i research transformation | Joel Rubinson on Marketing Research
Thoughts by Joel Rubinson, Chief Research Officer of The ARF
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Six big wakeup calls in 2009 are doing the marketing research profession a favor; refocusing us on what it will take to conduct trustworthy research, find unexpected feedback, provide anticipatory insights, measure media in a way that people now choose to experience it, and properly rebalance our understanding of how people choose brands by placing more emphasis on understanding the shopper.

Listening reveals insights via social and open-book approaches. Listening is about studying the change-makers (people) in a way that is native to how they are increasingly living their lives. We must learn how to add listening to our survey-based approaches for generating anticipatory insights.

Marketing research’s impact is blunted because it often gets brought into the process too late. Research must become viewed as “strong”; as embracing action and feeling accountable for business results, being future focused, a thought leader while staying true to the rigor of proven research processes.

Could a marketing researcher bring a new, edgy perspective that others would find compelling? Yes! Blogging for Fast Company Magazine on marketing, advertising, and innovation.

In March, the ARF completed executive interviews among 19 research leaders representing large marketers and media companies. Overall, Research got a passing grade, but certainly didn’t make honor roll.
While Research usually has strong executive support, as we dug down 1-2 levels, we saw something different. We heard that there was spotty support for research from [...]

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