Starting with the right target audience

Direct feedback from executives and other target audiences provides valuable insight into market views, trends, and practices, and can be a vital source of primary data to drive forward-looking analysis. With over 75 in-house economists, statisticians, and survey specialists, Oxford Economics is uniquely equipped to manage all aspects of the survey process: creating the questionnaire, building the sample, fielding the survey, analysing the results, running cross tabulations, identifying correlations, and writing up the top findings. Our surveys can be managed in-person, over the phone, or online, and typically take 30 days to complete in the field.

Unlike media companies, which often rely solely on their readers for responses, Oxford Economics has established a broad global survey infrastructure to get the job done. Our extraordinary access to executives through research partnerships, NGOs, and trade associations, along with a specialist network spanning over 100 countries, enables us to target nearly any market segment by location, industry, size, executive function, or performance indicator.

Thanks to the well-respected Oxford Economics brand, a strong reputation for objectivity, and top-notch translation and language skills, we can ensure high response rates and statistical validity needed for proper market analysis. Our surveys have run the gamut from social media to risk management, from CEOs to HR managers, from the financial industry to healthcare, and from economists in Beijing to commuters in Central London.

When fielding a survey, our first step is to set up a research sample geared to the targeted audience and agree on the number of respondents necessary for proper data segmentation and statistical validity. In most instances, we then email an invitation to survey participants, which can include our client’s customer or prospect list. If necessary, we follow up with email or over the phone. We take a number of quantitative and qualitative measures, such as screener questions and cross tabulations, to validate the responses and ensure the statistical rigour of our work.