Starfish Research has launched Online Customer Communities, a service enabling panel members to share experiences, offer advice, brainstorm ideas and comment on market trends.
The firm says members take an active role as advisors, providing input and immediate feedback on business issues.
Starfish MD Nicholas Cameron explained that insights generated from online customer communities do not replace the more traditional methodologies of focus groups and surveys. He said that instead they should be thought of as providing additional ways in which to engage with consumers. ‘If marketing’s objective is to engage in a conversation with consumers and involve them in better decision-making, then this methodology adds value’.
The new panel has been launched in conjunction with Connecticut-based Bellwether Interactive. Last month, through their Kalypso Agency collaboration, the two firms launched a second life omnibus service to gather attitudes to the virtual world (www.mrweb.com/drno/news7462.htm ).
