#NYC market research

[philomathresearch]

The Ethical Considerations of Market Research: Navigating the Moral Compass

Market research is an essential component of any successful business strategy. It helps organizations gain insights into consumer behavior, market trends, and competitors, ultimately driving informed decision-making. However, in the quest for data and insights, businesses must tread carefully to ensure that their market research practices are ethically sound.

In this blog, we will explore the ethical considerations of market research, discussing the importance of ethical guidelines, potential pitfalls, and best practices for conducting ethical research. Understanding and upholding ethical standards not only benefits businesses but also fosters trust among consumers and stakeholders.pr

The Significance of Ethical Guidelines

Ethical guidelines serve as the moral compass for market researchers. They provide a framework for conducting research that is fair, respectful, and accountable. Adhering to ethical standards ensures that the information gathered is obtained through legitimate means and respects the rights and privacy of respondents.

A. Informed Consent: One of the fundamental ethical principles in market research is obtaining informed consent from participants. This means that individuals should be fully aware of the purpose of the research, how their data will be used, and the extent of their participation. Consent should always be voluntary and informed, without any coercion or deception.

B. Privacy and Data Protection: Protecting the privacy and data of research participants is paramount. Researchers must safeguard personal information, and data collection should comply with relevant data protection laws, such as GDPR or CCPA. Anonymization and confidentiality measures are crucial in this regard.

C. Honesty and Transparency: Honesty is a cornerstone of ethical research. Researchers should be transparent about their identity, the purpose of the research, and any potential conflicts of interest. Deceptive practices, such as hidden agendas or misrepresentation, undermine trust and ethical standards.

D. Respect for Vulnerable Groups: Special care must be taken when conducting research with vulnerable populations, such as children, the elderly, or individuals with limited cognitive abilities. Extra precautions are necessary to ensure their rights and well-being are protected.

Pitfalls to Avoid

While ethical market research is essential, there are common pitfalls that organizations must steer clear of to maintain their ethical integrity:

A. Biased or Leading Questions: Phrasing questions in a way that leads respondents to a particular answer is unethical. Questions should be neutral and free from any bias to ensure honest and accurate responses.

B. Overselling or Overpromising: Exaggerating the benefits of a product or service during research can mislead participants. Researchers should provide a balanced and accurate representation of what is being studied.

C. Lack of Transparency: Failing to disclose the purpose of the research or hiding affiliations with particular organizations can erode trust and undermine ethical standards.

D. Violating Privacy: Collecting personal information without consent or using data in ways that were not disclosed to participants can result in ethical violations and legal consequences.

Best Practices for Ethical Market Research

To conduct ethical market research, organizations should adopt several best practices:

A. Training and Education: Researchers and professionals involved in data collection should receive training on ethical principles and best practices. This ensures that all team members understand and adhere to ethical guidelines.

B. Robust Informed Consent: Develop clear and comprehensive informed consent forms that explain the purpose, risks, and benefits of the research. Make sure participants understand their rights and responsibilities.

C. Anonymization and Confidentiality: Implement strong data protection measures, including anonymization of data and secure storage. Ensure that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive information.

D. Third-Party Vendors: If outsourcing research, carefully vet third-party vendors to ensure they uphold ethical standards. Contracts should explicitly outline ethical requirements and data protection provisions.

E. Regular Audits and Reviews: Conduct periodic audits and reviews of research practices to identify and address any potential ethical breaches or risks. Maintain open channels for reporting ethical concerns.

Ethical Considerations in Specific Research Areas

Market research can take various forms, each with its own set of ethical considerations:

A. Online Surveys and Questionnaires: In online surveys, ensuring respondent privacy, obtaining informed consent, and preventing fraudulent responses are key ethical concerns.

B. Focus Groups and Interviews: In qualitative research, respecting participant anonymity and confidentiality, as well as obtaining informed consent, are critical ethical considerations.

C. Data Analytics and Big Data: Ethical issues in data analytics include data privacy, consent for data collection, and responsible use of data-driven insights.

D. Social Media Listening: Collecting data from social media requires ethical data scraping practices, respecting user privacy settings, and obtaining consent when necessary.

E. Competitive Intelligence: Ethical competitive intelligence research requires adhering to legal boundaries, avoiding corporate espionage, and respecting competitors' intellectual property.

Conclusion

Ethical considerations in market research are not optional; they are fundamental to responsible business practices. Upholding ethical standards ensures that organizations obtain valuable insights while maintaining the trust and respect of their customers and stakeholders.

By following ethical guidelines, avoiding common pitfalls, and implementing best practices, businesses can navigate the complex landscape of market research with integrity. Ethical research not only safeguards the rights and privacy of participants but also contributes to building a positive reputation and sustaining long-term success.

At Philomath Research, we are committed to conducting ethical market research that adheres to the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. If you have any questions about our research practices or ethical considerations in market research, please feel free to contact us.

[gazetteny]

[indembminsk]

How AI Can Open Opportunities for Earning in NYC Without Investment?

New York City, often considered a hub of opportunity, is bustling with chances to make money, especially in the emerging tech industry. Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of this economic revolution, providing diverse avenues for generating income. If you’re in NYC and find yourself echoing the sentiment “I know nothing,” fear not. You’re about to learn how you can leverage AI to…

[celestialtarot11]

If you were a celeb, what would your vibe be? 💋🎬🌟 professions, careers etc 😍✨

Hi friends! Today we’ll be looking into something pretty fun! Your vibe as a celeb 💅🏻 enjoy and feel free to comment like and reblog 💗

Pile 1: Hi there pile 1’s! 🤗🌟 For pile 1 I am picking up you would be a singer or a musician of some kind. I’m seeing RGB lighting in a concert, slow dancing from you itself, holding the microphone and it’s a jazz kind of vibe. Slow and sensual, but enough to grip you because of the tantalizing way you sing 🤍 some of ya’ll may have beautiful voices! For some of ya’ll you have an indie vibe and keep it fun, lively, and sometimes sensual in the concerts 💅🏻 I also see you guys would have an awesome costume designer capturing a retro vintage style of dressing. Very dreamy colors, makeup, and visuals that is alluring. I feel you’d have such an alluring appearance and you’re private as well, you may not post personal information to the public but mostly share your band, music, and travels 🤗🤍 I absolutely adore this pile because this is my kind of music 😍 if ya’ll had a band already I’d book tickets! You’d travel to popular places like LA and the West Coast, NYC, Boston, I also heard Oregon…? That may resonate for a few of you 😂 But you love your fans and you’d have a close relationship with them, and i feel as a celeb your music is incredibly important. I feel like you’d make a lot of music based on romance & love and capturing how that feels. I feel like you’d be the celeb to bring back that teenager in us and thats why fans love you! 🤗💗 you cultivate a powerful community because you bring together nostalgic feelings & memories. I feel like people would definitely admire you a lot, and they’d love if you held Q&A sessions so they got to know your history with music, how you started, and how you met your band 👏 You’d have such a sex appeal too because you appear dreamy, comfortable, radiant and yet private 💋✨ some of yall may not be into music but modeling too, and you’d have a very dreamy appearance and unique look! Thank you my pile 1’s! Feel free to support by liking commenting and reblogging 🤍🌟

Pile 2: Hi there pile 2’s! We’ve got some influencers up in here in terms of health & wellness. Also fitness. I feel you guys would encourage your fans to eat healthier, and you’d do intensive research into healthier foods and holistic medicine 🌟💗 and as a result people really like you because you give them alternatives to medicine and popping pills 😂 also because I feel like you have a beautiful visual appearance. You appear put together, clean, professional and fun! You have a light hearted yet determined aura and people feel attracted to that 💅🏻✨ some of ya’ll might vlog & talk about your day, and people are invested in your workout routine, diet, and health! And also some of yall may have dogs so your fans would love them 🤗 I also feel like ya’ll would do wonderful creating your own wellness products and selling fitness related gear, people would love that! Especially those with disabilities that still want to work out. There’s something about you and how you create wellness products that are unique, they are designed for people that struggle or need help. I feel you hear your fans and you want to deliver results that are efficient and effective. I feel you’d work wonderfully with children too, and may pair up with organizations catered to the disabled and poverty. So people see you as incredibly humble, helpful, and supportive! You’re incredibly engaging with your fans & community and open to feedback! I feel like you’d be a great motivation speaker too, not because you’re aggressive but because you’re calm, efficient, and reliable in your tone. And you validate people’s experiences and feelings! People are drawn to your reassuring, gentle and determined personality 🤍🌟 you’d do great marketing fitness products too, or makeup products as well! If you’re into makeup you’d model and your fans love your reviews, they love how you do your makeup with precision and you’re unique with it too. You have innovative makeup ideas that people never thought of and it turns out beautiful 😍 I also feel you’d have something unique about your appearance and people cant forget it! It makes you stand out & beautiful 🤗💗 Overall you’d be open with your fans, inclusive, diverse and focus on educating them with health or tips for beauty 💗✨ so maybe you’re south asian and you want to make south asian makeup for those with olive undertones! That would be catering to a specific demographic! And people would greatly appreciate you because of how inclusive you are 🌟 thank you pile 2! Feel free to like comment and reblog for support 🤍

Pile 3: Hi there pile 3! So happy you’re here 🤍🤗 Lets get on with it shall we? Some of yall may have a welsh accent 😂 anyway! I feel like yall have great jokes and would be known for your comedy. Maybe you blow up as a meme at first and then you get into acting 💅🏻 and people are taken away by your skills and effort! You are effortlessly hilarious and yet intentional, and you’d be recognized for it. I feel you have a lot of charisma as a celeb too, because you’re natural at getting people to like you. You’re very good at conversation and with one conversation you’d have someone gripped. Especially an interviewer. I see a lot of people interviewing you & wanting to get to know you. Huge audience, and you love it all! Sometimes anxious, but eventually you and your PR form great bonds so they know when to pull you out 😂 but anyway, I feel like you’re a natural at understanding what to do, how to do it, and you’re overall amazing! You’d do wonderful in movies and tv shows! Some of ya’ll could also be a runway model, and behind the scenes your humor is what gets you noticed and you go on to have your own page, where you sell to your own fans any product 💗 and I feel like you’d keep a healthy distance with your fans! I also feel you’d have such a striking appearance especially your eyes, theres something very different and unique about the color or intensity. It leaves interviewers forgetting what they said 🤣 but they definitely are hooked! You have a lot of sex appeal and you may not realize it, but people do. People also create sexual fantasies of you in their mind & they daydream about you. You could take care of your body a lot and people admire that! Thank you pile 3 feel free to comment like or reblog! 💗🌟 thank yall so much!

Paid Readings 🤍✨

[postitforward]

Mental Health Spotlight: Jasmine Marie, Founder of black girls breathing®

Jasmine Marie is a speaker, breathwork practitioner, and the founder of black girls breathing®. Her work is innovating the wellness, healthcare, and research industry by making mental health services accessible to Black women while filling in the gaps of data and research available on this underserved and underrepresented demographic. Marie plans to impact one million Black women and girls with her work by 2025. She is a serial founder with a past life in global haircare brand marketing and an alum of NYU Stern. The impact and range of her work to date is expansive—ranging from underserved minority communities to stressed-out college students and executives. She’s brought her expertise to elite colleges such as Harvard Business School, Columbia University, and Cornell University, and her client list includes corporations such as Estée Lauder Companies, Under Armour, Capital One, Ford Motor Company, Facebook, and Twitter. Marie has been featured in Oprah Magazine, Good Morning America, VOGUE, Forbes, Harper’s Baazar, Marie Claire, Glamour, Nylon Mag, Wall Street Journal, and Black Enterprise, to name a few.

What is black girls breathing®? And why was it created? black girls breathing® is a safe space for Black women to manage their mental and emotional health and heal trauma in their bodies with breathwork and community.

I created black girls breathing® after finishing my breathwork training and seeing so few facilitators that looked like me yet knowing how much chronic stress and trauma (generational, societal, etc.) and decided to create it. I used my background in business to help me develop a model where we could provide this work accessibly.

Do you have any secret hobbies, skills, or interests?

I don’t think I have any secret hobbies but for a while, I would always feel embarrassed whenever anyone asked that question, as a lot of my hobbies can maybe seem boring to others lol. But I love to read. Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. I love having quiet time…any activity that allows me to feel refreshed, sit with my own thoughts and enjoy my solitude. I think because I deal with so many people’s energy that in my spare time, I just like to spend time with self. I love to cook though…it’s a very meditative activity for me that allows me to unwind from my day.

How did you get started in this work? And why is it important to you?

As mentioned above, after my breathwork training, I realized there were so few Black breathworkers. But before that, I found breathwork while being stressed out after graduating from business school at NYU and working in beauty in NYC. My nervous system was so fried I began having physical symptoms…rashes and an inability to sleep. The doctor would see me and always say, “This is stress. How can you reduce your stress?” Fast forward to me finding my first breathwork class and falling in love with the way it allowed me to just feel more space in my mind and body.

WOW — ONE MILLION Black women and girls breathing by 2025 what an ambitious goal! What impact do you see this having?

It is an ambitious goal, but in 2020, we fundraised $55k to make our work accessible for one year. After the year was done, it was so clear that we couldn’t stop there. So many Black women needed this work, and we would hear that over and over again. So I decided if I was going to do this work, I was only interested in creating real impact and a goal that would signify that. Imagining 1 Million Black women using breathwork as a tool to regulate their nervous systems, heal from compounded trauma and reduce the effect that chronic stress has in our community (health challenges linked to chronic stress: heart disease, high blood pressure, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, fertility issues, and the list goes on) will not only affect them but our community as a whole. Ending the passing down of generational trauma and normalizing healing.

What would you suggest to people who feel like they cannot find the time to breathe or practice mindfulness?

I would first affirm that it’s okay they feel that way. Western society has done a great job of making us feel that anything outside of productivity is not only a waste of time but the least important thing we should make space for. Making time for yourself for any mindful activity can be eased into and it can start with being more aware of the present moment and practicing that action on a daily. Maybe you create a routine where every morning for 3 minutes right when you get up, you take a moment to be still, notice your breathing pattern and focus on each and every inhale and exhale.

Why is Black representation important in this industry?

The wellness industry isn’t unlike other industries where Black representation is lacking. I think it’s important to see other Black women caring for themselves because, historically, we’ve been taught to do the opposite for oh so long.

Where do you find joy?

I find joy with my family and my loved ones, in intimate moments with friends, in good food and conversation, and in being able to create something and see it grow, shift, and evolve.

Want to learn more about black girls @blackgirlsbreathing?

Check out their website!

Breathe with us on March 27th @12pm EDT during their Mindful Monday Breathwork for Anxiety session on Tumblr Live

Ask black girls breathing all the questions on your mind for IssueTime on Navigating Anxiety in an increasingly digital, lonely world

Take the pledge with black girls breathing®

[lex-loudestwoman]

Kaylor Swiftgron: Which Muse Inspired Which Songs on Red & 1989

On the precipice of 1989 TV's release and amidst the Kaylorification of 1989 TV's rollout, I thought it'd be a good time to figure out which muses aligned to which songs. I did my research, which includes: lyrical analysis & music video analysis, the timing of when songs were written, which producers and co-writers were credited to each song, social media posts, and where the girls were in real time. Shout out to @sophietv for her incredible work on the Kaylor timelines and evidence, and to @swiftgronmasterpost and @swiftgronmasterpost for their work to outline everything from Achele to Rivergron to Swiftgron. Round of applause to you both!!

Let's get into it!! (and if you want to just see my conclusions for which songs are about which muse, scroooolllll to the bottom)

The Red Muses

2011

Red was written in two phases. First, she worked with her producer from Speak Now & Fearless, Nathan Chapman. They wrote 25 songs together between February and October 2011. She took these songs to Scott Borchetta and he congratulated her on a finished album, but she wanted to experiment with other producers and writers to play with new sounds. So, after October 2011 she started working with a handful of other producers to write more tracks for Red. Here's a breakdown of Red songs by producer.

Nathan Chapman:

State of Grace

Red

All Too Well

I Almost Do

Stay, Stay, Stay

Sad Beautiful Tragic

Starlight

Begin Again

The Moment I Knew

Girl At Home

Martin & Shellback:

I Knew You Were Trouble

22

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Message in a Bottle

Bhasker: Holy Ground

Wilson: Treacherous, Come Back...Be Here

Walker: Everything Has Changed

Lind & Bjorkland: The Very First Night

McKenna: I Bet You Think About Me

The first time we know for sure Dianna and Taylor interacted was on September 4th, 2011 at the Fairfax Flea Market, which implied that the songs Taylor wrote with Chapman weren't about Dianna.

Karlie and Taylor dated (I think) starting in the summer or early fall of 2011. I think they weren't expecting anything super serious, but it was one of those flirtations that starts out strong and feels good with them and all of the sudden you're in love and you barely believe it and feel ridiculous for knowing but you have a feeling this person is for you, maybe forever... It sounds right for Taylor who has admitted how fast & hard she tends to fall for people when she's in love.

Taylor attended the Rodarte Spring/Summer 2012 fashion show during NYFW and sat front row next to Anna Wintour on Tuesday, September 13, 2011. Karlie walked in the show (slay). This was also the day that Taylor spent with a Vogue interviewer for her iconic January 2012 Vogue Cover and Article where she is quoted as saying "I love Karlie Kloss! I want to bake cookies with her!" She said this straight after leaving the Rodarte Fashion Show.

Interestingly, Karlie was quoted in a magazine as having been introduced to Taylor Swift at the Met Gala and they joked about baking cookies together! They both attended the Met Gala in May 2011, just four months before the Rodarte Fashion Show/Vogue Interview day! So it's pretty weird that Taylor would say the exact same thing, unprompted, when she saw a photo of Karlie Kloss at a fashion designer's studio on the exact same day she sat front row for a fashion show Karlie walked in!!

I imagine that Taylor and Karlie fell into something new and beautiful and sweet by accident. The Rodarte Show was on a Tuesday, maybe they met up for coffee the next day on Wednesday, September 14th in NYC? Who's to say!

All that said, I think Begin Again is about Karlie. It was written sometime between February and October 2011, which would've been a really, really fast turnaround for it to be about Dianna. Between the music video and the lyrical connections, it's very Kaylor coded. Starlight also could plausibly be about Karlie because they attended the Met together in 2010 and 2011, and their 2011 dresses were sparkly and tbh Karlie looked hot AF.

But, let's also remember that Taylor is on tour and just got herself out of two on-again-off-again, fairly toxic relationships, and as she said herself in Begin Again that the last 8 months she's been heartbroken and scared to get hurt from love (earliest would've been June 2010-February 2011 and latest would've been February-October 2011). Plus she's not even 22 years old, so she's not necessarily good at being in relationships yet. She's in a messy place, and she falls in love like a ton of bricks.

I think that this delicate, precious new thing with Karlie didn't work out (not for malice or hurting each other, just life) and over the winter they were distant but were still in contact.

2012

On January 17, 2012 we get tweets from BOTH Karlie and Dianna about the *iconic* Vogue article. This makes me think:

1. Karlie is still interested in exploring this new relationship with Taylor

2. Dianna and Taylor have kept in touch and have a lil something something going on, a little curiosity they might want to explore

3. Taylor likes public attention, and she likes feeling wanted, and she's got two hot ass women who want her. Do you blame the girl for being messy!?!

Dianna and Taylor attend the same pre-Oscars party on February 24th, 2012, and this is where I think Swiftgron starts to take off. Dianna is all happy and heart eyes online for the next three weeks until the Speak Now Tour ends. They're spotted together frequently in March and April. The Shirley MacLaine birthday party thing happens April 25th, Dianna's circus birthday party is April 28th, and I would bet anything they started hooking up sometime these first two months. I think Holy Ground was written about Dianna's birthday party, with the note on the door with the joke we made, and that was the first day.

Taylor writes Everything Has Changed and Run on May 15th, 2012, with Ed Sheeran, and records both EHC and The Last Time on May 28th, 2012. Everything Has Changed seems Swiftgron (thanks Gaylor twt for helping me figure out that the freckles are IN Dianna's green eyes bc girl bye I was full of questions). The Last Time is almost certainly about Liz.

But Run is very Kaylor coded! The pale blue eyes, use of darling, the laugh like a child (Begin Again), locket, picture frame...

On May 31st, 2012, Dianna is bearding hard with Henry Joost to distract from her appearance with GLAAD. I have a working hypothesis that Taylor Swift hates beards and is not a fan of having to use them or be with people who have them. I just don't think it works for her with how insanely famous she is, the guys are hyperscrutinized and she's honestly not very good at being a convincing heterosexual woman. I think there's some conflict between Taylor and Dianna because of the beard.

By June 10th, 2012, Taylor has written 22, WANEGBT, and IKYWT. I am inclined to believe that WANEGBT is about Emily or Liz. Same thing with IKYWT. 22 is about her besties and living life and being carefree and embracing all of the beauty and pain of falling in and out of love and everything that is your early 20s.

We get the whole Hyannis Port x Kennedys summer week of pap walks featuring Swiftgron all over the place! But it seems like they probably break up later in July. This was a hot and cold relationship for real.

WANEGBT is released on 8/13 and Dianna tweets at Taylor (like never ever?). On September 29, 2012 Dianna and Naya Rivera are on a cheeky, lil sexy vacation in Paris. Taylor goes to Paris that same weekend to film Begin Again at the Love Lock bridge (Karlie is also in Paris but there's no evidence to show that they saw each other at all).

However, I wouldn't put it past Taylor and Karlie to have seen each other while Swiftgron was cold. Perhaps in September 2012 right around when she filmed Begin Again?

October 17, 2012 Taylor writes This Love in LA according to her diary entries. So I think This Love is about the Swiftgron reconciliation for whatever happened this summer. Things are good for a bit, they go to the Ripple of Hope gala together on December 3rd, 2012. They're pictured together on December 6th, 2012 and Dianna's all cryptic online about her secret love.

Quick Aside: Karlie and Josh have been "officially together" ever since June 2012, but they were first seen together in November 2012 when they both attended the VS Fashion Show. I'm under the impression that these gay celebrities in their early twenties only needed a beard when they were in another relationship they were distracting away from. They didn't need a beard, they could just say they were focused on friends and their career (aka 1989 era). So who was Karlie dating in mid 2012 that needed to be covered up with plausible deniability? This would've been in the works for a bit before they launched it in November 2012.

Also, super interesting that Karlie also met Taylor for the "first time" at the 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, hmm? Anywayssss.

2013

I think everything Swiftgron blew up on February 14th, 2013 with the 'I Do' episode of Glee where Dianna Agron and Naya Rivera hook up on screen. Taylor made a whole big deal about this episode containing one of her songs and encouraged her fans to watch, but her song wasn't in the show (tweet was later deleted). But picture this: Happy Valentine's Day, watch your girlfriend hook up with the girl she told you not to worry about!! And then learn that they actually did hookup when y'all were on a break, like two weeks before y'all got back together!! Oooh boy!! I'm pretty sure this was what inspired Babe (in the music video Taylor was the mistress, but IRL Taylor was the main character who got cheated on instead of the mistress!!).

Dianna is a mess on Twitter after that and there might have been about two months of back & forth, maybe some breakup sex, but I think Swiftgron died dead by the time the article about them secretly dating dropped on April 16th, 2013.

The Red tour started on March 18th, 2013 and I can't imagine that made things any easier for Swiftgron. Meanwhile... I think Karlie and Taylor re-reconnected in this time period.

The 1989 Muses

2013

Taylor wrote 1989 while on tour for Red (except for This Love, according to the diary entry it was written on 10/17/2012). I think the breakup songs are about Dianna and the love songs (excluding This Love) are allllll Karlie.

If Taylor and Karlie did reconnect in Fall 2012, then Spring 2013 would be a long six months later...

Taylor and Karlie "meet for the first time" (which we have so much proof that it's not but like, okay, fine) on November 13, 2013 at the Victoria's Secret Fashion show. We know this isn't their first meeting or flirtationship, but it certainly is their first public outing to test what people say about their friendship.

Then, I'd wager Taylor plays "cat & mouse for a month or two or three" until they officially are girlfriends on March 6, 2014. Yay!!!

Songs About Dianna:

Red: Holy Ground, Everything Has Changed, Come Back...Be Here, Better Man, Babe

1989: Clean, Wonderland, All You Had To Do Was Stay, I Wish You Would

Songs About Karlie:

Red: State of Grace, Treacherous, Stay, Stay, Stay, Starlight, Begin Again, Message in a Bottle, Run, The Very First Night

1989: Welcome to New York, Blank Space, Style, OOTW, Wildest Dreams, How You Get the Girl, I Know Places, You Are in Love, New Romantics

[phoenixyfriend]

Ko-fi prompt from @thisarenotarealblog:

There's a street near me that has eight car dealerships all on the same lot- i counted. it mystifies me that even one gets enough sales to keep going- but 8?? is there something you can tell me that demystifies this aspect of capitalism for me?

I had a few theories going in, but had to do some research. Here is my primary hypothesis, and then I'll run through what they mean and whether research agrees with me:

Sales make up only part of a dealership's income, so whether or not the dealership sells much is secondary to other factors.

Dealerships are put near each other for similar reasons to grouping clothing stores in a mall or restaurants on a single street.

Zoning laws impact where a car dealership can exist.

Let's start with how revenue works for a car dealership, as you mentioned 'that even one gets enough sales to keep going' is confusing. For this, I'm going to be using the Sharpsheets finance example, this NYU spreadsheet, and this Motor1 article.

This example notes that the profit margin (i.e. the percentage of revenue that comes out after paying all salaries, rent, supply, etc) for a car dealership is comparatively low, which is confirmed by the NYC sheet. The gross profit margin (that is to say, profits on the car sale before salaries, rent, taxes) is under 15% in both sources, which is significantly lower than, say, the 50% or so that one sees in apparel or cable tv.

Cars are expensive to purchase, and can't be sold for much more than you did purchase them. However, a low gross profit margin on an item that costs tens of thousands of dollars is still a hefty chunk of cash. 15% gross profit of a $20,000 car is still $3,000 profit. On top of that, the dealership will charge fees, sell warranties, and offer upgrades. They may also have paid deals to advertise or push certain brands of tire, maintenance fluids, and of course, banks that offer auto loans. So if a dealership sells one car a day, well, that's still several thousand dollars coming in, which is enough to pay the salaries of most of the employees. According to the Motor1 article, "the average gross profit per new vehicle sits at $6,244" in early 2022.

There is also a much less volatile, if also much smaller, source of revenue in attaching a repairs and checkup service to a dealership. If the location offers repairs (either under warranty or at a 'discounted' rate compared to a local, non-dealership mechanic), state inspections, and software updates, that's a recurring source of revenue from customers that aren't interested in purchasing a car more than once a decade.

This also all varies based on whether it's a brand location, used vs new, luxury vs standards, and so on.

I was mistaken as to how large a part of the revenue is the repairs and services section, but the income for a single dealership, on average, does work out math-wise. Hypothesis disproven, but we've learned something, and confirmed that income across the field does seem to be holding steady.

I'm going to handle the zoning and consolidation together, since they overlap:

Consolidation is a pretty easy one: this is a tactic called clustering. The expectation is that if you're going to, say, a Honda dealership to look at a midsize sedan, and there's a Nissan right next door, and a Ford across the street, and a Honda right around the corner, you might as well hit up the others to see if they have better deals. This tactic works for some businesses but not others. In the case of auto dealerships, the marketing advantage of clustering mixes with the restrictions of zoning laws.

Zoning laws vary by state, county, and township. Auto dealerships can generally only be opened on commercially zoned property.

I am going to use an area I have been to as an example/case study.

This pdf is a set of zoning regulations for Suffolk County, New York, published 2018, reviewing land use in the county during 2016. I'm going to paste in the map of the Town of Huntington, page 62, a region I worked in sporadically a few years ago, and know mostly for its mall and cutesy town center.

Those red sections are Commercially Zoned areas, and they largely follow some large stroads, most notably Jericho Turnpike (the horizontal line halfway down) and Walt Whitman Road (the vertical line on the left). The bulge where they intersect is Walt Whitman Mall, and the big red chunk in the bottom left is... mostly parking. That central strip, Jericho Turnpike, and its intersection with Walt Whitman... looks like this:

All those red spots are auto dealerships, one after another.

So zoning laws indicate that a dealership (and many other types of commercial properties) can only exist in that little red strip on the land use map, and dealerships take up a lot of space. Not only do they need places to put all of the cars they are selling, but they also need places to park all their customers and employees.

This is where we get into the issue of parking minimums. There is a recent video from Climate Town, with a guest spot by NotJustBikes. If you want to know more about this aspect of zoning law, I'd recommend watching this video and the one linked in the description.

Suffolk county does not have parking minimums. Those are decided on a town or village level. In this case, this means we are looking at the code set for the town of Huntington. (I was originally looking on the county level, and then cut the knot by just asking my real estate agent mom if she knew where I could find minimum parking regulations. She said to look up e360 by town, and lo and behold! There they are.)

(There is also this arcgis map, which shows that they are all within the C6 subset of commercial districting, the General Business District.)

Furniture or appliance store, machinery or new auto sales - 1 per 500 square feet of gross floor area

Used auto sales, boat sales, commercial nurseries selling at retail - 5 spaces for each use (to be specifically designated for customer parking) - Plus 1 for each 5,000 square feet of lot area

This is a bit odd, at first glance, as the requirements are actually much lower than that of other businesses, like drive-in restaurants (1 per 35 sqft) or department stores (1 per 200 sqft). I could not find confirmation on whether the 'gross floor area' of the dealership included only indoor spaces or also the parking lot space allotted to the objects for sale, but I think we can assume that any parking spaces used by merchandise do not qualify as part of the minimum. Some dealerships can have up to 20,000 gross sqft, so those would require 40 parking spaces reserved solely for customers and employees. Smaller dealerships would naturally need less. One dealership in this area is currently offering 65 cars of varying makes and models; some may be held inside the building, but most will be on the lot, and the number may go higher in other seasons. If we assume they need 30 parking spaces for customers and employees, and can have up to 70 cars in the lot itself, they are likely to have 100 parking spaces total.

That's a lot of parking.

Other businesses that require that kind of parking requirement are generally seeing much higher visitation. Consider this wider section of the map:

The other buildings with comparative parking are a grocery store (Lidl) and a post office (can get some pretty high visitation in the holiday season, but also just at random).

Compare them, then, to the "old town" section of the same town.

There are a handful of public parking areas nearby (lined in blue), whereas the bulk of the businesses are put together along this set of streets. While there is a lot of foot traffic and vehicle passage, which is appealing for almost any business, opening a car dealership in this area would require not only buying a building, but also the buildings surrounding it. You would need to bulldoze them for the necessary parking, which would be prohibitively expensive due to the cost of local real estate... and would probably get shot down in the application process by city planners and town councils and so on. Much easier to just buy land over in the strip where everyone's got giant parking lots and you can just add a few extra cramped lanes for the merchandise.

Car dealerships also tend to be very brightly lit, which hits a lot of NIMBY sore spots. It's much easier to go to sleep if you aren't right next to a glaring floodlight at a car dealership, so it's best if we just shove them all away from expensive residential, which means towards the loud stroads, which means... all along these two major roads/highways.

And if they're all limited to a narrow type of zoning already, they might as well take advantage of cluster marketing and just all set up shop near each other in hopes of stealing one of the other's customers.

As consumers, it's also better for us, because if we want to try out a few different cars from a few different brands, it's pretty easy to just go one building down to try out the Hyundai and see if it's better than a Chevy in the same price group.

(Prompt me on ko-fi!)

[peachiyyy]

ty for tagging me my most beloved mutual @stroebe2 <3333 i love doing these lmfao

Questions to get to know me:

1) Are you named after anyone?

no but my grandmother from my father’s side chose my name

2) When was the last time you cried?

I get emotional over something everyday

3) Do you have kids?

Hell no…may I never be cursed with kids 🙏 ameen

4) What sports do you play/have you played?

None

5) Do you use sarcasm?

Yes. But I don’t think it translates well sometimes

6) What’s the first thing you notice about someone?

Hair, clothes, accessories

7) Eye color?

Brown🍽️

8) Scary movies or happy endings?

Scary movies!!!!!!!!!!! Forever

9) Any talents?

Oh man…no

10) Where were you born?

Nyc

11) Hobbies?

Watching movies + shows, loving & hanging out w my friends, reading, listening to music, collecting any type of physical media (cds, magazines, art books, literature books, etc.), very very very long walks, shopping is a hobby bc i spend hours and hours looking for very specific things on ebay/poshmark and researching the item(s), tumblr

12) Any pets?

Yes😸😸😸 my mishti and her son, choto. 2 cats! But choto lives downstairs and is raised by my cousin and uncle.

13) Height?

5’3

14) Favorite school subject?

English and science!!

15) Dream job?

Ideally it’d be a corporate job in marketing/pr/social media/business management since that was my field of study in college. similarly to what nicolas said, ill do anything that pays well rn 😭

I tag anyone who cared enough to even read this or make it this far… :))))ty

[desertfangs]

For the ask game:

8. If you had to write a sequel to a fic, you'd write one for. . .

19. The most interesting topic you've researched for a fic.

8. Oooh this is hard. I've considered writing a sequel to my AU Dating App AU Swipe Right, because it's such a fun dynamic and it'd be interesting to explore that version of Armand's relationship with Marius, and how Daniel being involved might change that. But if someone told me I had to write a sequel right this minute, it'd probably be to Look Right Through, because I've got Armand/Marius/Daniel brainrot and I'm in love with the idea of the Vampire Court having to solve problems, and figuring out what kind of problems those might be and how they'd manage them.

19. I'm really interested in gadgets and marketing so I always really enjoy looking up what things were being sold on late night TV in the 70s and 80s, peak Devil's Minion era, or what weird pop culture stuff was all the rage, so I can give it to Armand and see what happens.

But I think the most interesting topic is really just queer history, especially life for queer folks in the 70s and 80s. What being queer looked like in big cities like NYC and San Francisco, and what challenges people faced, measures they had to take, and what safe spaces they created for themselves and people like them. It's really interesting to read about and great to see how far we've come (and how far we have yet to go).

Thank you so much for the ask!

[lindszeppelin]

Austin is a walking advertisement 😬 Has he ever worn an Omega watch? He could wear any shirt to the airport and that’s the shirt he chooses to wear? Also the Nike’s? When everyone knows he’s an Adidas guy. He left NYC the first time undetected. Yet gets papped coming back wearing all that shit? 😒😒

It’s so obvious what this was. But it’s also so frustrating seeing Austin participate in this. I understand the reasons. But it’s just nauseating at this point.

When i first saw the pictures it looked like an Omega watch to me. tbh, all of those expensive watches look the same...lets be so for real lol. After doing some slight research it looks like Austin could possibly be in partnership with one of Omega's direct competitors, Breitling. The CEO of the company just followed Austin (or followed him recently anyway). And from what it looks like, the CEO goes to LA a lot. So I think Austin was for sure in LA for business, probably getting things squared away with a possible future partnership. So that explains the watch.

The clear Library Science advertisement was all on her for the PR, in order for people to pay attention to her shitty bookclub. He has never once acknowledged her bookclub before since he's been with her, which is important to note. Now that he attended one of her bookclubs where he looked MISERABLE, she's getting him in yet another PR move to promote the company. it's all marketing and turning a profit.

The PR-ness of it all is truly astounding to me lol. And it is frustrating, we just want him to not be forced to engage in this PRship anymore. But, the L&S article is something we cannot forget. it's the best, solid touchstone we need to keep referring back to. It laid out everything we need to know. End of summer is not here yet. So, because he isn't going pap walks with her anymore, she had to get him on this one for her merch. And he probably figured since he had to do this for Kaia he might as well promote something he is actually doing (the watch).

[philomathresearch]

The Dos and Don'ts of Market Research: A Comprehensive Guide

Market research is a vital component of any successful business strategy. It empowers organizations with valuable insights into their target audience, industry trends, and competitors, enabling them to make informed decisions and stay competitive. However, conducting effective market research requires careful planning and execution. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the dos and don'ts of market research to help you navigate this essential aspect of business development.

The Dos of Market Research

Define Clear Objectives:

Do: Clearly outline your research objectives and what you aim to achieve. Are you looking to understand customer preferences, assess market demand, or evaluate the competition? Defining your goals will shape your research strategy.

Identify Your Target Audience:

Do: Identify your ideal customers or stakeholders. Understand their demographics, preferences, and pain points. Tailoring your research to your target audience ensures relevant insights.

Utilize Multiple Data Sources:

Do: Gather data from various sources, including surveys, interviews, social media, and industry reports. Combining quantitative and qualitative data provides a more comprehensive view of the market.

Develop a Structured Plan:

Do: Create a research plan that outlines your methodology, timeline, and budget. A structured plan helps you stay organized and ensures that you collect relevant data efficiently.

Use Appropriate Research Methods:

Do: Choose research methods that align with your objectives. Quantitative methods like surveys are excellent for collecting numerical data, while qualitative methods like interviews offer deeper insights.

Analyze and Interpret Data:

Do: Thoroughly analyze the collected data to draw meaningful conclusions. Utilize statistical tools and data visualization to identify trends and patterns.

Stay Updated on Industry Trends:

Do: Continuously monitor industry trends, market developments, and competitor activities. Staying informed allows you to adapt your strategies in a dynamic marketplace.

Maintain Data Privacy and Ethics:

Do: Ensure that your research complies with data privacy regulations and ethical guidelines. Protect respondents' confidentiality and obtain informed consent when necessary.

Seek Expert Assistance:

Do: Consider hiring market research professionals or consultants, especially for complex research projects. Their expertise can help you obtain accurate and unbiased results.

The Don'ts of Market Research

Neglect Research Planning:

Don't: Rush into research without a well-defined plan. Skipping this crucial step can lead to wasted resources and inaccurate data.

Overlook Competitor Analysis:

Don't: Neglect researching your competitors. Understanding their strengths and weaknesses is essential for developing a competitive advantage.

Ignore Feedback from Customers:

Don't: Disregard customer feedback, whether positive or negative. Customer insights are invaluable for improving products or services.

Use Biased Sampling:

Don't: Use biased sampling methods that do not represent your target audience accurately. Biased samples can lead to misleading conclusions.

Rely Solely on Secondary Data:

Don't: Solely rely on secondary data (data collected by others). While it can be useful, it may not address your specific research objectives.

Overcomplicate Surveys or Questions:

Don't: Create surveys or interview questions that are overly complex or confusing. Keep your questions clear and concise to obtain accurate responses.

Misinterpret Data:

Don't: Jump to conclusions without proper data analysis. Misinterpreting data can lead to flawed decision-making.

Dismiss Negative Feedback:

Don't: Dismiss negative feedback or criticism. Instead, use it as an opportunity to improve and address customer concerns.

Neglect Emerging Trends:

Don't: Become complacent with your research methods. Market dynamics evolve, and staying static can lead to missed opportunities.

Compromise Data Privacy:

Don't: Compromise data privacy or engage in unethical data collection practices. Respect the rights and privacy of your research participants.

Conclusion

Market research is a powerful tool that can shape the success of your business. By following the dos and avoiding the don'ts outlined in this guide, you can conduct effective and ethical market research that informs your decision-making, enhances your competitive edge, and helps you better serve your customers. Stay committed to staying informed, adapting to change, and continuously improving your research practices to ensure long-term success in your industry.

[fossil0000]

The following description was written by Sloane Angel Hilton, the creator of the facebook group for this aesthetic: Its rise and fall between the years 1996-2002 - a movement in pop culture that is spawned from the research of The Y2K Aesthetic Institute. A notable shift in the visual mood of pop culture happened during the turn of the millennium, but it wasn’t Y2K Aesthetic. One thing I have found is that it was en vogue to be between 25-35, the prime age of Gen X at this time. I think of the “Music First” era of Vh1 programming. Contrary to contemporaneous Y2K Aesthetic, and also McBling style of the early 2000s, Gen X Y/AC models in editorial fashion or artist marketing were much more "natural". You will see tons of nude lipstick, hair parted down the middle or natural textured hair, natural leathers, knee high boots, duster jackets, natural and muted colors - especially greens, beiges, tans, greys, and black. Design and fashion was moving from 60s revival into early 70s. Retro-futurism was Y2K Aesthetic, but Gen X YAC was more terrestrial. Its futurism was a mix of sterile and organic. McBling was a full blown disco revival, but here, we just see hints of the 70s. Depictions of city life through a colonialist lens. First wave gentrification. Urban life influenced graphic design, such as in the use of Helvetica as inspired by the NYC subway signs. The rise of a minimalist design revival. On the runway, the rise/peak of the modern supermodel - Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, and Linda Evangelista, who were all peaking at 25. In photography and film, prevalence of bleach bypass, cross processing, “Lomo effect”, and other color grading trends. Hit music in the US was heavily influenced or even imported from the UK and Europe. Notably, we saw a surge in french house/disco, big beat, electronic, trance, uk garage, and “easy listening”/adult contemporary marketed for Generation X. Less Pure Moods and more Cafe Del Mar. Pop artists were reinvented to fit, like Madonna (Ray of Light). "Soft Club" refers to club culture trickling down into mainstream culture. As the style shifts into McBling, club culture becomes so huge that only the rich can enjoy it in Ibiza. R&B + hip hop had a marked shift in production, due to producers like Soulshock and Karlin, Trackmasters, Darkchild/Rodney Jerkins, in addition to many more who formed top of the millennium sounds working with both these genres. Pop music was equally transformed by club music, R&B, and Latin pop. Rock, pop and poetry were put over trip/hip-hop & breakbeats. Songs that may not have been written for the dance floor were produced as club music. See: soft club. Get X young adults were into entrepreneurship, which supposedly fueled the 90s economic recovery, especially via tech industry. This is why they have been considered a generation which "sold out". Discussion is much deserved regarding the nature of media diversity, both genuine (largely POC in leading production roles across mediums) and as a marketing tool, and the start of gentrification as it would come to be known in post-industrial cities.

[hello-patricks]

How did people not notice

At an art museum there is a large, huge Flemish painting of a meat market, depicting fish, fowl and game together at the same table.

Under the table is a seal, with what would look like an impish expression, a smile if you will.

Knowing that people didn’t paint just for the pleasure, and that the huge canvas must have cost a fortune just for the fabric, never mind the art on it, I went on a research expedition to find about the owner, the painter, the economics at the time of the painting, the significance of the seal, etc. Why did it have a seal? Why were fish and game in the same table, when that is not the arrangement in markets? What was the hidden meaning?

Apparently there was a pirate that owned a ship, and was plausibly flaunting his many conquests, commemorated in that commissioned painting – since it was painted at a very tumultuous time, the painting would have been both patriotic and bombastic, serving both as propaganda and advertising for services.

So, I learned all that in a couple of afternoons going over obscure documents, checking history and economics of the XVII century Netherlands, USA immigration records, 200 year old ship registers, and land for sale in NYC.

This is typical for me, these rapid deep dives, abstruse interests in interconnected obscure tales, facts that serve not much but are somewhat entertaining yet forgotten.

How did that escape notice growing up?

[evelyns-nyc-fashion-study-tour]

Blog Post #7: Cotton Incorporated

On Thursday, October 17, 2024, our Study Experience for NYC Fashion Students course visited Cotton Incorporated. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the visit; I had seen their commercials but knew little about the company’s background. To prepare, I researched the brand to understand its role in the industry. Founded in 1970, Cotton Incorporated began as a nonprofit organization to support cotton farmers in response to the rising dominance of synthetic fibers. The company focuses on marketing cotton’s qualities to consumers and mills, helping them profit from the material’s unique properties. By encouraging public support for cotton, the company is able to fund textile research and development. Their partnerships with brands allow those companies to leverage Cotton Incorporated’s credibility while creating products that cater to consumer demands based on Cotton Incorporated’s extensive research into cotton varieties. I found it fascinating to learn that Cotton Incorporated is a nonprofit that works closely with cotton farmers. 

Our site visit focused on the forecasting research team, and our guide shared insights into their forecasting process and how they communicate predictions to mills. Before this visit, I had no idea that Cotton Incorporated had its own fashion forecasting team. Hearing about their approach to forecasting was a unique opportunity. Our guide explained how her team travels frequently to gather insights, and she had recently visited Asia to collect textile samples that might influence future trends. I asked whether they had ever witnessed traditional crafting methods in these regions, but due to time constraints, they focused on local markets and retailers instead. 

During the presentation, we viewed clothing samples the team had collected from their recent travels, all featuring cotton as a component. One sample that particularly stood out to me was a fuchsia, long-sleeved top with three-dimensional grooves and ridges. I was captivated by its unique hand and drape, unlike any textile I’d felt before. It was made from a blend of cotton and polyester elastomer sourced from Asia. Seeing these garments gave us a global perspective on textiles and fashion, allowing us to step into the forecasters’ shoes and draw conclusions about emerging trends.

Beyond the samples, we were also shown a presentation on an upcoming trend Cotton Incorporated predicts: making the extraordinary out of the ordinary. The presentation featured color stories and textiles aligned with this theme, all beautifully visualized through imagery. One particularly intriguing aspect was the theme’s nod to “future nostalgia,” which reinterprets past visions of the future, like a microchip dress and Tesla charging stations inspired by retro-futurism. It was fascinating to see how technological innovation, while forward-thinking, often contrasts with the vintage aesthetic of past futuristic predictions.

I also had the opportunity to speak with our guide about her career in fashion forecasting. As someone considering a career in this field, I found her insights invaluable. She shared how she applied for Cotton Incorporated’s internship early in her career but was initially turned down. She later gained experience working for a small fashion magazine, and when she reapplied to Cotton Incorporated, her prior experience helped her secure the job. Interestingly, the hiring manager was familiar with the magazine, giving them a point of connection. She encouraged us to consider applying for internships at Cotton Incorporated, which is definitely an opportunity I want to explore further.

Overall, this site visit significantly expanded my knowledge of Cotton Incorporated. I learned how they conduct trend research and predict future fashion trends, and it was exciting to compare their forecasts to those of other companies like WGSN and Doneger, which I’ve previously used. This experience deepened my understanding of how trends are developed and where the future of the fashion industry is headed, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have been part of it.