How brands are taking advantage of innovations in market research
From neuro-research and behavioural economics to sensory insight and even programmatic, Marketing Week explores the latest techniques for market research.
Market research on a shoestring: How to get big insights from small budgets
Marketers are forever being asked to achieve more with less so how can brands cut the budget without cutting corners when it comes to research?
Tom Goodwin: Treat data like a friend down the pub not an idol to pray to
Too many marketers are asking for data that’s easy to measure and KPIs that are simple to track, rather than really listening to customers and understanding their wants and needs.
From introvert to extrovert: The changing nature of insight teams
To deliver responsive, data-driven consumer understanding, insight teams are investing in fresh talent and new skills.
The rise of automation in market research
Brands are increasingly turning to automated research techniques to prune the market of poor methodologies, toxic panels and anecdotal results, but there will always be a need for human analysis.
How ‘flexitarianism’ is transforming consumers’ eating habits
Sponsored by YouGov
Attitudes towards meat eating are changing consumers’ dietary habits, with consumers making more conscious choices, according to new research by YouGov.
Faster, stronger, better: How PepsiCo is reinventing insight
PepsiCo is taking a “systemic approach” to insight that positions it as a driving force within the business and enables it to continually learn and grow each year.
Starbucks explores dark social for market research
The coffee giant is trying to bring its marketing and product development closer together so it can jump on trends faster and get better insight on what resonates.
How Coca-Cola, Lego and Gillette tapped into the wisdom of crowds
Gillette, Lego and Coca-Cola are among the big brands using crowdfunding as a means of increasing the speed and reducing the risk of innovation, while getting rare direct access to consumer data and feedback.
How human is your brand?
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Customers expect more natural communications from brands today, with marketers having the challenge of creating a personal connection, increasingly through the use of automation.
How is market research evolving in a digital, AI-led marketing world?
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Market research companies need to make the most of machine learning to devise research methods that adapt to consumers’ changing digital habits and attention spans.
Why brands are taking a political stand
Sponsored by YouGov
Nike is not the first brand to take a stand on social issues but its campaign featuring American footballer and anti-racism campaigner Colin Kaepernick is one of the most divisive, and new research suggests the strategy could be effective.
‘Customer experience is as much about perception as reality’
Increasing satisfaction doesn’t always require costly service improvements – sometimes shifting expectations is equally effective for much less investment.
Should brands have a voice on society’s big issues?
Sponsored by YouGov
New research from YouGov examines whether it’s riskier for brands to speak up on important social and political matters, or to stay silent.
Marketoonist on evidence-based marketing
Tom Fishburne is founder of Marketoon Studios. Follow his work at marketoonist.com or on Twitter @tomfishburne See more of the Marketoonist here
Mark Ritson: Stop propping up brand purpose with contrived data and hypocrisy
Channel 4’s research claiming consumers want purpose-driven ads is the latest flimsy attempt to bolster a morally bankrupt concept that simply covers over corporate indiscretions.
Mark Ritson: The first rule of marketing is you are not the customer
A new report confirms media agency staff are nothing like the consumers they serve, but the bigger question is whether they and marketers are market-orientated enough to know this and let customer insight guide them.
Richard Shotton: The ‘safest’ ads are at greatest risk of going unnoticed
Marketers, like all humans, believe everyone is as interested in their work as they are, leading to ads that fall at the first hurdle by taking it for granted that they will be noticed.
Customer experience is the opportunity to grow influence
Sponsored by Omobono
The business world’s preoccupation with customer experience has led to billions being invested in digital transformation. This means marketers can play a bigger role, says Omobono’s Jonathon Palmer, but to do so successfully requires clarity on where to best focus efforts.
The marketing insights of the top beer brands
Sponsored by YouGov
YouGov research reveals the consumer profiles and buying preferences of beer and cider drinkers, including the habits of pubgoers and the brands with the top perception scores.
Richard Shotton: If you want to earn consumers’ love, flaunt your flaws
Marketers need to be confident enough to turn challenges to their advantage, rather than airbrushing out their imperfections and claiming extravagant benefits.
‘Data doesn’t need to be big or creepy to shed light on consumer psychology’
In a post-GDPR world, there will be little value in large behavioural and demographic databases when just a few contextual psychological insights are more effective, says CrowdCat chief scientist Richard Summers.
Richard Shotton: Aim for average and you’ll serve no one well
Behavioural insights show targeting the average consumer can backfire among key groups, even it succeeds among the majority, which is an argument for in-depth research on individual segments.
F1’s commercial boss on transforming the ‘under-managed’ business
Sean Bratches admits there have been times that he hasn’t known whether to “laugh or cry” as he tries to get under the skin of the brand for the first time.
Mark Ritson: 10 reasons why Superbrands 2018 is a worthless list
Superbrands’ bogus methodology regularly turns up inexplicable and nonsensical ‘findings’. Here are my top 10 aberrations from this year’s Superbrands Consumer Top 20 ranking.
Unilever trials in-store facial recognition technology
Tests with Unilever’s Knorr brand in Brazil showed in-store marketing can increase how noticeable a product is three-fold, as the company seeks to bolster measurement of its retail investment.
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Russell Parsons: If marketers really want to understand customers, research cannot be seen as discretionary
Investment in market research is declining but cutting back on consumer insight will severely hinder marketers’ ability to be the voice of the customer.