Big data vs. MR: one analyst's take
By Edward Appleton
In market research, there is a palpable sense of unease. Will analytics tools overtake the research industry in terms of impact and internal importance, including budget allocation? Will the qualitative "why" question become irrelevant in the wake of solid behavioral data? Can we ignore the discussion around big data as hype? Or should we try to adapt to big data, even if we don't fully understand it?
These are questions that I'm sure plague many of us. To help understand them, I spoke with Tony Cosentino, vice president of Ventana Research. Author of the book Into the River, which examines, among other topics, big data's impact on market research, Cosentino is a longtime researcher and big-data observer. (Click here to read our 2012 conversation on the same topic.)
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Is your packaging saying the right things to consumers?
By Len Pollack
Learning what consumers value, what your brand relays and any correlations between the two will help you differentiate yourself from your competitors. By including research into your marketing or product development strategy, you can evaluate the current marketplace, assess trends over time and match your products to the needs of consumers. Packaging is one significant way that a company can stand out. Let's take the bottled water industry as an example.
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With QR codes, consider the consumer first
By Ed Jessup
We see them everywhere - those little pixelated boxes. The marketing and advertising world has a love affair with QR codes and why wouldn't they? QR codes offer a way for advertisers to take readers from one medium (in-person) to another (digital). For magazines, the codes provide a way to track eyeballs on ads and prove the value of advertising. QR codes are also cheap in comparison to developing a proprietary app. Unfortunately, these little boxes are better in theory than in practice, as the actual method in which marketers use QR codes could very well be their downfall.
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The Social Side of Research
Ideas and insights on MR from around the Web
You're busy. We understand. Many researchers don't have time to comb through the various industry-related social media outlets to find out which topics are generating the most buzz among their peers. We're here to help! The Quirk's e-newsletter will regularly highlight a handful of active and intriguing discussions from LinkedIn and other forums around the Web so you can stay on top of the research scuttlebutt as it's happening.
Here are four popular discussions from the past few weeks. More details after the jump. Comments have been edited for clarity and brevity.
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Research War Stories: 'We don't even get a coffee break!'
Ken Rosenhek cites a story told to him about a president of a large market research company whose presentation in the board room at his client's corporate headquarters was interrupted by the phone ringing. When the person answering the phone announced "Someone wants to know if we have a 'Secksauer' here." One of the participants cracked "Hell no! We don't even get a coffee break!" Moderator Saul Cohen reports that during interviews on electric irons, a woman reported receiving the client' s product 11 years ago as a wedding present. When Cohen asked if it still worked, the woman inquired "The iron or the marriage?" "Whichever," answered Cohen. To which the woman sighed "Well, the iron still gets hot."
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