Creating custom panels for niche markets requires targeting recruitment sources that attract those niche groups. Panel owners should utilize a look and feel that reflects the niche market's uniqueness and interests. Research opportunities presented to panelists should closely match the reasons they joined. With the right recruitment, engagement, and respect for the ongoing relationship, custom panels can succeed in reaching valuable niche audiences.

1. Creating Custom Panels For Niche Markets
With Specific Case Study Example From Bounty -
A Parenting Club and Media Owner
Prepared for AIMRI Meeting
“Understanding Niche Markets”
Munich
October 30th, 2009
Charles Pearson – Managing Director, EasyInsites
Vicki Kateley – Research Manager, Bounty

2. Fertility Rate Trends –
Quite Varied Across The Big 5
And Select Others
Country % Chg In Total
Fertility Rate (2000-
05 to 2005-10)
Spain 12.0
Italy 9.0
Sweden 7.2
UK 6.6
Russia 4.0
Australia 3.0
Germany 1.0
France .53
US .49
Source: UN World Population Prospects

3. General Population Trends –
Most Experiencing Increases
Country – ranking % Chg In Total
based on previous Population (2005-
ranking on fertility 2010)
rate chg
Spain 0.77
Italy 0.13
Sweden 0.45
UK 0.42
Russia -0.51
Australia 1.01
Germany -0.07
France 0.49
US 0.97
Source: UN World Population Prospects

4. What Is Happening With
The UK Birth Rate?
UK fertility rate is highest in 34 years with an average of 1.91 children per
woman
For every 1000 live girls born, there were 1059 live boys – this is the
highest ratio of girls to boys since 1979
Continued rise in the proportion of children born to mothers not born in
the UK – 24% in 2008 vs. 23% in 2007 vs. 14% in 1998
Bottom line – mums/young families are an important niche market!
Source: GRO, ONS, SGRO and NISRA

5. What Exactly is a Niche
Market?
Typically, it is one where the incidence is low and the challenge of finding
and engaging them is greater than with the general consumer population.
Also, for these niche markets to matter, they are typically growing and/or
are stable with significant enough size to matter to key manufacturers of
products directed to those markets.
So many examples to name, just a few include: expectant mums or mums
with babies or young children (young families), high net worth individuals,
specialist professionals such as IT professionals, ethnic minorities, those
who have special dietary requirements, and buyers of a particular brand.

6. So what makes the young family
audience hard to reach?
The
emotional
journey
Evolving
needs –
Social physical,
impact Significant hormonal &
‘ripple effect’ practical
of pregnancy &
motherhood
Personal
economic New values
situation & priorities

7. Media Stackers are born
Media stacking
under immense distraction!
Household tasks Attention pulled
towards children
Phone Pushed for time,
dashing out e.g. on
school run etc.
One channel competing Household users
with another competing with each other
Promiscuous Organised, low
media tolerance
consumption consumption
in pregnancy in family life

8. Media Stackers grow up
to become Influencers
Impact and enormity of the parenting experience enhances the need for self-efficacy*
= the need for self-belief in your own capabilities to be the parent you want to be
= the core driver to establishing mutually beneficial relationships with other parents,
thereby modelling self on the attitudes and behaviours of others
Friends are of equal importance as a source of information
as reference books and healthcare professionals **
Network of mutual Parents talk to an average of 4 other parents per week
support & empathy about family issues, products and services **
In a typical year parents who talk online talk to an average
of 24 other parents who they have never met in person **
Social change drives ‘Influencer’ behaviour…
* Source: Bandura, 1989
** Source: Bounty Insight

9. The Power of Niche
Women at the family lifestage are:
Connectors Talk to many different people about products
Influencers
Mavens Have a large amount of knowledge about products
By definition
Salespeople Are very likely to convince others about products = vital brand advocates
63% of pregnant women are influencers *
Clothing, food, healthy
of pregnant women & those with
living, household products, 57%
preschool children are influencers *
pharmaceuticals, toiletries
of women with no children are
46% influencers *
Parents, and especially mothers in their role as household main shoppers,
become influential brand advocates
* Source: TGI 2009 Q3

10. Recently ‘overheard’ on
Bounty.com forums
Can anyone recommend DS games like Can anyone recommend a
professor layton, millionheir files etc hotel near gatwick?
I can recommend FANTASTIC
I only buy andrex puppies on a roll! Cannot
wedding/party planner for
stand thin cheapy loo roll.
Essex area
can anyone recommend
a courier? I can get a mobile phone upgrade
soon yay - what phones do you
am SO impressed with Thomson Holidays. recommend? x
They allow a 10kg baggage for infants
under 2, and carry pushchair and car seat
i always buy fairy washing up
for free! Wahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
liquid - lasts ages
Influential brand advocates and yet so hard to reach…

11. Approach To Creating Custom
Panels For Niche Markets
In the same way that marketing to these niche markets needs to be very
focused, so does finding them for research purposes.
In most cases, the challenges are not insurmountable, it simply requires
more thought and attention and generally speaking a higher budget.
Thinking and planning needs to be applied at all stages of the process,
starting with recruitment all the way through to data collection and
maintaining a relationship.

12. Source For Recruitment
There needs to be a source for recruitment. This is typically a website
that is frequented by that particular market, or a database that has been
built by a company who provides products or services to that market.
Bounty is a great example given their unique relationship with National
Health Service maternity units where 95% of women in the UK deliver
their babies.
The panel should also be built and owned by the owner of the source for
recruitment, thereby reinforcing their relationship and contributing to
better response rates and lower attrition. The manufacturer or brand has
the relationship with these consumers, and this affinity produces a longer
lasting and better result, as compared with a company simply passing over
the leads to another company to use as a recruitment source.
Without the source, the costs for finding and acquiring these people will
likely make the panel build cost prohibitive and partnering opportunities
should be pursued

13. Customised Panel Look, Feel
and Language
By definition, these panelists will be unique from the general population
and have a lot in common with one another. The panel look, feel and
language should reflect this uniqueness.
A generic approach to the look and feel and language will not work well,
these panelists will want to feel a part of something that is relevant to
who they are, their core needs and their expected mode and style of
communication.
There should be consistency of colours, images, and language used
throughout the process of inviting, profiling and interacting with them and
these should be familiar and consistent with how they live their lives.

14. Relevant Engagement and
Research Opportunities
It is critical that the types of research these panelists are expected to
complete are primarily focused on the reason why they joined the panel
in the first place
For example, if the panel is comprised of expectant or new mothers,
sending them surveys on travel for single adults or sports cars is not likely
to be of interest or consistent with their reason for joining this panel at
this time in their lives. In this example, the primary focus for research
directed at these panelists should be associated with the products and
brands needed for raising their children or running a household with
children.
Even cars and financial services products that are closely aligned
with this particular niche market would be very appropriate as
research topics
X

15. Summary Points – Building
Custom Panels For Niche Markets
Building panels in niche markets is not necessarily an expensive
endeavour. If you or your client owns a list or has a database of
customers, consumers or a website that attracts those who meet your
desired niche profile, then this is an excellent starting point for building a
panel.
With a Panel Exchange approach where the panel is made available to
other researchers to use, there is also the opportunity to provide a
revenue source for you or your client as the panel owner to help
compensate for the cost of building and maintaining the panel.
With niche markets, these panels typically command a very high CPI (cost
per interview), so there is likely a money making opportunity for panel
owners that can also help fund their own research program.

16. Core drivers to Bounty panel
success
For Bounty, For Bounty members,
as custom panel owners the panelists
EasyPanel The one-off
EasyBulletinBoard The group
EasyVideo Flexibility The ‘therapy’
EasyMobile The ‘out & about’
Direct access and/ or full service
The full range of research services to meet business objectives
Methodologies that fit with the panelist’s lifestyle and media consumption

17. Core drivers to Bounty panel
success
For Bounty, For Bounty members,
as custom panel owners the panelists
On-going maintenance & Only one live survey
profiling Control invitation at a time
Absolute transparency Control over
Consistency with overall frequency of
business best practice participation
At-a-glance updates on composition, availability, third party usership, etc.
Engaged panelists who remain active but never harassed or saturated

18. Core drivers to Bounty panel
success
For Bounty, For Bounty members,
as custom panel owners the panelists
Ability to open to Appropriate and
the panel on-going
Return on Investment
to research buyers incentives
and sample buyers
globally
Set-up, recruitment, and maintenance costs are more than off-set
Engaged panelists who feel appropriately rewarded

19. In Summary:
Step back and examine your resources or those of your client – in many
cases you will have a source for recruitment even if this is not the more
obvious database or membership-base
Think creatively about how to engage and interact with panelists – use
channels of communication, language, tone, and technology that work for
them
Respect the on-going relationship with your panelists - they are your
customers and the success of your panel depends on them
Unleash the niche!