KRISTY KAUS
Boulder County,CO
Summary
With over 25 years of focused experience in market research, I bring a passion for delivering actionable consumer and business research solutions. As a research project management consultant and director, I have collaborated with corporate strategy teams, publishers, advertisers, and industry professionals. My expertise covers quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, enabling me to offer customized solutions and comprehensive project management. From designing questionnaires to presenting results effectively, I excel in all aspects of research execution to provide valuable insights to clients.
Overview
32
32
years of professional experience
Work History
Research Consultant
Freelance Contract
02.2018 - Current
- Provide outsourced research solutions for long- or short-term assignments. My specialty and strengths are data analysis and storytelling of research findings. I have a proven record of helping clients turn their research investments into actionable insights and solutions.
Research Director, Vice President, Research Solutions
Active Interest Media
12.2006 - 02.2018
- Led and designed Voice of Consumer (VOC) research strategies that helped develop AIM's depth and breadth of engaged niche enthusiast audiences and contributed to AIM's rapid growth from 2003 -2018. This research footprint grew from supporting nine magazine media titles in 2003 to well over fifty magazine media brands across five enthusiast groups in 2018 (AIM's (then) Healthy Living Group, Outdoor Group, Marine Group, Equine Group, and Home Group.)
- Directed and designed research programs that supported AIM's entire portfolio of brands. These comprehensive research strategies guided decision-making for AIM's media brands, events, web/digital, online education, marketing services, lead gen, and audience development.
- Developed research strategies for editorial content, advertising revenue and accountability, industry and corporate initiatives, satisfaction of consumer events and boat/yacht shows, and online education.
- Pioneered AIM's corporate-wide total audience segmentation studies.
- Designed and implemented AIM's newsstand cover testing and multivariate methodology for content and magazine cover development which helped keep AIM above the field competitively in newsstand sales.
- Directed industry studies, including: The Yoga in America Study, and the Log & Timber Home Production and Construction reports.
- Directed all primary custom research in support of editorial content, audience development, publishing/advertising sales, added-value accountability, marketing research for in-house agency clients, and magazine media/content strategy for brand redesign strategies.
- Directed all syndicated research and oversight of GfK MRI deliverables for day-to-day ad sales and marketing sales development needs.
- Directed, designed, and deployed an average of 200 Qualtrics survey projects annually on behalf of clients and internal partners including: content satisfaction, cover testing, media consumption, multi-media engagement, total audience studies, segmentation studies, industry studies, advertising campaign effectiveness, market and product concept testing, competitive analysis, omnibus studies, syndicated data analysis, ad creative testing, satisfaction, ad recall, pre/post, and ROI accountability and added-value advertising studies.
Full-Time Research Consultant, Acting Research Director
Active Interest Media
10.2003 - 12.2006
- Managed research projects on a contract basis for AIM's first portfolio of nine magazine media brands and supported AIM's ongoing media acquisitions until joining their corporate team full time in 2006.
- Supported publishing, marketing, and design departments in creating sales tools, media kit collateral, and audience profile storytelling, utilizing both primary custom research and syndicated research insights.
- Managed qualitative focus groups for new magazine launches and redesign work.
- Managed all content and satisfaction studies, audience studies, market analysis, and industry studies.
- Collaborated with DJG Marketing Services on all day-to-day syndicated GfK MRI deliverables for ad sales RFP, marketing, publishing sales development, and competitive analysis.
- Developed customized research solutions for advertising and marketing added-value programs.
- Pioneered and launched AIM's editorial and newsstand cover testing program.
Research and Marketing Promotions Manager
Mountain Sports Media, Time Inc.
01.1997 - 10.2003
- Managed all qualitative and quantitative research and promotions for TIME Inc's SKI Magazine, Skiing Magazine, FREEZE Magazine, Warren Miller Entertainment and TransWorld Publications. Research portfolio included audience studies, content satisfaction studies, and industry research for both endemic and non-endemic advertising sales and editorial teams.
- Launched added-value research programs to leverage advertising sales development opportunities.
- Managed promotions deliverables including marketing materials, sales presentations, and magazine media kits, all utilizing qualitative and quantitative insights for audience profiling and storytelling.
Focus Group Facility/Project Manager
RRC Associates & Boulder Focus Center
12.1995 - 01.1997
- Provided research to a wide range of clients specializing in sports, travel, snowsports, and recreation industries.
- Managed a wide variety of projects including focus group facility management, sales, participant recruiting and recruitment team management, audio-visual recording, in-depth interviewing, report writing, analysis, and discussion guide development.
Marketing and Sales Development Manager
Gannett Outdoor Advertising
01.1993 - 12.1995
- Supported advertising sales executives responsible for the Denver DMA and surrounding regions while also supporting national outdoor advertising accounts.
- Managed geodemographic mapping integrated with GfK MRI, PRIZM clusters and Scarborough data to effectively sell OOH advertising and specific billboard locations in or around specific target markets and their presumed travel patterns.
- Strategized with clients and advertising agencies to identify how to best achieve their OOH GRP levels for consumer targeted outdoor campaigns.
Education
Marketing, Advertising
University of Colorado at Boulder
01.1993
Skills
- Critical Thinking
- Organized
- Home Office/Remote Working Focus and Expertise
- Project Management
- Online Research Tools: Qualtrics, Alchemer, Survey Monkey
- GfK MRI, SMRB, Scarborough, IMS
- Microsoft Suite, Adobe
- Vendor Management
- Syndicated Research Solutions
- Customized Primary Research Solutions
- Media Research
- Social Media Research
- Internet/Website Research
- Multi-Platform / Digital Research
- Data Analysis
- Storytelling and Presentation Design
- Advertising Effectiveness
- Analytics
- Voice-Of-Consumer
- Audience Development and Segmentation
- Ad Recall Methodologies, Brand Lift Research, Marketing Funnel Research Methods
- Competitive Analysis
- Content Development Research
- Customer Engagement
- Demographics and Audience Research
- Panel Development and Management
- Database Development and Quality Control
- Focus Group Research
- Integrated Marketing Solutions
- Market Analysis
- Marketing and Sales Support
- Brand Launch and Redesign Research
- Questionnaire and Discussion Guide Design
- Sales Development
Awards
- FOLIO 40, 2008, Magazine Media Industry's Top 40 Director-Level Doers.
- DMA CIRCDAYLA, 2010, Presented AIM's customized multivariate methodology and cover testing programs and how these insights successfully contributed to AIM's competitive leadership in newsstand revenue and sell-thru performance.
- MPA IMAG, 2011, Presented AIM's customized multivariate methodology and cover testing programs and how these insights successfully contributed to AIM's competitive leadership in newsstand revenue and sell-thru performance.
- AIM Ambassador Award, 2015, For research contributions considered vital to AIM's success.
Recommendations
www.linkedin.com/in/kristy-kaus-33078a3
Timeline
Research Consultant
Freelance Contract
02.2018 - Current
Research Director, Vice President, Research Solutions
Active Interest Media
12.2006 - 02.2018
Full-Time Research Consultant, Acting Research Director
Active Interest Media
10.2003 - 12.2006
Research and Marketing Promotions Manager
Mountain Sports Media, Time Inc.
01.1997 - 10.2003
Focus Group Facility/Project Manager
RRC Associates & Boulder Focus Center
12.1995 - 01.1997
Marketing and Sales Development Manager
Gannett Outdoor Advertising
01.1993 - 12.1995
Marketing, Advertising
University of Colorado at Boulder
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