ESOMAR 28

COMPANY PROFILE

1. What experience does your company have in providing online samples for market research?

Datatelligence (referred to sometimes as “DO”) has been in the online industry since the beginning of 2004, and is a subdivision of its parent Market Research company CRG Global, Inc., which began in the early 1980s.

SAMPLE SOURCES AND RECRUITMENT

2. Please describe and explain the type(s) of online sample sources from which you get respondents. Are these databases? Actively managed research panels? Direct marketing lists? Social networks? Web intercept (also known as river) samples?

Primarily sample comes from the actively managed gen-pop panel or targeted sample from specific sub-panels.

Affiliate partners are brought in which manage their own specific panels for non-US projects.

3. If you provide samples from more than one source: How are the different sample sources blended together to ensure validity? How can this be replicated over time to provide reliability? How do you deal with the possibility of duplication of respondents across sources?

Most clients require multiple sample sources in addition to Datatelligence sample. This is a process we are familiar with.

If we are hosting the study, we enforce and match demographic quotas per panel to ensure we have equal representation. Panels are pre-bid and feasibility is known in advance. Panels which cannot meet the quota criteria are not brought on the study.

Duplications are handled by our system using security measures such as cookies detecting previous entry to our surveys, analysis of address and location if recruiting for a HUT, and contact verification. In addition, we have backend data analysis in our in-house QC system which can detect satisficers through IP recognition and survey behavior.

4. Are your sample source(s) used solely for market research? If not, what other purposes are they used for?

The DO panel is primarily used for Market Research purposes and nothing else.

5. How do you source groups that may be hard to reach on the internet?

DO will periodically send out “incidence checks” to gauge its effectiveness in targeting hard-to-get sample groups. Over the course of a few years, we have built smaller sub-panels and have targets on respondents for over 250 variables from Gamers, Car Owners, Illnesses, Alcohol Drinkers, Cell Phone Users/Providers, etc...

Any lack of feasibility in quotas will be communicated to our client before the project starts.

6. If, on a particular project, you need to supplement your sample(s) with sample(s) from other providers, how do you select those partners? Is it your policy to notify a client in advance when using a third party provider?

We always let our clients know up front if we cannot meet a certain quota and will give the option to outsource to our partners. Partners are selected through experience and long-time relationships in which we have a history of quality checks. Datatelligence programs have quality control measures built-in which are conducted on every panel, including our own. Panels that display repeatedly low QC ratings can be filtered out. Since we have been working with our partners for several years, we know who to trust and who to stay away from as far as behavioral sample and data quality.

Clients are never expected to pay for data they do not consider accurate or is not satisfactory.

SAMPLING AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT

7. What steps do you take to achieve a representative sample of the target population?

The target population must first be defined or structured by the client. Usually census targets are desired and we will pull percentages based on expected fallout to match the desired number of click-through demographics. Sample targeting, census fallout, and accuracy are some of the core strengths of Datatelligence versus its competitors.

All quotas are nested within each other in our sample pulling system. Meaning, if there are 4 points to a desired sample pull (i.e. age, gender, region, ethnicity), all 4 points will be balanced within each other.

8. Do you employ a survey router?

Datatelligence does not currently use a survey router.

9. If you use a router: Please describe the allocation process within your router. How do you decide which surveys might be considered for a respondent? On what priority basis are respondents allocated to surveys?

N/A

10.If you use a router: What measures do you take to guard against, or mitigate, any bias arising from employing a router? How do you measure and report any bias?

N/A

11. If you use a router: Who in your company sets the parameters of the router? Is it a dedicated team or individual project managers?

N/A

12. What profiling data is held on respondents? How is it done? How does this differ across sample sources? How is it kept up-to-date? If no relevant profiling data is held, how are low incidence projects dealt with?

Datatelligence keeps an optional profile of over 250 variables. All respondents who joined are encouraged to fill out this optional profile, and at this point about 70% of our panel has the majority of the extra data fields fill out.

Datatelligence also manages “sub-panels” for respondents to join. E-mails will be sent out every night to those who have not opt-in or opt-out of join the sub-panels or filling the extra profile data.

Members are encouraged to update their profile frequently when invited to surveys.

If there is no relevant profiling data held an “Incidence Check” can be ran free of charge.

13. Please describe your survey invitation process. What is the proposition that people are offered to take part in individual surveys? What information about the project itself is given in the process? Apart from direct invitations to specific surveys (or to a router), what other means of invitation to surveys are respondents exposed to? You should note that not all invitations to participate take the form of emails.

Datatelligence invitations are sent via text only unless specifically stated otherwise, all mirror the same content. Variables which change in the e-mail will be the project number, time invested, and incentive amount.

All specifics about study content are not mentioned to make sure sample is as unbiased as possible.

14. Please describe the incentives that respondents are offered for taking part in your surveys. How does this differ by sample source, by interview length, by respondent characteristics?

Survey incentive amount is determined by length of survey. If it is a home use test, the time invested in testing a product also increases the incentive amount.

15. What information about a project do you need in order to give an accurate estimate of feasibility using your own resources?

Datatelligence requires a general population incidence rate to help gauge price and feasibility (along with length of time or length of time in testing a product test to calculate fall out).

If it is a specific target, there are hundreds of variables that can be used to gauge what the estimated incidence rate would be.

If the IR is still in question, Datatelligence can run a free incidence rate check over a gen-pop or targeted sample based on general qualifiers specified by client.

16. Do you measure respondent satisfaction? Is this information made available to clients?

Datatelligence routinely sends out surveys to its panelists asking them to gauge their experience in previously ran surveys, opinions on incentives, and general experience in being a member.

Since a large portion of the Datatelligence panel is recruited face-to-face, from our office locations, much of our information is internal only and can be specific to the geographic area around our locations.

Datatelligence does have a higher respondent retention than most other panels due to the nature of how we recruit and our respondents know of our company in-person as opposed to just over the internet.

17. What information do you provide to debrief your client after the project has finished?

In addition to deliverables, all DATO hosted programs run through quality control checks. A short report can be given client based on how our sample performs (and any other partner companies which are sampling in the same program).

Sample performance, top line frequency counts, and more can be monitored live.

Demographic variables not caught in the survey can be delivered upon request.

DATA QUALITY AND VALIDATION

18. Who is responsible for data quality checks? If it is you, do you have in place procedures to reduce or eliminate undesired within survey behaviors, such as (a) random responding, (b) Illogical or inconsistent responding, (c) overuse of item non-response (e.g. “Don’t Know”) or (d) speeding (too rapid survey completion)? Please describe these procedures.

Datatelligence hosted studies use an in-house developed system which is incorporated into surveys. Quality control can be monitored live and survey data can be removed so it doesn’t reflect upon quotas.

The quality control uses a series of red herring and answer consistency questions. Respondents are given a score once their finished with their interview depending on how accurate, consistent their response is, or if they are paying attention to the question text. Timing metrics are also used based on a median time given by client. In addition the algorithm flags respondents for grid straight-lining and diagonal (or “Christmas tree”) like answering.

We use a three color grading system, green meaning passing quality checks, yellow for under review, and red meaning failing a good portion of the quality control.

If the client hosts the program, we will rely on the client to send us a list of respondents who did not pass their QC. These respondents are not counted toward their costs, and are marked in our system for quarantine and rehabilitation.

With that said, Datatelligence believes the data quality begins at the recruitment level. Our unique recruitment methods have provided us a panel community that is recognized by our small but growing user base, as exceptional.

Our belief is that each type of poor respondent behavior is not mutually exclusive of one another, eliminate the top two and you eliminate the overwhelming majority.

Datatelligence attempts to design surveys that are user friendly and more engaging. We prefer to use drag and drop over radio buttons, we avoid scrolling. We minimize the amount of screen real estate used by maximizing the number of questions per page. With client permission we will provide break points in longer surveys. We are constantly looking to improve the respondent experience and listens to feedback from our panel.

19. How often can the same individual be contacted to take part in a survey within a specified period whether they respond to the contact or not? How does this vary across your sample sources?

Datatelligence keeps participation history on all respondents.

The average member completes no more than 2 or 4 interviews in any given month; a maximum of 6 completed interviews is permitted. A maximum of 16 invitations per month are sent to members. Any member exceeding either of these thresholds is quarantined for the appropriate time period.

20. How often can the same individual take part in a survey within a specified period? How does this vary across your sample sources? How do you manage this within categories and/or time periods?

The average member completes no more than 2 or 4 interviews in any given month. It does very on specific sub-panels and hard to reach targets. However, the maximum invitations and completion of interviews still apply.

21. Do you maintain individual level data such as recent participation history, date of entry, source, etc., on your survey respondents? Are you able to supply your client with a project analysis of such individual level data?

Datatelligence keeps participation history on all respondents, and on an aggregate level we can provide this to the client.

22. Do you have a confirmation of respondent identity procedure? Do you have procedures to detect fraudulent respondents? Please describe these procedures as they are implemented at sample source registration and/or at the point of entry to a survey or router. If you offer B2B samples what are the procedures there, if any?

We have checks and measures in place to detect duplicate respondent e-mails and have a CAPTCHA system to prevent auto-mated sign-ups.

Also, all e-mails are verified by a Domain Name System check. If passed, the respondent’s e-mail will be immediately sent “verification.” If this comes back unanswered or as a bounced e-mail, the system will flag and remove the respondent.

Half our respondents are also recruited face-to-face at our local mall office locations. This gives an added benefit of knowing who our panelists are.

POLICIES AND COMPLIANCE

23. Please describe the ‘opt-in for market research’ processes for all your online sample sources.

Face-to-Face: Respondents are recruited from mall floors, or are asked to join the panel after taking a survey. They will have three points where they "opt-in."

Telephone Interview: Respondents will be asked if they want to join our online panel after a telephone interview. They are signed up and sent an e-mail for confirmation.

Co-Registration: DO’s Co-registration partner will host a web portal on their site in which respondents will read about our panel. If they decide to join, they will confirm by clicking on a button to be redirected to our specific web-portal for the co-registration partner. At this point, the respondents is presented with more information about our panel and a web-form, and if completed will complete their double opt-in process. After opted in, all panelists will receive a confirmation e-mail.

24. Please provide a link to your Privacy Policy. How is your Privacy Policy provided to your respondents?

Please refer to https://assets.crgglobalinc.com/shared/privacy-policy.html for our privacy policy.

Respondents are required to read it prior to signing up for membership.

25. Please describe the measures you take to ensure data protection and data security.

Datatelligence uses SSL Certificates and encryption on all online web pages which require user information.

Respondent interviews links are limited to only one per e-mail address and cannot be forwarded after used. Our survey system uses security keys and matching IDs to validate all incoming respondents. Any individual trying to access a survey and are not listed in our invitations will be blocked live, automatically.

Data access on respondents is stored on pass worded servers behind our corporate firewalls.

All respondent data is kept on separate databases and can only be matched together by an ID which is encrypted. The IDs can only be unlocked by a special code which changes on a weekly basis.

26. What practices do you follow to decide whether online research should be used to present commercially sensitive client data or materials to survey respondents?

If client needs to protect IP or any future market concepts, we understand security in programs is paramount. All respondents are required to follow strict rules of confidentiality before participating in the study, and then must agree upon this again in the survey.

In addition, while it’s technically impossible to fully guarantee to protect content, we can make it difficult by taking pre-cautions such as disabling copy-pasting, screen shots, and certain functionality within the survey while displaying any sensitive material.

27. Are you certified to any specific quality system? If so, which one(s)?

Not as this time.

28. Do you conduct online surveys with children and young people? If so, do you adhere to the standards that ESOMAR provides? What other rules or standards, for example COPPA in the United States, do you comply with?

All invitations for surveys to children under the age of 13 will only be sent to the parent for their approval and supervision.

Our teens between 13 and 17 may be a part of our online panel as individuals and may receive e-mails as a normal member.