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May 9, 2019 Newsmakers

Great Blue Research CEO answers questions about asking questions

By Sean Teehan
Michael Vigeant

If anyone can testify that it’s not what you ask, but how you ask it, it’s Michael Vigeant.

Vigeant is chief executive of GreatBlue Research Inc., a market research firm that recently teamed up with website designer/developer ZAG Interactive to purchase for $2.8 million a 30,000-square-foot Glastonbury office building at 20 Western Blvd., which will serve as their joint headquarters.

GreatBlue uses techniques ranging from telephone surveys and focus groups to in-home use tests and journey mapping in order to gather market data for industries like health care, utilities and consumer package and product goods. How the company gathers information really depends on the research subject, Vigeant said.

“While some studies require statistical reliability to answer the ‘what’ through strong quantitative methods,” Vigeant said, “others really rely on the ‘why’ being answered, which makes a qualitative approach more applicable.”

Vigeant said his 13 full-time employees and pool of about 35 researchers will settle in nicely at their new Glastonbury digs. Perhaps he can take a poll to get an idea of how they like it.

For companies rolling out a new product or service, when do you think is the best time to conduct market research?

The sooner the better. We have worked on many different products and services over the years, many of which remain alive and well today. For us, so much of the customer experience, product design and use, concept testing and purchase/decision making are all areas that are measurable and actionable. We can significantly reduce the learning curve and/or trial-and-error period for our clients, including finding the proper price point for their product or service.

What is the most surprising thing you discovered through market research?

While it may not be exciting to many, the most surprising thing I learned about is the use of military-grade drone technology in the agricultural industry to provide more reliable crops using less chemicals and more efficient water use in the process.

How do you determine the best methods to employ when researching an issue?

The research ‘question or need’ largely determines the approach we will take. However, timing from the client, budget and access to the audience all come into play when scoping out a project. For example, there are fewer CEOs available to speak with as opposed to residential utility customers, so our approach would be different for those two audiences.

What is the most misunderstood aspect of market research (including focus groups and polling)?

There are a few actually: research is too expensive, focus groups are dead and nobody answers telephone surveys.

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