Introducing DDW's Know More™ Internet Panel
Now With Expanded International Reach
3.4 Million Households and 8 Million Consumers

As part of our ongoing effort to provide the highest level of market research quality and excellence and to offer the full range of tools to that end, Data Development Worldwide (DDW) would like to announce the launching of our Know More™ Internet panel for market research.

Our involvement with online market research continues to grow, and with that, so has our desire to provide the full scope of market reserach services associated with that work. The integration of this panel into our business is a major step forward to accomplishing this goal.

We are really excited about Know More™ and want to share with you some of the specifics surrounding its design and management:

• Who is in the panel?

  Know More™ represents over 3.4 million households, with over 6 million consumers in the United States, and over 1.5 million consumers in Canada, the U.K. and Europe, Australia and Scandinavia. This size and reach allow us to support both ad hoc and ongoing tracking studies that require detailed quotas across gender, age, ethnicity and geography. The sample composition reaches beyond the panelists to include other household members, including children, teenagers and seniors - groups that can be difficult to reach online.

• How are panelists recruited?

  We take panel recruitment very seriously, as it is the key to credible results. Know More™ is a multi-sourced panel, using 15 to 25 different sources and a variety of methodologies. These include email campaigns, online properties, banners, and referrals. Panel members are recruited exclusively using permission-based techniques - we never use unsolicited email. This ensures no bias towards any particular type of net user and a diverse panelist profile. We are constantly in touch with all our panelists and we pay special attention to communications with our newest members. They receive custom messages and surveys in their first days with us, so that they have an understanding of the process right from the beginning and become active survey responders.

• What about incentives?

  Our panelists are our lifeblood. We consider them a community, and our incentive programs reflect that. For example, we might pay for a panelist's groceries for a month or their gas for a month for summer traveling, or offer donations to the charity of the panelist's choice. The flexibility we offer in rewards choices both maintains our panelists' interest and also allows us to design the reward plan that best suits the needs of your particular survey project.

• How about ongoing programs?

  Panelists receive periodic newsletters. Features include lists of prize winners, fun facts, and useful information on topics such as preventing spam and the value of research. We feel this is a vital part of the process so that they can better relate to the surveys they receive and feel that they are contributing. In order to maintain up-to-date information on each panelist, we provide access to a secure website where they can update their profiles.

• What's the life-cycle of the panelist?

  On average, our panelists complete about one survey a quarter. Some segments of the panel, such as young males, ethnic minorities or high income panelists, are used more frequently than this, but we do place limits on any panelist who has taken more than two surveys a week in the previous two months. We have a strong flow of new panelists and prompt removal of "deadwood" non-responders. We maintain an active, responsive panel by rigorous panel cleaning.

• How reliable is the sample?

  Because we know that the results of the study are only as valid as the soundness of the sample, samples are pulled to allow for different response levels across various segments. For example, response rates among men in general and younger men in particular are significantly lower, so our mailout for those groups will be higher. Our sample selection process is also designed to compensate for groups (i.e. ethnicities) that are traditionally underrepresented in most all panels. We are also extremely cognizant of how response rates can be influenced by the quality and nature of the survey, wording of the invitation, etc.; and we use this information to obtain the best results possible.

We welcome the opportunity to provide you with more information about Know More™ as well as our complete repertoire of market research tools.