MINNEAPOLIS RESEARCH FIRM OFFERING CUSTOM" OMNIBUS SURVEY SERVICES

CJ Olson Market Research, a Minneapolis, MN based company, has introduced an omnibus survey service that allows organizations to conduct statistically reliable surveys with targeted audiences.

CJ Olson Market Research, a Minneapolis, MN based company, has begun offering a regular series of custom" omnibus surveys. These surveys are conducted with statistically reliable samples of targeted audiences. The company targets important, dynamic geographic regions that would be of interest to many different industries. These audiences have ranged from high level business executives in the Orange County/ Los Angeles area to a survey of adult Minnesota residents.

Weve tried to accommodate the organization that needs a communications check, but doesnt have the financial resources to implement a custom study," explains Larry Praml, Jr., who developed this concept at CJ Olson. A lot of these companies would not be able to do a regular check, or more likely, just would not do the research at all. But if I can get them the data they need for a third, or even less, of what it would normally cost, they can do this on a regular basis and be able to truly understand their key audiences and measure the effectiveness of their work."

CJ Olsons clients apparently agree. It is very important to the success of our mission that we measure public opinion about organ and tissue donation," recalls Susan Mau Larson, Public Relations Manager for LifeSource, a non-profit, federally-designated organ procurement organization for Minnesota. The survey conducted by CJ Olson was a cost-effective way for us to achieve this important measurement and the results have helped us increase the effectiveness of our communications strategies."

Omnibus survey services have often been considered a double-edged sword; on one side they can be a relatively inexpensive measurement tool, but on the other side they are rather inflexible in terms of the audience they ultimately measure.

Some research firms, like the Princeton, NJ - based Opinion Research Corporation, conduct national omnibus studies so frequently that their clients can simply keep fielding their questions in successive surveys, screening for the proper audience, until they are satisfied that they have a statistically reliable sampling. The problem with this approach is that it quickly becomes just as expensive as fielding a custom survey.

CJ Olsons customized omnibus survey services were developed out of a changing dynamic in the market research industry. An almost two year recession has pummeled most professional service providers -- making many of them change their rote approach.

The research industry has been slumping for almost two years now," says Praml. I think the survivors will be those companies who can make the necessary adjustments. The bulk of our work is still going to be custom research, both qualitative and quantitative. But we think weve come up with a service here that greatly expands our pool of prospective clients by offering a less expensive tool for measurement."

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