Blog

Thoughts on everything that matters right now in marketing, communications, and insights.

Author: Braden MacDonald

How to win a client’s heart Posted on May 10, 2023 by Braden MacDonald

Insights from Diageo, Under Armour, DeBeers and The Economist on choosing their insight partners. There isn’t an app for clients to swipe to find their perfect insight partner. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t get noticed. At IIEX Amsterdam, Colonel Mustard Lucy Davison led a dynamic panel discussion about how end clients find and engage with new insight partners. Panellists, including Efrain Rosario, Head of Global Futures and Shopper Planning at Diageo, Diana Mitkov, Senior Management of Demand Insights

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Attracting and amplifying women’s leadership in market research Posted on March 2, 2023 by Braden MacDonald

Here at Mustard, as a women founded and led business, we foster an environment of diversity. The work of Women in Research and the MRS’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion reports have been vital elements in promoting and advocating for women in insights. As profession continues to evolve, there has been a growing push towards recognising the value of diversity in all areas of business. But we have far to go. MrWeb’s new ‘Raidar’ ranking published earlier 2023, showed that in

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Someone spilt Mustard on the red carpet! Posted on February 23, 2023 by Braden MacDonald

Back in December, we challenged you to find out your communication style with our Hollywood-themed quiz. Well, the results are in of the world’s first and only survey of insights professionals about communication. 260 of you completed our quiz and now we  are opening the envelope to reveal what we learnt about the insights profession. First of all, although the quiz was a bit of fun the issue is no joke: 63% of you stated that communicating data and insights

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Mind over matter: what we learnt from the MRBA’s ‘Health and Wellbeing’ webinar Posted on January 30, 2023 by Braden MacDonald

I recently had the opportunity to be a part of the Market Research Benevolent Association’s webinar discussing the topic of mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, hosted by Jennifer Perry from the MRBA. The panel featured experts from the market research industry, such as James Pickles from James Pickles Coaching, Amanda Hammond from Opinium, Paul Vittles from The Jordan Legacy and Ben Tuttle from Hope Guardians, who shared their insights and experiences on how to create a mentally healthy

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Lucy Davison becomes two-time Insight250 winner Posted on October 5, 2022 by Braden MacDonald

A huge congratulations are in order for our Colonel Mustard, Lucy Davison, as she becomes a two-time honouree of the Insight250 award at this year’s ESOMAR congress. Lucy was recognised for her achievements over the last year, which includes presenting to the QRCA on building fame, her expert channel on GreenBook, presenting at IIEX in Austin, and her fireside chat with Bic at this year’s Quirk's Media event in New York. It’s been a year full of achievements for Lucy

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Discussions and debates at ESOMAR’s UK summer event Posted on August 16, 2022 by Braden MacDonald

We at Mustard Towers were delighted that ESOMAR recently returned to action in the UK with its first in-person event in over three years. As a (somewhat) new recruit in the MRX and insights industry, I quickly realised that ESOMAR has an excellent reputation. In case you didn’t know, ESOMAR is the global community for people working in data, research and insight. I couldn't wait to get stuck in and see what ESOMAR's UK Summer Event had in store for

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Trends, teasers and triumphs: A recap of IIEX Europe Posted on July 13, 2022 by Braden MacDonald

Greenbook's IIEX events explore the intersection of technology and insights. Is there a better place to host IIEX Europe than Amsterdam? It's a trendy hotspot for many individuals and communities, and MRX is no different. So, you can imagine how excited I was as a (slight) newcomer to the industry to hop onto the Eurostar, arrive and take in the eternal beauty of centuries-old canals, before attending the two-day wonder of 'one of the most cutting-edge consumer insights events in

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What can insights learn from Hollywood? Posted on June 9, 2022 by Braden MacDonald

When it comes to communicating insights, most people still rely on that dull event, the debrief. All our efforts are squeezed into one hour of bar chart hell. When we should be scintillating and exciting, we are studious and exhaustive. What can we do to change this? Where better to look for inspiration than Hollywood?! The glitz, the glamour, the lights, the camera, the action. The FAME. Here are my thoughts on what we can learn from Hollywood to ensure

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Five things we learned at the Festival of Marketing Posted on April 27, 2022 by Braden MacDonald

A round-up of our newest recruit’s thoughts on this year’s Festival of Marketing event. It was an exciting prospect to attend the Festival of Marketing for the first time! With a background in communications and having studied marketing, I’d heard a lot about the Festival of Marketing and how well-respected and cherished it is in the industry, but never had the opportunity to go – until now – even if it was just virtually. The Festival of Marketing boasts content

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MRS Impact 2022: A round-up Posted on March 29, 2022 by Braden MacDonald

Thoughts on the Market Research Society's Impact 2022 event by our newest Mustard recruit. After joining the world of MRX only a few months ago, I was excited to attend my first professional event and learn more about the people, trends and the contribution of data and insights. Learning is a treasure that follows its owner everywhere, so as someone with a communications background, I was eager to get to grips with the industry to see what I can apply

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