Beta Research

Beta Research was founded in 1970, and has offices in New York and Boston. Our experienced employees use a range of methodologies – quantitative and qualitative, traditional and cutting-edge – to obtain information our clients need when making key decisions. Beta Research is a certified woman-owned business with a demonstrated commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.

Beta Research conducts consumer and business-to-business research, with special expertise in healthcare/pharmaceutical, media and consumer products. Studies typically include concept, branding, packaging, product, attitude and usage, advertising, tracking and panel development.

Our Capabilities Include:

» Study design and sampling
» Database appending and management
» Field work
» Coding, data entry and verification
» Tabulation and statistical analysis
» Reports and presentations

Beta Research conducts both quantitative and qualitative research studies, including:

Quantitative
» Mail
» Telephone (Public Opinion Polling included)
» Online
» Onsite Interviews – mall, convention and event
» In-Home Usage
» Taste Tests (Long Island, NY kitchen facility)

Qualitative
» Traditional and Online Focus Groups (all aspects)
» In-Depth Interviewing (IDIs) – telephone and in-person
» Website Usability Testing
» Mock Trials
» Eye Tracking
» Focus Group Facility (Long Island, NY)

Major clients include, but are not limited to:

AARP
International Masters Publishing
Nextel Communications
Perdue Farms, Inc.

Allergan
Johnson & Johnson

Conde Nast Publicatons
Dow Jones & Company
Hearst Corporation

Discovery Networks
Fox Cable Programs

Some Case Studies that demonstrate Beta Research's experience and expertise include:

PUTTING CONSUMERS IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT
People interested in the latest models from a major auto manufacturer enjoy a richer, more satisfying interactive experience thanks in part to Beta Research. The auto manufacturer had developed an app for deployment wherever its vehicles were being shown. The app was intended to provide a full interactive experience and answer potential customers’ most pressing questions about the vehicles, while eliminating the need for costly and one-sided information boards. But did the app measure up to the company’s hopes?

THE BETA APPROACH
The auto manufacturer retained Beta Research to conduct onsite interviews to get qualitative feedback customer experiences with the app. Beta deployed trained researchers to intercept and interview consumers after they used the app. Our findings uncovered a couple of usability issues with the device on which the app was deployed, as well as some difficulties users were having in finding information critical to an eventual purchase decision.

RESULTS
The Beta approach was both fast and cost-effective. The manufacturer received immediate data, and our recommendations were clear and actionable. The company and its developer made several adjustments based on our findings. The improved app is scheduled for a test drive in the new model year.

Industry: Consumer products/Automotive
Methodology: On-site interviews

STOP-LOSS ORDER
A regional publisher is building back its critical subscriber base after an extensive period of declining numbers. Initially, the publisher’s parent company wrote off the losses, believing that overall consumer interest in the publication was simply waning. However, after noticing an alarming drop in subscriptions during one measurement period, management realized that something more significant was going on. What was it – and how could they reverse the trend quickly?

THE BETA APPROACH
Time was of the essence. The publisher’s parent company was preparing to make a significant business decision about the publication’s future within a matter of days. The publication’s direct management needed information that clearly identified the problem and pointed to a reasonable solution. With only a weekend to provide this to our client, Beta developed and conducted a flash telephone study. Our sample included ongoing subscribers, as well as people who had cancelled after both long and short term subscriptions. We found the principal issue was a straightforward problem with a straightforward fix.

RESULTS
Beta’s telephone survey revealed that subscribers’ biggest complaint had nothing to do with lack of interest in the publication. In fact, both current and cancelled subscribers remained interested in what the publication had to offer, if only they could get it. A glitch in the publisher’s distribution chain was the main cause of all the problems. Beta was able to pinpoint this and arm management with critical information in time for a Monday morning meeting. Subscriptions have evened out, and the publication continues.

Industry: Media
Methodology: Phone survey

IT'S A WRAP
A specialty foods company has successfully incorporated a product into its line. Critical consumer insights from Beta Research helped the product launch smoothly and impactfully. The food company is well-established with several recognizable brands distributed nationwide. Its growth strategy involves both internal development of new products and acquisition of promising products from smaller, regional companies. Regardless of how a product is added to the line, the right packaging is key to gaining consumer buy-in. What motivates customers to try something new – even when it comes from a name they know and trust?

THE BETA APPROACH
Not surprisingly, the best way to get customer reactions is simply to ask them. Beta Research deployed experienced research teams in shopping centers around the company where our clients’ products were already known and popular. The researchers were equipped with samples of the new product, as well as various packaging designs under consideration. Participants in our in-store test were surveyed about colors, fonts and package shapes as they related to the product. They were also asked to consider how likely common key words – such as organic, natural USDA – would be to draw them to a particular product.

RESULTS
Beta’s client gained valuable insight into how it might most successfully introduce its new product. We measured the responses of both the new product’s target demographic and the parent brand’s loyal customers. Today the product can be found on supermarket and specialty store shelves throughout the United States.

Industry: Consumer products/food
Methodology: In-store testing

IT'S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS
A consortium consisting of an established consulting firm and a respected business publication provided critical information to its audience after a significant worldwide event. The event threatened to undermine the confidence of the entire business community. Beta’s client recognized the need to provide a snapshot of business leaders’ actual concerns – both before and after the event. What issues were really posing threats to business, according to some of its acknowledged thought leaders?

THE BETA APPROACH
Working with our client, Beta identified an elite set of international business leaders to interview. We also carefully formulated the script so we could elicit meaningful responses from our tremendously busy participants in just 30 minutes. Calls were scheduled at any time of day or night on any day of the week to accommodate our participants’ schedules. Beta’s trained interviewers used sophisticated voice recognition technology to create transcripts with minimal turnaround time. We protected participants’ anonymity, and the interviewers practiced careful neutrality to ensure frank responses.

RESULTS
Our client received a large amount of reliable qualitative data within a fairly short timeframe. They were able to transform this information into a valuable report and presentation at an international conference. These helped shift the business conversation away from the emotional response to the recent event towards actual business problems.

Industry: Media/consulting
Methodology: In-depth phone interviews

DOCTORS RECOMMEND…
A company that manufactures over the counter products for sensitive health-related issues has a deeper understanding of how to effectively work with health professionals and expand its market share. The company wanted to determine whether its messaging for an existing product provided the information health professionals needed when recommending it to their patients. How do you capture the attention of overworked professionals and gain their confidence?

THE BETA APPROACH
Because the company was considering a direct mail strategy, Beta recommended a test that coupled direct mail promoting the product with follow up interviews. We selected a group of medical and nursing specialists who were most likely to encounter the condition the product was intended to treat. The test group received the direct mail piece and was interviewed within two weeks. A control group did not receive the direct mail piece but participated in a similar interview process.

RESULTS
Beta’s client was able to verify that their strategy was effective. The test product was top of mind versus its competitors among those health professionals who had received the direct mail piece.

Industry: Health/pharmaceuticals
Methodology: Combo study: mail/telephone

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON
A major international food brand with a robust line of medical nutrition products was contemplating the introduction of a new product. This product was conceived for patients with a particular set of chronic conditions that jeopardized their ability to receive adequate nourishment. If its introduction was successful, the product would create an entirely new class; it had no direct competitors. Was the company correct that there was sufficient need for this product – and what could it do to attract the attention of physicians who might recommend it?

THE BETA APPROACH
Beta developed a concept test tightly focused on the needs – and frustrations – of target patients and their doctors. We recruited a paid sample of physicians based on their known medical specialties and history of treating target patients. A structured questionnaire was made available online in order to accommodate the doctors’ schedules and responses were available to our client in real time. Eight permutations of the proposed product were offered for evaluation.

RESULTS
The concept test narrowed down the proposed pool of new product concepts from eight to two, saving Beta’s client millions of dollars in product development and marketing costs. In addition, our client was so pleased with our work that they invited us to become a preferred provider and perform additional studies for them on this – and other – concepts.

Industry: Health/pharmaceuticals
Methodology: Concept test – online

KEEP ‘EM COMING BACK
A magazine publisher has a greater understanding of the audience for one of its signature specialty publications. Due to waning readership – and new developments in a similar coverage area – the publisher was contemplating a total rebrand of the publication, including change of subject matter and format. Would its loyal readers go along with the change? Would the rebrand help the publisher recover lapsed subscribers? Could it possibly attract a completely new readership in a growing demographic?

THE BETA APPROACH
Beta Research conducted a series of focus groups around the country. Where possible, groups included current readers, non-readers and lapsed readers. They were asked to respond to comparisons of the publication’s established platform and its new platform. We tested layout, editorial content, typography, photos and the proposed logo. We also had our focus groups compare both iterations of our client’s publication with other magazines with a similar readership.

RESULTS
Our study provided a detailed roadmap for our publisher client to extend the longevity – and the readership – of the magazine in question.

Industry: Media
Methodology: Focus group

THE MISSING PIECE
The publisher of a major daily has established a direct line of communication with a selected sample of its newsstand readers so it can obtain regular feedback on a variety of topics, including editorial content and advertising/propensity to purchase certain products. The publication had previously established means to determine its subscribers’ views. However, since the daily has a high ratio of newsstand purchases to subscriptions, it was missing critical data. How could the publisher possibly reach a cross-section of its occasional customers consistently and economically?

THE BETA APPROACH
While a one-time study might have provided some of the information the publisher and its advertisers needed, Beta recommended a panel study to provide more detailed – and continuous – information. The daily’s publisher wanted to be sure to capture changing opinions and shifts in editorial interest among its readership, in addition to providing its advertisers with valuable information on purchasing patterns and trends. Beta recruited a qualified panel with representatives from several demographics important to the daily’s business. When a research question emerged, panelists were contacted for telephone, mail or online surveys, depending on the specific issue. Occasionally, a subset of the panel was consulted, particularly when previous research showed that a certain demographic was more likely to use a product or service. Commitment and participation were both high, and panelists received small rewards for their participation.

RESULTS
The panel’s feedback has informed several strategic decisions. It has also helped to engage advertisers more deeply and permit the publisher to offer greater value for each advertising dollar.

Industry: Media - Print
Methodology: Panel; Online/Telephone/Mail Surveys