Research transformation is more than employing new tools to get at what consumers in a 2.0 world think and do, it is about finding ways of bringing those findings to life. What is the brilliant insight from your research (example: Dove Campaign for Real Beauty was motivated by the insight that only 2% of women think of themselves as beautiful). Find that insight and then tell it in a way that is unforgettable. If you connect emotionally with your audience they will never forget the insight you delivered and if will be baked into their decision-making. (Can you say “research impact”?) I think storytelling is key and that’s why it will be featured at the ARF’s Jan 27th event in SF on research transformation (Michael Perman from Levi Strauss will speak on, “Storytelling inspires change”). We will then follow that up with a day of training on storytelling research results on March 29th (the Sunday before our annual conference). Are you using storytelling techniques? Please let us know!!
Dec
23
Oct
30
The ARF had an amazing day on Oct 29th. Over 200 people, many research leaders, starstudded lineup of speakers… all knowing we need a new path forward. Thinking “Listening” might be the fulcrum for transformation of the research function; thinking sense and respond might be the new way that brands show loyalty to customers. The ARF plans to […]
Sep
27
An article recently appeared in AdWeek, entitled “You Can’t Avoid Ad Avoidance…”. Provocatively and correctly, Greg Stuart asks, “What is the future of a business where the consumer hates your product — in this case, advertising?” You get the point, I’m sure. Obviously, marketers need to find better ways of having their brands’ communications welcomed […]
Aug
19
On July 15th at The ARF, we caught lightening in a bottle. A dozen industry leaders met to discuss how to listen to the naturally occurring conversations of consumers via blogs, search, etc. and wound up beginning a journey that will transform the research function and the marketing organizations they serve. Researchers becoming the new […]
Jun
17
Cross-Media understanding is a top priority for ARF members (based on a recent survey of over 200 ARF members). No surprise there. However, when we conducted 20 in-depth interviews among members, the reasons started to fragment (yeah, just like media!) Here are some of the things we heard (and have gleaned from the trade press). […]
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