The Power of a Survey

How many times have you been asked to participate in a survey? If you are anything like me then the answer is probably hundreds. I am often being stopped in the street and invited to take part in a survey that will only take a few minutes. I do feel sorry for these marketers as I usually decline and say that I am too busy. More often than not the survey is in relation to something that I am not interested in anyway. There must be a lot of people who do take the survey because opinion polls are constantly being quoted for a variety of issues. These survey results are extremely powerful in persuading consumers that a particular product has been voted the best in a survey. We are often influenced, possibly subconsciously, by these survey results and buy the particular product that came out on top.

Television commercials for beauty products seem to be the most common ones that state they were voted number one in a survey of so many thousand women. Particular dog and cat food commercials are famous for the line "9 out of 10 pet owners said their cat or dog preferred the brand." So who are we to argue? If the product is the best for the people who took part in the survey then it must be true! Sadly, we are seldom able to have access to the survey itself to see how neutral the questions really were. I often think that the particular survey must have a leaning towards the participants returning the results that the commissioner of the survey wants.

All around the world there are survey results being quoted on news channels. If there is an election taking place then the political analysts use the power of a survey to predict the possible outcome of the voting. I don't agree with these types of survey because voting should be a private process and all the effort given to securing that no one else sees your ballot paper seems nullified if you are going to tell the survey taker who you just voted for!

The type of survey that I am most likely to take part in is an online one. These often appear on websites and are asking for your opinion on the website itself. The survey is used to judge the experience that you have while visiting the website and is used to improve the site. I am all for that type of survey where you are being asked to help the website owners offer a better service.

I will also fill in a customer service survey if I have bought a product from a particular website or to explain why I did not purchase anything. My ideal type of survey is one that is used to provide me with a better service, not to persuade me to buy a particular product because it was voted number 1 in a well known women's magazine.

Finally, the type of survey that I hate with a passion on conducted over the telephone. Similar to my attitude to those being taken in the high street I feel that these telephone survey takers are intruding on my privacy. No matter how a survey is conducted there always seem to be enough people willing to participate to produce the results that are quoted in the media. They are certainly a powerful marketing tool.

Lynda Pruett is a writer and the operator of http://www.cnisurvey.com. Here you can find any information related to surveys you might be interested in. Check the site out, and I'm sure you'll agree.

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Google News Updated : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:50:00 GMT Axelrod Says Obama Will Counterpunch if McCain Raises Ayres - New York Times Axelrod Says Obama Will Counterpunch if McCain Raises Ayres New York Times - 2 hours ago By Patrick Healy NASHVILLE - Senator Barack Obama is prepared to hit back, including with Keating Five scandal if necessary, if Senator John McCain uses tonight’s presidential debate to attack him over his associations with controversial figures like ... Video: AP Campaign Minute AssociatedPress Palin Adds Fannie Mae Execs to List of Objectionable Obama Associates Washington Post The Associated Press - U.S. News & World Report - FOXNews - Christian Science Monitor all 4,761 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:32:14 GMT Kenya deports anti-Obama author - Christian Science Monitor BBC News Kenya deports anti-Obama author Christian Science Monitor - 4 hours ago Jerome Corsi, author of "Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality," tried to launch his new book, but violated immigration rules, Kenyan officials say. Barack Obama's African grandmother Sarah Onyango Obama roots for him Times Online Anti-Barack Obama author detained while promoting his book in Kenya Los Angeles Times AFP - The Associated Press - New York Times - BBC News all 507 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:09:55 GMT Fed Announces Plan to Buy Short-Term Debt - New York Times Telegraph.co.uk Fed Announces Plan to Buy Short-Term Debt New York Times - 58 minutes ago By EDMUND L. ANDREWS and MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve announced a radical new plan on Tuesday to jump-start the engine of the financial system. Fed makes boldest move yet Christian Science Monitor Federal Reserve to buy up short-term commercial debt Los Angeles Times Bloomberg - NECN - The Associated Press - Wall Street Journal all 1,716 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:51:44 GMT Fitch says AMD factory move has no ratings impact - Forbes Canada.com Fitch says AMD factory move has no ratings impact Forbes - 51 minutes ago AP 10.07.08, 3:48 PM ET Fitch Ratings said Tuesday Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s ratings are not affected by the chip maker's plans to spin off factories into a new joint venture with investors in the Persian Gulf state of Abu Dhabi. What AMD's fab spinoff means for Intel, industry MarketWatch Who Benefits From AMD’s Financial Engineering? New York Times The Associated Press - BusinessWeek - Motley Fool - Bizjournals.com all 656 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:58:11 GMT Union-Backed Party Opposes Term Limits Plan - New York Times New York Daily News Union-Backed Party Opposes Term Limits Plan New York Times - 1 hour ago By Fernanda Santos The Working Families Party began on Tuesday the labor community’s first major offensive against Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s plan to change term limit laws through legislation that would extend to three, from two, the number of terms ... UPDATE 1-NYC lawmakers to weigh bill raising term limits Reuters Bill to end term limits introduced in City Council New York Daily News New York Times Blogs - WNYC - Campaigns & Elections - Crain's New York Business all 331 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:15:23 GMT Get moving: Guidelines set healthy activity levels - The Associated Press ABC News Get moving: Guidelines set healthy activity levels The Associated Press - 38 minutes ago WASHINGTON (AP) - Get moving: New exercise guidelines released Tuesday set a minimum sweat allotment for good health. For most adults, that's 2 1/2 hours a week. Government tells Americans to take stairs, go out and play Bizjournals.com Get 2 1/2 hours of exercise per week, US says Reuters USA Today - Food Consumer - MarketWatch - MyFox Dallas all 183 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:11:51 GMT Study: Using fan on sleeping baby reduces risk of SIDS - San Jose Mercury News dBTechno Study: Using fan on sleeping baby reduces risk of SIDS San Jose Mercury News - 8 hours ago By Linda Goldston Ayde Gonzales's mother was surprised when she insisted that her newborn son must sleep on his back, not on his side. Fan Use May Save Your Baby’s Life, Reduces SIDS Risk eFluxMedia Fan in Room Seems to Cut Infants’ Risk of Crib Death New York Times Bloomberg - Wall Street Journal - U.S. News & World Report - WebMD all 612 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:46:19 GMT Rss Feed Reader Increase Website Traffic

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