http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/articles/index/ en tim.chow@ipsos.com Copyright 2012 2012-01-25T21:42:16+00:00 http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/up_in_the_air http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/up_in_the_air#When:16:54:20Z

]]> Airlines are rolling out new enhancements to better serve business travellers. But with the previous downturn relatively fresh and a new one looming, how clear are the skies ahead? Industry, Travel, 2011-09-19T16:54:20+00:00 http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/social_media_blues http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/social_media_blues#When:20:40:16Z

]]> There appears to be a growing dissatisfaction, and a rather public one at that, among users of social media sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Ironically, people are using these very networks to voice their opinions, which range from issues about poor security to being bombarded with too many ads; and not to mention the stress of coping with a high maintenance digital lifestyle.

Data privacy has always been and will continue to be a major sore point for the entire social networking arena, especially as people are putting more and more personal information online. If confidential information from photos of a wild night out to personal information about one’s lifestyle was viewed by employers, parents, creepy stalkers or just got into the wrong hands, it would be disastrous for that person. Area of Expertise, Branding, Communications, Customer Experience, Product Development, Industry, Advertising, Technology, Travel, 2010-09-14T20:40:16+00:00 http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/the_style_spies http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/the_style_spies#When:22:08:55Z Monitoring the markets and working in the office all day leaves little time for a professional working man to stay in style. Yes, nipping off to a newsstand and buying a fashion magazine to read is an option. However, male fashion fans are finding it's much easier to visit their favourite websites, and get instant help from a willing army of fashion bloggers, who act as style spies.
Two years ago, before Bryanboy, Scott Schuman, Tommy Ton and other fashion bloggers made their major appearances on the web, the gentleman needed to spend time reading fashion magazines to discover up and coming trends. Today, men can quickly scan fashion blogs that immediately reveal the very latest in fashion. Fashion bloggers update their blogs frequently with practical information that is supplemented by photographs and advice. Area of Expertise, Communications, Industry, Luxury Goods, Retail, Technology, Travel, 2010-08-20T22:08:55+00:00 http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/ready_for_kick_off http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/ready_for_kick_off#When:22:05:54Z The 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off in South Africa on 11 June, signalling the first African hosting of a major football tournament. According to a recent study by Synovate, South Africans are more than ready to show the world their enthusiasm. The study looked at several issues surrounding the event, including stadiums, security, accommodation, travel, electricity and much more, discovering that while gaps may need to be filled, South Africans are ready for a party the whole world will remember. Area of Expertise, Branding, Communications, Customer Experience, Emerging Markets, International, Industry, Advertising, Travel, 2010-06-07T22:05:54+00:00 http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/green_lean_machines http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/green_lean_machines#When:21:52:49Z Cars are getting greener and leaner this year. Hybrid cars that run on a combination of petrol, electricity and/or bio-fuels are no longer novel. Several new models are available this year for those who wish to drive around while, presumably, having less of an impact on the planet. Discover more about this, and other innovations to hit the motor industry this year. Make no mistake, the hybrid/electric/eco/green vehicle trend will continue in the short and long term. Consumers around the globe appear willing to buy alternative-power vehicles at a premium, whether there is a bit of money coming back from government incentives or not. Area of Expertise, Branding, Communications, Customer Experience, Emerging Markets, International, Product Development, Industry, Automotive, Travel, 2010-06-07T21:52:49+00:00 http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/over_the_counter_products_a_healthy_perspective http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/over_the_counter_products_a_healthy_perspective#When:20:52:56Z Synovate's latest survey on attitudes towards over the counter medications suggests that many of us are more than aware of this. In fact, most people claim to have taken some action in the last 12 months to improve their health. What are they doing, and what part does over the counter medicine play in their self treatment? Synovate surveyed almost 12,000 people from across 17 countries - Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Korea, Netherlands, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, UAE, UK, USA - to understand attitudes towards and confidence in purchasing medication over the counter, the belief in the effectiveness of stores' own labels versus branded medications, as well as the influence of doctors and pharmacists. Area of Expertise, International, Industry, Healthcare, Travel, 2010-04-16T20:52:56+00:00 http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/boutique_or_not_boutique http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/boutique_or_not_boutique#When:00:25:52Z Taken from the French word to describe a "small, specialised shop", the term “boutique hotel” was first coined in 1980s New York, allegedly by hotel guru Ian Schrager. Fast forward a few decades, and any hotel that has just updated its bathroom sinks or added a new CD to its lobby playlist seems keen to rebrand to get on the boutique bandwagon.

And so, almost 30 years after its invention, the question remains – what, exactly, is a boutique hotel? Area of Expertise, Customer Experience, Industry, Luxury Goods, Travel, 2009-11-21T00:25:52+00:00 http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/a_one_derful_night http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/a_one_derful_night#When:22:42:31Z Not too many interviews start loudly and proudly with a disclaimer, but this one does. I have stayed at The One Hotel. (I paid full price and it was well before this interview was even conceived.) The person who recommended it to me is a well travelled and extremely discerning senior manager at Synovate, who - in turn - first saw the hotel mentioned in the Conde Nast hot list. At the time, neither of us expected to invite its owner to feature in In:fact.

Why is this important? Because this sums up four factors in the hotel's success... public relations; word-of-mouth; getting to know the owner; and guests being so impressed that they write about the hotel by all-means-online. The laptop with always-on and free internet access in my room saw me update my Facebook status while I was there with an instant rave review, and Dishman tells me that many guests blog about the hotel.

The beauty of The One Hotel is simply that... it is a one-room hotel. A notion that Dishman arrived at quite by accident (a lucky fluke he says) but was so unusual that it immediately captured the imagination of travel writers and guests alike. There is something wildly appealing about being the only guests and having the full attention of Dishman's team (but only when you want it). Area of Expertise, Emerging Markets, Industry, Luxury Goods, Travel, 2009-04-17T22:42:31+00:00 http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/the_hotel_experience http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/the_hotel_experience#When:22:10:47Z With so much choice and a mind-boggling amount of information out there, how does a traveller find the hotel that suits them best? Most people (46%) do a little research, finding a few comparable choices and selecting the most suitable. But one in ten (10%) simply choose the first ok one that they find. Technology is not only the way many people find their hotels, it can now be make or break for whether a hotel is chosen. Taking your work with you, or even enjoying an on-the-road iPod dock - is more and more vital to more and more people. An overall 47% make sure a hotel caters to their technology needs before they book it.

The Synovate survey asked potential guests to choose a statement that best described their feelings about all-things-green in their home away from home. Over half of all respondents chose the pragmatic-yet-caring approach, agreeing to 'a hotel's environmental policy is important to me, but I don't research it ahead of time'.

Even the most travel weary road warrior can still get a frisson of excitement from a spectacular hotel experience. Of course there is a flip side too and hotels need to rigorously manage the experience from start to finish. An overall 72% of all respondents agree that a bad hotel experience can ruin an entire trip.

Some guests arrive at a hotel, dump their bags and make a beeline for the bathroom to check out the nature and breadth of the toiletry samples. (No, not me. Honest.) And it turns out that this is not so unusual - half of all American hotel guests are taking toiletries, no questions asked. Area of Expertise, Customer Experience, International, Industry, Travel, 2009-04-17T22:10:47+00:00 http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/the_ups_and_downs_of_air_travel http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/the_ups_and_downs_of_air_travel#When:23:06:40Z Airlines face a considerable customer service challenge...keeping us all happy in the skies. Synovate spoke with more than 10,000 respondents in 13 markets across the world to find all about whether air travel was pleasure or pain, the impact of fuel costs and surcharges, easy-on-the-eye flight attendants, the frustrations of sitting near other people's children (without underestimating the frustrations of sitting near your own children) and chatty fellow passengers.

What became fairly clear, fairly quickly, was that for most people travel is all about getting from A to B, and the pleasure to pain ratio is determined by your seat. Area of Expertise, Customer Experience, Industry, Travel, 2008-09-17T23:06:40+00:00