DETERMINING STRATEGIES FOR INCREASING LOYALTY OF A POPULATION TO AN ENTITY

• US 20080065471A1
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tom Reynolds
• Original Assignee: Tom Reynolds
• Inventors: Greene, Tom, Reynolds, Tom
• Granted Patent: US 8,301,482 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls

Abstract

A method and system is disclosed that provides: (a) a theoretical framework for designing psychological research for uncovering individual decision-making networks, both in terms of sampling requirements and questioning methods, (b) an implementation interface to schedule and administer the appropriate question sequences between an interviewer and a given individual, in real-time, via a web-based system, and (c) a coding and analysis system to summarize and quantify the potential of alternative decision structures to be used to optimize the development of marketing and communication strategies.

Claims

1. A method for determining a population'"'"'s perceptions related to an object, comprising:

first requesting at least a one response (R₁) from each respondent of a plurality of respondents indicative of the population, wherein each of the responses R₁ is a response indicative of why a perception of the object is prevented from being more negative about the object;

second requesting at least one response (R₂) from each respondent of a plurality of respondents indicative of the population, wherein each of the responses R₂ is a response indicative of why a perception of the object is prevented from being more positive about the object; and

determining a ranking of characteristics of the object, wherein the ranking for each characteristic is dependent upon a number of times the characteristic is identified as a response for the first requesting step, and a number of times the characteristic is identified as a response for the second requesting step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of second requesting includes presenting a question for identifying a change in the object that would result in the object being perceived more positively.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first requesting step includes presenting a question for identifying a satisfaction with the object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of:

the first requesting step includes transmitting at least one request via the Internet for thereby obtaining an instance of the response R₁; and

the second requesting step includes transmitting at least one request via the Internet for thereby obtaining an instance of the response R₂.

5. The method of claim 1, further including a step of receiving one of:

an instance of the response R₁, and an instance of the response R₂ as a non-quantitative response.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of:

(a) the step of first requesting includes presenting at least one positive equity question, and (b) the step of second requesting includes presenting at least one negative equity question.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of second requesting includes asking at least one respondent what change in the object would induce the respondent to perceive the object more positively.

8. The method of claim 1, further including a step of third requesting a response (R₃) from each of the respondents providing an instance of the at least one response R₁;

wherein the instances of the response R₃ include quantitative values for a range of values presented to the respondents from which the responses R₃ are received, wherein each instance R₃ is requested of a respondent prior to the respondent providing a corresponding instance of the at least one response R₁, wherein a request to the respondent for the at least one response R₁ refers the respondent to the range.

9. The method of claim 1, further including a step of fourth requesting a response (R₄) from each of the respondents providing an instance of the at least one response R₂;

wherein the instances of the response R₄ include quantitative values for a range of values presented to the respondents from which the responses R₄ are received, wherein each instance R₄ is requested of a respondent prior to the respondent providing a corresponding instance of the at least one response R₂, wherein a request to the respondent for the at least one response R₂ refers the respondent to the range.

10. A method for determining information related to a population'"'"'s perception of an object, comprising:

obtaining interview data for conducting an interview session with each of one or more respondents indicative of the population, wherein the interview sessions are for determining perceptions of the object by the respondents, the interview data substantially defining how the interview sessions are conducted;

conducting the interview sessions with each of the respondents;

wherein for each of the respondents, the corresponding interview session is interactive with the respondent for obtaining responsive data related to the respondent'"'"'s perception of the object, wherein the respondent is presented with at least one of;

(i) a first request for a first characteristic of the object that the respondent perceives as more positive than another characteristic of the object;

(ii) a second request for a second characteristic of the object that the respondent perceives as more negative than another characteristic of the object;

storing the responsive data obtained from the respondents, said responsive data including responses to each of;

the questions of (i) and (ii);

coding said stored responsive data using a plurality of categories, each category for identifying respondent responses in the responsive data having a common semantic content that is associated with the category;

determining, for each of at least some of the plurality of categories, a corresponding importance data indicative of an importance of the category, wherein the importance data is a result of a function that is non-decreasing in a number of respondent responses in the category, wherein the category includes responses from both the first and second requests;

determining, for each of at least some of the plurality of categories, a corresponding belief data indicative of a favorable perception of the object by the respondents, wherein the belief data is a result of function that is non-decreasing in a number of respondent responses obtained from the first question; and

ranking at least some of the plurality of categories, wherein for each of the categories ranked, the corresponding ranking is dependent up on the importance data of the category, and the belief data for the category, wherein the ranking provides information for establishing a different perception of the object.

11. The method of claim 10, further including for each respondent, a step of presenting a request for the respondent to evaluate the object, and subsequently presenting the second request, wherein the second request includes a request for a characteristic of the object that the respondent perceives as a reason as to why the respondent did not evaluate the object higher.

12. The method of claim 10, further including for each respondent, presenting a request for the respondent to evaluate the object, and subsequently presenting the first request, wherein the first request includes a request for a characteristic of the object that the respondent perceives as a reason as to why the respondent did not evaluate the object lower.

13. The method of claim 10, further including one or more steps for presenting to the respondents a question for determining respondent perceptual linkages between at least two of the following collections of the plurality of categories:

(a-1) categories that are each representative of a corresponding attribute of the object,

(a-2) categories that are each representative of a corresponding functional consequence related to the object,

(a-3) categories that are each representative of a corresponding psychosocial consequence related to the object, and

(a-4) categories that are each representative of a corresponding value attributable to the respondents.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more steps of presenting include determining respondent perceptual linkages between at least some of the following pairs of collections:

a first pair;

collection (a-1) and collection (a-2);

a second pair;

collection (a-2) and collection (a-3); and

a third pair;

collection (a-3) and collection (a-4).

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more steps of presenting include determining respondent perceptual linkages between each of the pairs of collections.

16. The method of claim 10, further including transmitting, to each respondent, a plurality of interview session questions, wherein a response from the respondent to a first of the questions is classified within a predetermined hierarchy of classifications, the hierarchy including classifications for:

(a) a perceived attribute of the object, and (b) a corresponding respondent personal value the respondent associates with the attribute, and wherein a response from the respondent to a second of the questions is classified within a different classification of the predetermined hierarchy.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of conducting includes, for each of at least some of the respondents,

a step of transmitting, on a communication network, at least a portion of the interview data during the corresponding interview session in which the at least one respondent is interviewed, the portion being presented to the at least one respondent during the interview session;

a step of receiving a response to the portion from the at least one respondent, wherein the response is transmitted on the communication network during the corresponding interview session.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein for at least some of the respondents, an interviewer remotely conducts the corresponding interview session via a communication network, wherein at least most communications between the interviewer and the respondent are transmitted via a predetermined intermediary node of the communication network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the communications are routed over the Internet.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein for at least some of the respondents, the step of conducting the corresponding interview session is performed without an interviewer being in communication with the respondent during the corresponding interview session.

21. The method of claim 10, wherein at least some of the plurality of categories are determined prior to the step of conducting the interview sessions performed without an interviewer.

22. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of ranking includes ranking using a function that increases with increasing values of the importance data for the categories ranked, and decreases with increasing values of the belief data for the categories ranked.

23. The method of claim 10, wherein the different perception of the object includes a more favorable perception of the object.

24. A method for predicting how to change a population'"'"'s perception of an object, comprising:

obtaining interview data for conducting an interview session, with each of one or more respondents indicative of the population, wherein the interview sessions are for determining perceptions of the object by the respondents, the interview data substantially defining how the interview session is conducted;

transmitting on a communication network at least a portion of the interview data to a computer for an interviewer for conducting an interview session with one or more respondents;

for each of the respondents, communicating with a computer for the respondent and with the computer for the interviewer, via the communications network, for conducting the interview session with the respondent, and obtaining responsive data related to the respondent'"'"'s perception of the object, wherein the respondent is presented with each of;

(i) a first request for obtaining a first characteristic of the object that the respondent perceives as more positive than another characteristic of the object;

(ii) a second request for obtaining a second characteristic of the object that the respondent perceives as more negative than another characteristic of the object; and

(iii) a plurality of questions wherein a response from the respondent to a first of the questions is classified within a predetermined hierarchy of classifications, the hierarchy including classifications for;

(a) a perceived attribute of the object, and (b) a corresponding respondent personal value the respondent associates with the attribute, and wherein for a second of the plurality of questions, an additional response is requested for classification within the predetermined hierarchy of the additional response is a different classification in the hierarchy than the classification for the response;

storing the interview data obtained via the communication network, the interview data including data responsive to each of;

the first and second requests, and the plurality of questions;

coding said stored interview data using a plurality of categories, each category for identifying respondent responses in the interview data having a common semantic content that is associated with the category;

determining at least one relationship between some of said categories, wherein said relationship is indicative of how at least some of the respondents associate said some categories, wherein the relationship represents one or more perceptional linkages the respondents are likely to have, and wherein the perceptional linkages extend between a perceived attribute of the object, and a personal value of the respondents;

determining, for each of at least some of the plurality of categories, a corresponding importance data indicative of an importance of the category, wherein the importance data is a result of a function that is non-decreasing in a number of respondent responses in the category, wherein the category includes responses from both the first and second requests;

determining, for each of at least some of the plurality of categories, a corresponding belief data indicative of a favorable perception of the object by the respondents, wherein the belief data is a result of function that is non-decreasing in a number of respondent responses obtained from the first question; and

ranking at least some of the plurality of categories, wherein for each of the categories ranked, the corresponding ranking is dependent up on the importance data of the category, and the belief data for the category;

wherein the ranking and the relationship provide information for predicting a different perception of the object.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein there is a plurality of the categories that are each representative of a corresponding attribute of the object, a plurality of the categories that are each representative of a corresponding functional consequence related to the object, a plurality of the categories that are each representative of a corresponding psychosocial consequence related to the object, and a plurality of the categories that are each representative of a corresponding value attributable to the respondents.