Blog

How to Get the Best from Your Research Supplier Relationships: Ask Amy!

August 18, 2019

I’ve had the pleasure of working on both sides of the research fence; that is, I was a corporate buyer of research services, and I’ve also worked on the supplier side. I’ve experienced what works well with these relationships and…

THROW THE BUM OUT!!! What do Baseball and Quality Data Have in Common? More Than You Think!

August 12, 2019

Michael Rinck, Research

By Michael Rinck – Vice President The Oakland A’s brand of Billy Ball brought to light the use of data as a competitive advantage for baseball teams. But for any data to be useful, it needs to be clean. We’re…

So, You Want To Build A Panel? Read This Before You Do!

July 18, 2019

Angela Burtch, Research

By Angela Burtch – Vice President We’ve been developing market research panels for the past 20 years in industries ranging from telecommunications, engineering, and travel/hospitality. Both consumer and B2B. So, what exactly is a panel? A market research panel is…

The Neutral Micro Expression

July 11, 2019

David Schneer, The Merrill Institute

The Myth of The Poker Face By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. Anyone who knows me well knows that I don’t play cards. Poker? No way. Not only do the suits confuse me, but poker parlance is pretty peculiar: from flops, flushes,…

The Micro Expression of Surprise

July 3, 2019

David Schneer, The Merrill Institute

The Element of Surprise By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. Surprise cuts both ways. Surprise can be positive and absolutely breathtaking: an unexpected gift, a marriage proposal, bumping into a long-lost friend, a surprise party. Or, surprise can be negative and sometimes…

The Micro Expression of Sadness

June 26, 2019

David Schneer, The Merrill Institute

Sympathy for the Grouper By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. In our last blog, we discussed micro expressions of fear. Today we discuss the micro expression of sadness and how to spot its various forms. I remember one particular interview like it…

The Micro Expression of Fear

June 19, 2019

David Schneer, The Merrill Institute

How Fear Can Help You and Paralyze You “We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” Seneca By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. A young woman enters an elevator alone late at night when suddenly she spies a man walking…

The Many Faces of Anger

June 12, 2019

David Schneer, The Merrill Institute

Are You Mad at Me or is That Just Your RBF? By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. In his groundbreaking tome “The Many Faces of Evil”, Theologian John S. Feinberg depicts several varieties of abomination: moral evil (the evil we perpetrate upon…

Do You Know What Contempt Looks Like? You Will After You Read This

June 5, 2019

David Schneer, The Merrill Institute

Beware of the Lint Picker By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. Disgust and contempt are to a relationship what gasoline and matches are to a fire. In our last blog, we discussed micro expression of disgust. Today we discuss the micro expressions…

Something is Rotten in the State of Denmark! Or is it in Your Relationship?

May 29, 2019

David Schneer, The Merrill Institute

How The “Bunny Nose” Can Reveal Relationship Issues By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. In Shakespeare’s classic play Hamlet, Act I, Scene 4, the officer Marcellus spies the ghost of Denmark’s late King and utters, “Something is rotten in the state of…

How Can You Tell if Someone is Truly Happy?

May 22, 2019

David Schneer, News, The Merrill Institute

Look at Their Eyes By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. What is Happiness? That’s been debated since antiquity, rendering a myriad of definitions. Is “happiness” used to describe the general state of “well-being” or “flourishing” or are we talking the psychological sense,…

What is Your Wine Label Communicating to Consumers? Ask Amy!

May 15, 2019

Amy Walters, Ask Amy, Grapes & Grain

by Amy Walters – Vice President Part 2 It is a commonly-accepted principle that today’s wine consumers are increasingly experiential. Whereas wine consumers of yesteryear often relied upon a brand’s reputation or their own brand experiences to drive purchase decisions,…

The Ghoulish Science Behind Micro Expression Research:

May 7, 2019

David Schneer, The Merrill Institute

How French Revolution Guillotine Experiments Led to Authentic Smiles By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. There is a nasty history and science to facial Micro Expressions that we will be discussing in this post. In later essays, we will cover how…

What is Your Wine Label Communicating to Consumers?: Ask Amy!

April 29, 2019

Amy Walters, Ask Amy, Research

by Amy Walters – Vice President Part 1 I’m constantly amazed at the vastness of my local wine store; it does a great job organizing thousands of bottles by region and varietal within region—all with enticing endcaps and displays. But…

How a Body Language Technique Revealed Fear and Loathing in the Channel—Just BLINK!

April 19, 2019

David Schneer, Research, The Merrill Institute

David M. Schneer, Ph.D BLINKing is Not What you might be thinking. We emote faster than we think. Which is exactly why the BLINK technique is so powerful. BLINK stands for Body Language Intuition Numinology Know-How—pioneered by the Center for…

5 Tips on the Care and Feeding of your Wine Club! Ask Amy!

April 15, 2019

Amy Walters, Ask Amy, Wine Clubs

by Amy Walters – Vice President When I think of winery wine clubs, I envision two primary types: the precious few notorious and typically high-priced brands that wine lovers aspire to join, and the countless other smaller brands that vary…

What Makes a Wine Club Successful? It’s all About the Experience: Ask Amy!

February 26, 2019

Amy Walters, Ask Amy, Wine Clubs

by Amy Walters – Vice President You might be tempted to say that people join wine clubs because they love great wine. Well, that’s only half right. Yes, members who remain part of a wine club year after year love…

Can Feet Tell the Truth?: How Legs and Feet can Reveal the Mind’s Eye!

February 19, 2019

David Schneer, The Merrill Institute

By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. Sometimes, when we stumble upon our words, it may feel as though we are only opening up our mouths to switch feet. But the stark reality is this: our feet were made for talking. It…

What are consumers looking for in a wine club? Ask Amy!

January 27, 2019

Amy Walters, Ask Amy, Grapes & Grain, Research, Wine Clubs

by Amy Walters – Vice President Wine is a multi-billion-dollar industry. To stay competitive, wineries have introduced wine clubs to their marketing repertoire. Wine clubs inspire loyalty in customers and are a creative way to deepen the winery/customer relationship both…

Spotting Falsehoods: Watch What They Do, Not What They Say

January 16, 2019

David Schneer, The Merrill Institute

By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. Mark Twain Quote: “Another good thing about telling the truth is that you don’t have to remember what you say.” 5 August 1922, Tampa (FL) Morning Tribune, pg. 4, col. 6 In our previous blog,…

What Conversation were YOU Having? : The Real Story Behind Face-to-Face Communication

December 27, 2018

David Schneer, The Merrill Institute

By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. Communication contradictions. Whether we realize it or not, we’ve all experienced them in some form or another. A customer says they’re extremely interested in buying your product, but you never hear from them again. A…

What Type of Research Firm is Best for You? It’s a Matter of Taste

November 13, 2018

David Schneer, Research

By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. What type of restaurant is your favorite? Do you prefer large chains that offer the same, predictable menu no matter where you go? You know what you will get; the food and service will be…

The Blueprints of a Proper Questionnaire

November 5, 2018

David Schneer, Research

By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. All too often, we hear about research efforts—DIY or otherwise—that did not yield helpful results. When digging into those efforts to identify what went wrong, we find a combination of contributing factors—perhaps the worst of…

WINE INDUSTRY COMPETITION: Making Your Wine Club all it can be.

October 10, 2018

David Schneer, Research

By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. Wine. It is the elixir of the gods. It is the stuff of poems. It is a very competitive multi-billion dollar industry. With so many different wineries and wines to choose from it has become…

Dead Data Tell no Tales: Can Your Survey Results Survive?

September 17, 2018

David Schneer, Research

By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. Sour Sample, Part 2: How to Prevent DOA Data This blog entry continues the thoughts of our last post. If you haven’t read it yet, you can see it here: When Data Goes Bad: How…

When Data Goes Bad: How Sour Survey Samples Nearly Ruined the Research Industry

August 27, 2018

David Schneer, Research

By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. Part 1 Ask any well-trained researcher what is the number one concern with any quantitative study and they will tell you it’s about respondent quality. That is, it’s about the sample, stupid. Without good sample,…

Electronics and Wine, an Unlikely Pairing: The Merrill Research Story

August 16, 2018

David Schneer, News

By David M. Schneer, Ph.D. Welcome. We’re launching a new blog here at Merrill to spread our story to more people, in a different format, and in greater detail. We anticipate this will also be a good way to share…