneos have partnered to develop new mobile research techniques, technologies and applications.

Techneos' SODA mobile survey platform works by downloading apps to mobile phones to run when they are offline, and connects to a wireless network as required to fetch projects and submit data.

The tool was used by the pair in May, for their first joint study - 'The Great British Weekend' - to uncover how consumers use their mobile phones in everyday life.

This project also incorporated the use of a new mobile research technique which combines surveys with multiple choice, sliding scale, open text, the capture of pictures, and GPS-based locations, to understand people's lives, moods, environments and decisions.

Techneos VP Sean Conry said that the new technique had challenged both firms to examine stereotypes of consumer segments. 'Marketers and researchers can leverage the concept and results of this study to dive deeper into just about any consumer segment,' he added.

The firms say results of the study illustrated the implications of mobile diary programs that use participants' own devices to collect insights, as well as examining how survey design effects participant behaviour.

'The mobile proved to be a great tool allowing participants to express themselves, and we were excited to see so many photos of our online panellists as they went about their weekend,' stated AJ Johnson, VP at Ipsos' Open Thinking Exchange.

'When we followed up with participants, 97% said they enjoyed it, 97% thought it was interesting and 100% would participate again.'

Web sites: www.ipsos.com and www.techneos.com .