Blog

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

Author: Braden MacDonald

Mustard on tour! Posted on March 7, 2022 by Braden MacDonald

The return of in-person events, and where to find us in 2022 A people and knowledge-based industry like research and insight cannot thrive without physical, in-person events. The exchange of ideas, innovations, technology and conversation, never mind friendship, cannot be underestimated. Yes, we all adjusted as best we could to existing in a purely digital way, but now, live events are back, and we are looking forward to them more than ever. We're keen to let you know what events

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Researching intersectionality: understanding and learning inclusive behaviours Posted on by Braden MacDonald

MRSpride x CORe: IN+ERSECTIONAL PLATFORM Market Research is all about understanding. Knowing what makes consumers tick and what demographics they neatly fit into is key. But inclusivity is a challenge. For some people it’s not easy to fit in a box – and those boxes aren’t as applicable as they may be for others. This is a core tension for MRX – we both need to categorize in order to measure, and we need to be inclusive if we are

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Pushing boundaries and taking risks: our take on NewMR’s ‘Presenting and Reporting’ webinar series Posted on October 29, 2021 by Braden MacDonald

Through its two waves of research into the state of market research reports and reporting, carried out between 2019 and 2021, NewMR recognised the need for researchers to up their game when it comes to reporting. Only 30% of report recipients rated reports as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ in 2019. Its ‘Presenting and Reporting’ webinar looked at how to engage and inform your audiences, with its speakers looking at different aspects of presenting, reporting and communicating. Along with our very

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How to be famous Posted on September 21, 2021 by Braden MacDonald

The market research industry is notoriously bad at PR. Researchers work with fascinating insights, tell great stories and help with interesting and high-profile campaigns, so why aren’t they shouting about it in the media? Read on for our top tips on how to be famous. First, let’s think about why we need fame in MRX. The answer starts with data – if the industry is well-known, understood and trusted, people will be more likely to take part in studies and

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The secret sauce to being noticed Posted on July 14, 2021 by Braden MacDonald

‘Be noticed, be remembered, be understood,’ is Mars Wrigley’s motto when it comes to its advertising. But, as Michelle Gansle, formerly Senior Director of Insights at Mars Wrigley says, this mantra can also be applied to insights agencies when they approach clients. Speaking as part of the client panel on Day 1 of Insights Marketing Week (the COVID-friendly online reincarnation of IIeX’s Insights Marketing Day), Michelle joined with fellow client-side researchers Nijat Mammadbayli (UX Researcher, Adyen), Dieter Deceuninck (Global Director

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Are your PowerPoints lacking pizzazz? Posted on March 30, 2021 by Braden MacDonald

Take your graphic design skills to the next level To design professional and impactful materials we all need graphic design skills. But, how many of us in insights understand design and approach our work in the way a graphic designer would? And now that meetings, events, presentations, coffee, dating and just about everything else has been taken online, getting clarity and impact from your deliverables is more important than ever. Fear not! Simon Dunn, Mustard’s very own graphic design guru

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Views on MRS Impact – from a new(ish) recruit Posted on by Braden MacDonald

I had heard a lot about the MRS Conference, the networking and the parties, never mind the conference sessions themselves, but since I joined MRX during COVID I have never actually been to a ‘physical’ research industry event – ever! How would this leading industry event, shape up to being purely virtual? From looking through the programme, I could tell this was a line-up of big names – from politics and the arts, and both client and agency-side. So, I

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How to be Famous – MRS Impact Posted on February 9, 2021 by Braden MacDonald

Are you challenged to raise the profile of your work with a wider audience? Do you want to stop being a well-kept secret? Are you a thought-leader disguised as a thought-follower? If the answer to any of these questions is YES then you need to join Colonel Mustard Lucy Davison in her Market Research Society Impact Conference session ‘How to be Famous’ on 17 March at 11.00am. Lucy is the world’s leading expert on communications for insight and in just

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The top three lessons to pay attention to in 2021 Posted on by Braden MacDonald

When we think about what this year will hold, we must look back at the impact of our ‘annus horribilis’, 2020. The challenges we faced have set us in good stead for this year, and have formed the basis of our 2021 lessons. From a communications perspective one thing stood out to us very early on last year. Those companies that didn’t have their digital marketing machine up and running were going to struggle. Those who so far had relied

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ESOMAR Insights Festival: thoughts from an industry newbie Posted on October 6, 2020 by Braden MacDonald

I don’t think any of us expected an international MRX event of the scale of the Insights Festival to be pulled off this year. But ESOMAR has proved that major conferences can still go ahead, albeit digital and totally different, and be a roaring success. As a newbie in the industry and having never attended the ESOMAR Congress in previous years, I had nothing to compare the Festival to, so I was pleased to feel a sense of community and

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