Every year the SEMO exhibition is the most important event in the survey and opinion poll industry in France, and it is an occasion for Repères to meet its clients, prospects and partners.

It is also a fine opportunity to present our latest research in methodological workshops. Whenever possible we try to organise these workshops in partnership with a client who is a user or co-designer of a method.

In recent years we have had the opportunity to present the following innovations at SEMO:

In 2005:

• The creation of the Emotional Monitoring method with Moet Hennessy (renovation of imaginary approaches to the brand)
• The Product Insight method (a qualitative approach that makes it possible to identify by means of a blind test all the “stories” a product conveys)

In 2006:

• The creation of the Home Use Blog with Danone Research, a protocol for real-time testing of prototypes, even disruptive innovation prototypes.
• The PackExpert packaging test that combines quantitative research and the memory expertise of Impact Mémoire (Memory Impact)

In 2007:

• The Blog’in blogosphere watch method in partnership with Ami Software
• The 2.0 approaches: Co-design and Communities

In 2008:

• The Heineken case study on the use of Emotional Monitoring
• Our research with Franck Saunier in the field of Video Studies (integration of non-verbal communication in the research process)

In the same vein, we will have the pleasure of presenting two workshops at SEMO 2009, with clients participating in presenting case studies:

• On Wednesday 4^th November at 3:30 p.m.: The case study of an interactive and prospective co-design experiment, presented by Catherine Roty from CTIFL. This protocol, which we have now used several times in different sectors, makes it possible to generate operational disruptive innovation routes for new products and services. It is based on a collaborative consumer approach, boosted by prospective stimuli designed by the Proâme agency.

• Thursday 5^th November at 3:30 p.m.: A case study on the identification and modelling of product appreciation drivers, presented with Valérie Sarkis from PEPSICO. These studies based on Bayesian networks make it possible to greatly increase the added value of product tests, especially by providing highly operational optimisation recommendations.

The Repères vision is founded on designing new market research tools. It is in such a context and as an extension of our work on virtual worlds that we became interested in the Serious Game phenomenon: This type of protocol, generating excellent results in the field of teaching and training could be a solution for making our studies more participative, more involving and producing more creative results. The question is, could we invent the “Market Research Game”?

We evoked the idea of such research with Guy Parmentier from the ESC Chambéry laboratory, with whom we are collaborating in the field of the Co-designing of Virtual Worlds. Guy suggested we join a working group that happened to be forming on the subject.

With this group, composed of three companies (Sphinx Développement, Symétrix, Repères) and two research laboratories (Syscom and ESC Chambéry), we had the pleasure of being selected within the framework of a call for research-development projects by the government, within the context of the “Digital” part of the plan to restart the economy launched on 27 May last by Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet.

Our shared project “Serious Lab for innovation” is aimed at developing a web platform making it possible to implement Serious Game principles in a market research approach.

The Serious Lab project should result in an operational prototype by the end of 2011 and will receive a global subsidy of 700 000 euros.

The development of new technologies has deeply modified the way information is gathered, namely via online access panels.

Nevertheless, for a certain number of surveys, face-to-face exchanges with an interviewer remain the optimal solution:

- when the target interviewed is not well represented by an online access panel,

- when it is necessary to show real survey materials (mock-ups or products to be tested that cannot be sent by mail),

- or when the questionnaire is too long for an online survey.

That is why at Repères face-to-face interviewing in the field still represents a high proportion of our activity and is a strategic area for us. The quality and reliability of our field work (ISO certified) is an indispensable pre-requisite which enables us to guarantee a high quality service for our clients.

Within the framework of our constant search to optimise our processes we have just taken a major step by equipping with Eee PCs and 3G connections our field researchers conducting face-to-face interviews. We are now able to conduct CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interviews) all over France face-to-face at home or in facilities with the direct transfer of data onto our web server.

Such equipment presents many advantages:

. we follow field work in real-time and ensure quotas are complied with since they can more easily be redistributed between interviewers as they work,

. we are able to give our clients precise and reliable field research data,

. compared with classic laptops used in CAPI, the small size of the Eee PC is an undeniable advantage in practical terms for interviewers,

. lastly, compared with the studies we have conducted until now with paper questionnaires our deadlines and costs for field research have been considerably optimised.

The development of new technologies has deeply modified the way information is gathered, namely via online access panels.

Nevertheless, for a certain number of surveys, face-to-face exchanges with an interviewer remain the optimal solution:

- when the target interviewed is not well represented by an online access panel,

- when it is necessary to show real survey materials (mock-ups or products to be tested that cannot be sent by mail),

- or when the questionnaire is too long for an online survey.

That is why at Repères face-to-face interviewing in the field still represents a high proportion of our activity and is a strategic area for us. The quality and reliability of our field work (ISO certified) is an indispensable pre-requisite which enables us to guarantee a high quality service for our clients.

Within the framework of our constant search to optimise our processes we have just taken a major step by equipping with Eee PCs and 3G connections our field researchers conducting face-to-face interviews. We are now able to conduct CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interviews) all over France face-to-face at home or in facilities with the direct transfer of data onto our web server.

Such equipment presents many advantages:

. we follow field work in real-time and ensure quotas are complied with since they can more easily be redistributed between interviewers as they work,

. we are able to give our clients precise and reliable field research data,

. compared with classic laptops used in CAPI, the small size of the Eee PC is an undeniable advantage in practical terms for interviewers,

. lastly, compared with the studies we have conducted until now with paper questionnaires our deadlines and costs for field research have been considerably optimised.<-->

In these times of economic uncertainty, disruptive innovation is increasingly essential for creating a competitive edge. At Repères we are convinced that innovation must be conducted in collaboration with the consumers to design in a meaningful and differentiating manner. Our prospective and interactive co-design protocol calls on the imagination of hyper creative consumers (recruited in the virtual world of Second Life) to help brands find new sources of inspiration.

So far we haven’t yet had the opportunity to present actual results from co-design initiatives since these are highly confidential. Today, thanks to CTIFL (Centre Technique Interprofessionnel des Fruits et Légumes – Inter-professional Technical Centre for Fruit and Vegetables) and UNFD (Union nationale des syndicats de détaillants en fruits, légumes et primeurs – National Union of Fruit and Vegetable Retailers) we have a unique opportunity to present the details of the process and its results.

I will let Emilie Labidoire, the head of the Repères Communities Department continue:

Our last project conducted for CTIFL and UNFD made it possible for us to work on the design and the offering at the same time, with a 3D model of 2 proposals from among 10.

Point of departure of the project

To adapt to new modes of consumption UNFD intends to make points of sale of fresh fruit and vegetables denser in areas of intense urban traffic through the creation of mobile outdoor kiosks and/or the setting up of dedicated gondolas with traditional retailers.
This is because, in a climate of a decline in the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables, UNFD must take up a number of challenges:
- How to promote the purchase of fresh fruit and vegetables?
- How to reduce preparation constraints?
- How to enhance the image of fruit and vegetables (healthy, simple, quick, etc.)?
- How to prevent consumption among the young from declining further?


The Protocol

In January 2009, based on its cosmetic expertise acquired over a period of 20 years Repères created a subsidiary entirely dedicated to the cosmetics / luxury / perfume sectors: Repères Beauty