Cincy Chic: What is Qfact?

Kristen Monroe: Qfact is a female-owned, Cincinnati-based, qualitative marketing research company.

Cincy Chic: How did you get involved with Qfact?

Monroe: My mom worked at Qfact, and in high school they needed someone to work in the playroom, so I volunteered. And then when I transferred back to the University of Cincinnati, I worked for Qfact as a hostess for days of research when the clients need assistants while they were at the facility. After college I worked for the March of Dimes and then Saginaw Valley University in Michigan before landing back at Qfact in 2006. They asked me to come in and take over the business development, marketing responsibilities and key accounts. That's what I am doing now and I LOVE it!

Cincy Chic: Can you share some examples of how doing market research has helped companies and/or even saved them money in the long run?

Monroe: We had a client who had an entire new branding image created by a big New York ad agency. Everything from the new logo, packaging, commercials for print and TV were going to roll out in 90 days. It cost millions plus to get all of the prototypes made up and the storyboards completed and "mock" commercials done. The company wanted us to do eight focus groups with women aged 24 to 54, to see what their average customer thought of the new campaign.

After four groups, the clients could see that everyone hated the new look, slogan, package design, etc. They disliked everything, and it was unanimous amongst the women. Granted, a couple million up to this point seems like a lot, but when we regrouped with the client, they said this market research saved them the $15 million price tag to roll the first wave of this new image. Fifteen million dollars saved!

If this was on a large, corporate scale, just imagine what we do for all the smaller businesses who don't have a lot to gamble with financially when looking to create a new image or marketing campaign. Our participants really do help decide what products and services stay, change or hit the market.

Cincy Chic: How do you get people to participate in your research, and what’s in it for them?

Monroe: People can either go to Qfact.com and join our database, or they can call in to our recruiting center at (513) 984-7471. Women, men, kids - all get paid for their opinions and time. How great is that?

Cincy Chic: Qfact just got a facelift. Tell us about it!

Monroe: We are so excited because we are in the last phase of our renovation. We have updated our entire facility. We are completely state-of-the-art in our client rooms and participant waiting area, and we have a brand new creative space called our Envisage Suite. It's a unique place for our clients to dream, imagine and create everything: new brands, new campaigns and, generally, new ideas. It's so cool!

Cincy Chic: When you’re not at work being a test market maven, what do you do in your spare time? Any favorite hobbies or pastimes?

Monroe: I love to hang downtown or Mt. Adams. My friends call me the Ambassador of Cincinnati because I always make friends from in and out of town and attend events downtown. This, of course, includes Reds’ games (my national holiday is Opening Day), Bengals’ games, and all the events at the Taft or Aronoff. Of course, shopping anywhere comes a close second!

Cincy Chic: Since this is our “Chic” and “Weak” issue where we share Cincinnatians’ positive and negative opinions, what are your opinions of the chicest and the weakest aspects of the Tri-State?

Monroe: The "chic" thing about Cincy is that we have revitalized the Fountain Square District, meaning the events on the square and the surrounding blocks are pulling singletons, couples and families back downtown for dinner or special events. The "weak" part of Cincinnati is definitely the fact that more stores are closing downtown then opening. We really need to get unique, national stores or boutiques to help create a sense of difference than any other area of the city. I mean, who doesn't love a totally hip new store to find the perfect pair of heels?

PHOTO CREDITS
Photographer: Neysa Ruhl Photography
Model: Kristen Monroe
Location: The McAlpin

Amy Storer-Scalia
		About the author:
		Amy Storer-Scalia, a Cincinnati native and current Ft. Thomas resident, is the editor in chief and publisher of Cincy Chic. Send her an e-mail at astorer@cincychic.com.
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Last update: 03-02-2009 06:22

Published in : Magazine Items, Social