From the Classroom to the Office..

I don’t think I will ever forget the moment when I finally realized I was not going to be a teacher anymore and would be joining my wife at Moore Research Services, Inc. After 22 years of teaching at Cathedral Prep, I had decided to retire from teaching to help my wife in her growing and expanding company. Oh trust me, there was a whole mix of emotions, questions, and concerns that were running through my head and I am sure Colleen felt the same way. However, the timing felt absolutely right. Colleen and I had been talking for a couple of years about me coming to work at Moore Research, but it wasn’t until April of 2014 when we were on a walk in Fort Myers, Florida that we looked at each other and said, “Let’s do this.” Of course we had already drawn up the pros and cons for each side before coming to that realization, but I vividly remember on that walk the excited feeling I had once we made the decision.

I see people now and the question is always the same – “how do you like your new job?”.. My answer is always the same – “I love it.” Now before you read the rest, please understand this – I loved teaching, I loved teaching at Cathedral Prep, I have nothing bad to say about my years there, and I left on good terms. It was a wonderful place to teach and there really is something special about the place – their history, their traditions, and their dedication to developing young men. However, that being said, there is something about a new job that is invigorating and exciting. You don’t really realize that until you make the switch because, quite honestly, after 22 years of teaching history, it was pretty much the same thing day in and day out. Not that I didn’t like it – I just didn’t realize how monotonous it had become. Sure I had different students every year and new methods of instruction were always being introduced, but it still didn’t change the main thing I was doing each day. 

When I made the career change, it was like jumping into a cold pool of water – I became suddenly very awake and very aware of my day to day life. With my new job at Moore Research, I can’t tell you what I am going to be doing tomorrow and for someone who followed a very strict day-to-day schedule, that’s very exciting! Every day I come in and it’s something different – technical issues, different surveys and test products, evaluating office space, payroll – the list goes on and on. Now I know what you are thinking.. that eventually, like teaching, this job will become monotonous and I might even agree with you. But you know what? That’s ok – because for as monotonous as my old job may have become, I loved it and wouldn’t have changed it for the world. I know many dislike and even fear change, but change can be good. For me, at this point in my life, change has given me a new outlook, now my world looks so different than from what I knew before. I have a new purpose – a new mission in life and I look forward to helping make Moore Research Services the best company it possibly can be.

Do you steer clear of change and if so, why? 

Have you boldly made a change recently that when you look back on it now you wonder why you didn’t do it sooner? I would love to hear about it!

FM

Our Boss Rocks!

We are so incredibly proud of our CEO, Colleen, for receiving the Marketing Research Association's Lifetime Achievement Award! She is the youngest (and we think the coolest) recipient of this national award.

The award is given to someone who has demonstrated a commitment of outstanding individual service to the Marketing Research Association and the marketing research profession. 

Read more about the award here!

The Woman Who Started It All

This year marks our 45th year in business! 

Since 1969, we have seen a number of changes, struggles and triumphs. We are so proud of where we have come from and look ahead with much anticipation.

In celebration of our 45th anniversary, as well as Mother's Day, I thought we would do a little Q&A with the woman who started it all, and the woman I get to call Grandma - Peggy Moore!

Take a look back 45 years ago... what would you say the biggest challenge was when first starting the business?

"When I started the business back in 1969, my biggest challenge was raising four young children and trying to start a business from my home. Although it wasn't easy, I ran the business from my home for 10 years. It took a lot of patience, organization and time management. Eventually, the company started rapidly growing and I knew it was time to move to a larger place (outside of my home!)."

Imagine Moore Research in 1975, versus today, 2014, in what ways does it look different?

"The business today looks different largely because of the type of work being conducted. Our main projects back then were door-to-door interviewing in the Erie area. We only had a few clients that we worked for. Can you imagine going door to door today? We had 30-40 interviewers that loved that type of work. They liked that personal contact. The interviewers were mainly young mothers with children and they could only work part time. Now, Moore Research is conducting studies around the world and not only collecting the data, but analyzing it and providing reports. Of course, with technology playing such a large role in society today, the way the research is being conducted is a lot different (they are no longer banging on doors!). Moore Research is now conducting focus groups, online surveys, mobile and social media research, taste tests, amongst many others. The company has evolved into a full service research company that has experience in many different industries."

How would you sum up the success Moore Research has seen thus far?

"I credit the success of Moore Research to my daughter Colleen. I retired a little over 10 years ago and felt it was time and that she was ready to take over the business. When I retired I was happy with the level we were at, but she has taken it above and beyond what I never could have imagined. Colleen has chosen a new innovative, energetic staff. The people who work and have worked at Moore Research are vital. It is unbelievable what they have contributed to the success of our business."

Thanks Gram, and thanks to our Moore Research friends, family, and to the people who have believed in us along the way! Looking forward to what the future will bring!
LM

It's a Game of Facts

Are you ready for some football? A Super Bowl party?  In case you were wondering what to watch this Sunday, Super Bowl XLVIII will be played at Metlife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. 

         This year the Super Bowl teams are the Denver Broncos versus the Seattle Seahawks.  This is the first outdoor cold weather Super Bowl in its history.  The number of visitors expected to make their way to the greater New Jersey area this week is 400,000.  Roughly 20% of those guests or 82,500 to be exact will attend the game in person. Wish I could go although rumor has it an average seat goes for over $2,000, couch here I come.  While on my couch, I will be snacking away. Did you know that Super Bowl Sunday is the second largest day of food consumption in the United States after Thanksgiving?  Wowza that’s a lot of food!

         If you’re like me you want to watch the big game.  Some of you though are more interested in what comes during the time outs...the commercials.  Research shows that advertisers will pay up to a record $4.5 million for a thirty-second commercial spot. More than 105 million viewers are expected to watch. So next time you watch a Super Bowl ad maybe it will be something you can test at Moore Research.  If the game and the commercials aren’t your cup of tea you can always check out the halftime show, which this year will be Bruno Mars.  Looks like no bathroom breaks for me.

         They say this game is a game of inches, but I say it’s a game of facts.  Nearly $100 million is wagered each year.  Win or lose it’s an event that is watched worldwide and I for one, will be glued to the TV this Sunday.

Sidebar: Will the groundhog see it’s shadow?

• Who do you think is going to win?
• What’s your favorite part of Super Bowl Sunday?
• Share your Super Bowl stories with us!

Cathy Filipowski

Operations Manager

Being Watched at the Self-Checkout Line

Is it just me or do you feel like the employees are watching you in the self-checkout line at the grocery store?

When I'm in a hurry and don't feel like interacting with people (admit it, we all have those days), I like using the self-checkout. I usually don't have to wait in a line and it is "supposedly" faster.... But is it? You have to ask for help when you can't scan a certain item and you have to make sure you set the scanned item down on just the right spot. And then, there is an employee who is basically eye-balling your every move.

So what's the point of these self-checkouts when you still need employees to help you?
What do you think about self-checkout lines? Do you use them?
Where do you think the future of grocery shopping is headed?

I look forward to your responses!

Revamping Your Website

It was a tricky and timely process, but we finally got there… Our new website is finished! And we learned a lot along the way. Here are six tips to consider when revamping your company’s website.

1.      Create 3-5 “benefit statements”

Before you start diving into color schemes, background images, and all that fun stuff, create 3-5 “benefit statements.” These are things that you want people to “take away” after visiting your site. Your audience needs to understand what benefits you bring to the table and they need to gain an understanding of this within the first couple minutes of visiting your site. Questions to ponder when creating benefit statements:

o   What can we do that no other company can?

o   Why choose us over a competitor?

o   What misconceptions do people have about our company?

o   What has made our company thrive?

2.    Consider ALL of your audiences

As a market research company, we have many different audiences looking at our site. We have repeat clients, potential clients, current research participants, and others who are “information seekers.” You need to make sure your site caters to all audiences’ needs. Along with that, think about what your site is doing for each of your audiences, and make it easy for them to find what they need.

3.    Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water

Your old website was perfect at one point in time, so there are still some good pieces of it that can be worked into the new site. Much of our content was the same, so we used a lot of the old wordage and just updated it and organized it better.

4.    Incorporate social media

Having a social media presence on your website is crucial. Regardless of how many Likes or Followers you have, the social aspect on your website makes your company look modern and easily accessible. Add the social media icons on to your site or add a feed if you are frequently posting updates. To better promote your online brand, your social sites and your website should work seamlessly.

5.    Ask your colleagues for feedback!

You can get a totally different perspective if you look from the outside-in. After looking at your website over and over, you may be blind to some things that others see when they go on to your site. Asking colleagues for their input about your current site will help in the development of the new website, and will give you better insight into what your audience actually sees when they are on the site.

6.    Consider where your audience will be accessing your site from – laptop, tablet, mobile phone, etc.

Everyone is on-the-go today and going online in many different ways. This is plain and simple: Make sure your website can be easily viewed and read from all mobile devices.