Marketing and Research Consulting for a Brave New World
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What were the hot topics in 2014 for marketing research? One barometer comes from over tens of thousands of page views of my content in 2014 and identifying which blog posts were “voted” as most important, treating each page view as a vote.

The top ten for 2014 reveal…

  • Frustration with consumer segmentation…that it is rarely actionable and not worth the money spent
  • Seeking greater understanding of social media in terms of marketing and marketing research value
  • Knowing that the digital age and big data offer Researchers something better than our reliance on long surveys, our profession is not quite sure yet how to modify or replace long standing practices
  • The search for improved marketing productivity and the feeling that current tools are failing to give the right answers due to the complexity of marketing in a digital age
  • The need to become familiar with the world of data driven programmatic marketing, moving beyond the relative simplicity of mass marketing

So here is the top ten for 2014, presented in order of 2014 pageviews:

4 new approaches to segmentation in a digital age.  (Now shared over 2600 times). Traditional consumer research is maddening because it is rarely actionable.  Here is how to fix this in a digital and social age.

Social media predict sales. A landmark study proves that social media data are quantitative and predictive, so now we must create research protocols to harness their full transformative power.

When survey behave badly and what to do about it. Four reasons that surveys can produce garbage data and four pieces of advice to get valid and useful results

What marketing research can borrow from behavioral economics. It is important that we marketing researchers become like Behavioral economists and study how people make choices, not just the choices they make.

Creating the marketing research productivity practice. The Marketing research function should create a new “productivity” practice that would leverage data-driven approaches and predictive thinking to drive measurable increases in marketing ROI.

Big data big research possibilities. Marketing research tool kits and skill sets must evolve beyond the n=1000, 20 minute survey.

Marketing funnel leads to media funnel. Because we think awareness comes first, then consideration and purchase, we move from reach to targeted advertising, from attitudes to behavior. We need to flip the media funnel.

Post demographics media strategy. We are moving into a POST-DEMOGRAPHICS, data driven era for media strategy…where behavior-based media strategies offer RECENCY, RELEVANCE, and REINFORCEMENT targeting.

Death of organic Facebook impressions. Facebook’s new newsfeed algorithm has practically killed brands’ organic impressions. Is the bloom off the rose? No…Facebook did marketers a big favor.

When are brand extensions a good idea? Marketers want to use brand extension strategies as much as possible today because it is a more affordable way to introduce products but the key is having enough rocket fuel, i.e. brand equity, to get the rocket (i.e. brand extension) off the ground.

How will progressive researchers change the way they do their jobs in 2015?  My predictions are coming in the next blog…

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