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Socratic WebComm Toolset^SM

Socratic Technologies offers a suite of brand assessment tools useful for testing advertisements, packaging design, graphics and other elements of marketing communications and brand messaging.

Most of these methods are adaptations of traditional research techniques that have been in common usage for more than forty years; particularly in focus group or in-depth, one-on-one interview situations. Utilizing the controls and visualization properties of plug-ins that are now common among computers used to access the Internet, these time-tested techniques can now be applied remotely to larger, quantitatively projectable sample sizes.

When running a time-controlled test, such as the Perceptometer^SM or Te-Scope^SM, Socratic does not use streaming technology. Our system downloads the entire video or audio clip prior to starting the test so that we maintain control of what is being displayed and capture real-time second-by-second reaction to the stimuli. This removes the problem of buffering while the content is being displayed, such as occurs with streaming methods. Typically we discourage testing clips that are over 60-seconds due to the longer download time required prior to starting the tests. While it is possible technically to work with larger files, we encounter a higher rate of mid-terminations and partial completes when people are forced to wait for longer downloads.

No software or files are permanently downloaded to a respondent's computer (they are automatically removed once our test is complete), and exhibits cannot be copied using standard screen-print or cut/copy tools.

All of these tools are fully compatible with the Socratic Web Survey^SM system, which means that all tests may be preceded or followed by in-depth profiling or other questionnaire-based lines of inquiry. Known data from client databases also may be used to augment primary data collected directly from the respondent.