My essential list of 120 inspiring, educational, and human-operated #MRX Twitter accounts
I’m pretty good about curating my Twitter account to be relevant to me and current. When accounts go dormant, the author switches their career, or there’s too much promotion, I unfollow (or mute) those accounts. Given that, the people I follow are at least somewhat active tweeters within the marketing research, polling, data, statistics, visualization, VR, and AI industries.
Within that set, however, there is a core group of people who inspire, teach, or make me rethink what I thought I knew. If you’re looking for the same, may I suggest following every single person on the list below. For quicker following, go right to my Twitter list: https://twitter.com/LoveStats/lists/my-essential-mrx-peeps/members. This list is always changing as I occasionally find new gems.
I also follow a bunch of unrelated, fun accounts so if you want to know what tickles my fancy outside of research (mudlarking, archeology, birds, horrid jokes), have a peek here: https://twitter.com/LoveStats/lists/off-topic-fun
(((Adam Korengold))) @akorengold | Insight generator, PRC. |
Adriana Rocha @adricrocha | CEO at eCGlobal, the creator of http://eCGlobal.com , a social network that helps brands & consumers to collaborate and make better data-driven decisions. |
Andrew Kohut @AndrewKohut1 | Founding Director, Pew Research Center |
Andrew Reid @reidandrew | CEO of Rival Technologies | Founder of Vision Critical | Entrepreneur • Innovator • Investor • Husband • Dad • Adventurer |
Andrew Vincent @Waves05 | Childlike curiosity, insight practitioner, consultant and trainer. Waves on twitter: no blog just 140 characters of opinion (and NOT 280, LESS not MORE). |
andrewjeavons @andrewjeavons | text analytics, software development, psychology, cat wrangler and silversmith. |
Angus Reid @AngusReid | Chair, Angus Reid Institute, Angus Reid Forum. Passionate about public views on the issues of our times. Prepared to put my own spin on the unfolding dynamic. |
Angus Reid @Reid_Angus | Exec Chair @Visioncritical; lifetime pollster @angusreidglobal |
Ariel Edwards-Levy @aedwardslevy | Reporter and polling editor @HuffPostPol, covering politics/public opinion. LA native, USC alum, perpetually in search of a pithier Twitter bio. I like puns. |
Ashley Kirzinger @AshleyKirzinger | Associate Director for Public Opinion and Survey Research at @kaiserfamfound. Also: @AAPOR’s Transparency Init, #womenalsopoll Elder Millennial. She/Her. Ph.D. |
Barb Justason @barbjustason | Pollster follows only active accounts: #Vancouver #VanPoli #BCpoli #Civic #Urban. Justason Market Intelligence & Vancouver Focus®. |
Barry Watson @bwatson_erg | President and CEO at Environics Research |
Ben Page, Ipsos MORI @benatipsosmori | Chief Exec at Ipsos MORI, Visiting Professor at Kings College London https://www.ipsos-mori.com . Trustee at @centreforlondon and @Ageing_Better |
Betty Adamou @BettyAdamou | CEO & Founder @RTG_Ltd Author: Games & Gamification in Market Research http://amzn.to/2LI2H5m SeriousGame designer. Inventor of ResearchGames™. Keynote speaker |
Brian F. Singh @BFSingh | Catalyst/Strategist/Data scientist. Angel investor, food/wine aficionado & (tries to be) decent guy. They/Them. |
Bruno Moynié @BrunoMoynie | Ethnographer-filmmaker, inclined to storytelling. Blues & Stinky cheeses lover. |
Carol Fitzgerald @carolfitzgerald | President & CEO of @BuzzBack #MRX |
Caroline Criado Perez @CCriadoPerez | Lobbyist for Big Vagina. Author of INVISIBLE WOMEN. UK publicist: @lucietwiggs US publicist: publicity[at]http://abramsbooks.com . Agent: tbohan[at]http://wylieagency.co.uk . |
Cathy Harrison @VirtualMRX | Insights & Market Intelligence Professional: Creative, skilled, & methodologically agnostic. Holistic approach to exploring complex business concerns #MRX #PMP |
Claire Durand @clairedurand | Professeur, dept. de sociologie, U de Montréal; Sondages/ Survey research; Méthodes quantitatives/ Quantitative methods; CECD-CSDC; Past President, WAPOR. |
Dan Ariely @danariely | Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics |
Dan Foreman @winifredatwell | https://www.linkedin.com/in/dforeman |
Dan Womack @DanWomack | Insights, strategy and innovation guy. Fan of meaningful change, informed decisions & vinyl records. #MRX |
Danielle Todd @DanielleDDTodd | Account Director @wearerelish. London @WomenInResearch lead. Love great brands that do good, feminism, boxing and wine. |
Data Science Renee @BecomingDataSci | Creator/Host of Becoming a Data Scientist Podcast // @DataSciGuide @DataSciLearning @NewDataSciJobs // Personal acct: @paix120 // Data Scientist at @HelioCampus |
David Dutwin @DDutwin | Its all about the method – EVP/Chief Methodologist at @ssrs_research |
David F. Harris @David_F_Harris | David does training and consulting on questionnaire design and research planning. Author of the book, The Complete Guide to Writing Questionnaires. |
David Stark @davidstarkca | Widowed dad, road safety advocate, privacy officer in financial services industry. Co-founded Friends and Families for Safe Streets. #ffsafestreets |
Diana Lucaci @dianalucaci | Founder, CEO at True Impact. We humanize the customer and drive growth with consumer neuroscience research. |
Diane Hessan @DianeHessan | Entrepreneur, author & angel investor. Founder/Chair of C Space, Boston Globe Columnist, lover of all things baseball & politics. Mom to 2 fabulous daughters. |
Director of Global Attitudes Research @pewresearch | Jenny C @Jenny_Census |
Dr Liz Allen @DrDemography | Demographer | Demography, populations, surveys, data, methods, census. Educator, researcher. |
Dydra Virgil @dhvirgil | 25 years marketing research experience (qual & quant). Skilled moderator. MBA, Wake Forest University BA Economics, UNC at Chapel Hill |
Edward Tufte @EdwardTufte | Statistician,visualizer,artist, professor. Founded Graphics Press, Hogpen Hill Farms, ET Modern Gallery |
Edward @Edward04 | Consumer Insights Manager based in Berlin |
Elina Halonen @SquarePegMind | Consumer behaviour specialist | Neurodivergent | Cross-cultural psychologist |
Elizabeth Moore @ms_lizzie | Analyst wrangler, insights professional at Telstra. Choral singer. Lover of classical music, opera, skiing and my family. Opinions my own. |
eric salama @ericsalama | ceo of @kantar, leader in global #marketresearch insights and consulting and part of @wpp. governor of @birkbeckUoL dad, arsenal supporter |
Finn01 @Finn01 | Director General, ESOMAR |
Fiona Blades @FionaMESH | Founder & Chief Experience Officer of MESH – The Experience Agency. |
Frank Graves @VoiceOfFranky | Frank Graves is the president and founder of EKOS Research Associates. Views here are personal and not those of EKOS Research . |
Gian Fulgoni @gfulgoni | Former Chairman & CEO and Co-Founder, comScore. Digital Media, Digital Commerce, Market Research, IRI, Sports, Porsche, Pittsburgh Steelers |
griffinsc @griffinsc | Passionate supporter of young creatives and artists, especially in theater. |
Hilary Mason @hmason | GM for Machine Learning at @Cloudera. Founder at @FastForwardLabs. Data Scientist in Residence at @accel. I |
Howard Fienberg @hfienberg | VP Advocacy for @InsightsMRX and co-director of @CensusProject … tweeting on Hockey, lobbying, sci-fi, horror and #mrx |
Ilka Kuhagen @ilkakuhagen | Award Winning Qualitative Research Consultant: Insight | Innovation | Consulting |
Its all about the method – EVP/Chief Methodologist at @ssrs_research | Andrew Kohut @AndrewKohut1 |
Jacqueline Rousseau-Anderson @jaranderson | Passionate exec turned strategist who loves helping people get sh*t done. |
Jane Frost @JaneFrostMRS | Chief Executive Officer at MRS – the world’s largest research association. Experienced marketer, and champion of all things research. All views are my own. |
Jean-Marc Leger @JeanMarcLeger1 | Président de la firme de sondages Léger, la plus importante firme de sondages et recherche marketing à propriété canadienne. |
Jeffrey Henning @JHenning | Executive director of the MRII, providing continuing education to market researchers worldwide. ~I mark quotes edited to fit Twitter with tildes.~ |
Jen Romano-Bergstrom @romanocog | Experimental Psychologist; UX Research Director @Bridgewater; Coach; @UXPA_Int Board Mem; Author of ‘Eye Tracking in UX Design’ & ‘Usability Testing of Surveys’ |
Jenny C @Jenny_Census | I’m a Research Psychologist for the US Census Bureau. Views expressed here are my own! |
Joaquim Bretcha @jbretcha | ESOMAR President | Netquest International | Mindprober advisor | HealhtusNepal co-founder #mrx #dataanalytics #connector #communicator |
John Crockett @JohnCMRP | modern market researcher who spends too much time talking sports with his dog |
John D. Willis @TOjohnw | Inclusive design in services. organizations, and markets. Current work in social service modernization. All tweets are my own opinions. |
John Kearon @ChiefJuicer | Founder & CEO of System1 Group PLC [formerly BrainJuicer] |
John Wright @JohnWrightLive | 30 yrs polling. 40 yrs Public Affairs Communications. Demography. Commentator. Pundit. Political Observer. Absolutely Non Partisan. 3 Bestseller Canadian Books. |
johngriffiths7 @johngriffiths7 | explorer planner and researcher Planning Above and Beyond Research Liberation Front and Waggledancers are all social objects I am linked to |
Jon Cohen @jcpolls | chief research officer @surveymonkey. x-@washingtonpost, @pewresearch @ABCNews, @PPICNotes, @Accenture. Suffering @CalAthletics fan; x-suffering @warriors fan |
Jon Puleston @jonpuleston | Vice President Innovation Kantar Profiles division, specialising in the design & development of interactive surveys & online research innovation |
Julie K @julie1research | Market strategy & research for F500 tech, platform, fin tech, media, e-commerce brands. Amplifier, listener, socializer, spotter, friend #MRX, #NGMR #NewMR ENTJ |
Justine Bulgar-Medina @Bulgar_Medina | Survey Researcher. Sociologist. Researcher @ NORC. #Northeastern alumna. Amateur chef. Bibliophile. And, an overall geek. |
KARENE SMITH @ShineyInsights | Leading the creative & efficient insights geekery at Shine Insight – an alternative insights agency. #MRX #visualstorytelling #dataviz #marketresearch |
Kathryn Korostoff @ResearchRocks | I get to work with 9 instructors and 100+ consultants, and all of us are aiming for the same thing: advancing customer insights through research excellence. |
Kathy Doyle @DoyleResearch | Innovative qualitative research. We are experienced, curious, smart and strategic. |
Katie Clark @InsightsGal | Market researcher, digital storyteller, life hacker, productivity nerd, #twinmom, adoption advocate |
Kerry Hecht @Kerryhecht | Mom of a human and three dogs. Lifelong market researcher and CEO/Founder of Echo MR |
Kevin Gray @kevinsgray999 | Andrew Vincent @Waves05 |
KJ @kristajoyce1114 | kicking and screaming |
Kristen Olson @olson_km | Survey Methodologist by profession. Sociologist by choice. |
Kristen Soltis Anderson @KSoltisAnderson | Polls at @echeloninsights, host on @siriusxm POTUS Ch + @thepollsters + writes for @washingtonexaminer |
Kristin Anderson @kanders32 | Customer Insights professional in the Women’s Retail Apparel sphere. Curiosity driven. Sometimes athletic, always enthusiastic. All views my own. |
Kristin Luck @kristinluck | Serial #entrepreneur turned advisor & #growth strategist. Data monetization pro. Latest project @scale_house. Passion project: @womeninresearch |
Kristof De Wulf @kristofdewulf | Co-founder & CEO @InSites l Empowering people to shape the future of brands l @TEDx talker I Former @Vlerick professor I #mrx #insight #innovation #cx #custexp |
Laura Davies @lauramdavies | Researcher, marketer, pollster, online community builder & non-profit campaigner, living it up in Essex, but homes away from home in Canada & India. Views own! |
Laurent Flores @laurentflores | #Entrepreneur #Digital #Marketing #Analytics #Professor of Marketing #Author #Sailor |
Layla Shea @UpwordsInsights | Chief Insights Officer and founder of Upwords. Curious about everything. |
Leonard Murphy @lennyism | Thinker, Doer, Leader, Advisor, Investor. Insight innovation junkie. Dad to 5 and proud uber-geek. |
Lisa Horwich @PallasResearch | B2B Researcher | Strategist | Marketer | Moderator | Martial Arts Enthusiast |
Lisa Wilding-Brown @WildingBrown | Lisa Wilding-Brown |
LKHDavison @lkhdavison | Founder, MD @keenasmustard marketing agency for data, research and insight. Formerly @keenasmustard now me. Fan of Radio4 and tea, builder’s please |
Marcello Sasso @marcellosasso | VP, Aimpoint Research, Market Research Thought Leader |
Mario Canseco @mario_canseco | Mario Conseco |
Mark Blumenthal @MysteryPollster | Pollster. Husband. Father. Cyclist. Formerly: SurveyMonkey, Huffington Post, http://Pollster.com , political consultant (D). |
Michael Link @MLink01 | Dad, drummer, foodie, registered drone pilot — Views are my own. |
Molly Brodie @Mollybrodie | Mollyann Brodie | Kaiser Family Foundation (@KaiserFamFound) Sr VP Exec Operations & Exec Director, Public Opinion & Survey Research | @AAPOR President |
Natalie Jackson @nataliemjb | Research Director @PRRIpoll (opinions my own) | polisci PhD | |
Nicole Radziwill @nicoleradziwill | VP Quality & SCM #rstats #wx #machinelearning #IIoT #EHSQ #datascience #asd UNI’92 & 50% Nichól Ní Radsibhfuil! http://qualityandinnovation.com |
Niels Schillewaert @niels_insites | Managing Partner, co-founder InSites Consulting | Author & Speaker | PhD | Research Geek | Change Executive Thinking via Consumer Consulting |
Nikki Lavoie @NikkiMindspark | Me, but professional me. Globe-trotting Managing Director of @mindsparklab. Conduit of human connection. American in Paris. |
Oana Rengle @OanaRengle | Qualitative Research Fairy |
Ol’ Man Crosstabs @OldSchoolMRX | Research the way it should be done. |
Paul Fairie @paulisci | Sometimes I teach politics, more often I tweet jokes. |
Peter Harrison @Peter_Harrison | Behaviour Change, branding & Insights person. Opinions / sense of humour my own and statistically speaking likely to be shared by you if you choose to follow |
pollcat @pollcat | AKA Scott Keeter. Senior survey advisor to Pew Research Center. Lapsed political scientist. Bad golfer. Hiker. Same colleges as Steph Curry & Michael Jordan. |
Rana el Kaliouby @kaliouby | Entrepreneur. Scientist. Co-founder and CEO @Affectiva. On a mission to humanize technology with #EmotionAI – YGL at WEF. #CV #ML #DeepLearning #womenintech |
RayPoynter @RayPoynter | At the intersection of work, fun & discovery. Founder #NewMR – my core activities are consulting, learning, training, writing, and having fun. |
Reg Baker @thesurveygeek | Market, opinion and social research maven, contrarian, avid birder, photo enthusiast and music lover |
Reineke Reitsma @rreitsma | Forrester Analyst. Interested in anything related to consumer behavior, technology change, and market research – preferably in combination |
Richard Wike @RichardWike | Director of Global Attitudes Research @pewresearch |
Rick Hobbs @rhobber | Research, Analytics, Sports. Views are my own. |
Robert M. Groves @RobertMGroves | Provost of Georgetown’s main campus, professor in mathematics and statistics, and sociology. His blog can be found at http://blog.provost.georgetown.edu |
S Saurage-Altenloh @SaurageFacts | Trendspotter. Research strategist. Networking junkie. Lover of music, wine, fast cars, motorcycles, art and my Constitutional rights. MBA, PhD… |
Scott Koenig @Scott_Koenig | Marketing storyteller, educator, researcher, and community volunteer helping businesses and individuals reach their potential. |
Shannon Danzy @sdanzy | Sharing my curiosity abt culture, brands + people | Online qualitative research specialist | Brand strategist | Co-Chair, QRCA Young Pro Committee + NY Chapter |
Siamack Salari @SiamackSalari | Outsider, Ethnographer, dad, cook, lover. Visiting Fellow Dept of Management Kings College London. EthOSapp creator. |
Sima Vasa @simavasa | Passionate, curious, successful leader focused on elevating the data, #mrx and analytics ecosystem. Entrepreneurship, Investment Banking, Advisor, Podcast Host |
Stan Sthanunathan @ssthanunathan | Strategy, Insights, advanced analytics, big data and Impact. Humour, Laughter and Optimistic view of life. Self proclaimed shopaholic! |
Stas Kolenikov @StatStas | Survey statistician. Views are not my employer’s (@AbtAssociates @AbtDataScience). Looking forward to opportunities to collect data for you. [stas kɐlʲ’enʲikɐv] |
Sue York @1sue3 | Helping Create the Future of Research. Author of ‘The Handbook of Mobile Market Research’. Founder of #NewMR. Social and Market Researcher. |
Susan Abbott @SusanAbbott | Facilitator, quallie, author, artist. http://thinkglobalqualitative.com | http://sgabbott.com | http://ca.linkedin.com/in/susanabbott political: @mspundit |
SusanSweet @SusanSweet | Qualitative research consultant who loves travel, food, coffee and her kids. Can be found here: susan@sweetinsightgroup.com |
Tom De Ruyck @tomderuyck | Managing Partner @InSites | Creating Consumer-Centric Thinking, Future Proof Organisations | Keynote Speaker | Author | Prof. @IESEG | Investor @SpeakersBaseHQ |
Tom Ewing @tomewing | Pop writer, market researcher, lazybones. He/him. |
Trent Buskirk @trentbuskirk | Data Science Renee @BecomingDataSci |
Trina Arnett @trinalytics | Perpetually curious and passionate researcher, data junkie, visualization wonk, analytics geek. |
Vanessa Oshima @VOshima70 | Kiwi that loves Japan, her husband and kids … and life in general … motto is to never let it beat you … try hard enough it will join you! |
Zontziry Johnson @zontziry | #MRX influencer. Lifelong learner. Mother. Sewer. Sci-fi and boardgame geek. Call me Z! All tweets are my own opinion and craziness. |
CEO @abacusdataca Prof @Carleton_U. Speaker with @speakersdotca #cycling, #strategy, #cdnpoli, #marketing, #foodie, #wine, & #Millennials. |
These data prove I am worth 80% of what my male research colleagues are worth #MRX #NewMR
As a freelance market research writer (my service sheet is here), I regularly check my public profiles to make sure they’re up to date. This time, I checked my profile on Savio, a marketplace connecting market research buyers with research experts, which is maintained by GreenBook.
After clicking around the website for a bit, I realized that every researcher’s hourly rate was completely and easily transparent, not hidden behind multiple clicks and privacy walls. My brain gears sped up….
People don’t talk about salaries which is a problem. Freelancers don’t know if they’re being paid what they deserve. Women don’t know if they’re being paid less than their equivalent male counterparts. So in that regard, I have to thank Savio and Greenbook for opening the black box and helping researchers see a piece of reality.
I had planned to go see the new Solo movie but this lovely little dataset just presented itself to me. Plus, I hear there isn’t any ukulele in this movie so let’s do this.
I downloaded the data and removed the business profiles. That left me with 191 individuals who provided an hourly rate, country, and the types of work they do. I manually gendered all the profiles. Obviously, I may have gotten a few wrong as I am not the gender police (much better said by Effin Birds) – 83 women, 107 men, and 1 unknown.
As all good data people do, I started with a frequency distribution. A few things were immediately apparent. 1) 3% of men and 4% of women VASTLY undervalued themselves. If you have listed an hourly rate under $50 per hour, go to your profile right now and FIX IT. I never want to see an hourly rate less than $50. From any freelancer. For anything. 2) 6% of men and 2% of women listed stunningly high rates, a couple over $1000 per hour. These rates might be for bragging, for negotiating, or for real but if you can command them, more power to you. 3) Women were far more likely to undervalue themselves while men were far more likely to overvalue themselves. [“THAT was a pencil in the neck moment!” -Luke Sklar]
Maybe group averages would paint a different picture but nope. Across all 191 rates, women asked for 81% of what men did – $168 versus $207 per hour.I tried excluding outliers from 12 people whose rates were below $50 or above $500. Women still asked for 81% of what men asked – $153 versus $189 per hour. I then focused on the three countries with at least 8 researchers. In Canada, two women and myself listed rates that were a paltry 40% of what five men listed. Among 123 US researchers, women asked for a somewhat better 80% of what men asked for. I am thrilled, though, to offer a huge hurray to the 14 researchers in the UK where hourly rates listed by men and women were equal. (Okay, women can increase their hourly rates by $5 in the UK.)
Maybe it’s because women do “less valuable” work so I tried grouping by the 25 different type of work people specified they did. Major caveat though – these data do not account for the fact that someone might charge different rates for different types of work.
I’ll pick out two examples from the chart since it’s a little bit complicated and uses two axes. At the left of the graph, among people who offer legal research services, women specified an hourly rate of $169 compared to men at $136. Thus, women listed a rate that was 124% of what men listed. There exist four categories of work where women listed a higher hourly rate than men – Legal Research, Field Services, Recruiting, and Support Services.
Second, at the right of the chart, among researchers who conduct Mystery Shopping, women listed an hourly rate of $138 compared to men at $225. Women listed a rate that was 61% of what men listed. There exist 21 categories of work where men listed a higher hourly rate than women.
I don’t know if these differences are because women undervalue themselves or because men overvalue themselves. I don’t know how much of these differences exist for bargaining or bragging purposes.
But I do know this. As much as I love statistics, t-tests and chi-squares aren’t necessary to determine the likelihood that these results are due to chance. Correlations and Cohen’s D aren’t necessary to determine whether the effect sizes are meaningful.
Women ask for less financial compensation than do men.
Women, my advice to you is simple. Give yourself a raise. Give yourself a giant fucking raise. (I’m channeling my inner Cindy Gallop and I urge you to follow this amazing woman on Twitter or LinkedIn and personally talk about your salary with her here.)
If you’re currently in the $50 to $99 bucket, up your rate to land in the $100 to $149 bucket. If you’re in the $200 to $249 bucket, give yourself a raise into the $250 to $299 bucket. Don’t think twice, it’s all right.
If you’re curious, I may have started my day claiming my worth to be 80% of what my male research colleagues felt they were worth.
It sure didn’t end that way.
You might wish to look at:
Happy International Women’s Day! Let’s meet some #MRX women who are flying under the radar #IWD #WIRe #NewMR #WIREheroes
Happy International Women’s Day!
The market research industry is lucky to benefit from a diverse range of people. Indeed, unlike some industries that are vastly male or vastly female, about half of us are women.
I know many women within our industry who regularly take the stage or sit on association boards or have roles on leadership teams. You probably know them too. Don’t you think it’s time to get to know some other fabulous women who keep the cogs or our industry turning? Let me start with two of those fabulous women!
I first met Kim Wong when she interviewed for a researcher position at Conversition, a social media research company. It was quickly apparent that she was a perfect choice. She figured out our business super fast, even though it was a strange concept at the time. She soon became a wizard at sentiment analysis, content analysis, and data quality of social media data. We could trust her to turn any set of random data into exactly what we needed. You know how amazing it is to find a colleague who can take a task and run with it independently? Yup, that’s Kim. Kim, cheers to you, your awesome contribution to our research team, and to the market research industry. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Meredith Morino is another quietly awesome researcher who deserves a big round of applause. I love your dedication to and passion for qualitative research. I love your openness to try new things even when they seem outside your usual way of doing things. I love that you’re a team player who works hard to ensure that you and your colleagues at Sklar Wilton & Associates do well. Meredith, I look forward to many more intriguing blog posts from you, and even seeing you present on stage. You’ll be awesome, I know it. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Do you know Kim or Meredith? It would be awesome if quiet people could stand on stage and get the huge applause that thought leaders/speakers get all the time so let’s do it here. If you appreciate the work that Kim or Meredith do, leave a note for them here. Even better, send them an email and tell them just how much you appreciate their work.
What do Kim and Meredith need to do now? Recognize another woman in research who is making a difference! Tell us which women researchers are your unsung heroes! You could leave their names in the comments below, tweet their name and why they are awesome, mention why they’re awesome on LinkedIn or, even better, email them and let them know why you think they’re awesome. Don’t forget to tag it #WIREheroes so we can clap for all these awesome people!
What should YOU do? If you’ve been named, and even if you’ve not, it’s your turn to name a woman in research who is flying under the radar. Let’s see how many unsung heroes we have! Don’t forget to tag it #WIREheroes!
Voxpopme Perspectives: Video posts… in writing
Along with a group of market researchers from around the world, I was asked to participate in Voxpopme Perspectives – an initiative wherein insights industry experts share ideas about a variety of topics via video. You can read more about it here or watch the videos here. Viewers can then reach out over Twitter or upload their own video response.
Except the video blogging thing wasn’t working for me. I do my best thinking in writing and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to watch me read a post. So instead, I’ll be sharing my thoughts in written posts. Feel free to write back if you’re so included. Stay tuned!
What’s the big deal with big data? #casro #MRX
I recently debated big data with a worthy opponent in Marc Alley at the Corporate Research Conference. He stood firm in his belief that big data is the best type of data whereas I stood firm in my position that traditional research is the only way to go. You can read a summary of the debate written by Jeffrey Henning here.
The interesting thing is that, outside of the debate, Marc and I seemed to agree on most points. Neither of us think that big data is the be all and end all. Neither of us think that market research answers every problem. But both of us were determined to present our side as if it was the only side.
In reality, the best type of data is ALL data. If you can access survey data and big data, you will be better off and have an improved understanding of thoughts, opinions, emotions, attitudes AND validated actions. If you can also access eye tracking data or focus group data or behavioural data, you will be far better off and have data that can speak to reliability or validity. Each data type will present you with a different view and a different perspective on reality. You might even see what looks like completely different results.
Different is not wrong. It’s not misleading. It’s not frustrating. Different results are enlightening, and they are indeed valid. Why do people do different than what they say? Why do people present contradictory data? That’s what is so fascinating about people. There is no one reality. People are complex and have many contradictory motivations. No single dataset can describe the reality of people.
There is no debate about whether big data has anything to offer. Though Marc and I did our best to bring you to our dark side, we must remember that every dataset, regardless of the source, has fascinating insights ready for you to discover. Grab as much data as you can.
Fad or Foible: MR Trends by Bernie Malinoff #NetGain8 #MRX
Live blogging from MRIA’s #NetGain8 conference in Toronto. Any errors or stupid jokes are my own.
“Fad or Foible” MR Trends Affecting the Industry, and Skill Set Needs To Delight Your Client, Bernie Malinoff, CMRP, President, Element54, Montreal
- remember “second life” – just because it’s a shiny new toy doesn’t mean it’s relevant
- researchers tend to be conservative, risk avoiders, it’s a strength to some degree, people trust that we will be disciplined about our work, but this can also hold us back
- we used to be data poor, now the problem is data obesity – Hal Varian, Google
- [Bernie has written out tweets on our slides that we can write into twitter, now isn’t that thoughtful 🙂 ]
- don’t be concerned about the person sitting next to you, worry about people who’ve never been to a market research conference and possibly never consider themselves market researchers
- the dirty dozen – are you afraid of gamification, online communities, social media, crowdsourcing, facial analysis
- many emerging technologies are now mainstream
- you can now capture emotions of 43 facial muscles and vocally detected intonations – add that to your basic film plus sound – now you have what i said and HOW i said it. these are off the shelf products you can buy now
- supplier selection is often based on more creative and energetic modes
- researcher of the future is a strategist, synthesizer, method agnostic, story tellers – now it’s use the right method for the research objective, not the tool you’re most familiar with
- blend technology with rigour, find a fit for purpose technology when it’s appropriate
- 3 cases do not make a norm, a new method will not and cannot replace all other methods
- replace fear of the unknown with curiosity