NorthWest MRA Topline - Summer 2012

Topline- Summer 2012
Newsletter of the NorthWest MRA

IN THIS ISSUE
Message from the President - Jeff Spitzer
Editor’s Note - Brian Parker
Feature - Updates from NorthWest MRA Scholarship Winners
Upcoming Events - National MRA Conference
- Professional Development Program
Past Events - NorthWest MRA Educational Conference
- Tri-City Event: The Gamification of Research
Financial News & Notes
Contact Information

The NorthWest Marketing Research Association

Topline-
Summer 2012

Message from the President
Jeff Spitzer

H as it been a year already? The last twelve months have been quite a
whirlwind and I’m very proud of the things this board has
accomplished. I hope that you were able to take advantage of some of
the exciting events of this past year. In case you weren’t keeping track,
here are some of the highlights from this year.

Along with Oregon State University and University of Washington, this
year we partnered with a third school, Golden Gate University, and
awarded $1000 scholarships to students at all three schools. We still have
the Professional Development Fund as well, reimbursing MRA members
for expenses related to continuing education and upgrading skills.

We have begun offering local meet-and-greet events at no charge to members in Portland, Seattle
and San Francisco, which has been very well received. Thank you for coming out and supporting our
events! We will continue to offer them as long as you continue to support and enjoy them.

Don’t forget about education. Our annual educational conference moved to Portland this year and it
was a great success yet again. Teaming up with The Research Club for the after-hours mixer proved to
be a ton of fun as well. Continuing with educational content, many of you made the trek down to our
annual Joint Chapter conference in Las Vegas again this year. If you missed it, then you missed out on
a great conference and a great time. Mark your calendars now for early March next year as I think
you will be in for an even bigger treat when you see what we are planning for next year’s conference.

Finally, we held a Tri-City event on The Gamification of Research in Portland, Seattle and San
Francisco which proved to be a very engaging and relevant topic. Pictures from most of these events
can be found on our website and Facebook page.

We can only offer these events because you, our members, support our Chapter; so THANK YOU. But
we want to continue to offer content and events that are relevant to you. So please let us know what
you would like to see from your Chapter in the upcoming board year that starts July 1. Drop me a
note and let me know your thoughts. As always, I’d love to hear from you.

Jeff Spitzer
Universal Survey
President, NorthWest MRA
jspitzer@universalsurvey.com

P.S. In case you weren't already aware, the NorthWest Chapter now has a presence on Facebook,
Twitter and LinkedIn. Take a moment and connect with us!

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Topline-
Summer 2012

Editor’s Note
Brian Parker

In the last Edition of Topline for this chapter year, I’d like to take a minute and thank all the
volunteers from the Northwest MRA board, as well as those people not on the board. We had a great
year! Jeff has done a tremendous job of building on a fantastic 2011 under Amanda Durkee.

The upcoming year is something to look forward to as well. I’m very excited to work with Chris
Robson as the incoming President along with quite a few new faces on the board. We are continually
striving to branch out and get feedback, volunteers, and participation from a wider variety of people,
and I think the new board is a great step in that direction.

Along with Jeff’s piece, we have a couple thank you notes from our scholarship winners. We thought
it would be nice to get a chance to see where some of the hard work goes and how it affects others.

We had a busy spring full of events and you can catch up on many of them with the pictures and
summaries included in this edition of Topline. We also have some nice events coming up in the near
future.

Here’s to a great 2011-2012 chapter year!

Brian Parker
Co-founder, watchLAB Studios
Editor of Topline

If you would like to submit something for consideration, or
would like to help out in any way, feel free to contact me at
brian.parker@watchlab.com.

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Summer 2012

NorthWest MRA Scholarship Winners
Updates from Anna Marie Tallariti and Mikaela Inman

Anna Marie Tallariti
University of Washington, Michael G. Foster School of Business, Seattle, WA

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the
NorthWest MRA for awarding me the 2012 NorthWest
MRA Scholarship. It is an honor to have received this
scholarship during my senior year at the University of
Washington.

During the past four years of college, I have conducted and
utilized marketing research to drive marketing
recommendations for multiple companies in the Seattle
area. I have also been fortunate enough to take both
Marketing Research and Consumer Behavior while attending
the Foster School of Business. Collectively, these
opportunities have led me to have a passion for marketing
research. I highly enjoy conducting focus groups, and digging
deep into data sets from secondary research engines to determine demographics and product
information. Post graduation, my ideal career would to either become a market researcher or
continue to utilize marketing research to drive marketing recommendations. I am currently looking
forward to my next internship as a Media Planner at Razorfish, where I will utilize marketing research
to place advertisements onto online platforms.

Since beginning my journey at the University of Washington, I’ve been constantly immersing myself in
the marketing industry through experiential coursework, involvement in professional organizations,
and internships at nationally-recognized corporations. I’ve had the opportunity to gain pragmatic
experience in the professional world through internships at Starbucks, Hearst Media Services, and 4th
Avenue Media. At each organization I made a lasting impact through the planning and
implementation of key projects. As a Category Specialist Intern at Starbucks I conducted competitive
analysis and market research to develop product and brand messaging recommendations for
Starbucks Iced Coffee. I also interpreted statistical information on the Starbucks Reserve – Clover
Brewed business to drive sales, identify trends, and inform strategy. While at Hearst Media Services
as a Market Research Analyst Intern I leveraged market research platforms such as comScore and
Scarborough to complete a sales deck with the Marketing Manager to showcase the “value story” of
the company. Most recently at 4th Avenue Media, I was a Marketing Specialist intern, and in that
capacity I wrote and implemented the company’s current Marketing Plan.

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Summer 2012

I have gained additional marketing and branding experience through my involvement in the American
Marketing Association. This year I had the distinguished honor of serving as President. Together,
myself and 7 other board members proactively executed many deliverables and celebrated many
milestones, including applying for and receiving a Target grant and being featured on the front page
of our school newspaper, The Daily, for our Business Etiquette Dinner. Most recently we were
honored with the Dean’s Award at the annual Foster Spotlight Dinner.

If you are interested, I encourage you to look at my website (amtallariti.com). There you can find my
resume, additional information on my professional development, and a few interesting facts about
me. Also, if you are interested in looking at my Twitter account, my handle is @AMTallariti. Thank you
again for selecting me for this prestigious scholarship.

Mikaela Inman
Oregon State, College of Business, Corvallis, OR

My junior year here at Oregon State University has been
an important year of academic and professional growth.
Embarking on my classes in the College of Business
Marketing program has been exciting and has ignited my
passion for the field of Marketing.

Having the support of my professors and classmates has
been critical to my success – and the NorthWest
Marketing Research scholarship has literally opened the
door to my future career.

Working with C2C staff has already been a positive
experience that I anticipate will improve next year as I
learn the systems and gain necessary skills through hard
work and dedication. I am very grateful to the members
of the NWMRA and to C2C for providing me with the
opportunity to make important contributions to future
market research projects.

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Topline-
Summer 2012

Upcoming Event
Chapter Endowment Fund - Professional Development Program
Deadline: June 30, 2012

L ooking to upgrade your skills or the skills of your employees? Don’t have
the budget to make it happen? The NorthWest Chapter of the MRA offers
its Professional Development Program, designed to increase excellence in the
market research industry and offer participants assistance in their educational
endeavors.

The NorthWest MRA Professional Development Program allows recipients to pursue a course that will
improve skills used in their current position or prepare them for additional responsibilities through
traditional schooling or specialized training sessions. This opportunity is commonly used to help fund
courses in statistics, computer applications, marketing research skills, market research ethics, and
many others.

Any member may apply for an award for him or herself, or for one of their full- or part-time
employees. Each applicant is permitted to apply for one scholarship per quarterly program period.
The NorthWest MRA Professional Development Program approved program/course must be
completed within four months of award date. If the applicant is not a member of the NorthWest
MRA, a letter of recommendation from the employer member needs to accompany the application.

The NorthWest MRA Professional Development Committee selects recipients based on the strength
of their application, appropriateness of the desired educational program/course, applicant’s
involvement in marketing research, and personal desire to succeed.

Award recipients will be notified within 30 days after the end of the application period and the list of
award winners shall be published in this newsletter and placed on the website. Funds are dispersed
at the satisfactory completion of the designated program/course.

Individual awards are provided on the basis of personal criteria and needs and may not cover the
entire cost of the course, seminar, specialized training, etc. Awards typically range from $250 to $500.

Applications are processed quarterly and the next submission deadline is June 30th, 2012.

For information about presentation proposal submissions, contact Amanda Durkee, Senior Research
Consultant, Zanthus, 971-404-0275 ext. 104, adurkee@zanthus.com.

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Topline-
Summer 2012

Upcoming Event
MRA 2012 Annual Conference in San Diego, California
June 4 – 6, 2012

G et ready for three motivating days of high-
level content in an energetic, warm and
welcoming environment. It's a genuine peer-to-
peer event where life experience merges with
learning. You are guaranteed to collaborate and
connect with a community of MR professionals
"who do what you do," share your interests and
can help you succeed. It's also a lot of fun.

What's New
MRA’s Annual Conference & Expo has grown into a unique event that promotes learning and
community. Our 2012 event will bring together expert practitioners as presenters who are shaping
the future of marketing research. To provide attendees with even more value, this year we’re adding
several new features:

 Seven additional education sessions in four new tracks covering business management, trends
and technology, data integration and real world research.
 Two networking receptions open to all attendees at no additional charge, with one at the
famed SeaWorld San Diego.
 Speed Learning – Connect with peers who are speaking, interact with colleagues in the
audience, and learn about a wildly diverse number of topics.
 CEO Symposium with an exclusive dinner and educational program.
 Expo Grand Opening reception for extra time to network.

We know you’ll be impressed with the 30+ cutting-edge educational opportunities that are designed
to provoke new thinking, challenge the status quo and help you advance as a practitioner and leader.

See you in San Diego!

Visit http://www.northwestmra.org/vegas2012 for more information,
or visit http://www.swmra.org/2012LVCReg.aspx to register.

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Topline-
Summer 2012

Past Event
NorthWest MRA Educational Conference in Portland, Oregon
May 8, 2012

T his year’s Northwest MRA Educational Conference in
Portland saw the gathering of more than 45 attendees and
six fantastic speakers.

Coming together to discuss a great mix of topics during a series
of presentations, attendees and speaker also had ample time
to mingle, enjoy a delicious meal, and relax at the Research
Club after party at nearby Boke Bowl.

Feedback from attendees as overwhelmingly positive, with one
reporting that it was one of the better conferences they had
been to, especially in terms of content and crowd.

Special thanks must go out to Meegan—the fearless leader—for putting together another fantastic
event. Thanks also to Jeff, Jackie, Betsy, Kelle and Chris for all of their help on site.

For those of you who didn’t make it, we hope to see you next year!

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Topline-
Summer 2012

Past Event
Tri-City Event: The Gamification of Research
San Francisco, Portland and Seattle
April 27, 2012

W ith the goal of gaining a greater understanding of impact of gamification of market research
the NorthWest MRA hosted a Tri-City Networking event last month in San Francisco, Seattle
and Portland.

Researchers from over 20 firms congregated for presentations in each city and enjoyed presentations
from a variety of speakers. In Seattle, participants heard form Carrie Peters (Marketing VP, BigDoor)
and Steve Alter (Director of Social Business Strategy, Ant’s Eye View). In Portland, we heard from
Marshall Kirkpatrick (CEO, Plexus Engine) and Manny Acevedo (Business Analyst, Intel), while in San
Francisco, the keynote presentation was from Noman Ali (CEO, Peanut Labs).

Participants learned from gamification’s
vanguard about opportunities for marketers
and researchers to utilize this new approach to
strengthen a brand’s relationship with their
online community and influencers. Increasing
online engagement with consumers via
gamification can offer new metrics for surveys
and even inspire the creation of entire new
behavioral research methods to capture
consumer insights.

Gamification provides challenges to
the industry’s online research status
quo, but also offers opportunities for
adroit research firms that harness it.
For more information, individual
presentations and photos have been
uploaded to the Northwest
Marketing Research website.

Thank you to our presenters,
Consumer Opinion Services,
watchLAB and all of the attendees for a fascinating conversation about the research industry’s
gamification.

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Summer 2012

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Topline-
Summer 2012

Profit & Loss

Marketing Research Association, NorthWest Chapter
July - April 2012

Total
Income
Annual Sponsorship $6,250.00
Event Attendees $2,605.60
Event Sponsors $700.00
Membership Dues $2,535.00
Total Income $12,090.60

Expenses
Bank Charges $90.00
Dues & Subscriptions $ 108.50
Event Expenses $ 5,578.13
Event Expenses - Facility $ 1,425.30
Legal & Professional Fees $500.00
Meals and Entertainment $ 332.40
PayPal Fees $410.24
Recognition/Awards $50.81
Scholarship Contribution $2,000.00
Taxes & Licenses $20.00
Travel $332.64
Website $ 318.02
Total Expenses $ 11,166.04

Net Operating Income $ 924.56
Other Income
Interest Earned $5.53
Total Other Income $5.53
Net Other Income $5.53

Net Income $930.09

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Topline-
Summer 2012

Balance Sheet

Marketing Research Association, NorthWest Chapter
As of April 30, 2012

Total
ASSETS
Current Assets
Banks Accounts $47,891.49
Total Current Assets $47,891.49
TOTAL ASSETS $47,891.49
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Liabilities
Total Liabilities
Equity $47,891.49

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY $47,891.49

P a g e | 12

Topline-
Summer 2012

Contact Information
NorthWest Marketing Research Association

Mailing Address NorthWest MRA c/o CfMC
547 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94501
General Enquiries info@northwestmra.org
Website www.northwestmra.org
About The NorthWest Chapter of the Marketing Research Association promotes
excellence in the opinion and marketing research profession by providing
members with a variety of opportunities for advancing and expanding their
marketing research and related business skills.
Mission Statement The NorthWest Chapter of the Marketing Research Association advocates
for professionalism and ethical practices within the opinion and marketing
research community, serves to inform the public of the purpose, integrity
and benefits of opinion and marketing research, and provides members the
opportunity to enhance their business and research skills while creating an
environment conducive to the open exchange of information among all
members.
States Covered Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Northern California, Oregon, Washington,
Wyoming, Northern Nevada

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NorthWest MRA Topline - Summer 2012

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