Detwiler Group Introduces New Customer Research Service

Detwiler Group's ContentCompare Combines Market Research With Competitive Intelligence to Provide New Perspectives on Information Products

FORT WAYNE, Ind.--Sept. 28, 2001--The Detwiler Group announced the introduction of ContentCompare(SM), a new service which combines customer research with competitive intelligence, to help information companies analyze their product offerings against the marketplace.

ContentCompare(SM) was developed based on years of experience in the health and business information industries. Going beyond simple competitive analyses, ContentCompare(SM) can be used to find under-served niches, identify competitive weaknesses, or determine the value of a current product offering.

The Detwiler Group uses a two phase approach to match researchers' needs and wants with the offerings currently in the marketplace. Telephone and Internet surveys of current and prospective users of a directory, website, or information service, identify the content and features researchers consider in their buy decisions. The offerings of participants in this market are then analyzed to determine how well they meet the users' needs.

The Detwiler Group has used this technique for business information providers and directory producers. As a public service, the company used a modified version of the technique to evaluate the quality of information in competing healthcare websites. This report is available at http://www.detwiler.com/html/talks_articles.asp (report No. 200101).

President Susan Detwiler will be presenting a pre-conference seminar at Online, Inc.'s e-Content conference, November 11, 2001 in Santa Clara, California. The seminar, "Practical Competitive Analysis for Content Vendors," will be based on ContentCompare(SM) techniques.

Founded in 1985, The Detwiler Group consults with information providers on health and business information content, and conducts research for the health and medical industries. Experts in assessing and identifying quality information, The Detwiler Group offers more than 100 years of market research and analysis experience in the healthcare and information industries. President Susan Detwiler, a nationally-recognized authority on the quality of healthcare information, testified recently before the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy.

The Detwiler Group's 2001 report, The Medium Doesn't Get the Message: When does breaking health news become permanent information? was featured in several news and trade outlets, including Reuters Health, SmartMoney.com, and DTC Marketers news.

For more information about ContentCompare(SM) or The Detwiler Group, call 219/749-6534, e-mail info@detwiler.com or visit www.detwiler.com.