On-line Research Popular with Survey Participants

by Staff

Marketing News, vol. 32, no. 21

October 12, 1998

People who take part in research surveys on-line are more likely to complete an on-line survey again than they are to participate in mail, phone, or mall surveys, a recent survey found.

The study by Dallas-based Digital Marketing Services (DMS) found 94% of survey participants said they feel on-line surveys are more convenient, with 91% saying they would be likely to participate in an online poll again. Just 68% said they would be likely to take part in a mail survey, 38% in a phone survey and 36% in a mall survey.

DMS found that 68% of consumers who took part in the survey also had participated in mail, phone or mall surveys. The findings show that on-line surveys attract the same respondents as "traditional" surveys, said Shelly Bracken, vice president of research services at DMS.

Results are based on a poll of 2,147 randomly selected men and women through Opinion Place, an on-line DMS research product on America Online.

by David Bank

Wall Street Journal

August 25, 1998

A web start-up that pays users to view Internet advertising and fill out marketing surveys says a newly issued patent gives it the sole right to offer such online incentives.

The patent, issued earlier this month to CyberGold, Inc., covers "attention brokerage," the business of buying and selling the attention of Internet users. The concept is an example of a new business model made possible by the interactivity of the World Wide Web, but could become a widespread marketing practice. In other media, companies already spend more for such incentives and "loyalty" programs than they do for traditional advertising.

"We tried to make the patent application as broad as we possibly could," said Nat Goldhaber, CyberGold's chief executive officer. "This new way of brokering the attention of people - offering their attention to other people who want their attention - is pretty much covered."

Mr. Goldhaber said CyberGold would license its method to competitors in the nascent on-line incentives market, possibly for a per transaction fee. One competitor, San Francisco-based Netcentives Inc., said it hadn't determined the impact of the patent.

West Shell III, Netcentives' chief executive officer, said his company's Web site rewards consumers with frequent-flyer miles and other incentives for purchasing on-line, rather than simply looking at advertising. "Our business model is fundamentally different than our competitors'," he said. "It's all about electronic commerce, not about viewing ads."

What's more, Mr. Shell says Netcentives was awarded a patent in June covering the company's own incentives programs.

CyberGold's Mr. Goldhaber says the company won't stunt the growth of on-line marketing by charging exorbitant licensing fees.

"Our intention is to be reasonable and inclusive," he says.

Closely held CyberGold was founded in 1995 and claims to have 780,000 members with active accounts. Members earn incentives for viewing advertisements, visiting Web sites, downloading software or making purchases. Those accounts can be used to pay a personal Visa bill, transferred to a bank account, or donated to a nonprofit organization.

CyberGold claims several hundred advertisers, who create their own CyberGold coins. The rewards are generally valued at a minimum of 50 cents; one advertiser offered $100 for each successful customer reference.