Naoki Takahashi of Nissan Motor Co. discusses the need for client-side market research and insights functions to redefine their scope and expertise in light of new emerging data sources. He presents several hypotheses for how client-side market research should adapt, including how to structure customer context using diverse data sources, how the market research organization should be structured, how to develop and train market research professionals on new data and tools, and how to source new data and tools—including opportunities for market research companies to provide integrated data and consumer insights.

1. Defining the future role of client-side market research and insights
Naoki Takahashi, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Looking Forward
Defining the future role of client-side
market research and insights
Naoki Takahashi
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

2. Defining the future role of
client-side market research and
insights
Naoki Takahashi
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Dec. 2018

3. www.nissan-global.com 3
Profile: Naoki TAKAHASHI
General Manager Expert
Corporate Market Intelligence Division
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Expert in marketing research and data analytics with 35-year experience in the
disciplines with diversified areas in terms of industry, methodology, marketing
theme, etc.
Joined Nissan 2003, developed global marketing research scheme and mROI
assessment scheme first ever to Nissan, led cross functional activities for
process restructuring for product development and project management, and
managing global MR function while designing its future vision
Before joining Nissan, worked for Intage Inc., managing diversified areas of
customer research projects and CRM initiatives in terms of industry,
methodology, strategic implications, etc.
Leading a voluntary group of industry leaders in Japan MR society
Offers presentations and lectures at universities and industry seminars
including ESOMAR
MBA, Kellogg Graduate School of Management
BA in Sociology, Doshisha University

4. www.nissan-global.com 4
Emergence of new data requires MI* function to re-define its scope and expertise
Research data Social media data
Psychophysiological data Motion detection data
Geolocation data
How can MI get ourselves
ready to provide holistic
context of customer insight
using varieties of data ?
Automotive site data
MI*: Market Intelligence

5. www.nissan-global.com 5
MI needs to re-define its structure with hypothesis
360 customer
understanding
scheme
MI
expertise
scheme
MI deliverables MI organization
Data
Tool
Tool
Data
Hiring/
Nurturing
scheme
Data Tool
Data Tool
What kind of
“new” data do we
need to use?
What are the
right tools to use
the “new” data?
What is the right structure to
describe customers by
gathering wide variety of data?
How is the right structure for MI
organization? Do they all need to
use the “new” data?
How to get people capable
to use “new” data/tool?
How to train them?
How to keep us updated
about “new” data/tools in
the future?
What are the
right sources
for the data/
tools?

6. www.nissan-global.com 6
Hypothesis: How should customer context be structured?
Needs/
Perception
Purchase
• Search
• Choose
• Buy
Usage
• Expect
• Use
• Satisfied
Narrative
• Hear
• Perceive
Subscribe
• Purchase
upon use Data
MR Auto site Query Social
media
Psycho-
physio-
logical
Geo-
location
Motion
detection
Usage ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Narrative ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Purchase ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Needs/
Perception
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
What is the right structure to
describe customers by
gathering wide variety of data?
What kind of
“new” data do we
need to use?

7. www.nissan-global.com 7
Hypothesis: How does MI keep updated with new data/tools?
Watch emerging data/
tool
Discuss in Global to
decide pilot and assign
region
Global decides
“recommended data/
tool”
How to keep us updated
about “new” data/tools in
the future?

8. www.nissan-global.com 8
MI
Hypothesis: How should MI be structured?
Company stakeholders in
line functions and
executives
Provides
customer
insight
Provides
customer
insight
Front End
Expertise in company
business process and
corporate agenda
How is the right structure for MI
organization? Do they all need to
use the “new” data?
Back End
Expertise in
methodology and new
data/tool
Provides
advanced
analytics
support
Company stakeholders in
staff functions

9. www.nissan-global.com 9
Hypothesis: How should MI people be developed/trained?
Front end
Expertise in company
business process and
corporate agenda
Moved from inside,
new grad
Hired from outside
Stakeholder function
Flow of people
Role in
training
• Provide MI
members with
company
process training
• Provide
stakeholder
functions with
MI training
• Provide MI
members with
training on
methodology
and new data/
tools
Back end
Expertise in
methodology and tool/
data
How to get people capable
to use “new” data/tool?
How to train them?

10. www.nissan-global.com 10
u MI may need to source them one by one in inefficient way, and…
u That would make MR companies dwarfed as just one of the data sources
Hypothesis: How does MI source new data/tools?
What are opportunities for MR companies?
What are the
right sources
for the data/
tools?
MI
SM data
vender
Geolocation
data vender
Search query
data vender
And more
MR
Data/
Tool
Data/
Tool
Data/
Tool
Data/
Tool
Data/
Tool
MR company

11. www.nissan-global.com 11
u MI may need to source them one by one in inefficient way, and…
u That would make MR companies dwarfed as just one of the data sources
u Opportunities for MR companies would lie in integration of data and providing consumer
context
Hypothesis: How does MI source new data/tools?
What are opportunities for MR companies?
What are the
right sources
for the data/
tools?
MI
SM data
vender
Geolocation
data vender
Search query
data vender
And more
MR
Data/
Tool
Data/
Tool
Data/
Tool
Data/
Tool
Data/
Tool
MR
company
• Data from
venders
• Customer
insight
context/
framework
• Data/tool
frontier
exploration
• Training

12. Thank You

13. Defining the future role of client-side market research and insights
Naoki Takahashi, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Looking Forward
Defining the future role of client-side
market research and insights
Naoki Takahashi
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Ray Poynter
NewMR

14. Defining the future role of client-side market research and insights
Naoki Takahashi, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Looking Forward
Q & A
Naoki Takahashi
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Ray Poynter
NewMR

15. Defining the future role of client-side market research and insights
Naoki Takahashi, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Looking Forward
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