DataFriend software

New generation of media and market research software

Please visit our new web-site: http://www.datafriend.net/

Why DataFriend ?
Who are DataFriend distributors?
Who are DataFriend clients?
What surveys can be delivered in DataFriend format?
DataFriend : optimization of a research company’s work

Contacts

Why DataFriend ?

DataFriend is media&market research software of new generation. It has been developed by programmers and market research specialists at COMCON based on many years of experience processing and presenting data. We develop DataFriend together with our clients, who tell us their desires and help us pick up on trends in market analysis tools.

DataFriend’s story began in 1999, and today DataFriend has achieved recognition as excellent analytical software. Our users are market research specialists, mediaplanners, and analysts at the world’s largest corporations in every sphere of business.

Your clients are asking for electronic delivery of data or reports ? They want more analysis than you can provide in print copy ? They want to understand the data depth ? DataFriend – is answer to all of these questions.

DataFriend allows its users to conduct an analysis of the market overall, a segment (market segmentation), or a certain brand, and also present data in any cross-tabulation, depending on the research task. The report can be presented as a table or as a chart. Users can choose the most preferable way of presenting data and instantly export the chart to a presentation directly in DataFriend. A multidimensional correspondence analysis lets users analyze a brand’s image and effectively present information in a diagram. Brand mapping tools make it possible to evaluate a brand’s positioning on the market. Additionally, users can select any axes of positioning they like - from a classic market map to media preferences and psychographics.

Especially for mediaplanners, we have developed unique tools for planning multimedia advertising campaigns that cover several media. DataFriend makes it possible to evaluate the spectrum of the campaign’s GRP’s, TRP’s, Reach & Frequency, CPT, CPP and many other indices. A special prognosis tool allows users to select the most profitable media at each stage of the advertising campaign. Indices of an advertising campaign can be analyzed both in dynamics for the whole campaign and separate periods.

Who are DataFriend distributors?

Our distributors are market research companies, which want to optimize their communications with clients and provide them a powerful data delivery technology.

Who are DataFriend clients?

• Ad agencies
• Advertisers
• Mass-media marketing departments

What surveys can be delivered in DataFriend format?

• media research surveys (audience research, media-mix planning, ad effectiveness)
• brand tracking surveys
• product testing, development, and positioning
• brand usage & attitude surveys (U&A)
• brand positioning surveys (market mapping)
• packaging research
• target group analysis
• pharmaceutical surveys
• brand image surveys
• lifestyle and psychographics research
• other ad hoc surveys
• and others …

DataFriend : optimization of a research company’s work

If the client orders a printed copy, then our distributors also use DataFriend for preparation of the report. Preparation of the report in DataFriend takes significantly less time than using standard databases. We have proven this in practice, as COMCON produces more than 1000 printed reports per year. All of these reports are prepared in DataFriend by our specialists.

Friendly interface

• Very visual
• Drag&Drop. Working with a mouse.
• «One click»-philosophy
• In English or native language
• Very fast calculations

Study Explorer

DataFriend Codebook window is the complete catalogue of all accessible data in the study database. The window interface is organized like a Windows Explorer tree. This allows the user to understand the structure of marketing information.

The Find window is used to quick search of the information in the database.

Cross tabulation features

One click operations :

• Sorting
• Zooming
• Filtering
• Exporting to MS Office

Statistics :

• Samples
• Weighted counts
• Vert%, Horz%, Base%
• Target group Index (affinity)
• Volumes of consumption
• Average of consumption

Statistical tests :

• Z-test
• Chi-square
• Fisher’s exact test (F-test)

Charts

DataFriend allows users to build a chart directly in the report window. Only one click and the report transforms into the chart.

One-click export to Excel and PowerPoint

One of the main DataFriend advantages is “one-click” export to Excel and Power Point. DataFriend offers more than 50 report format patterns.

• Formatted export to Power Point
• Formatted export to Excel

Trend analysis for continuous surveys

• Trend report table with significance markers
• Trend diagram

Trend Map tool

The Trend Map can express the dynamics of various statistics on a two-dimensional diagram (plot). The map presents each brand as several points that correspond to different waves of the continuous survey.

Brand mapping tool

2D plot

3D plot

Correspondence analysis

DataFriend - software for correspondence analysis. In general, correspondence analysis helps the user determine the relationships between the report table’s rows and columns. Since rows and columns can represent many categories, correspondence is a power tool for many kinds of research problems: product positioning, market segmentation, monitoring of ad effectiveness, determining the most discrimination factors, lifestyle and psychographics research etc.

• One-click launch
• Drag&Drop labels
• Changing axes
• Eigen value histogram
• Absolute contribution (CTR)
• Relative contribution (COR)
• Correspondence table (table of residuals)
• One-click export

Plot

Correspondence table

Media planning

• Multimedia strategic planning including TV, radio, print, OOH, internet, underground (Metro)
• “One-click” vehicle ranker : by rating / by index / cost ranking
• Flexible campaign schedule : by weeks, by month, by quarter, by year or by flight

• Statistics : GRP, TRP, OTS, Reach&frequency (1+….30+), Average frequency, CPT, CPP

• Media duplication table : total / by flight

• Visual optimization : R&F forecasts

• Campaign optimization : hill climbing algorithm, genetic algorithm
• Export to Excel

Logic coding of variables

The Special Item Editor window is used for editing variables’ title, logic, and volume metrics. With this window the User can build any new variable, which will be a logical composition of any other variable. New variables can be saved in the Favorites window.

How to load data from SPSS

We suggest an efficient procedure for loading data into DataFriend format to our distributors. This procedure is based on SPSS database (sav-file) and Excel spreadsheet, which emulates a multilevel tree describing data variables and values (a so called "codebook").

Computer requirements

DataFriend software can be installed on an IBM-compatible computer that has the operational systems Microsoft Windows 95 (or higher) and Microsoft Excel 95 (or higher) already installed. The computer capacity requirements are depleted by these programs’ requirements.

Protection system

DataFriend protection system consists of two parts. The first one is computer registration. Each DataFriend workstation should be registered. When changing operation system or computer hard drive, registration must be renewed. The second part is hardware protection via HASP4Time key. This is hardware which must be plugged in while running the setup program and always later, when working with DataFriend. We use HASP4Time of two modifications: LPT and USB.

HASP4Time has a self timer, which restricts software license with a deadline. License prolongation can be provided only with security files, which COMCON sends to the DataFriend distributor. Then the distributor must send it to the client.

Our experience of client training

Our program is the most convenient in its class of analytic products. It can even be mastered by a user who previously never worked with analytic programs. The program’s interface becomes understandable almost immediately. However, despite this we always conduct training sessions with our users. This allows us to better understand our client’s analytical aims, and provide him with necessary consultations and help. During training we demonstrate the proper style of working with data for our client, and help him to form a positive attitude towards DataFriend and our research.

COMCON works under conditions of intense competition. DataFriend is our strong competitive advantage. Clients are often not as loyal to our research as we would like them to be, but once they start working with DataFriend they gradually change their attitude for the better. We have been on the market since 1991 and have promoted DataFriend since 1999, and in that time we have repeatedly been convinced not to underestimate the “software factor” in working with our data. An inconvenient program can ruin the image of a research product, but DataFriend is capable of embellishing any marketing research.

We recommend always conducting training on working with DataFriend for the client. Don’t leave the client one-on-one with the DataFriend instruction manual in hopes that he will figure everything out himself. DataFriend training is more than simply teaching the client to push a button – it’s communication with the client, a sign of good service.

We recommend that you begin training with the question “Have you previously worked with marketing data bases? If so, then with which ones?” This question will help you understand the client’s level of preparedness. You will be able to effectively correct your training and properly determine where to place the accents.

Since 1999, we have conducted about 150 training sessions yearly. We are convinced that it is practically impossible to include an overview of all of DataFriend’s possibilities in one training session. We divide the training into two meetings: an introductory meeting and an advanced meeting. During this time, as a rule, the client manages to become familiar with the primary work modes and begins to show an interest in more difficult analysis tools.

As a rule, the introductory training lasts no longer than 45 minutes. It is namely over this period of time that the listener can maintain interest. It is best if you know ahead of time what cases the client is interested in. We have been repeatedly convinced that the client reacts negatively when he is presented with findings over the course of the training that do not relate to his field of business. Therefore, for example, a client who works in the cosmetics market will have a very difficult time mastering the program functions if you present cases about the mineral water market, and vice versa. As a rule, we prepare cases that will be interesting to the client ahead of time, and consult the client in regard to this.