Editor's note: Stephanie Jeffers is an account manager at the ICR Survey Research Group.

In these days of last minute information needs, those involved in the research process should be aware of the various research sources available to them. One of the most popular and cost effective is the omnibus study. For those not familiar with omnibus research, it can best be described as a cross between a syndicated study and a custom study. It offers the advantages of syndicated research in that multiple clients share the cost, however, it also allows participating clients to insert the questions of their choice, similar to a custom study. In addition to the questions inserted by clients, most omnibus studies contain a set of standard demographic questions. All of the custom questions, as well as the corresponding data, is strictly proprietary.

There are many types of omnibus studies available, differing by data collection mode, type of respondents, and frequency. For example, there are omnibuses which are conducted by mail, telephone, and in-person; some sample consumers while others interview business people. They can be fielded as frequently as twice a week or as infrequently as once every six months. Probably the best known and most popular are the consumer telephone omnibus studies. Many researchers think of a telephone omnibus study as a method to get answers to a few questions quickly. While omnibus studies are used frequently for this purpose they have proven to be a very accurate and efficient-both time and cost-wise- means of conducting more involved types of studies such as: tracking studies, price elasticity studies, awareness, trial and usage studies, databasing studies, low incidence studies, product placement studies, and public opinion studies.

Telephone omnibus studies also provide the client with a great deal of flexibility. Clients can choose to interview the total sample or any segment thereof.

For example, clients can limit their sampling to targeted groups such as: males, females, 18 to 35 year olds, residents of the Northeast corridor and so forth. Whatever the case, clients will almost certainly save time and money. The turn-around time for most telephone omnibus studies is only one week from the start of the field work to full tabulation. While the deadline for question insertion varies by omnibus, required lead time is usually one day or less prior to the start of the field period. And because multiple clients are sharing the costs, the price will usually be much lower than that of a custom study.

At ICR Survey Research Group, we have been offering a telephone omnibus since 1986. The omnibus, called EXCEL, consists of 1,000 interviews split equally between males and females and is conducted twice weekly. Because ICR uses CRT's to prompt the questions series, questions can be supplied as late as the day interviewing is scheduled to begin. Clients use the service for a wide variety of purposes. Among them are:

Tracking

A management consulting firm specializing in the entertainment and communications industries, has been using the service since March, 1987 to track VCR penetration, video tape rental and sales activity. Approximately 1,500 interviews are conducted each week with VCR households. Using the data, the firm develops comprehensive monthly and quarterly reports, called VideoFlash, which review the home video market. Performance and activity trends are analyzed by individual titles, in addition to various other classifications such as genre (action, comedy, drama, etc.), price, MPAA rating, and manufacturer. Major film studios who subscribe to VideoFlash gain insight into this relatively young marketplace and, as a result, can make more informed decisions when developing marketing strategies for upcoming releases.

Price elasticity

A manufacturer of high-tech consumer products uses EXCEL to determine the potential size of the market for new products and then to assess the demand for the product at various price levels.

Concept testing

A major fast food chain utilizes EXCEL on a regular basis to "fine tune" promotion ideas. A detailed description is read to consumers whose reactions to the description are then probed. This feedback tells whether the promotion is worthwhile or what changes are required to make the promotion more successful. The time-sensitive nature of the promotion requires the fast turn-around provided by the omnibus.

Databasing

Although the Census Bureau was conducting the national census this year, a national religious federation felt the need for a more in-depth analysis among members of its faith. This federation's research plan called for a lengthy survey to be conducted among a nationally representative sample of individuals (2,500 interviews). However, since the national incidence for this group was very low, the screening cost associated with locating these people through a custom methodology would have been exorbitant. Instead, the federation used EXCEL for the sole purpose of locating qualified individuals. Once identified, the information for these people was stored in a database. The database, in turn, was used at a later date as the sampling frame for the custom research effort.

New business pitches

A major West Coast advertising agency recently employed EXCEL when pitching a new account. It provided information which was not available from secondary sources. This allowed the agency to strengthen its proposed advertising/marketing plan, thereby giving it a leg up on the competition.

Public opinion polling

ABC News and the Washington Post have found EXCEL useful in assessing public opinion on various topical issues such as the drug problem, and the Pete Rose scandal, compliance with the National Census, and so on.

Although the uses of an omnibus study might seem endless, there are some situations when it is not the best technique. As ICR limits the overall length of EXCEL, it cannot accommodate extremely long inserts. Also, while we frequently have questionnaires with open-ended questions, a study with many "open-ends" cannot be handled as efficiently. Finally, if the population to be sampled has a very low incidence (e.g., 0.5%) a custom methodology would most likely locate an adequate sample size faster.

The choice between custom and omnibus research sometimes comes down to tradeoffs involving cost and time. Very short inserts offer savings in these areas, while longer inserts provide time savings but at slightly higher costs. Conversely, low incidence populations can be sampled at low cost, but usually with extended field periods. At any rate, it is always wise to request quotes for both custom and omnibus research methodologies and let management help evaluate the pros and cons.