Do your prospects know who you are, but forget you when it matters most? In the insights industry, awareness alone isn’t enough. What really counts is being remembered at the right time: when buying decisions are made.

In part two of her Marketing Applied series on Greenbook’s Grow your insights business channel, Iosetta Santini unpacks the concept of mental availability: why pairing it with brand awareness is like the ketchup to your mustard, and how you can build it into your marketing. From distinct branding to customer-focused messaging and being part of industry events, discover the steps to ensure your company stays top-of-mind.

Read the full article: Marketing Applied Part Two: What You Need to Know About Mental Availability.

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At AURA Insight’s Generational Insights: Exploring the Changing Consumer Landscape, our very own Colonel Mustard Lucy Davison and NED Danny Russell took the stage to debate whether it’s time to retire generational cohort labelling. After an in-depth discussion with fiery evidence from both sides, the audience of clients voted: generational cohorts are bad for research.

As insights professionals, we must always re-evaluate the way we understand consumers. This debate was not about winning, but all about questioning, learning, and finding better ways to make sense of the world.

Catch up on why we, Keen as Mustard, wanted to challenge the status quo on generational cohorts in this blog.

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Why generational cohorts are bad research – and even worse marketing.

Not so long ago, segmentations and targeting were tragically simplistic – resulting in sweeping stereotypes applied to large groups of people, like those classic ads assuming all women strive to please their husbands with spotless homes and by looking beautiful.

But marketing and insights has changed – thank goodness. We now use sophisticated methods to understand people’s nuanced attitudes and behaviours, we try very hard to reach and include diverse audiences and to understand them. We all have DE&I policies and do our best to overcome biases, not to discriminate, generalise or stereotype.

However, the concept of generational cohorts takes the opposite approach. Taking one single variable (birth year) to make sweeping generalisations about people is akin to basing your marketing strategy on astrology (birth month). However, no marketing professional would propose targeting Leos and Capricorns; the concept is ridiculous. Yet we actively encourage clients to think in terms of generational cohorts.

Attributing shared values or traits to entire generations risks reinforcing simplistic narratives that obscure the diversity within large populations. Consider this: in the U.S. alone, there are 72 million millennials¹ – the equivalent of the 19^th largest country in the world. Generational cohorts aren’t just inaccurate – they are massively reductive, undermining the complexity of human behaviour and promoting biases.

We all have our own examples of individuals who do not fit these stereotypes – but the arbitrary cut off dates are ridiculous. According to the concept of generational cohorts someone born in 1964 has more in common with another ‘Boomer’ born in 1945 than a close colleague born in 1965.

But just don’t take our word for it.

The scepticism around generational cohorts led 150 social scientists to sign an open letter to Pew Research – written by Philip N. Cohen from University of Maryland – asking them to stop using these classifications.  They argued it imposes “qualities on diverse populations without basis, resulting in the current widespread problem of crude stereotyping”². In 2023, Forbes reported that Pew would shift its focus to comparative research into age groups over different time³ (e.g. examining 20-year-olds in 1980 vs 2000 vs 2020).

We are not suggesting that we should not do research into different age groups, but supporting the view that they are different, diverse and changing – not that a set of attributes and behaviours is cast in stone at birth. The logical conclusion of that idea is that researchers could just pack up and go home –we already know all we need to know about people because of the cohort they are born into.

It perpetuates ‘cohortism’.

‘Cohortism’, a term we coined in the debate, is the sibling of ageism. A 2024 study by The Adaptavist Group surveyed 4,000 knowledge workers across the U.K., U.S., Canada, Australia, and Germany. 40% said using cohorts is a slippery slope towards colleague exclusion, while 45% reported that it fosters harmful stereotypes⁴.

What worse: it’s untrue!

The largest study into age cohorts we could find, (by Valuegraphics) cited by Forbes and involving 750,000 people in 180 countries – showed that generational cohorts have no more in common with each other than any other single demographic factor, like race, education, and income⁵. Similarly, a study by BBH Labs, illustrated that generational cohorts have an average cohesion index of only +1.3. In contrast, other groupings – like ‘daily nut eaters’ and ‘Orangina drinkers’ – scored significantly higher, with cohesion indexes of +3.8 and +4.5, respectively.

It’s actively harmful

According to the Centre for Ageing Better (2020), one in three people in the UK reports experiencing age discrimination.   The Equality and Human Rights Commission states people of all ages say they experience it more than any other form of discrimination⁶.

So, as insights professionals, this prompts the question: Why are we supporting generational cohorts by producing endless studies into different groups and how they supposedly think and feel?

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1 https://www.bbh-labs.com/puncturing-the-paradox-group-cohesion-and-the-generational-myth

2 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSecsM1JavYMlNI-XlKDYngFKsEFBGFs_imv7R5KO8e15NYeCg/viewform

3 https://www.forbes.com/sites/sheilacallaham/2023/05/28/pew-research-center-new-stance-on-generational-labels-with-a-caveat/

4 https://www.pcma.org/its-time-to-ditch-tired-generational-stereotypes/

5 https://www.forbes.com/sites/sheilacallaham/2022/05/15/generational-labels-why-its-time-to-put-them-to-rest/

6 https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/22776/html/#:~:text=One%20in%20three%20people%20in,any%20other%20form%20of%20discrimination.

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Our industry has leaned a little too heavily on storytelling to communicate customer insights to stakeholders and decision-makers. Now, there is nothing wrong with storytelling. It is a fantastic tool in many ways, but it lacks dimension. In insights, researchers typically use storytelling to report findings, deliver them, and move on. The customer‘s voice doesn’t infiltrate the organisation’s decision-making, and insights often go unused. Point and case, the 2023 UK Customer Satisfaction Index shows that customer satisfaction has been the lowest it’s ever been since 2014. According to Forrester study, while 74% of companies want to be ‘data-drive’, only 29% actually are.

So we need a better way to raise the profile of insights, to get the visceral experiences of customers into the heart of organisations to drive informed decisions.

It’s my view that we are sitting on a treasure trove on exciting, inspiring customer content, but it’s not sparking the actions it should. So, how can we change that? At the Customer Salience Summit, organised by FlexMR, I had the pleasure of diving into this very topic: how our industry can take a page from Hollywood’s playbook to make customer insight famous.

It’s worth noting, that despite Hollywood’s famed glitz and glamour, in 2023, the revenue of the insights industry in the US was US$77 billion – more than double the $33.4 billion from Hollywood’s box office. Yet, somehow, our industry doesn’t have nearly the same level of visibility. The answer? Fame.

So, what would the dudes over in Hollywood do in our shoes? Run a campaign.

A campaign is a constant, intentional effort to control the narrative—keeping the conversation going around your content, the information you’re sharing, and the customer’s relationship with your organization. And there are six things the insights industry can do to build this approach.

The star: There are no movies without a star. When you think of iconic films, the actors come to mind first. So, when presenting your findings, think about who’s the best person to deliver and represent your message. It might not be the researcher who did the work – you need someone inspiring to captivate, sell the story and bring it home. Find your star, whether that means hiring someone, training a current employee, or incentivising your team.

Better titles (and one-liners): We all judge a book by its cover, even when we claim not to. A brilliant title and one-liner stick to your mind (see: Ghostbusters – “who you gonna call?”). In insights, we’re famously bad at this. Is it any wonder our insights don’t stick when decisions are being made? A 2015 study analysed 69,907 news headlines and found five key elements that grab attention: surprise, curiosity, questions, negativity, and — wait for it — numbers! Lucky for us, we’ve got plenty of those, so let’s use them!

Trailers: These are quick engaging videos which get you excited for the films. With insights, they can spark curiosity amongst stakeholders and help convey key points you want to highlight. For instance, a testimonial or interview with a customer can humanise your data and emphasise the importance of customer voices. It’s time for us to start putting faces (or even animations) to the data.

PR: Internal public relations help you maintain control of the ongoing insights narrative. To ensure that we are driving action from insights, we must leverage all channels and carefully curate messages that will resonate with our audiences. Constant sharing of insights, nuggets or snippets, will help elevate the insights team, as well as keeping customer voices in the forefront of decision-makers’ minds.

Targeting: Just like films, different audiences have different needs – identifying and targeting them is crucial to designing your campaign. Each stakeholder audience will use your findings in unique ways, so tailoring your materials to their requirements will help them better integrate the insights into their day-to-day decision-making.

Premiere: The premiere is where all your hard work comes together. Don’t let it be dull – engage your audience by encouraging them to think about and interact with your insights. This is how you bring your findings to life and make them resonate with the people who need to understand their importance and put them to use. As a researcher it’s all too easy to work flat out until the debrief, and then sigh with relief and walk away afterwards. Remember, for everyone else, the premiere is only the beginning.

Implementing this fame model will not only boost traffic to your platforms or start provoking more strategic questions from your audiences – it will raise your team’s profile and increase awareness within your organisation. You’ll create lasting impressions that bring insights front and centre in your company’s decision-making.

So, why not go Hollywood on your insights? And if all else fails, give us a shout 😉 We’re keen as mustard to help bring fame to your insights.

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Researchers face an uphill battle. Decades of data has proven that companies which listen to customers and markets have the greatest chance of success. Yet, for years, debates have focused primarily on how data and insight can ‘get a seat at the executive table’. Indeed, that’s a position of influence and input, but it is not demonstrative of a culture that is truly customer-centric and which thrives on making decisions informed by insight.

To achieve this, researchers have to be more than good storytellers or compelling presenters. They must be culture and community builders, creating the fabric and rituals that drive informed decisions, even when they aren’t in the room.

Interested? Join Lucy Davison and Paul Hudson of FlexMR on Monday, September 11^th, at 16:15 CET, at ESOMAR Congress in Amsterdam for “Salience and Staying Power”. We have brought together a panel of experts from De Beers, Haleon, and Pearson to discuss how to create an insights-driven culture. Expect an honest discussion on how such cultures are built – and we’ll be destroying a few MRX myths along the way.

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How to make case studies work for you in insights

An insights company without case studies is like Batman without Robin. Demonstrating your value through a case study is fundamental to thought leadership and growth. Plus, there’s the added advantage that most clients are burning with curiosity and FOMO; the number one thing that they want to know is what you are doing or have done for other companies like them. But producing case studies is often a big challenge within MRX and one of the areas our agency or supply-side clients need most help with.

Before we start, we should point out that here at Mustard Towers we know about client confidentiality. We could paper the walls with the NDAs we’ve signed to ensure we do not share the communications work we do with global clients. We feel your pain. But we have also managed to share work we have done with several leading global companies (including Coca-Cola, Bic and Nestle Purina) in the media, conference platforms and, of course in our marketing.

So, here is a quick guide to producing case studies that will work for you.

Three steps to heaven

First of all, it’s worth pointing out that there are three levels of client attribution, and we always recommend a company uses a mix of these in their marketing.  The first is just showing that you have worked with a company by using their logo on your website or in your credentials. I’m not going to go into that here, but our suggestion is always “ask forgiveness not permission”. Put (the correct) client logo on your site and take down if asked. It’s worth pointing out that none of our agency clients in 16 years has been asked to remove a logo we put on their website.

The second level of client attribution is testimonials. By this we mean short, attributed verbatim from named clients. If you cannot name the individual, then at least name the company and give a job title. Without attribution testimonials are of very little value, (we suggest you just make them up and say what you like). For genuine testimonials, just send them a note with a draft for them to edit in whatever way they are comfortable.

Testimonials should be used in lots of ways, dotted on every page through your website (not in a dedicated area, this will be ignored), on social media, in your proposals (again dotted throughout) and in your credentials presentations.

Finally, there are full case studies. These are based on a recorded client interview or written questionnaire, drafted into an article or blog post or recorded as a video interview or podcast. A full case study will be a shorter version of the HBR/business school style case and will generally follow the format of business context and challenge, a description of what you did to help or solve the problem and the results for the client business. The result is never that you presented a report or completed the research, however enormous and hard that was. The result is what the client did with it – the learnings, actions taken and if possible, a demonstration of the positive contribution to the client’s organisation.

Getting results

This is where most case studies fall down. You must have the kind of relationship with the client that allows you to follow up with them a while after the project was delivered to find out how it went. Of course, doing this is a great business development/client relationship building opportunity but one which many insight companies fail to do for all sorts of reasons (ongoing negotiation on other projects not wanting to rock the boat, fear of drawing attention to potential failure, fear of drawing attention to a client’s failures, too junior a team on the project not able to have strategic consulting conversations with the client, attention elsewhere, the list goes on). As we know, MRX companies often hate to do research into themselves. Not being able to follow up with a client is sometimes symptomatic of the type of relationship agencies have with clients – which is why companies dealing with more senior clients often have the best chance of getting good case studies (and hence winning more of the right kind of client work).

You need to know if you have the results before you start the case study process. So, talk to the client, find out what happened and go from there. If you do not have the right, or any, results, then the client is not the right one for a case study. Revert to a testimonial or just using their logo.

If you do have the right relationship, know you have some results to write about, and have secured permission to do the case study in principle, then the best way to craft the content is via a set of pre-approved questions.  We usually craft a discussion guide and supply it to the client before doing a recorded interview, but you could also send over a set of questions on email and ask the client to respond. The first approach is usually better as it’s quicker and easier for the client to just chat for 30 minutes. You then know exactly what they said and can write up the case study using their verbatim as quotes. You can also lift relevant verbatim and use them as testimonials. If you do a video interview then you will need to edit it down to a tight enough format, ditto a podcast.

Once the case study is packaged then we send it over for clearance.

Clients often ask what will be done with the case study before they give permission. Our suggestion is to say at the outset that you will use it on your website and no more. Most clients do not see this as a problem. If the content is really interesting, then you can go back after you have the case published on your site and ask if it would be possible to do more with it. The main point is to avoid your client having to go to their legal team to get permission to publish. Legal teams will give a flat no to any request like this as life is too short for them. However, once a case is published on your site, there is nothing to stop you asking the client if it is OK to share it with more people.

In our experience, the hierarchy for where clients are happy to share a case study is first of all your own website and newsletters (and hence social media), then via an insights industry conference or webinar platform (typically done in conjunction with the client), then in the published media or external platforms.

If all this feels like too big a thing to deal with, remember you only need one good story which you will revisit and re-use in your marketing for years. There will always be people who had no idea you worked with Pepsi, and who would still be interested to hear about it even five years later. Do one case study really well, and you can just rely on logos and testimonials for the rest.

To wrap up, we always recommend partnerships. Network, meet people and then approach a company you want to work with, suggest an innovative new service or idea you would like to trial. Do an experiment with this client on the basis that you will share the results. You may need to pay for the sample, or do the research at cost, but the content will be gold.

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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 me. I set my goals to meet as many new people as possible, learn what ESOMAR has to offer young people like me, and gain more understanding of what the future has in store for the world of data and insights.

MRX has changed a lot throughout these past three years (a whole global pandemic later), so there were many talking points people wanted to discuss and catch up on. The main theme of the event was ways of working, and what the impact has been on us.

Before we got stuck into that, Crispin Beale, Group President at Behaviourally and UK ESOMAR representative, began the evening by introducing interim CEO of ESOMAR Pravin Shekar. He then welcomed the new permanent CEO, Dr Parves Khan. It was great to witness the torch passing, as both Pravin and Parves outlined the importance of ESOMAR’s mission to bring the market research community together. Mainly by maintaining positivity, respect, and honesty in the industry on a global scale. Dr Khan’s credibility and enthusiasm as well as her advocacy for diversity and female empowerment in data and insights, make her an excellent choice for ESOMAR’s new CEO.

The main highlight of the evening included UK ESOMAR representative and Colonel Mustard, Lucy Davison. Lucy chaired a thought-provoking debate with some leading clients in the data and insights industry. The panellists included Shehnaz Hansraj, Head of Insights and Research at Viking Cruises, Alex Wheatley, Head of Data and Insight at the National Theatre UK (also an ESOMAR UK Rep), Danny Russell, Strategic Advisor at Danny Russell Consulting, and Komal Sahni, Head of Insight at L’Oreal.

The discussion started with a debate on how the pandemic has created big changes to working environments. When asked if anyone would return to full-time work in an office, it was interesting to see that not a single person raised their hand. The luxury of working at home is now the norm for many. However, as the conversation demonstrated, we can’t always gloss over its disadvantages, in particular to younger members of the team, which is why hybrid working is essential.

As Shehnaz Hansraj pointed out, there are challenges in creating visibility. Especially in a home environment when you can’t be on the ‘shop floor’. While many in insights have embraced working from home, the debate highlighted the need to maintain in-person networking, a positive work culture, and collaboration to create new ideas.

Undoubtedly, in the next few years, people will seek answers on whether working from home genuinely increases productivity. One thing’s for sure, communication will be key, as Alex Wheatley mentioned during the debate. Teams must have open conversations about what works for them if individuals want to work from home—having the freedom to define what works and what doesn’t will be vital in ensuring everyone’s on the right page and productivity isn’t compromised. And, as many of us would agree, to Danny Russell’s point, let’s stop inviting people to meetings when they aren’t needed – just because it’s online doesn’t make it any less of a waste of time.

Another important discussion point throughout the evening was how the MRX and insights sector could entice young professionals into the profession. Many audience members were keen to stress the value of integrating young people into the workforce for fresh perspectives and to encourage diversity. It was good to hear Pravin and Parves explain how ESOMAR works with local associations and universities, with the aim of helping emerging researchers and moulding them into professional jobs – not just in the research field but also in the wider data and analytics fields.

There were noticeable links between the discussions on working environments and attracting young people into the MRX and insights industry. Young professionals – speaking as one myself – are often in favour of the post-pandemic adjustment of working from home. However, they’re also becoming more vocal about what they need from their superiors. What’s encouraging is that the more experienced people in the room had their fingers on the pulse and were aware of this. It’s hopeful for young people who want a career in the industry, but the execution of how we attract them by upholding their values and desires is critical.

One thing’s for sure; I came away from my evening at the UK ESOMAR Summer Event feeling even more enthusiastic about the industry. There’s a passion and zest in MRX that is somewhat understated, and it helps that everyone is friendly. I look forward to the next ESOMAR event – bring on Congress 2022!

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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 the world.’

The event attracts an eclectic mix of individuals, from research entrepreneurs, data scientists to insights and marketing professionals. Together we all took to the iconic Beurs van Berlage to bask in new ideas. The event did not disappoint. The new technologies and platforms I experienced there allowed me to see the world of insights in a new and dynamic way.

Day One

Day one saw Colonel Mustard, Lucy Davison, start the day early as she opened the proceedings with ResearchGeek’s Jake Pryszlak and Gen2 Advisors’ Gregg Archibald. As the rest of Team Mustard crept from the back of the main stage to the front for the beginning of the day’s sessions, it was clear that the audience was ready and intrigued by what was to come throughout the day.

Immediately, the sessions got off to a great start. Nyssa Packard, Senior Director of Insights and Head of User Research & Data Science at Skyscanner, taught us why we should ‘kill’ the Net Promoter Score once and for all. Giving misleading data, leading to the wrong decisions, and disgruntled researchers, it was interesting to explore the pitfalls of NPS. As a concept NPS has been around since 2003 – Nyssa reminded us that it’s crucial to make progress and move to using better alternative metrics.

This year’s IIEX Europe event was extra-special for Keen as Mustard as our very own Iosetta Santini presented for the first time. In what was a highlight of the event, Iosetta took us back to school with the ABC of PR, as part of Insights Marketing Day. Insights Marketing Day which is designed to give insight agencies and suppliers guidance on their marketing, was integreated as a parallel session within IIeX this time. Obviously, I’m biased, but I’ve never seen someone command the stage as successfully as Iosetta. She delved into the unwritten rules of PR and explored the crucial need for PR in the world of insights.

It would also be remiss not to mention that Mustard design director, Simon Dunn, also did a great job at Insights Marketing Day, sharing his expertise on how Insights and market research professionals can map keywords to create differentiation and target clients distinctively.

The integration of Insights Marketing Day also gave me the pleasure of watching some genuinely thought-provoking sessions by Patrick Olszowski, CEO at Outrageous Insight and Adam Gray, co-founder at DLAignite. It was good to understand just how crucial marketing is in the market research and insights industry, and what we could to alleviate the sector together.

Day Two

This year IIeX was all about generations, sustainability, and inclusivity – every other session covered one of these topics to the extent that at times presenters would shoehorn these elements into presentations. Bizarre in an insights and technological-themed event, it did seem that some presentations relied on these themes to draw people but did not deliver.

On the other hand, Word on the Curb’s Hayel Wartemberg and Isabelle Cotton delivered an insightful and thorough analysis of how building inclusive communities in market research is vital to provide cultural nuance from under-represented groups. It made me admire the work Word on the Curb does to capture cultural shifts in modern society – and most importantly, it felt authentic.

Another stand-out session, which genuinely got the heart of what IIEX is all about – the intersection of technology and research – was by Alex Johnson, Director at Jigsaw Research. Alex exhibited just how handy technology can be when capturing practical insights by sharing his learnings from creating Jigsaw’s Whycatcher platform. The platform has WhatsApp integrated into its service, enabling people across the world to use it. It was ineresting to learn about how simple yet effective these concepts can be and good to hear how Alex learnt from failures to deliver success in an agile and effective way.

IIEX Europe has been a stand-out, especially for me, as a newcomer to insights. We need these events for people to come together, network, and ultimately learn from each other. I’m not sure how the quality compared to previous years, but it was an excellent way for me to integrate and feel at one with the industry. Despite a few repetitive conversations on some topics, it really clarified where the industry stands at this time. There are so many great people to learn from. And what’s better is that so much can change in 12 months, we’ll all be back ready to see what the world of insights has to say in 2023.

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The challenge to stand out is as important in MRX as it is for washing powder or breakfast cereal. But yet again, in this GRIT Report, we see that researchers don’t make good marketers.

The point of positioning is knowing what you do – and what you don’t do. In past reports, we have seen inconsistency from respondents within supply-side companies as to what their company does. And in this report again, “the employees of many supplier companies aren’t really sure about their company’s position in the marketplace, or don’t know how to describe it consistently… leaders of supplier companies need to clarify their market positioning and communicate that definition effectively throughout their organizations.”

Here we are, busy working for our clients and helping them to make sure their washing powder or breakfast cereal stands out in the market. We, in insights, wrote the manual on how having a core offering based on expertise or a distinguishing viewpoint is fundamental to successful marketing. But we simply do not apply that to ourselves.

There are three core reasons why I think this is such a challenge in MRX.

Firstly, many companies struggle to define their difference in the fear that they will narrow down their pool of potential clients. The ‘do not do’ part of the proposition de-facto rules you out of pitching for a whole lot of work. There’s a fine balance between wanting to be clear about what it is you do, the one thing you want to be famous for, and needing to bring revenue through the door. And that balance has been really wobbling in the middle of a global pandemic.

Secondly, many in insights do not apply the first rule of marketing and communication to themselves – namely ‘know thy audience; know thyself’. I have countless examples of insights companies (and client insights teams) not doing research on themselves – not asking customers and stakeholders what they think, or then integrating those views into their targeted communications, proposition, or service. The irony of this lack of interest in our own research is not lost on anyone.

Finally, suppliers (sometimes perhaps encouraged by the GRIT Report itself), are often distracted by ‘buzz’. We have seen several ‘hot topics; come and go – agile being one. Leaders get distracted by the excitement of a buzzword at the expense of their strategy and focus. As with technology, hopping on a bandwagon is only a good marketing tactic until the next new buzzword, or tech development, comes along. If you don’t focus on your long-term brand messaging and build awareness of why you are different, if you run off to jump on the buzzword bandwagon then you are just copying everyone else, your differentiation is diluted, and fame will be lost.

Being distinctive really matters. As this GRIT Report shows, to survive the pandemic, buyers and suppliers focused on what they did best rather than trying to be a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. Being a “one-stop-shop” may be an effective strategy to capture share of wallet, but it’s not an effective way to differentiate organizations in a crowded marketplace – or a long-term strategy for growth.

So, give your clients a break; stop making them work so hard to find out what makes you special. Get your positioning right, get it showcased in all the content your company creates – your mailers, blogs, whitepapers, website, and company branding – and your clients will know who you are and why to partner with you.

Check out the full GRIT report article on GreenBook here:
https://www.greenbook.org/mr/grit/how-to-be-famous

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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 in my new role at Mustard.

The Market Research Society hosted their annual Impact event virtually from the 16th-17th March. This year’s theme was all about ‘Re-invention’, a very timely subject considering that we’re only just coming out of our battle against Covid-19 and continuing to adapt to significant shifts and changes in the insights sector.

Day One

The event opened with a keynote interview by Lady Brenda Hale, former President of the Supreme Court. It was incredible to listen to Lady Hale talk about her extensive and impressive career and the adversities she’s overcome as a woman. She was one of the only women to attend Cambridge in her class, and pioneered her way through the legal industry, which led her to become Britain’s first female Law Lord in 2004, the first woman to serve on the UK’s new Supreme Court in 2009, and its first woman President in 2017.

Another eye-opening session was a panel discussion that explored the state of diversity, equality, and inclusion in market research. Andrew Cannon, Executive Director at Global Research Business Network, chaired the session and enlightened viewers on the research he undertook on workplace culture, which demonstrated just how much room there is to develop when it comes to accommodating minorities in the workplace – whether it be based on their ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender. As Charlene Adamah, Co-Founder of Colour of Research, quite rightly summarised, “It’s now time for steps to be taken to fix discrimination in the workplace and discuss how to take action.”

One of my personal favourites was a session chaired by Rhea Fox, Chief Digital Officer at Paperchase, who spoke with Mike Bowen, Principal Researcher at Spotify and Sydney Stanback, Global Advertiser Researcher (Brand Research) at Pinterest. They spoke at length on re-imaging how data and research can work together and where to focus skills to enable collaboration. To do this, they gave three critical rules:

1. Managing time is vital, especially in a fast-paced environment
2. Identify the resources you have and what’s needed to help the relationship between data and research
3. Use the right people, adhere to other people’s strengths as much as your own

To round out day one, Jenny Lindsay, Director of Client Services at buzzback, presented a discussion based on buzzback’s latest study on happiness. A very timely subject that explored what values and initiatives consumers associate most with happiness and how brands utilise these components to ensure they meet consumers’ needs. The discussion centred around the necessity to take value in the small things in life, which was emphasised by Dieter Deceuninck, Global Director of Strategy and Insights at Danone Waters. He explained that focusing on the small things that bring happiness (eating, spending time with loves ones, etc.) ultimately creates significant steps into happiness – which is critical during times of hardship and political unrest.

Day Two

Day two of MRS’ Impact event saw Matt Drew, Head of Customer Research and Analytics at Very and Sam Gardner, Partner & Director of Analytics at Boxclever, explore how researchers and marketeers can utilise hybrid segmentation. Matt and Sam went in-depth on how we can validate and refine consumers and ultimately expand vision – using a bottom-up approach to understand segments, differentiate consumers and understand how their behaviours mould their attitudes and needs.

Crispin Beale, Group President at Behaviorally and CEO of Insights 250 and Tony Costella, Director of Global Consumer & Marketing Insights at Heineken (Netherlands), also gave a thoroughly interesting opinion-debate on how technology, culture, and other levers can be used to innovate and lead in the world of insight and data.

Finally, James Timpson OBE, Chief Executive at The Timpson Group, gave an inspiring keynote interview on the history of Timpson and how it’s been consistently rated as one the UK’s best companies to work for, for almost 20 years. Citing benefits such as mental health support, and strategies regarding the training and employment of disadvantaged people, Timpson spoke at length about how these factors are crucial in creating an effective and impactful work environment that stands out amongst other companies.

It was fantastic to see how well the Market Research Society accommodated such valuable and necessary conversations in a virtual space – through interviews, panels and live questions and answers – the level of engagement didn’t waver. However, now that live events are back in action, I’m excited for next year’s Impact event even more where I will be able to meet people in person and ask questions #IRL.

It was quite ironic that the Market Research Society named their annual event ‘Impact’ because it became clear that communication significantly impacts the market research and insights industry. Without it, all these magnificent findings go unnoticed, and the value of research is not clear. Watching all these sessions over two days proved that any research and insights company’s reputation, productivity, and general success are dependent on communication, and I’m more excited than ever to get going and delve into the world of communicating MRX and insights.

The post MRS Impact 2022: A round-up appeared first on Keen as Mustard Marketing.

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 to be representative.

To explore this challenge The Market Research Society hosted an MRSPride Webinar in collaboration with Colours of Research on 27th January, to look at what market researchers must do to be more inclusive of LGBTQ+ people in research when considering their intersectionality, both amongst participants of research and the research teams themselves.
Here’s our take on this excellent event.

The webinar opened with MRSPride’s Sabrina Trinquetel and Colour of Research’s Tatenda Musesengwa showing their research on LGBTQ+ intersectional market researchers in the workplace. Intersectionality is when a person falls into two social groups, which can lead to discrimination. For their research, Sabrina and Tatenda focused on people of colour and LGBTQ+ people. The aim was to shine a light on the layers of discrimination that people can experience in their intersectionality, some of which many people are not aware of.

This research showed that some participants needed to manage multiple identities to be accepted at work, to fit into society’s boxes, balancing who they really are, and how they feel they should appear. For some, they are still experiencing discrimination based both on their race and their sexual or gender identity. However, they are unwilling to report such behaviour as not to appear as a disruptor in their workplace.

After their findings, Sabrina and Tatenda are calling for ‘overt inclusivity’ in the workplace, this is to dislodge negative learnt behaviours and energise positive change. To do this they gave three short how-to steps:

1. Think about being inclusive in every conversation, meeting or decision made at work.
2. Challenge yourself to talk about inclusivity at work.
3. Be aware, listen more, be aware of others and create time & space for those that need it.

Being explicitly inclusive allows those who need it to increase productivity, increase their focus at work, raise confidence levels, motivate employees to seek higher roles, and build better connections with colleagues.

Following on from MRSPride x CORe’s research into intersectionality, Dr Clifford Lewis of Charles Sturt University, Australia was up next sharing some of his own research. His research focused on LGBTQ+ communities when responding to surveys designed by market researchers. Dr Lewis reminded us that LGBTQ+ have a unique lived experience (which is often exasperated by intersectionality) and LGBTQ+ people are often involved in market research even if they are not being targeted by the criteria of research population, as according to Doctor Lewis, 1 in 10 people identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

So, what does this mean for research? Researchers must remember that there is a difference between sex, sexual orientation, sexual identity and gender identity. When creating surveys, these mustn’t be grouped together. Having ‘trans’ on a gender identity question is invalid and will receive low levels of engagement as the trans people completing the survey don’t acknowledge that as their identity and would instead identify as their gender. It’s important to be educated on the topic to not miss the mark and risk discriminating against someone.

Dr Lewis also advised against the practice of ‘othering’ people. Language is a powerful tool and having, “male, female & other” as options on a survey is exclusionary. Instead, he advises that positive language such as “I identify as an alternative gender identity” should be used on surveys. It’s also important that there are some people on the research team who are members of the communities that are being surveyed, this allows for a further enriched understanding on how to ask certain questions and how to read results. Another tip from Dr Lewis is to also allow advocacy groups to review the research and advise on how to word questions.

Following on from Dr Lewis’s research and guidance for researchers was a panel discussion, featuring the webinar host Asad Dhunna, Tatenda Musesengwa, Sabrina Trinquetel, Dr Clifford Lewis and Morris Swaby Ebanks. Their discussion involved topics including removing the unconscious bias of researchers and encouraging asking questions. For example, if a client focuses on a feminine hygiene product and they have commissioned research, is there someone on the team who can identify with the use of the product or the target population? They also discussed that structural changes are needed for researchers to better understand participants, so as mentioned by Dr Lewis, trans participants aren’t going to respond to trans on a survey. However, they will respond to questions of “what is your gender identity?” and “what was your assigned sex at birth?”. By asking these questions, we can greatly understand the true numbers of trans participants in research.

Understanding those who fall into intersectional parts of our society is important for several reasons. When it comes to market research, the importance of understanding participants raises the validity of the research. By asking positive questions around gender and sex, instead of othering, it can validate respondents and increase the validity of the research as a true understanding of the researched population can be learnt. It’s also important to be mindful of our colleagues in the industry, understanding the struggles of the people around us can make us become more mindful and empathetic. This can create a work environment that is positive for mental health and allows for intersectional colleagues to grow their careers, increase productivity, and motivate them to seek higher employment.

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