AMS had a great time at the International Trademark Association’s 2019 Annual Meeting in our hometown of Boston! We enjoyed reuniting with friends and colleagues at events and meeting the many attendees that stopped by our exhibitor booth.
In this blog post, we’d like to answer some of the questions that were frequently asked at our INTA booth this year.
What types of services does Applied Marketing Science provide?
Applied Marketing Science (AMS) has extensive experience in conducting consumer litigation surveys for TTAB, NAD, and federal court matters related to likelihood of confusion, secondary meaning, genericness, dilution, class action, and false advertising. In addition to decades of experience conducting surveys in such areas, AMS has also expanded into conducting surveys in support of claims substantiation and irreparable harm. Lastly, AMS assists clients in critiquing opposing expert surveys, as well as conducting rebuttal surveys to measure whether the opposing expert’s survey results would be different had their survey been designed, executed, and analyzed properly.
What type of experts does AMS support?
AMS supports numerous testifying survey experts, all of whom have a range of experience in a wide variety of areas including market research methodology and statistics, as well as consumer behavior, social psychology, advertising, branding, and economics. Some are internal survey practitioners at AMS while others are affiliated academics from top universities in the United States and Canada. However, all of our experts have extensive experience testifying in deposition and at trial. They understand that a defensible survey requires a thorough understanding of the case, a solid survey, precise data collection, and close collaboration with attorneys. The decades of experience between AMS’ client service staff and experts in conducting consumer litigation surveys, and our rigorous methodical approach, have helped us consistently deliver defensible results for our clients.
What methods are used to collect data? How do you sample difficult to find audiences such as physicians and other professionals or consumers in a limited geographic area?
Three methods are typically considered for data collection which are internet surveys, mall intercepts, and telephone interviews. With the majority of consumers in the U.S. and Canada using the internet, it is acceptable to evaluate key Lanham Act claims using an internet methodology. Also, since an ever-growing number of consumers shop for and purchase goods and services online, an internet survey can often adequately represent the purchasing environment to survey respondents. In order to reach everyday consumers, AMS contracts reputable panel companies that have access to pre-recruited panelists who have indicated their willingness to participate in market research surveys. Specialized panels also exist which provide us access to professionals that are harder to reach, such as physicians and B2B audiences. There are times, however, when other survey methods are more appropriate. If the relevant population is not well-represented on any online panel (consumers in a very limited geographic area, for example), a telephone or in-person recruit may be more successful than an internet survey. In other cases, a mall-intercept study could be useful if it is necessary to provide respondents with the opportunity to physically interact with a product in order to replicate the marketplace realities. Whatever the case may be, there’s rarely an audience which we cannot reach. This typically ensures we can reach the appropriate universe in adequate numbers for your survey needs.
To learn more about AMS, contact Jason Och at 781-250-6317 or joch@ams-inc.com.