Dave Roberts, Ph.D.

Dave Roberts earned his Doctorate in Communication from the University of Oregon in 1981 and established Roberts Communications in 1985. He also spent many years as a broadcaster including as air personality, programmer, researcher, and as a corporate officer for CBS and RKO Radio. While his research experience began in music radio, he has branched out into many client categories.

• Hardware & Home Improvement. Roberts Communications has been conducting telephone tracking studies, consumer focus groups,  and trade professional groups for California's 84-store Orchard Supply Hardware for 20 years—plus research for the Sears Hardware Stores, McCoy's Building Supplies, and Apex Garden Hose. Roberts Communications' Time & Trouble Analysis^Ó  gets to the heart of the competitive/complementary relationships among retailers.

Research Partners

Fielding both telephone studies and focus groups requires research partnerships. We are proud to say that we have established such relationships with only the finest facilities available.

Speaking Topics

Dave Roberts is available to speak to small or large groups with diverse interests, targeted seminars, and topic-specific classroom presentations. Dave not only speaks on the broad applications of research, he often presents on specific topics of methodology, including the use of focus groups, survey methods, measurement, and analysis. Below are some specific presentations—

• “The Integrated Marketing Communication Diet” (45 Minutes) 
• “Integrated Marketing Communication—the Last Word” (30 Minutes)
• “Research Measurement Techniques and Why You Need to Know Them” (20 Minutes)
• “Lies, Damned Lies, and…Focus Groups” (20 Minutes)
• "Everything is Communication...and Communication is Everything"

All presentations are accompanied by PowerPoint slides, projector required. Question and Answer sessions are always encouraged if time allows. A description of these topics follows.

“The Integrated Marketing Communication Diet” (45 Minutes)

Public Relations, Advertising, and Marketing Communication professionals are charged with helping organizations define themselves and their brand value, identify their audiences, formulating the right messages, identify the appropriate media, and assess the efficacy of their communication efforts. In presenting IMC metaphorically, we hope to add a practical perspective for defining the basics of IMC and identifying those points of pain that hold back its implementation.

• Encouraging IMC as a top-down initiative and a cross-functional team effort.

• Redefining the target audience to include or at least consider other stakeholders who may hold the key to growing or inhibiting the organization.

• Acknowledging that communication occurs at every customer contact point and taking steps to assure that those “accidental communications” are not undermining or diluting the intended messages.

• Introducing a model of communication that encourages a dialogue with customers based on feedback and measurement.

• Demonstrating the role of market research as the mechanism for feedback and measurement.

 This presentation includes several industry observations and first-hand case studies in an effort to bring a fresh perspective for some, a refresher course for others, and a subtle reminder to all of us of the importance of an integrated approach to communication.

“Integrated Marketing Communication—the Last Word” (30 Minutes)

The Last Word—literally. In the discussion of Integrated Marketing Communication, most focus on Integrated Marketing—the Communication dimension is often given little specific consideration. Our approach is to first establish a model of communication to help drive IMC efforts toward a true dialogue with stakeholders. We apply this model in analyzing some very interesting examples of recent dis-integrated marketing. This presentation is a key element in the lengthier “The Integrated Marketing Communication Diet” described above.

“Research Measurement Techniques and Why You Need to Know Them” (20 Minutes)

Why would a manager or marketing person need to know about measurement techniques, ratings scales, and other geeky aspects of marketing research? Isn’t that for those research people we hire? Understanding the principles behind research methods and measurement tools is important to the non-researcher for a number of reasons—

• One assumes you want to ask questions so that result in actionable findings. Knowing what kinds of data you need at the back end determines what is asked, how it is asked, and how it is measured.

• Many organizations learn too late that the volumes of data they have collected are not actionable or useable over time because of a lack of consistency in methods and/or measurement.

• Understanding and documenting the rationale for choosing various measurement tools is imperative as an organization embarks on a program of Enterprise Feedback Management (EFM). (We explore why EFM is important to you.)

 Those attending should leave with an understanding of and an appreciation for the process of developing actionable and sustainable measurement tools to help guide them in overseeing and gaining the most out of their research efforts.

“Lies, Damned Lies, and…Focus Groups” (20 Minutes)

While not exactly what Mark Twain had in mind, no other research tool is associated with so many misconceptions, misquotes, and missteps swirling about it than Focus Groups. The Focus Group as a public opinion tool is now well known among the general public; unfortunately it is not necessarily well or accurately understood. Dave Roberts has conducted over 4,000 groups and provides his insight into these topics—

• The history of focus groups and related qualitative methods, including one-on-one interviews, telephone depth interviews, online focus groups, and more.

• The process—developing the screener, moderator outline, in-session questionnaire, analysis, and reporting.

• Specific strengths, weaknesses, limitations, promises, and myths.

• Dynamics on both sides of the mirror.

 Real world examples of uses and misuses of this technique are both illuminating and entertaining.