» Advertising Research
Advertising research derives its importance from the fact that today, a huge chunk of any organizations' marketing expenditure is spent on advertising. Where a good advertisement can do wonders to an organization's topline, a bad one can tarnish its image for several years to come.

The advent of globalization has actually left only nominal significance for national boundaries. The incorporation of practices and beliefs typical to foreign cultures has taken place at a rather fast pace. Our preference for cholle-bhature and idli-dosas has been subtly replaced by that for burgers and pizzas, thanks to the McDonaldisation of India. All this has posed a great challenge for advertisers, and this is precisely where Advertising Research comes in handy.

» Promotion Research
Promotion has been defined by many marketers as the most significant of the four Ps of marketing. A marketer may create a great product, price it reasonably enough and place it in outlets all over the country, but unless he has promoted it well, or in other words, created an awareness about all that he has done, the consumer would not even ask for it.

Promotion refers to all the non-advertising activities carried out to build awareness or a favorable image about a product or a service. Typically, promotions include exhibitions, trade fairs, contests and road shows. Promotion Research helps an organization foresee the outcome of all such activities it wishes to undertake.

» Media Research
Often interpreted as being synonymous with audience measurement, particularly in the case of newspapers and magazines, Media Research is much more than that.

» Mystery Shopping
Millions of dollars are spent by marketers to create a favorable image of customer service and satisfaction. But is this what the consumer actually sees ? Are the company personnel adhering to policies laid down by the company on sales and service norms ? Are they performing according to the set standards ? What is the shopping experience ? Is the store maintained to the specified standards ? At what price are my products being sold, what is the level of undercutting by the competition?

The use of mystery shopping is the best, most objective way to gain information on customer service and satisfaction, condition of the store / showroom, and employee performance across locations. The use of mystery shopping services also provides the opportunity to covertly examine the performance of competitors, and the operative prices for competition.

DNL provides full-service mystery shop services that include operational, incentive-based, competitive, and telephone-based mystery shopping.

» Retail Audit
We provide a variety of on-site, in-field auditing capabilities, which include:

» Inventory counts, audits, and reconciliation by sku,
» Verification of point-of-sale materials,
» Display presence/location,
» Availability of products (out-of-stocks/distribution checks/facings/shelf position),
» Price points,
» Competitive: presence, location, price point,
» Distribution audits,

Since 1996, DNL has been providing professional auditing services for retailers and manufacturers across Indian.

» Location Research
In order to beat competition, marketers have to constantly look for differentiators, which can make their brand 'visible' and 'acceptable' to the consumer. Till recently, product and price were the sole differentiators. Over the years, brands have realized the significance of 'point of sale' as a brand building tool. The role of the store is thus getting redefined. Also, with retailing in itself becoming important and India getting ready for its share of WalMarts and K-Marts, 'location' has become a key factor to reach consumers.

» Product Tests and Clinics
Product testing is one of the most valuable marketing research that companies undertake. Product Testing can be used to :

» Test the fit between the concept and the product,
» Achieve product superiority over competitive products,
» Continuously improve product performance,
» Monitor the potential threat levels posed by competitive products,
» Cost-reduce product formulations and/or processing methods, while maintaining product superiority,
» Provide guidance to research and development in creating new products or upgrading existing products,
» Monitor product quality from different factories, and from different channels of distribution,
» Predict consumer acceptance of new products,
» As a no negative check prior to STMs

The monadic, sequential monadic, paired-comparison, and proto-monadic are the most widely used research designs for product testing.

DNLhas the experience and is well equipped to handle any product testing requirements.

» Concept Tests
If you are thinking about introducing a new product or service, you would be looking for several answers before committing substantial resources to the same.

» Which concept is the winner?
» What potential attributes or features of your new product or service are most appealing? Which are least appealing?
» How should the product or service be priced to maximize revenue?
» How should the product or service be positioned relative to competing products or technologies?
» What population segments are most likely to buy your product or service? What communications media are most likely to reach those market segments?

DNLprovides answer to these questions, and help you take the decision whether to go ahead with the concept or revisit the same.

» Packaging Research
Package graphics and copy are critical marketing variables in many product categories.

In a way, the package on a shop shelves provides the last opportunity to influence a consumer. The better the package design and copy, the greater the likelihood that consumers will choose that brand. Any new package design, or significant change in an existing package, should always be subjected to the scrutiny of objective consumer feedback.

DNL is fully equipped to meet your requirements.

» Simulated Test Marketing
PROBIT, IMRB International's STM model adapted to Indian response conditions and extensively tested subsequently. Widely used internationally on categories ranging from foods, beverages, washing products to tobacco, PROBIT can be used for both 'new new products' and new brands in established categories; new brand launches & brand re launches.

PROBIT is based on the premise that all brand launches and markets are not similar.
model is a suite of 3 independent sub-models catering to the different market realities.
Unlike other STM models available in India, the entire analysis for PROBIT is conducted by IMRB International.

The three suites are based on the Share of Choice model, the Trial and Repeat model and the depth of repeat models. Thus PROBIT helps assess:

» Potential sales volume,
» Potential market share,
» Source of new sales,
» Understanding the relative role of the marketing mix elements in driving performance,
» Analyzing what if scenarios,

» Pricing Research
Pricing is an important element in driving the purchase intentions for a brand, and is one of the more technical areas of market research. IMRB International offers a wide range of price testing techniques to cater to your specific needs.

» Gabor Granger
Customers are asked if they would buy a product at a particular price. The respondents are exposed to the price in a randomized manner and are again asked if they would buy or not. The technique helps understand the price elasticity for the product by working out what levels of demand would be expected at each price point

» Price Sensitivity Monitor (PSM)
This technique helps one identify the acceptable range of prices in the minds of the consumer and determine whether the price is set too low (creating suspicion about quality) or too high (offering poor value for money).

» Conjoint Analysis
Conjoint Analysis is a technique that allows one to understand how people make trade-offs between different products and services and the values they place on different features. By understanding precisely how people make decisions and what they value in a product or service, one can work out the optimum level of features (including price) and services that balance value to the customer against cost to the company.

» Brand Price Trade-Off (BPTO) 
BPTO is a variation of the Conjoint Technique, where several brands are shown at once and the customer chooses the preferred option. The BPTO determines the impact of price increases and decreases on the sales of the brand. It is also capable of providing the response to competitors' changes in price and provides an analysis of gains and losses. The BPTO technique also helps in understanding how much premium a brand can charge.

It is taken for granted that most research needs are tactical and specific, but a few business issues exist in a vacuum. Because we understand and have worked for years throughout the business processes, we can supply insights and strategic solutions that are more relevant and actionable. Whether we provide research in just one area or guide innovation from concept inception through market introduction, we're committed to success and profits... yours.

All successful products start with an idea and a potential business/consumer market. Sometimes these are as sketchy as "people want more convenience," but more often the ideas and the markets are fairly well defined. This definition is what guides the development and ensures that the resulting product or service will stay true to the original vision.

DNL shall play an important role in this stage by helping to establish a clear understanding of the market, clarifying or deepening the development team's grasp of key topics and providing feedback and information on initial concepts. Investment at this stage indicates a strong commitment to "getting it right."

» Understanding Consumers
Most successful products and brands start with a focus on consumers. After all, they are who will decide the ultimate success or failure of any market introduction. But "know your customer" means more than just gathering data. It means recognizing customers as a dynamic, evolving force. It means developing a "gut feel" that helps you think like they do, that helps you anticipate how they'll change and how they'll stay the same. You can't constantly be testing at every decision point, so you have to learn to think like they think.

There are many approaches to understanding consumers. The best offer a "real world" perspective, focusing on people's behaviors, attitudes and environments.

» Investigating Market
Fully understanding a key topic or market is an excellent way to start a project. These investigations can provide fundamental knowledge about opportunities prior to investing significant time and money in product development. Market mapping, demand estimation and feasibility studies are the one IMRB International pioneered in. The shared learning and guidelines from these investigations can establish a common language and viewpoint particularly important for collaboration and team building.

» Developing concept
There are millions of good ideas that are developed into thousands of products and services every year. Most of them fail, miserably. Many of them could succeed if they just got the details right. But, in an effort to get to market quickly or to conserve money, product developers often skip research or do only cursory studies with a few consumers. Product development research can be very efficient and very cost effective, particularly when you compare it to the cost of failure.

In an ever-dynamic market what success takes is more than a good idea. It requires the development of a strong, unique personality that grabs attention and motivates customers. It requires the right mix of features and benefits and the right balance of price and value.

DNL shall help create and refine all aspects of product development, working quickly and in line with the demands of rapid development cycles.

» Refining product/ service
Once in awhile, a product or service is such an innovation that it doesn't matter what it looks like or whether or not the maker got the details right. Most of the time, this is not the case. Most of the time, the look and feel of the product is extremely important and getting the features exactly right is the difference between a success and failure.

» Positioning
There are several stages to developing a strong identity. A typical starting point is the creation of a positioning strategy. This is the "story" that your product or service conveys and is the foundation of all communications.

» Naming
The selection of a name usually follows the development of a positioning strategy. While one of a name's primary functions is to identify a product or service, it must also communicate and motivate. An effective name conveys favorable associations about the product or services it represents. It is the hub of the package and the key to promotion or advertising. It has psychological connotations in relation to the product's perceived quality, character and price.

» Visual Identity
The most effective means of creating an identity or "personality" for a product or service is through visual elements-primarily, the brand logo and graphic imagery. These visual elements can add emotion and dimension to the product or service's identity and will guide all other communication elements, including packaging, merchandising and advertising.

» Web interface
The interface of a website is very similar to a software package. Visual elements need to communicate and guide usage in a concise, easily understood manner. Color, shape, layout, and functionality can all be used to inform users and create a satisfying experience.

Usability research can help designers and developers see interfaces the way their users see them. It can help eliminate confusion, increase intuitive usefulness and ease navigation and increase trust. By understanding the hierarchy of information required by users, research can often provide very clear direction on what needs to visible and what can be nested.

Many products and services have gone to market with great ideas and strong consumer potential, only to fail quickly. More often than not, the reason is poor communication elements. The packaging was unattractive or generic; the ads were boring or misleading; the promotions were irrelevant; the merchandising was confusing; cultural nuances were ignored.

IMRB International can help ensure that the message a product or service is intending to send to consumers is actually what they perceive. In addition, multilingual insights can guide you around potential linguistic and cultural minefields.

» Packaging
It is very tricky to research packaging elements. One is rarely be able to do this through direct questioning. And even when one can, it's important to understand the response thoroughly and in context. Although it may seem like overkill, well-executed research at each stage can make the difference between "ho-hum" and "home run."

» Advertising
A great product or service with a strong identity and excellent packaging can still miss the mark if no one knows about it. Ideally, advertising presents consumers with an offer they want or a message to which they can relate, communicated in a way that motivates them to action.

Advertising campaigns are routinely researched to ensure that their intended messages are getting through to the right audiences. That's the problem - the testing is routine. Strong, creative messages need customized research to make sure that novel approaches get the consideration they deserve and that new offerings are not lost in the clutter.

» Refining communication
Most successful products and services communicate with consumers in many different ways, including brochures, newsletters, mail order catalogs, direct mailings, websites and promotional offerings.

Research is a straight forward means of learning which modes of communication are most effective and motivating for consumers. Rather than being ignored and "tossed," well-researched communication pieces can actually improve a product or service's chance of succeeding in a crowded market.

» Merchandising
Everything that surrounds a product can help or hurt its chances of succeeding. An effective merchandising strategy draws consumer attention to the product and enhances its appeal. Ideally, it highlights key selling points or special information that consumers will value and presents the products in their best light.

Research can offer design guidance for shelf displays, electronic merchandising, floor display, caps and other types of merchandising prior to investment in expensive tooling or small production runs.

Most truly successful products and services - those that last for decades or even centuries - realize that they are in a long term relationship with their consumers and act accordingly. This means they stay in touch with their customers to learn what they like and dislike and how their perceptions and behaviors change over time. They track trends and changes in the culture and modify their products and services as necessary.

DNL shall help provide a very effective on-going link to consumers and markets, impart a deep understanding of market and consumer changes, and help ensure that redesigns are actually better than the original.

» Customer Tracking
A successful product or service only stays that way with careful tending. Monitoring consumers' experience of a product or service and acting on their concerns is crucial to a long market life.

Research that studies the consumer experience of a product or service is usually called Customer Satisfaction research. Usually asks customers to rate their feelings and perceptions. Unfortunately, this just scratches the surfaces and often leaves the best suggestions hidden under a pile of numbers. DNLfollows Walker Information models, which are more than just scratching the surface.

» Trends
Even a cursory look at consumer culture over the past few decades reveals a constant stream of minor changes that, over time, amount to major change. Tracking and understanding cultural trends can help you anticipate change upon which you can create or enhance products and services.

Trend research studies the past, the present and the foreseeable future, looking for patterns that foreshadow cultural evolutions.

» Redesigning
While consumers are generally resistant to dramatic changes, they are just as resistant to the lack of change. Not changing, becoming dated or less relevant, can mean sure death to a product or brand. Losing consumers in this way is possibly even more expensive than not finding them in the first place.

» The need for mystery shopping
The Indian retail scenario is witnessing a paradigm shift with modern retail formats slowly replacing traditional forms of retailing. This trend is visible not just in urban India but also rural areas. Competition is increasing with various Indian & International players vying for a share of wallet of the Indian shopper.

In this context, a customer’s in-store experience is becoming increasingly important for any retail marketer. High quality of services rendered in the outlet act as a differentiator, enhance loyalty, generate positive word-of-mouth and save costs for the retailer!

Mystery shopping is now being used by many organizations to evaluate their in-store service standards and conformity to processes. Trained shoppers anonymously evaluate infrastructure, processes, service delivery, customer service, operations, employee integrity, merchandising & product quality. The shoppers independently audit processes & staff, giving constructive actionable input for improvement of service delivery.

» Objectives of any mystery audit program

» » To check conformance to the guidelines for service delivery laid-out by the retailer leading to the following:
» Identifying high & low conformance units,
» Specifying service delivery improvement areas,
» Benchmarking against service delivery by competition,
» Creating a baseline for future monitoring,
» Measure the effectiveness of training imparted to employees,

»» Recognize good employees based on findings of the audits,
»» Measure the extent of brand advocacy by multi-brand outlets,
»» Audit prices through a pre-designed negotiation process and determine Market Operating Prices,

» Mystery Shopper Insights (MSI)

Mystery Shopper Insights (MSI), DNLteam has experience in mystery shopping programs conducted across diverse sectors. By way of mystery shopping, we help managers in both tactical and strategic decision-making as also in improving the quality of services provided at the outlet.

We are a team of 30 investigators and researchers across Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Pune. Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Guwahati, who design and manage mystery shopping studies. In addition, we have an excellent pool of trained mystery shoppers with experience of working across various product categories.

India is world's largest democracy, with over 1 billion people, 714 million voters, 28 states, 7 union territories, 1652 dialects/languages, and multi religion society. There are two major national political parties, many emerging national parties and numerous regional parties. The country has parliamentary system of Government, with:

» Lok Sabha (House of People) - 545 members, (directly elected by the people, usually every 5 years or earlier in case of mid-term dissolution of parliament),

» Rajya Sabha (Council of States) - 245 members, (233 elected, 12 nominated); it is never dissolved and 1/3 rd members retire every 2 years (term of member is 6 years, for mid-term, elected member(s) serves for the remaining period.

State wise representation of Lok Shabh, Rajya Sabha and State Assemblies are given as under:-

(Table is under development)

With such diversity, it essential that planning, implementation and electioneering be carried out by a professional research organization, in coordination with concerned party leadership, to galvanize maximum advantage to the people of country and the political party. DNLhas the qualified professionals, research associates, field force and infrastructure for providing strategic support in:

» Conducting nation wide research for identifying people centric issues,
» Stratize actions to benefit maximum people,
» Prepare party manifesto,
» Devise publicity champaign,
» Plan nationwide electioneering by leaders,
» Advise relevant national, regional and local issues,
» Strategic support with facts, figures, demographic analysis etc.

DNL shall assist its clients in devising winning strategies for the people, party and the candidates.

Since 1996, DNLhas been a pioneer in business intelligence, investigations and now an up coming research organization. We have provided our services to the corporates, entrepreneurs and business community dealing in:.

» Agriculture and Agro-products,
» Alcohol ,
» Automotive,
» Building and Construction,
» Consumer Durable,
» Distribution/ Retail Trade,
» Household Care,
» IT/Internet,
» Industry and Business,
» Media and Entertainment,
» Political, Social, Rural, Welfare, Religious Organizations,
» Tobacco,
» Engineering Sector,
» Education Sector,
» Processed Food,
» Sports Goods & Accessories,
» Health Care,
» Finance/Banking/ Insurance,
» Energy and Environment,
» Telecom,
» Processed Beverages,
» Cosmetics & Personal Care,
» Heavy Industries/Chemicals/Industrial/Minerals,
» Kids Products,
» Outwear/Clothing/Footwear/Accessories,
» Office Products & Services (non IT/non telecom),
» Paper Products/Machinery,
» Service Industry,
» Tourism, Travel & Leisure,
» Utilities/Infrastructure,