Is eye-tracking new?

The concept of tracking consumers' eye movements to produce accurate and objective behavioral information is not new. However, due to our superior technological and analysis capabilities, the ability to derive large amounts of accurate, meaningful information from eye-tracking technology is new

Why do I need technology to tell me how effective my marketing communication is?

Companies are increasingly using technology to help them make better decisions. However, most companies (including market research companies) use technology primarily to acquire, organize and analyze information more efficiently that, in the end, is similar to information that has always been available through more traditional means.

Technology that actually produces new information is a rare exception. Eye-tracking technology is the only new research methodology to produce objective consumer behavior information since the barcode scanner and video camera started to be used.

In fact, the kind of objective and highly actionable information we provide cannot be acquired using Q&A research techniques (polling, surveys, focus groups etc.).

So, when it comes to finding out exactly what people do during those few seconds when they are interacting with your marketing communication (advertising, packaging, point-of-sale etc.), thus enabling you to make better marketing decisions before your brand is purchased, VisionTrack is the most powerful precision marketing tool available.

Let's look at the facts.

• Inaccurate Recall: Firstly, respondents cannot recall accurately if they noticed each element of a marketing communication.
• Longer Testing Time: Even if they could recall accurately, it would require a significant amount of time in both collecting (causing extreme respondent fatigue leading to non-cooperation) and analyzing the information.
• Precise Results: The data collected through eye-tracking is precise, accurate and cost-effective. (For more see: Competitive Intelligence).

In other words, when you want to really find out what "eye-catching" means, there is no research methodology available that rivals VisionTrack.

 
How expensive is it?

The value of research lies in the quality of information being sought. Because our research yields such powerful and actionable knowledge, our clients see great value in the incremental cost of using VisionTrack.

To do any kind of research, you need to have your research provider consult and recommend the best approach and then recruit the appropriate sample. A questionnaire or moderator's outline needs to be prepared and administered.

We too provide all of these services. The additional cost of VisionTrack pays for the use of the technology, the data gathering and analysis and most importantly, the interpretation of the results.

How do you work with other research companies who want to offer your service to their clients?

We often work with research companies to provide their clients with the best solution possible. Please see Partnerships for a list of ways we can compliment your business.

It all sounds somewhat complicated. Is it?

It's really quite simple for people who want to know how consumers behave. They just ask VisionTrack to find out and then we provide actionable, fact-based interpretations that help them drive their business.

While most people are interested in how it works - so they understand how we arrive at our recommendations - it's really the recommendations resulting from the behavioral data that counts.

Of course, developing the technology and analysis systems was complicated. It took two decades and millions of dollars to get it to where it is today.

Will I understand the information?

The conclusions are presented in plain English, not technical jargon and are remarkably simple to understand.

It is always refreshing when we present our findings in the corporate boardroom. Executives are usually very happy to have clear and objective information and recommendations that are easy to understand - and implement. After all, we are finding out what people do and then helping to recommend ways in which we can change their behavior to increase sales.

What role do the agency creative teams play in the research?

VisionTrack's focus is on the delivery of powerful, actionable information to creative teams. After all, they are accountable for the creative development and production of any optimized marketing communication.

Therefore, the creative teams are often heavily involved. They are the experts in altering the marketing communication to create the best results. The reports we provide represent a valuable tool because it is based on fact, not hearsay. Importantly, they now have direct and precise information, and insights to make specific changes or guide their creative development.

Do people have to actually stop and look at something in order to acknowledge that it is there?

Yes. Peripheral vision can tell you, for example, that a red can with white lettering is over "there" in the corner. However, it may be Coca-Cola, Campbell's soup or any number of other products in a can. You have to fixate on an object (for a certain amount of time) before you know exactly what it is and are able to absorb that information. Please see How Does It Work? for more information.

Why do you sometimes use slides, "live" material, computer monitors or TV's when doing your studies?

It all depends on the specific objectives of each research assignment. If we undertake a quantitative study for category management or outdoor advertising we may use slides, if we are studying packaging we may use live packages, if it's a quantitative magazine ad study we would use a real magazine; a website would be studied on a computer monitor, a TV ad on a television.

VisionTrack can tell me what consumers do but does it tell me why they do it?

Often, the results of the respondents behavior (especially in quantitative studies), through the eye-tracking data, brings everyone - including us, the client, other researchers and the agency creative team - to one or two obvious conclusions as to why people did what they did. This is one of the unique values of our research findings.

Also, we use two further methodologies to correlate their behavior with their attitudes:

• Video Review: We play back the videotape of the respondent's eye movements and then ask the respondents why they looked here and there. What was it about these elements that got and kept their interest?
• Direct Questioning: We ask other interest, attitude and behavior questions that help us interpret the eye-tracking results.

In other words, yes it can. Often, a VisionTrack study can tell you why people do what they do much better than a question and answer survey. Please see Why Eye-Tracking? for more information.

Are there any limitations associated with the use of this technology?

Very few. We have been developing the technology for consumer research for over 10 years and are confident that we can find the best methodology and application for your research needs.