Article by Patrick Fiorenza, RMS Director of Research Analytics –
TURF (Total Unduplicated Reach and Frequency) analysis is an extremely beneficial market research analysis, and one that is commonly applied and used. TURF analysis can help in a variety of ways, but the overall objective of TURF is to understand how services/campaigns/products can have the broadest range to unique customers.
For example, let’s say that you work for a company that sells apple juice. You have decided to expand your juice offerings to other flavors. Looking at your operational data, you believe that you can add two more flavors, but want to be sure that the flavors you select will have the broadest reach. So, you decide to survey customers to learn their preferences, and make a data-driven decision. You ask the following question:
Please select juices that you enjoy (select all that apply):
- Pineapple
- Mango
- Grape
- Strawberry
Using the data, the frequency table reveals that the top choices were individuals selecting just strawberry and those selecting strawberry and mango. However, after conducting the TURF analysis, the research shows that your reach is strongest if you offer strawberry and grape juice.
The reason that mango is left off the list of juices to offer is because those that will select mango, will likely select strawberry. Likewise, those that prefer grape often do not also prefer strawberry, making your reach the strongest and “unduplicated.”
How To Do TURF
The survey design phase is critical to TURF analysis. To conduct a TURF analysis, you must first select the items/products that you are considering, listing them in a multiple-choice question (like our juice example).
Once the survey is administered and data is collected, the information is then analyzed, typically using a statistical package (R, SPSS, Stata). The analysis is then optimized to identify the best mix or combination.
You can also take this one step further by segmenting your data, and looking at TURF based on key demographic or behavior data.
TURF is a powerful analytic tool to generate more insights from your data. Working with an analytical team can help support you in making better business decisions.
About the Author – Patrick Fiorenza
Patrick is passionate about helping clients achieve their goals and designing effective strategies through customized market research projects. He has extensive experience in survey design, data analysis, and qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research. As the Director of Research Analytics, Patrick monitors all aspects of the research project, assuring validated and high-quality results are provided to RMS clients. He is also passionate about providing coaching to analytic staff and collaborating closely with clients to ensure needs are met. Pat holds a master’s in public administration from Syracuse University and is pursuing his doctorate in curriculum, instruction, and science of learning from the University at Buffalo.
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About RMS
Research & Marketing Strategies, Inc. (RMS) is a full-service market research firm in Central New York. Formed in 2002, RMS helps organizations that are looking to know more about their customers and/or potential customers. We conduct surveys, focus groups, mystery shopping, studies, and analyses. Each project is customized and gets personal attention so that actionable, data-driven findings are delivered. RMS has a reputation for getting results. We offer an independent, professional means to conduct telephone, on-line, and mail surveying, as well as in-depth interviews, intercept interviews, and participant recruitment. We also host discussion groups through QualiSight, our onsite call center and focus group facility. We have a proven reputation for successfully recruiting and moderating focus groups, community forums, and town meetings.
