My keynote presentation from the 2012 MRIA Annual Conference in St. John's, Newfoundland.

1. RIDING THE CHANGE WAVE:
ARCHITECTING MARKET
RESEARCH FOR THE FUTURE

2. DRIVERS OF CHANGE
New
competitors:
Marketing
Agencies, BI
Tech, DIY, SM
Client
Human demands:
Capital: ROI,
Changing skill Integration,
sets Implications &
Outcomes
Market
Research
Suppliers
Consumers:
Economics:
Engagement,
Cheaper,
Socialization,
Faster, Better
Fun, Rewards
Technology:
SM, Mobile,
Converged
Lifestyle

3. THE MOBILE DRIVEN DATA ECONOMY

4. AN INDUSTRY IN TRANSITION
• Data ponds
• Methodological rigor
Traditional • Objective Reporting
Business • Low touch
Model for • Production models
• Slow to adapt to technology
MR • Process vs. People
• Market focus
• Data Rivers
• Methodologically curious
• Narratives & Implications
Transition • High touch
Model • Deep partnerships
• Embracing technology
• People vs. Process
• Regional focus
• Data Oceans
• Methodologically agnostic
• Narratives, Implications &
Outcomes
Future • High touch
Model • Integration with client orgs
• Leading technology
• People-driven
• Glocal focus

5. DON’T TAKE MY WORD ON IT
Almost 60% of Client Research VPs expect major transformation by 2020*
70% of whom expect this to be evident by 2015
Source: Cambiar Future of Research Study, 2011 *38% among total respondents (N=160)

7. WHAT EMERGING TECHNIQUES ARE BEING USED TODAY?
Online Communities 36%
33%
Social Media Analytics 30%
27%
Eye Tracking 27%
15%
Mobile Surveys 17%
24%
Text Analytics 16%
21%
12%
Webcam-Based Interviews 19%
Virtual Environments 11%
7%
11%
NeuroMarketing 4%
Visualization Analytics 7%
8%
Prediction Markets 7%
10%
Mobile Ethnography 7%
14%
7%
Crowdsourcing
8%
Apps' based research 6%
11%
Mobile Qualitative 5%
13%
5%
Biometric Response 5% Research buyer or client
Facial analysis 4%
6% Research provider or supplier
Gamification methods 3%
6%
None of these 28%
31%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
Note: Among research buyers (n=149) and research suppliers (n=669).

8. WHAT EMERGING RESEARCH TECHNIQUES WILL BE USED IN 2012?
Online Communities 66%
64%
Social Media Analytics 66%
59%
Mobile Surveys 53%
64%
43%
Text Analytics 45%
Webcam-Based Interviews 35%
46%
32%
Apps' based research 40%
31%
Mobile Qualitative 46%
31%
Mobile Ethnography 43%
31%
Eye Tracking 21%
Virtual Environments 23%
22%
Crowdsourcing 19%
24%
Visualization Analytics 17%
24%
16%
Prediction Markets 21%
13%
Biometric Response 10% Research buyer or client
11%
Gamification methods 25%
Research provider or supplier
11%
NeuroMarketing 11%
9%
Facial analysis 13%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Note: Among research buyers (n=149) and research suppliers (n=669).

9. FOUR DISCIPLINES CHANGING MARKET RESEARCH
Behavioral Economics Neuroscience
Predictive Analytics Text Analytics

10. MAKING THE SHIFT TO CONSULTANTS
“RESEARCHERS MUST MAKE THE JOURNEY TO BECOME
CONSULTANTS. THE JOURNEY REQUIRES A SHIFT IN HOW
RESEARCHERS DEFINE THEIR PURPOSE, IN WHAT THEY
PROVIDE THEIR CLIENTS, IN HOW THEY DEFINE VALUE, IN
HOW THEY WORK, AND IN THEIR ABILITY TO INFLUENCE
PEOPLE.
THE FUTURE ROLE OF MARKET RESEARCHERS CAN BE
BOILED DOWN TO FOUR HEADLINES:
1) CONSULT, 2) SYNTHESIZE, 3) TELL A STORY, 4) TAKE A
STAND.”
From New Roles for Marketing Researchers, S. Chadwick and I. Lewis. Leading
Edge Marketing Research, Sage Publishing. Publishing Date Nov 2011

11. MR FIRMS ARE ALREADY SHIFTING
Research Providers/ Suppliers
25%
39%
Traditional
Business Consultant
Strategic Insights
35%
Note: Among research suppliers (n=268).

13. THE NEW COMPETITIVE SET
Quant Qual
Consulting Analytics

14. LOOKING AHEAD: THE FORECAST
• Surveys get • The skill sets of • As technologies that help us
smart, dynamic, and short. storytelling, connecting understand emotional
Sampling models focus on disparate data points to form decision making mature and
macro targeting. Game recommendations, and new approaches come to
mechanics are built into the applying the social sciences market, the merger with
interface. Trackers run in real to understand human behavioral economics
time and are feed from CRM behavior will grow in models will become the
and social media platforms. importance. norm.
Qualitative plays
Surveys get Once more, with
connect the
smart: feeling:
dots:
• Look for major IT players like • Not only will advances in text
Google, Salesforce, Facebook analytics increase the
, Microsoft, IBM, Adobe, Yah efficacy of this approach, but
oo, HP or Zynga to continue look for text analytics to also
to make acquisitions & emerge as a game changer in
investments to use their data both online search and big
resources for insight data analytics.
generation.
Google gobbles Text Analytics
up data reads between
collection: the lines:

15. LOOKING AHEAD: THE FORECAST
• 2012 major brands like • Social media and mobile • The science fiction of Isaac
P&G, Coke, Unilever, etc.. technologies will continue to Asimov’s Psychohistory and
Will follow through on their connect herdsmen in Phillip K Dick’s Minority
stated goals and will be Africa, Wall Street Report is the science fact
looking for more partners executives, factory workers of big players like
that offer increased value in China, shop owners in HP, IBM, Google, Apple, and
beyond data collection and Germany and farmers in of smaller firms like Palantir.
analysis. Brazil with each other and
the wider world.
Brands put their money
Going glocal: Big Data = big bucks:
where their mouth is:
• If you don’t think mobile will • New client
continue to be THE defining demands, business
technology of the next five realities, social
years then I don’t know what trends, technology, business
else to tell you. models, competitors, and
advances in understanding
human behavior are
redefining how research is
conducted.
Mobile, mobile, mobile: Research is redefined:

16. WHERE IT IS ALL HEADED: MINORITY REPORT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBaiKsYUdvg

17. THE KEY TO THE FUTURE

18. WHERE DOES TRANSFORMATION BEGIN?
“Strategic differentiation
does not occur by
delivering data, it occurs
by redesigning thinking”

19. THE 4 AREAS WE MUST RETHINK
1. Client Needs & Expectations 4. Process
2. People Skills and Capabilities 3. Technology Enablers

20. CREATING A NEW VISION
Building a holistic model that is based on leveraging key values and strengths in
new ways to lead the future
Data
Synthesis
Strategic
Measurable
Insight
Client ROI
Consulting
Delivering Innovative
Impact Approaches
Curious & Leading-edge
Creative Technology

21. NEW SKILLS FOR A NEW ERA
FUTURIST
JOURNALIST
ANTHROPOLOGIST
CONSULTANT
STRATEGIST
ANALYST

22. WHAT ARE THE SKILLS FOR SUCCESS?
The Researcher The Researcher
of Today of the Future

23. BRIDGING THE INNOVATION GAP: FINDING THE WHITE
SPACE FOR GROWTH

24. WE MUST EMBRACE, SUPPORT, & FUND INNOVATION
Experimentation Mature Products
SOURCES SUCCESS FACTORS
• Internal innovation • Human capital
• Academia • Time
• Tech Start-ups • Financial support
• Business incubators • Open networking
• Data scientists • Scalability
• Client organizations • Operational processes
• Joint ventures • Incentives

25. MR MUST TRIANGULATE FOR SUCCESS
Business Need
• Data driven economy
• Behavioral insights
• Consumer engagement
Value Proposition Innovation
• Keepers of insight • Fund experimentation
• Voice of the expressed & • Embrace evolving models
unspoken consumer need • Look for cross discipline
• Drivers of change connections

26. THE FUTURE IS UP TO YOU; WHICH WAY WILL
YOU GO NOW?