1. What experience does your company have with providing online samples for market research?

Embrain has built up a distinctive reputation as an online research firm with 1.75 million proprietary Asia panel members (Korea (550,000), China (550,000), Japan (530,000), Taiwan (150,000)), the largest panel size in Korea, and its consistent and reliable panel management techniques have been early recognized in online research industry. To meet the client’s expectation and provide representative and meaningful samples, Embrain has been internally conducting many different comparison studies between offline and online data against Embrain panel members since 2005. The findings of those have been efficiently used to improve online sample qualities. In addition, Embrain sampling coverage is growing wider and wider as three more countries- Japan (associated company), China and Taiwan are gathered under the Embrain panel members Power for bigger global business expansion.

2. Please describe and explain the types of source(s) for the online sample that you provide (are these databases, actively managed panels, direct marketing lists, web intercept sampling, river sampling or other)?

Actively managed panels are a primary source of Embrain online marketing research. Embrain panel member Power is a hub site for people who are interested in socio-cultural trends and research to join the membership and do a wide range of panel activities such as survey participation, creating their own questionnaires and collecting survey results on My Survey page, and sharing their ideas with others. Embrain panel members is managed and nurtured by our systematic panel management methodologies and policies from the moment they register with us. Personal information that prospective panel provide in the online application form and their intention to join the membership are checked through a three-step ID verification process of Happy Call System to enable new registerers to do online panel activities. (See Q.8)

3. What do you consider to be the primary advantage of your sample over other sample sources in the market place?

What makes Embrain sample competitive over other samples is stringent panelists’ personal ID verification process and data reliability. We have increased the sampling precision by executing ‘three strikes and out’ system to eliminate poor respondents and Panel survey every quarter to update the panel DB. Specialized panel groups in IT, beverage and furniture industry have been newly built up.

4. If the sample source is a panel or database, is the panel or database used solely for market research? If not, please explain.

Yes, it is specified in the Panel Agreement in the online application process. Embrain panel members are also constantly reminded that their information is provided only for market research purpose when they are invited to a survey. If they are used for any marketing activities they can claim for breach of agreement.

5. How do you source groups that may be hard-to-reach on the internet?

The percentage of internet users in Korea is nearly 80% of the whole population and thus samples are fairly representative. However, senior citizens, youths as young as aged 13 or below and non-internet users, for example, difficult to recruit as online panel members. Furthermore, those who have access to the internet but with very limited time availability, e.g., high professionals or senior management in medical and IT industry, and finance also count as hard-to-reach. We solicit Embrain’s existing panel to invite their families and acquaintances to the Embrain panel membership and sometimes recruit people by phone using industrial contact database. In addition, a variety of online prize drawing programs and appropriate reward schemes for their opinions is one of the common methods to motivate those hard-to-reach people to join the Embrain panel members Power.

6. What are people told when they are recruited?

When a prospective panel member fills in the online application form they are reminded that they should provide more information on the registration confirmation e-mail to become a permanent Embrain panel member. Numerous benefits and services that they are entitled to are as follows.

  * Survey participation and incentives
  * Prize drawing event
  * Opportunity to create individual customized questionnaires
  * Offline survey participation, e.g., Focus Group Interview/Discussion
  * Interesting survey results

7. If the sample comes from a panel, what is your annual panel turnover/attrition/retention rate and how is it calculated?

Based on the record in the recent one year 1300 panelists (approx. 0.25% of the total panel size) withdrew or were disqualified from Embrain membership as they lost interest in survey participation or provided false information.

8. Please describe the opt-in process.

Embrain opt-in process consists of three steps managed by Embrain Happy Call system. The data that a prospective panel member voluntarily enters in the online application form is transferred to the first opt-in stage on the Happy Call system and the registration confirmation e-mails are automatically sent to e-mail addresses of those registered. In the second stage, when they click-in to confirm that they receive a message from Embrain they are asked to provide more detailed demographic information. The list of new panel members who responded to the confirmation message is shifted to the third stage of Happy Call system. Finally each of the Embrain panel members are asked by phone interviewers if they are the one who registered with Embrain and truly interested in joining the Embrain panel members.

9. Do you have a confirmation of identity procedure? Do you have procedures to detect fraudulent respondents at the time of registration with the panel? If so, please describe.

When a prospective panel registers online, their ID is checked through KIS (Korea Investors Service, a credit rating agency). On the second stage, Embrain Happy Call system sends out confirmation e-mails to new members and by confirming that they receive the message, their e-mail address check is done. Thirdly, interviewers randomly give new panel a call for their ID verification by asking a few questions about what information they provide when they registered. Embrain panel members’ initial data of the registration are consistently cross-checked with the data that they provide in the survey since a fraudulent respondent who abuses other IDs may respond to survey screening questions with their own personal information (gender, age or income).

10. What profile data is kept on panel members? For how many members is this data collected and how often is this data updated?

To update panel data, Embrain panel Survey is conducted on every quarter basis. Through four times a year Panel Survey, a various range of data such as panel’s financial status, product ownership, life style, usership, marketing trend, purchase habits can be updated. These profile data are also supported by survey responses.

11. What is the size and/or the capacity of the panel, based on active panel members on a given date? Can you provide an overview of active panelists by type of source?

The total number of Embrain panel members as of November 2009 is approx 520,000. Of them, 40% are active-defined as a survey participant in the past 6 months. Most Embrain panel members are recruited by Embrain Panel Power Website.

12. Please describe your sampling process including your exclusion procedures if applicable. Can samples be deployed as batches/replicates, by time zones, geography, etc? If so, how is this controlled?

A respondent is not permitted to take part in more than one survey on similar topics within three months. Embrain panel members DB contains all survey information that panel takes including participation date, frequency and survey topics and it is useful for sampling exclusion. Sampling process is controlled by Embrain FMS (Fieldwork Management System) where panel demographic data is automatically implemented in sample deployment.

13. Explain how people are invited to take part in a survey. What does a typical invitation look like?

Invitation method: Generally panel members are invited to a survey via e-mail plus they can also take a survey on the Embrain panel members Power website to take a survey. In terms of what an invitation e-mail looks like, see Embrain Reliability management- survey solicitation e-mail.

14. Please describe the nature of your incentive system(s). How does this vary by length of interview, respondent characteristics, or other factors you may consider?

An incentive scheme varies generally depending on LOI (length of interview), estimated incidence rate, survey contents and the level of survey difficulties. There are various rewards types apart from cash payment. See Embrain panel book- Rewards

15. How often are individual members contacted for online surveys within a given time period? Do you keep data on panelist participation history and are limits placed on the frequency that members are contacted and asked to participate in a survey?

Embrain panel members are invited to a survey maximum twice a month and their participation history is supposed to be recorded since their first survey activity. To prevent the increment of panel conditioning effect, survey solicitation frequency is carefully controlled by FMS.

16. Is there a privacy policy in place? If so, what does it state? Is the panel compliant with all regional, national and local laws with respect to privacy, data protection and children e.g. EU Safe Harbour, and COPPA in the US? What other research industry standards do you comply with e.g. ICC/ESOMAR International Code on Market and Social Research, CASRO guidelines etc.?

Embrain panel management policy abides by Korea national laws as well as ESOMAR Internet Privacy Policies and Privacy Statements. Embrain panel members is informed of Embrain privacy policy when they join by assuring that Embrain panel members information will be kept private and protected by Korea’s personal information protection laws and the data they provide is statistically processed only for the purpose of marketing or social research.

17. What data protection/security measures do you have in place?

Embrain panel data is strictly protected by firewalls and for the website security, SSL (Secure Socket Layer) to protect data from being hacked. Two-way encryption based on Embrain panelists’ individual password is also adopted for ultimate personal information protection.

18. Do you apply a quality management system? Please describe it.

As a member of the KOSOMAR (Korean Society for Opinion & Marketing Research) and ESOMAR, we comply with the code of business conduct drawn up by those organizations. Embrain actively has been involved in research industry communities to exchange ideas of various quality management practices and learn each others’ way. Embrain’s quality management system has been improved by Embrain Online Research Team and technically most advanced.

19. Do you conduct online surveys with children and young people? If so, please describe the process for obtaining permission.

A survey with underage children or young people should be taken under their parent’s supervision for the sake of data reliability and confidentiality issue.

20. Do you supplement your samples with samples from other providers? How do you select these partners? Is it your policy to notify a client in advance when using a third party provider? Do you deduplicate the sample when using multiple sample providers?

We are self-sufficient and a large-scale sample provider in the panel supply chain for the main parts of Asia region- Korea, China, Taiwan and Japan(associated company). However, when we need samples from other providers we select our partners based on the following parameters.

21. Do you have a policy regarding multi-panel membership? What efforts do you undertake to ensure that survey results are unbiased given that some individuals belong to multiple panels?

Embrain panel members cannot join the membership multiple times due to the real name system that requires an individual resident registration number (RRN) issued to Korean citizens. This 13-digit number is a unique number for ID verification and a panelist can obtain only one membership with their own resident registration number. By constantly checking panel members’ IDs through random calls and comparing panel demographic data with panels’ responses to screening questions in the survey Embrain strives to prevent people from obtaining multi Embrain panel membership.

22. What are likely survey start rate, drop-out and participation rates in connection with a provided sample? How are these computed?

Start rate (in other words, click rate or response rate) is calculated as below: Number of clicks on the survey participation link button/ Number of e-mail invitations Embrain panel members’ response rate to the survey solicitation is approx. 40% and with test message alert, approx. 60%, and drop-out or screen out rate varies according to many effects, however, generally it remains as low as 5% and therefore, participation rate on average is 40-50%.

23. Do you maintain individual level data such as recent participation history, date of entry, source, etc., on your panelists? Are you able to supply your client with a per job analysis of such individual level data?

In relation to the survey participation, individual level data can be shared with clients on the condition that each individual panel’s personal information is never traced.

24. Do you use data quality analysis and validation techniques to identify inattentive and fraudulent respondents? If yes, what techniques are used and at what point in the process are they applied?

Since 2005, Embrain online research laboratory has studied respondents’ online behavior and developed survey monitoring and validation techniques. See Embrain reliability management.

25. Do you measure respondent satisfaction?

Embrain has been communicating with Embrain panel members to build up a firm relationship through various channels such as a notice board, help desk and e-mail correspondence in terms of general services. In addition, click rate and drop-out can be important indicators to understand respondents online survey participation pattern and how satisfied panels are with a survey.

26. What information do you provide to debrief your client after the project has finished?

Embrain is willing to share the information of how we conduct online fieldwork which can include sampling, online surveying and monitoring, and data processing with the client.