Kicking off Summer with Some Research for Ink

Kicking off Summer with Some Research for InkSummer is my favorite season, and I’m always happy when Memorial Day kicks it off. To start my summer off even better, this year my Red Cross client got some great media pick-up from an omnibus study I worked on for them.

An omnibus is a “shared cost” survey, where clients can add between 3 and 15 questions on any topic. They are typically conducted among the general population, allowing you to talk about “Americans” or “American adults.” 1,000 respondents are surveyed, and they might answer 5 questions about shampoo, 10 questions about life insurance, and 3 questions about health insurance. I’ve worked on omnibus questions about what the tooth fairy looks like, deodorant preferences, and people’s beliefs about different health conditions– among other topics.

Omnibus surveys are a quick and cost-effective methodology; they field constantly and are often used when conducting “research for ink,” where survey results are turned into headlines and stories for media.

The Red Cross team made a modest investment and asked a handful of questions in an online omnibus. The results were mentioned in USA Today and Time, with headlines like “Only 56% of adults who say they can swim can perform five critical water-safety skills that could save their lives, according to a new American Red Cross survey. How do you stack up?”

I’m delighted for the communications team I worked with on this; I know these are great results for them!

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Jessica

Founder of Southpaw Insights