Great Lakes Marketing moves to new location
Written by Duane Ramsey | | news@toledofreepress.comToledoans are serving as the voice of consumers across the country, according to Lori Mitchell Dixon, owner of Great Lakes Marketing in Toledo.
“Toledoans are the perfect group to test because they represent mainstream America,” Dixon said. “The city is shaping the next generation of household products.”
Toledo shapes how companies put products and packaging on the market by testing them with people and children from this area, she said.
Great Lakes Marketing (GLM), a market research and consulting firm, has been helping companies to stay in touch with their customers since it was founded in 1965. It has served local, national and international clients in 23 states and eight foreign countries.
GLM recently moved into a new, larger facility with the latest technology to better serve its growing clientele. The firm recently hired additional product testers and analytical staff for its team of 50 part- and full-time employees, Dixon said.
Dixon
“We’re very excited to be operating from this amazing new location in Toledo. We just moved down the street from another building on Executive Parkway,” she said. “Our new capabilities really bring the voice of the customers to our clients. The expanded, state-of-the-art facilities for market research, product and advertising evaluation help clients collect information to make smart marketing decisions.”
The new facility includes two focus group suites and three smaller discussion rooms, all equipped with webcams that allow clients to observe sessions from anywhere in the world. The focus group observation suite accommodates 15 viewers who can watch consumers through two-way glass and on a large-screen monitor in an attached lounge.
The suites and interview rooms allow the client to be more actively involved by using a chat feature online to communicate with the moderators. The firm recently had a client in China watch a focus group in Toledo live via webcam, Dixon said.
GLM recently conducted research on Saturday mail delivery for the U.S. Postal Service and helped the Peace Corps understand what volunteers expect and want from their experience with them.
“We work with major companies in Toledo to help them market their products and services. Toledo has a lot of successful business people because they are in touch with their customers in the marketplace,” Dixon said.
GLM helps the Turf and Specialty Group at The Andersons make sure its lawn care products are what the customer wants. Dixon said GLM helps define the customer’s expectations of the product and design of packaging so companies can make the right decision to meet customer needs.
“You want to make sure the product is right for consumers. We’re fortunate to have a company in Toledo that has a national presence with facilities that are just as good or better than anyone else. They know how to poll the right people and ask the right questions to get that information,” said Tasha Hussein Black, marketing development manager for the Turf and Specialty Group of The Andersons.
Dixon said that GLM has been working with the Toledo Mud Hens for more than 10 years, since before the team’s move to Fifth Third Field. It conducted research to determine if the move Downtown was right for the community and fans, she reported.
“They want to make sure they continuously improve the experience of people at the ballpark and arena,” Dixon said.
“We have a great relationship with them and they have been invaluable to us,” said Joe Napoli, president of the Toledo Mud Hens and Toledo Walleye teams, about GLM. “They have done all kinds of research and surveys, about the move Downtown to what motivates season ticket and suite holders to buy tickets and host events at the Mud Hens and Walleye games,” he said.
GLM also conducts more traditional market research through telephone interviews when it’s not feasible to bring a larger number of people into its facility. The new telephone interviewing stations have recording capabilities that allow clients to integrate the words of respondents into presentations.
Dixon has nearly 30 years of experience in market research and product testing supported by her Ph.D. in strategic marketing management and statistics from Kent State University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA from the University of Toledo and has taught marketing courses at both universities.
She invites people to share their opinion and get paid to participate in marketing research studies by signing up at www.AskToledo.com. Potential business clients may learn more about GLM by visiting www.glm.com.
Tags: Great Lakes Marketing, Joe Napoli, Lori Mitchell Dixon, Mud Hens
