We got there! Now how do we stay there?
When I first arrived in the United States in January 1991, the first conference I attended was the inaugural meeting of the Research Industry Leaders Forum…
The Meaning of Servant Leadership
I write this in the waning hours of the day on which Queen Elizabeth II died. While she is celebrated for having reigned longer than any other British monarch…
Welcome to the Twatterverse!
It seems that everywhere we look these days, there are myriads of people spouting total nonsense and myriads of others willing to believe them, magnifying their complete twaddle through social...
Research Technology and the Money Mountain
That the global insights industry has changed and is continuing to change out of all recognition is now a given...
The 2021 research industry M&A frenzy: what’s happening?
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, M&A activity in the insights industry dried up...
Resilient. Relevant. Delivering.
Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic there emerged grim forecasts for the health of the insights industry in 2020...
Inclusion over Diversity
Recently I participated in a two-day event hosted by the Insights Association’s IDEA Council. The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access Council...
The gift that keeps on giving
As you think back on your career to date, what is the greatest gift you ever received?
Is nothing new in Market Research?
I have frequently heard it said that there’s really nothing new in the ideas and approaches we use in market research...
It’s all in the team
A few weeks ago, I gave a webinar on what makes for a successful research agency. I was staggered by the attention that...
The Quiet Insights Revolution
Reading the insights trade press these days, you would be forgiven for thinking that research is experiencing a technological revolution...
10 predictions for 2021
It is always extremely dangerous to stick one’s neck out and gaze into the crystal ball at the beginning of the year...
Unless you change my narrative, you can’t change my thinking
I recently read a very thought-provoking article by Susan Fader (FaderFocus) on the need to incorporate Narrative Economics...
Women. An asset we are wasting.
Four things led me recently to reflect on women. Not just any women, but women in research...
Decoding the World’s Story
If the world were being diagnosed in a psychiatrist’s office today, the diagnosis might very likely be schizophrenia...
Is Research a Dirty Word?
Ray Poynter, as he wont to do, started an interesting conversation on LinkedIn recently when he highlighted an article by Dave Fish on the definition of “market research”...
10 Key Challenges for #mrx in the next 5 years
We are all fond of saying that the insights industry and profession is going through rapid change – change that was present before, but has been accelerated by,
A Deficit of Trust
We are living in an era when trust appears to be at an all-time low. In a recent global study, Ipsos reported trust to be distinctly lacking in various professions...
Why Insights Impact is now Critical
Back in February of last year – those halcyon days when we flew to and gathered at conferences, visited our clients in their offices...
United we stand, divided we fall?
A major topic of conversation among researchers today revolves around what many see as the unnecessary and potentially damaging fragmentation...
Redefining a Business Impact
For some time now, a group of prominent people in the Insights Industry (led by the indomitable Andrew Cannon) have been preaching that the...
Are we on the cusp of a golden era?
Across a broad spectrum of industries, heads of insights departments are reporting that their services are more in demand than ever before. What’s more...
A Matter of Fact
As democracy ebbs around the world and populism and dictatorships flourish, facts have increasingly become a casualty. As citizens, we have become far...
When data becomes foresight
It’s not too long ago that market research was viewed as ‘data’ by many corporations and users. Even today, somewhere around half of corporate research departments are...
Just when it’s so difficult to focus – FOCUS!
Over the past few weeks, I have been talking to a series of insights CEOs and their corporate counterparts. While many have found this time to be intensely difficult, others are thriving. Why?...
Is Race an Issue in Insights?
I am sometimes criticized for being too passionate on the issue of racial discrimination and, indeed, have seen some relationships disappear as a result..
Turning over a new leaf
For many of us, our lives have changed dramatically in the last two months. For some, such as those newly unemployed, those changes were forced on us and have not been pleasant...
Empathy: why insights professionals are still needed in the machine age
There was a time, especially in the United States, when researchers were supposed to be the neutral purveyors of the truth...
I can see clearly now: embracing disruption
When Clayton Christensen published The Innovator’s Dilemma in 1997, it was as if a mist had been lifted and the process and...
Five strategies for survival, growth and profitability
Between 2005 and 2015, the traditional market research industry posted a Cumulative Average Growth Rate of...
How Customer Insight Can be a Powerful Business Partner
Thanks to digital advances, companies now know more than ever about the intentions of consumers...
The Introverted Corporation
Customer centricity is imperative in a rapidly changing competitive environment...
Why Companies Can't Turn Customer Insights Into Growth
Despite their best intentions to focus on customers’ needs, many companies spend more time looking inward…
Building A Better Customer Insight Capability
Why is it so rare for customer insight (CI) functions to have a seat at the table when key decisions are being made?...
Bias is natural. It’s also dangerous
Just a few weeks ago, Apple announced with great fanfare its new credit card. Behind the scenes was JP Morgan Chase, entering the credit card market for the first time...
So, what's your story then?
Many researchers and data analysts are master craftsmen in their professions. They know how to ask questions...
MR Realities Podcast - What is Trending in Market Research With Simon Chadwick
There are a lot of companies looking at cheaper, poorly organised or little market research. Which indicates a frightening lack of management and understanding of business investment...