Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs)

Most often contrasted against marketing/media mix models (MMMs), The Emerging Marketplace^TM is a marketing simulation & planning platform that presents forward looking insights into how well different marketing plans would perform against different groups of consumers. Once implemented, marketers can run "what if" scenarios and compare the likely outcome of adjustments to their current plan. This iterative approach to marketing & media planning represents a stark contrast to one shot, classical marketing & media mix models performed every 12 - 18 months.

The Emerging Marketplace^TM recreates a representative, sample population of virtual consumers and then simulates how they would react to different marketing plans. Simulations consist of billions of interactions that mirror "real world" marketplace dynamics. Output reports present likely sales transaction level impact of different marketing plans and insight into how each plan impacts different groups of consumers. Built on an agent-based modeling (ABM) framework, the simulation platform helps marketers optimize their marketing plans up front and confidently "course correct" as needed throughout the year.

Clients receive marketing/media planning reports on existing (pre-ThinkVine) marketing plans and then again for each proposed marketing plan simulated. Ongoing performance metrics are also put in place to measure the "before & after" impact of changes to your marketing/media plan once rolled out in the marketplace. Reports include:

• Projected marketing ROI overall and by marketing type
• Individual marketing impact on purchase transactions
• Collective marketing impact on purchase transactions
• Collective marketing impact on purchase transactions by consumer group

ThinkVine takes a simulation platform approach to marketing planning. Fresh, forward-looking insights are generated with every simulation which can be run as often as needed and the simulation platform always stays current. Traditional modeling techniques present backward-looking forensics and have you assume the past will equal the future. Engagements take the form of a 4-6 month consulting project and culminate themselves in the form of a static, "one shot" report that quickly gets outdated. For more about the advantages of The Emerging Marketplace^TM versus traditional tack, click here to watch a 90-second animation.

No. Widely-accepted by the "hard sciences," Agent-based modeling has been around for decades, used by the U.S. Military (war planning), the U.S. Department of Transportation (traffic patterns) and some businesses (supply chain planning). ThinkVine has emerged as a leader in utilizing the technique for Marketing/Media planning purposes. For more about ABM, click here.

Not much, actually (which often surprises people). Most of the data required already pre-exists in the The Emerging Marketplace^TM in the form of ThinkVine intellectual property (IP) about consumer behavior and people's marketing consumption habits. Our clients need only provide three things to make the application their own:

1. Consumer segmentation & demographics
2. Marketing plans (past 12 - 24 months)
3. Sales data (past 12 - 24 months)

Yes, and factors its impact within the context of our clients' overall marketing plan.

During the implementation phase, we will match up simulated output to a "hold out" time period of actual results (typically the most recent 6-months), demonstrating the tight fit that the simulation platform can achieve.

The process of getting the simulation platform up, running & validated takes 8 - 12 weeks, dependent upon how quickly information is exchanged between ThinkVine and our client. This represents a stark contrast to traditional approaches that typically take 4 to 6 months to complete and are set in stone when finished.

Simulations typically take 2-5 hours to complete, with the primary benefit that our clients can revisit their marketing plans on a regular basis and make "course corrections" throughout the year. The agility advantage of the simulation platform approach allows companies the flexibility to confidently move to a quarterly media buying strategy, ensuring that they are maximizing the impact of their marketing based on timely, fresh insights.

Yes, updates typically take less than 48 hours and can be done as often as needed (i.e. new segmentation study to incorporate). One of the most compelling aspects of the application is that it can be updated quickly to reflect changes in marketplace realities and any new insight gained on consumers. This contrasts sharply with the "one shot", static marketing/media mix models that are typically outdated shortly after receipt.

The Emerging Marketplace^TM is sold as an annual subscription.

The Emerging Marketplace^TM is a hosted application accessible via our website.

ThinkVine clients are assigned a team of resources that span technical competence and "real world" business acumen. This ensures that:

• implementations go smoothly
• output is translated into a recommended business action understood by the client
• ongoing scenario planning & management
• updates on ThinkVine consumer behavior intellectual property (IP)

ThinkVine was founded in 2000 by Damon Ragusa to help the world's most respected companies apply marketing science to make better marketing investments. Over the past decade, the culmination of this experience has led to the design, development and delivery of The Emerging Marketplace^TM.