I sure hope the folks at “Cuil” (pronounced “Cool”) have thick skin. The search engine upstart debuted on Monday to mostly scornful reviews which had to be a little bit of surprise. They must have wondered where all the folks were that had been clamoring for a Google killer.

Cuil says they index 120 billion Web pages (Google says they’re still bigger,) 3x more than any other search engine. And privacy advocates will be pleased that Cuil doesn’t retain personal user information. They’re definitely worth a look. http://www.Cuil.com.
Source: Cuil/PRNewswire

Oh, and each episode will include a segment highlighting Ocean Trust, an award-winning ocean conservation foundation that builds science, conservation and industry partnerships for the sustainability of the oceans and provides a link to sustainable fisheries, wildlife and the environment. Nice, integrated green strategy that goes way beyond the predictable. Green or not, who wouldn’t want to tune in?
Image credits: Jason Mraz talks about his career and life on the road during the taping of Bonefish Grill's "Notes from the Road,
Denver. (PRNewsFoto/Bonefish Grill)
Bonefish Grill logo. (PRNewsFoto/Bonefish Grill)
Source: Bonefish Grill/PRNewswire)

Alas, things aren’t  looking quite as sunshiney for other restaurant brands as food and labor costs, bloated market share, high gas prices and anemic consumer spending kick Metromedia to the curb. The company has filed for Chapter 7 and shut down 50 or so Steak and Ale restuarants and 150  Bennigan’s. About 138 domestic and international franchisee-owned restaurants will remain open, and the closures don’t affect Ponderosa and Bonanza restaurants which operate under a different company.
Sources: Wall Street Journal, 7/29/08, (May require Subscription), Bennigan's Franchising Company, L.P.; Steak & Ale Franchising Company, L.P./PRNewswire

Oh please---another brand goes [yawn] green. But wait…it’s not what you think: Researcher comScore is planting $1 million+ trees in developing nations retain Internet users in its global panel. Anything’s better than the “and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win” spiel that many online research companies use to try to draw you in.
comScore Press Release 7/29/08

More bad news from Starbucks. The company is  cutting 1,000 jobs in addition to the 600 store closures announced earlier this month in what AdAge says insiders are calling a “bloodbath.”
AdAge, 7/29/08

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A critical aspect in the development of an effective positioning strategy is the marketer’s ability to glean insights from various syndicated or proprietary data.

The posts that follow provide you with a quick primer on a few of the most common terms you'll encounter when interpreting research results to help you get the most benefit from the analysis.

Confidence level describes the percentage likelihood that the results of a survey, for example, will fall within a certain margin of error.

Confidence levels are typically provided in conjunction with margin of error. In marketing research, confidence levels of 95% and a + 5% margin of error are standard.

See also Statistically Significant.

Please see margin of error.

Please see Statistically Significant.

Margin of error, also referred to as sampling error, describes the potential deviation of a survey result from the actual result had the entire audience, rather than a sample, been measured. Usually reported as plus or minus a particular percentage.

Margin of error is typically provided in conjunction within a confidence level. For example, a result of 75% + 5% margin of error at 95% confidence means that if the survey was repeated 100 times you could expect that 95 out of 100 times (confidence level) the response would be between 70% and 80% (margin of error.) 

See also Statistically Significant.

When someone says that the results of a poll or survey are ‘statistically significant,’ what they mean is that the results are within an accepted margin of error at an accepted confidence level.

When the results of a survey are said to be statistically significant, the margin of error and the confidence level should also be provided.

A measure of the total amount of product usage or spending by a specific target segment.

For example, the spending volumetric for women 25-54 who purchase Brand X shampoo is $1 million dollars.

Intent to Purchase is a key metric for analyzing the success of online or offline media spending based on ROI. “It is becoming very important because we constantly have to be able to say if investing in [certain] types of media will drive towards a response,” says an agency researcher in AdAge.

One way to increase intent to purchase is to diversify your media mix---adding print or online to TV for example, according to a study by market researcher Advertiser Perceptions. Their research showed that consumers were more likely to express an intention to buy with multiple media across categories such as consumer electronics, apparel, automobiles, beer and toiletries. 

See Intent to Purchase