The U.S. federal government is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world. For small businesses negatively impacted by the pandemic over the past two years, this may offer a glimmer of hope as many attempt to pivot to stay afloat. While several businesses were forced to close due to losses, new businesses were formed by laid-off or dissatisfied workers. But new firms are more vulnerable to economic swings.
The American economy depends on jobs created by small businesses, which account for 64% of new jobs created every year. Some of the best-run U.S. small businesses are those participating in the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program. The annual review required to maintain eligibility in the program can seem onerous to some, but it ensures participating firms are adequately capitalized and operating in a stable manner. An annual business plan review is beneficial to all companies, but for 8(a) firms, the mandate prompts them to align their efforts with changes in the market to ensure they have a plan to respond.
At ThinkNow we have the privilege of working with large organizations in both the public and private sectors. We’ve found that contracting in the private and public sectors varies considerably, and for good reason. In the private sector, contracting is fairly straight-forward since decision-makers don’t need to justify their purchases beyond their organizations. When dealing with public funds, however, the process often requires multiple steps and oversight. This works well when specifications are known and need to be exact, like when purchasing a new military aircraft engine or hiring medical personnel to staff a hospital. But what if the requirement is data? The Government Buys Public Opinion Research The U.S. population has and continues to change. Rapid growth is occurring among the largest population segments, Hispanic and Asian Americans, as well as those who identify as multi-racial. While the federal government has a significant amount of data on the perceptions and behaviors of the historical population, the data fails to address the unique thoughts and habits of today’s constituents. This gap often necessitates that the government seek research and survey data much like companies in the private sector seek data before a product launch. For example, ThinkNow was instrumental in assisting the U.S. Army in gaining insights into how Hispanic and African American populations view career opportunities available in the uniformed services. We further assisted the Army in understanding the efficacy of the government’s advertising and marketing program. ThinkNow has also helped the Small Business Administration during rebranding initiatives, the State of California’s Healthcare Exchange, and multiple state-run lottery programs. Understanding the Federal Buying Process Let’s look at a typical scenario where the federal government determines the need to seek outside assistance to fulfill the
At ThinkNow we have the privilege of being able to work in both the public and private sectors, often on similar types of projects, and have noticed key differences in how they operate. Government agencies tend to be more procedural, with a clear chain of command, while private companies tend to lean into a more collaborative approach. Those differences are often necessary to the efficient operation of the organization or department but not always. The challenge for both is to break out of old mindsets and habits that hinder effectiveness.
But opinions about early childhood and HPV vaccines contradict. Why the difference? Whenever there is an outbreak of the measles, mumps or some other vaccine preventable infectious disease, we hear a lot about herd immunity – the notion that if 90%-95% of a population is vaccinated infectious diseases cannot get a toehold in a population. This idea, however, may be providing us a false sense of security because for herd immunity to work, vaccinated individuals need to be distributed evenly among a population to act as buffers against transmission and, it turns out, they’re not.
The Hispanic Millennial Project is a joint research study developed by cross-cultural advertising agency Sensis and market research firm ThinkNow Research. This study on Attitudes towards Health and Wellbeing captures five key themes about Hispanic Millennials:
If you live in California you’ve been bombarded with drought related public service announcements and news stories for the past several months. One would, therefore, assume that everyone in the state is well aware of the drought and its severity.
We’ve previously studied how Hispanics and non-Hispanics feel about the Military. Specifically, we explored their interest in joining the army, which military branch resonated the most with them, and how their acculturation had a part to play in this. We found that Hispanics are highly patriotic and have a rather positive attitude towards serving their country.
ThinkNow Research has been awarded a five year / 20 year option Advertising & Integrated Marketing Solution (AIMS) Schedule 541 contract by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the procurement agency for the federal government.
It’s the story that makes America great… Hispanics immigrate to the U.S., looking for a new and better life for their families. One of things that the first generation brings with them is their traditional eating habits… Hispanic meals that are, at their core, much healthier than current US eating habits. According to the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report submitted recently
