'Omnibus' survey

SIR - Re "Tesco Survey" (Herts Advertiser letters, February 28). The power of local market research has been vividly demonstrated during the past few weeks. A number of misconceptions about the wrongly-named Tesco Survey have crept in which need clarification.

Adroit-e Research has pioneered omnibus surveys for small and local businesses. An omnibus survey is "a method of quantitative marketing research where data on a wide variety of subjects is collected during the same interview. Multiple research clients will provide proprietary content for the survey - paying to get on the omnibus - while sharing the common demographic data collected from each respondent".(Wikipedia)

Adroit-e adopts a face-to-face approach and uses the latest technologies to collect and analyse the data. The advantages to the research client include cost savings because the sampling and screening costs are shared across multiple clients and timeliness. The intellectual property of each question vests in the research client.

Thus in an Adroit-e omnibus survey, one question may be about supermarket shopping, the next about road works, the next about jewellery shopping etc.

Adroit-e has undertaken local omnibus research in the UK and the US. The key to the Adroit-e approach, involving state-of-the-art technology, is to ensure that the demographic segmentation - usually involving gender, age and localness - is checked during the research period to ensure accuracy and relevance. In the St Albans context it would be perfectly possible say for both Tesco and the Stop Tesco group each to buy a question on the same omnibus, the results of that question remaining the property of the individual client.

Adroit-e Research provides opportunities for locally-based organisations and businesses to gauge public opinion and receive accurate results rapidly and at a price they can afford.

JONATHAN BRILL,

Director, Adroit-e Research, Harpenden.