Survey Finds Workers Average Only Three Productive Days per Week

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Data Dump Index: 87/100

Microsoft will likely flex its huge PR muscle to secure ample coverage of these results. It would behoove b-to-b marketers to pay attention to the data related to office productivity. However, we caution that any marketing programs targeted to highly productive executives should be supported by further quantitative research.

Cell phone survey shows love-hate relationship

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Data Dump Index: 92/100

The media, sans radio, have had a field day covering this and sufficeth to say they have done well. This is a well-crafted, clearly thought out piece of research conducted by an independent company and marketers to road warriors, teens, and the under 50 crowd should find lots of learning here.

Power: Women Like It and Pursue It, Survey Finds

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Data Dump Index: 47/100

We have always cautioned marketers to be wary of surveys conducted on-site at conferences since the respondents are likely biased towards the research subject. Here we have an ambiguous and highly subjective trait -- power -- being tested among females with no supportive correlations provided about male attitudes.

Survey Finds Differences Between Harley and Sport Bike Riders Go Beyond Bike Type

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Data Dump Index: 38/100

Progressive Insurance's survey, we feel, oozes with self-promotion, although they admit it was conducted as a "tongue-in-cheek" exercise. Harley Davidson and other cycle makers certainly do not need the added exposure. Marketers of products for active lifestyle consumers should cautiously integrate these results into their customer communications messaging strategy.

Survey Uncovers Behaviors of Motorcycle Riders

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Data Dump Index: 38/100

Progressive Insurance's survey, we feel, oozes with self-promotion, although they admit it was conducted as a "tongue-in-cheek" exercise. Harley Davidson and other cycle makers certainly do not need the added exposure. Marketers of products for active lifestyle consumers should cautiously integrate these results into their customer communications messaging strategy.

Survey Uncovers Behaviors of Motorcycle Riders

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Data Dump Index: 38/100

Progressive Insurance's survey, we feel, oozes with self-promotion, although they admit it was conducted as a "tongue-in-cheek" exercise. Harley Davidson and other cycle makers certainly do not need the added exposure. Marketers of products for active lifestyle consumers should cautiously integrate these results into their customer communications messaging strategy.

Firm accused of falsifying survey results

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We are compelled to cite this news about alleged crime by a market research company to amplify our belief that data reported in the media and in sponsored studies are not always what they appear to be. While this is based on political polling, the rules of survey engagement must apply to all researchers.

Survey Results Show 58 Percent of Students Have Cell Phones

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Data Dump Index: 47/100

From the press release it is difficult to discern the sample profile and thus the impact these data should have on marketing strategies to technology-savvy teens and children. However, given the BellSouth sponsorship, marketers in the southeastern United States could find some value in crafting messages for targets in that region.

Survey Reveals Most Patients Uncomfortable Confronting Medical Personnel

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Data Dump Index: 28/100

Marketers of health-related products would learn little about patient attitudes from this study. We believe, without seeing the complete results, that this is based on a biased sample of potential book buyers and that the study is much too promotionally-driven to have any meaningful impact on consumers.

Pew Survey Says Internet Passes Radio for Political News

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Data Dump Index: 94/100

Pew continues to roll out accurate and eye-opening surveys about how Americans behave online. This report was timed well to maximize opinions and draw interesting conclusions about sources for political information. e-Marketers who strategize based on the political views of their prospects should heed these data before developing targeted online messages.

Web Searchers Are Not Loyal to One Engine, says Nielsen

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Data Dump Index: 95/100

Nielsen Netratings are the bona fide experts in online metrics research and this is yet another example of their trustworthy surveys. Marketers who use search engines as a promotional or advertising venue can take these data seriously during their strategic planning.

Government Survey Reveals How Teens Use Cell Phones While Driving

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Data Dump Index: 99/100

This is a meticulously crafted bit of research with data that marketers to teens should absorb. Coverage has been brisk, with at least 260 articles to date. We applaud the Traffic Safety Administration for its thorough and accurate study and the media for their fair assessment of the results.

Survey Finds Nine in 10 Americans Have Held Hourly Wage Jobs

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Data Dump Index: 51/100

Marketers who need to understand the discretionary incomes of Generations X and Y will find some value in this study. Our biggest cautions, however, focus on the highly promotional genesis of the study for an online job site and the credibility of the sample frame.

Promotional Marketers Surveyed on Technology Attitudes

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Data Dump Index: 69/100

While the CMO Council has a solid reputation for producing insightful and thorough research on marketing trends, we are a bit skeptical about the results in this report. Drawbacks that promotional marketers should consider include the sampling of CMO Council members and the survey process used.

Wokforce Study Points to Job Satisfaction Drivers

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Data Dump Index: 82/100

We give slightly higher marks to this Harris study than the AP report on the Conference Board (see below) because of its clear presentation of the relevant data, even though it is part of a sponsored research project. We feel that the media will better understand these niche data points because they are more relevant to consumer attitudes.

Survey: Half of U.S. workers like their job

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Data Dump Index: 78/100

AP's coverage of a Conference Board study is a typical example of the media's weakness in data analysis. Glaring headlines like this will appear in newspapers around the globe, but the assumption is much too broad to apply to the entire U.S. employee base. We question the job segments and salary levels of employees surveyed before making the conclusion about job satisfaction.