Narrative Analysis

1 Copyright 2010 © SymphonyIRI Group. Confidential and Proprietary.
Team Training: Report Writing
& Narrative Analysis

Agenda
Considerations
Getting started
Approaches
Examples
Wrap Up

First….
Narrative Analysis
Not just a collection of data
Primarily a story for the client
Top lines
Short reports
Full reports
Mega reports
Final
Story
Narrative
Analysis
Quantitative
Measures
Cross Tabs
Client
Objectives
A chance to
demonstrate that
you are a partner

Considerations
• Marketing or R&D or Pricing or Category
Management?
• Does the client need pretty slides to pull
into their own presentations for internal
use?
Example: Canned Tomatoes….how to
compete in the Northeast?
• Does the client like research and want to
see everything - conjoint/ regression/
multivariate data, OR…
• …Do they just want the answers, no details?
Audience
Sophistication &
Intended Use

…using the report to make
packaging & labeling decisions Canned
Tomatoes*
PL Diced &
Stewed
National
Brands
(ex. Diced/Stewed)
Organic &
Tube
*with Aseptic
Regional
Brands
(ex. Diced/Stewed)
Goya
Other Brands
0.1M +2%
1% share
*No Organic
17M +1%
volume
2.4M +5%
15% share
volume
3.1M -7%
19% share
volume
4.7M NC
28% share
volume
5.4M +10%
32% share
volume
0.4M -25%
3% share
volume
DelMonte
0.7M -3%
4% share
Hunt’s
0.3M -4%
2% share
Roasted & Spiced
0.4M +18%
2% share
Large Size
0.9M +9%
5% share
0.4M -7%
2% share
volume
14.5oz 14.5oz
10-14.5oz
14.5oz
28oz
52 wks ending March 2011
Considerations – Telling the story for Marketing & Brand
….using the report to make
product design or brand
strategy decisions

Slow-Cooked for
Best Taste
Key Characteristics:
100% natural
tomatoes sliced and
seasoned with
onions, celery and
bell peppers.
Key Ingredient in:
Vegetable dishes,
casseroles, soups,
stews, chili, Mexican
and Italian dishes
A Spectrum of
Flavor
Convenience
Key Characteristics:
100% natural
tomatoes diced and
packed in their own
juices.
Key Ingredient in:
Italian and Mexican
dishes, chili, soups,
stews
Stewed
items
Stewed
items
…using the report to
make shelving decisions
….using the report for SKU
lineup decisions
Considerations – Telling the story for Category Mgmt

Considerations (continued)
• Is this to help make decisions for a product
launch, feature design(s), or new product
development?
• Is it being shared with an ad agency/other
suppliers? Are the results being published
somewhere?
• Or, routine sensory test that will never see
the light of day except for a few numbers
being pulled into an e-mail?
Intended Use –
Additional
Questions

Considerations (continued)
• Someone will be reading this without
you in the room (maybe an executive),
therefore…
• Every single slide in your report
should be clear & self – explanatory
• The document will grow legs and walk
without you – make sure there is
nothing that can be misconstrued
• The findings are likely to be popping
up in meetings years from now
Circulation &
Shelf Life

Getting Started

Study
Objectives
Final
Report
Getting Started – Start HERE
– Start with the Study Objectives
– Scope out an Analysis Outline in
conjunction with a Questionnaire Outline
Analysis
Outline
Questionnaire
Outline
Analysis
Template
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
During field

A smarter report
#3.
Answering
the
Objectives
#1.
Organizing
the Report
#2.
Best Questions
for Your
Questionnaire
Getting Started (continued)
Analysis
Outline…

– You need the Analysis Outline to properly ORDER your report
– WHY? The order of the report is not Questionnaire Order-
WHY NOT?
Report OrderQuestionnaire Order
 Must make sense to
respondents
 Should follow the rules of
good research practices,
such as avoiding order bias
 Must make sense to the
audience – your client
 Should tell the story in a
compelling and logical manner
that focuses on addressing
the key objectives FIRST

Study Objectives
To ascertain usage and needs for Brand X mower equipment on golf
courses, including currently used products, user scenarios, frustrations,
satisfactions, needs, wants, concerns, purchase drivers, inhibitors,
quality, fit/feel/function, and service/maintenance
Real Question? How to redesign for/market to Greens Keepers
Analysis Outline
1. Exec Summ: Insights for redesign and/or
marketing (Using information primarily from
concerns, frustrations, purchase
drivers/inhibitors)
2. Usage scenarios and satisfaction
(Important, relevant - NOT key)
3. Appendix (Demographics & other)
Questionnaire Outline
1. Usage scenarios for current item
2. Satisfaction with current features
3. Concerns/frustrations
4. Purchase drivers/inhibitors
5. Demographics
Example

Approaches – Writing the Report

Approaches – Writing the Report
Narrative Analysis: this is your time to THINK.
It’s all about the story, not about the data.
Approach this like a novel for your client.
Start with your ‘big story’ – it’s actually easier.
– Option 1: Write the story based on what you know from working with
the study data.
– This works well if you have a simple study or have been immersed
in the data and know it extremely well.
– Option 2: Write your bullets: FACTS ONLY
– ONE main idea per page w/1-2 optional sub-bullets
– Option 3: Print out the data tabs and go through the data with
a pen or pencil. Write down ONE key finding per table.
Your Choice
Demonstrate that
you are a partner
This may be the
best starting point

Approaches – Writing the Report (continued)
Tip:
Figuring out the big story…
…Pencil down, eyes closed, review your data
mentally…
…What would you would tell your client’s
boss during a 30 second elevator ride?

Approaches (continued)
Next: A one-page Executive Summary with 2-3 headliner
findings in paragraph form. Answer your client’s key
question, followed by supporting data observations/facts.
Part 1
– Key Insights: this is The Story, your 30 sec elevator-ride
conversation with the Big Client
– Don’t list facts or data, just insights & recommendations
Part 2
– 2-3 data observations or Statements of Fact based on
conclusions from the data.
– Must support the Key Insights
– Don’t include opinion or recommendations, just facts

Example
Key Insights
Greens Keepers are willing to pay a higher price for lightweight
hover trimmers that are easy to maneuver on slopes. As operator
safety is a major concern, Brand X may consider promoting
detailed safety guidelines as part of their overall marketing and
selling strategy.
Statements of Fact
» ‘Lightweight’ is the characteristic that most drives willingness to pay a
premium price of $10-$50.
» The ‘ability to cut on slopes’ most drives willingness to pay the highest
premiums - $50 or more.
» The most important features are ‘the ability to cut on slopes’ and ‘being
lightweight’ – rated highly important by more than 8 of 10 Greens Keepers.
» Greens Keepers mention ‘dead man’s switch’ (1 of 4 mentions) the most as a
desired improvement, followed by ‘better guards/protection from debris’ and
‘operators need to be more careful’ (1 of 5 mentions).

Example
Key Insights
Greens Keepers are willing to pay a higher price for lightweight
hover trimmers that are easy to maneuver on slopes. As operator
safety is a major concern, Brand X may consider promoting
detailed safety guidelines as part of their overall marketing and
selling strategy.
Statements of Fact
» ‘Lightweight’ is the characteristic that most drives willingness to pay a
premium price of $10-$50.
» The ‘ability to cut on slopes’ most drives willingness to pay the highest
premiums - $50 or more.
» The most important features are ‘the ability to cut on slopes’ and ‘being
lightweight’ – rated highly important by more than 8 of 10 Greens Keepers.
» Greens Keepers mention ‘dead man’s switch’ (1 of 4 mentions) the most as a
desired improvement, followed by ‘better guards/protection from debris’ and
‘operators need to be more careful’ (1 of 5 mentions).
#1
#2

Key Insights
By far, heating/cooling is perceived to have the most impact on home energy bills,
more so in the North Central and South. At least half of homeowners who are not
enrolled in time-of-use programs are interested (mainly to save money), and also
want to be rewarded for switching to off-peak times.
Statements of Fact
 Over half of homeowners cite heating and cooling as contributing the most to
home energy bills, especially homeowners who are 45 and older.
 Of those who are interested in time of use programs, over 9 in 10 are
interested primarily to save money.
 A rise of 10 – 25% in electric utility bills causes behavior changes and a
closer look in most households.
 “People who shift their energy use to off-peak times of the day should be
incentivized by the utility” was ranked highest among several time-of-day
opinion statements.
 Incentives could be promoted/communicated to consumers as a motivator
to switch - rather than penalties.
Example

TIP: Refrain from research jargon, ‘tech speak’,
## or %...
 Use the client’s language or just plain
marketing/branding language
 Short, concise sentences – CLARITY over
quantity … say it in one slide vs five
Examples:
 Replace ‘respondents’ with ‘homeowners’, or ‘high-income
households’ or ‘single parents’, etc…
 Replace ‘percentages’ with 1 in 3 users, or 1 out of 5 homeowners…
 Replace ‘sample’ with the universe or population descriptors, such
as ‘Shoppers’ or ‘Owners’
 Replace ‘product’ with the brand or competitor name

Wrap Up

Wrap Up
Building your Analysis Outline
– I. Paragraph: study objectives (can lift from proposal). This will be
the place for your Executive Summary in the report.
– II. Analysis Outline
– Step 1: Think about a questionnaire outline and draft your QUESTION
TYPES.
– Step 2: Identify the QUESTION TYPES which most directly answer the
study objectives. These will be your FIRST set of slides.
– Step 3: Identify supporting QUESTION TYPES for answering the study
objectives. These are the next set of slides.

Wrap Up (continued)
Building your Analysis Outline (continued)
– Step 4: Identify the QUESTION TYPES which answer secondary or less
key questions for the study objective. This is additional relevant
information, but not ‘nice to know’ data. These are the last set of slides.
– Step 5: Everything else goes into the Appendix, including ‘Nice to
Know’, Background & Objectives, Methodology slides.
– Detail a list of your Appendix and what would be in it
– III. Banner suggestions
– Think about logical data splits and which banner cells/groups will
help answer the study objectives.
– If the banner groupings do not aid the client in making marketing
or business decisions, or help answer the study objectives, then
they are probably not useful splits.

Wrap Up (continued)
Writing Your Executive Summary
Step 1: THINK about your big story first, then write
– Answer your client’s key question with 2-3 insights/recommendations
– Put this in paragraph form, no bullets
– Remember, this is your 30-second elevator speech
– No facts or data
Step 2: Add in the supporting statements of fact
– Must support the Key Insights
– Not opinion or recommendations, just facts
(OPTIONAL)
Step 3: Add in a summary slide of relevant or important (but not
KEY) information after the Exec Summ slide

Wrap Up (continued)
REPORT ORDER…
– TOC
– Exec Summ – ONE slide
– Additional Summary (optional) – ONE slide
– Detailed slides ordered by TOPIC
– Data that answers key questions bundled FIRST SET
– Data that answers other important and relevant data 2ND SET
– Additional data that supports in bundled topical order
– Appendix
– Business Background & Objectives
– Methodology
– Additional supporting data or NICE TO KNOW

Wrap Up (continued)
METHODOLOGY
– Sample frame source
– Qualifications of participants who were interviewed
– Weighting
– Data collection method
– Sample size. Cells. Augments.
– Return Response rates
– Length of questionnaire or interview
– Field Dates
– Significance Levels
– Brief description of multivariate technique, if used
The methodology should allow the reader to re-create the study

Wrap Up (continued)
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES
Another spot to demonstrate that you are a partner
– Make sure the business objectives and the research objectives are
clearly defined and distinct
– This hinges on a well-written proposal
– Add in a short industry or category history…can include
– Competitive set and dynamics within the key players
– Brand and/or product line challenges
– Marketing challenges
– Pricing barriers
Should be in a
well-written
proposal

Narrative Analysis

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