Description of our consulting or "contract" services

1. Robinson Smith Research:
A “Surge Tank For Excess Demands”
April 2009
Robinson Smith Research Group, Inc.

2. A Quick Introduction
Our long partnership, first established decades-ago at Marketing
Corporation of America, has created a proven and versatile “out-
sourcing” resource for today’s challenges.
Principals’ Recent Clients
 Paul Robinson was president of MCA’s
marketing research group before leaving to
start his current practice in 1997. Paul’s
skills emphasize qualitative research and
ideation/facilitation of decision-making
processes. One of the first investigators
into brand and trademark equity, Paul has
developed his own unique insights, skills,
and experienced context to uncovering a
brand’s leverageable points of
differentiation.
 Christopher Smith, who left MCA
Research in 2001 as managing partner,
heads up our quantitative research practice.
In recent years, Chris has developed
considerable experience in online
quantitative research, particularly in the
area of new product/service optimization
and modeling.
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3. Our Consulting Expertise is our Differential
Large clients, ad agencies, and research organizations rely on us to be
their “surge tank.”
 One example of how we differ from traditional research companies is our eagerness to
assist our clients with long-term, on-site research consulting assignments—leveraging
headcount and building capacity against short-term demand.
 We are especially eager to work on multi-pronged consultative projects where we can bring our depth
and breadth of experience to the brand and the business, often on-site.
• “Unofficial” appointment as research director. For some clients, we have occupied this role
off-the-org-chart for years.
• “Temporary” CID representative. For lower volume brands, we have acted as CID support,
reporting to the organization’s Director of Research.
 Project –oriented assignments have included:
• “Soup-to-Nuts” stand-alone focus groups and one-on-one interviews.
• Group moderation and reporting.
• Ideation/Brainstorming sessions
• Quantitative data analysis and report-preparation
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4. Consulting Services
These assignments are as often to be specific-project in orientation as
more traditionally consultative.
 Some examples of a broad range of assignments:
• Major CPG Food Brand. Both of RS Research’s principals were integral members of a
multidimensional team that developed new product concepts based on brand equities for a
leading food and beverage marketer.
• Financial Services Brand. Equity again was the starting point of a major retirement
product/service imitative for a major financial services company—for which we’ve served as
―unofficial research director‖ since 2004.
• Smokeless Tobacco. Paul worked for several years in extending the capabilities of Skoal
and Copenhagen—America’s premier brands of smokeless tobacco.
• Foodservice New Product. Chris has also worked extensively in researching new equipment
modalities for dispensing soup through the fast food industry.
• Acquisition Innovation Initiative. A three year engagement, we worked to integrate and re-
brand a major packaged goods acquisition that led to a $100 million new product category—
on-site.
• Healthy Spread. In a recent assignment we were retained to reposition a modestly
successful healthy, low cholesterol spread for renewed growth. While the jury is still out, early
indications are very encouraging.
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5. Consulting Services
Christopher Smith: Over 20 years of high caliber consumer insight
experience.
 Christopher Smith--Partner:
 Receiving his technical research training, along with an MBA, from the University of Chicago, Chris started his career as a
management consultant with Management Analysis Center, Chicago, which later merged with others to form Mercer
Consulting.
 Chris then moved to Marsteller/Burson Marsteller’s research department, where he stayed for over ten years. After a
series of promotions, Chris’s tenure with this division of Young & Rubicam was capped with a three year stint as Senior
Vice President, Research Director of the firm’s New York office. Dannon Yogurt, Renault, United Technologies, and JVC
were major clients.
 For the next five years, Chris was a principal of Smith Blumer & Associates, which specialized in adult beverage brand
marketing research. Client brands included: Dewar’s, J&B, Johnnie Walker, Baileys Irish Cream, Smirnoff, Captain
Morgan Spiced Rum, Tanqueray, Jose Cuervo, Romana Sambuca, Amaretto DiSaronno, and other drinks brands.
 In 1990, Chris joined Marketing Corporation of America as a partner. He stayed at MCA until 2002, as Managing Partner.
At MCA, Chris managed a host of well-known consumer and BTB brands including: Citibank, Kraft Foods, The Walt
Disney Company, Perdue, Sports Illustrated, AT&T, IBM, Izod, Polaroid, The Paddington Corporation, Smirnoff, and
Westinghouse. Chris’ research practice spanned both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
 Chris left MCA in 2002, several years after the firm was acquired by IPG. During the IPG regime, Chris managed the
Citibank, IBM, Kmart, and Campbell Soup accounts. He then founded RS Research Group, Inc, with other ex-MCA
colleagues. Current Robinson Smith accounts include: Empire BlueCross BlueShield, Campbell’s Soup, GMC,
LexisNexis, Medco, TIAA-CREF, StockPot Soups, and Olivio Spreads. Today, Robinson Smith Research is a $2-$3
million marketing research consultancy located in Fairfield County, Connecticut.
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6. We Serve Our Traditional Clients…Traditionally
We serve most of our medium-sized and smaller clients as a traditional
seniors-focused research supplier.
 Our practice is nearly equally allocated between qualitative and quantitative
research assignments.
• All of our seniors moderate. We believe in qualitative research and devote ourselves to its
practice on nearly every client assignment through our ―BranDNA‖ techniques.
• But we’re up-to-date with the science. With our partners, we conduct thousands of
quantitative interviews annually—often deploying multivariate methodologies.
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7. Our People
Over the past six years, we have added to our core a group of
experienced researcher/consultants.
 Our internal staff is focused on project management, questionnaire design, analysis,
reporting, and interpretation.
 Laurie Miller. With over thirty years experience at major ―supplier,‖ agency, and client research
organizations, Laurie is supremely well-qualified to provide Robinson Smith clients superior project support.
 Meghan Hessel. Another MCA-alum, Meg is a premier marketing research consultant. She quickly identifies
the drivers of a client’s success and focuses its research resources on getting the ―biggest bang for the buck.‖
 Daniela Barcelo. Daniela is our most recent addition and specializes in quantitative assignments.
 Robert Walker. Bob’s our multivariate specialist. As president of Surveys and Forecasts, Bob is a
particularly talented and experienced in multivariate analysis and supports our ongoing relationship with
TNS’s DataWorks.
 Our partners handle data collection. We have long-term partnerships with such well-
known marketing research organizations as TNS, Gazelle Global, and Focus Pointe.
They provide our clients with global breadth and methodological heft and scope.
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8. Can We Help?
We would greatly appreciate an opportunity to discuss your research
consulting needs.
Paul Robinson
Christopher Smith
Partners
Robinson Smith Research Group, Inc.
50 Abbey Road, Easton, CT 06612
(203) 659-1600 F: (203) 261-4333
chris@rsresearch.com
www.rsresearch.com
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