We've all been there. You're testing a new product and the focus group participants are loving it. They are telling you that this new product will change their lives and they can't wait until it hits the market. The participants are practically pulling out their wallets as you conclude the group and say goodbye. You walk to the back room where the client team members are smiling ear-to-ear and ready to high-five you. You enjoy the temporary hero status.

As someone who works in qualitative research, you know that days like this are the exception rather than the rule. But whether the future of a product you're examining is in the marketplace or the bottom of a file drawer, the feedback from focus groups is always relevant and it's our job as researchers to present the news - good or (seemingly) bad - in a way that helps complete the brand picture. Sometimes, that means focusing on the negative.

Social network gaming has created a new frontier that allows marketers a virtual landscape to reach their audience. According to a 2012 report by the Casual Games Association, the social network gaming audience in the United States increased 36 percent from 57.5 million in 2010 to 77.9 million in 2012. Because advertising in social network games is relatively new territory, it's easy to understand why companies are reluctant to invest too much energy into it but expending too little might prove damaging at worst, ineffective at best. 

 Read on...

Why there's no excuse for research that doesn't engage

You CAN lead through change - 4 steps to help your staff adapt

Considerations in building a market research community panel 

Postcards from Brazil: Research in the wild, wild South 

Social media: Listen or not? Respond or not? 

How to use marketing research to defend your brand 

Status, fashion and the search for value driving teen spending 

Some fun breakfast insights to snack on 

What are the career opportunities in the marketing research industry?