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
Read MoreBack 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
Read MoreHow 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
Read MoreIn the world of insights and research, marketing (if done at all) is frequently focused on short-term, tactical, lead generation. Agencies and suppliers come to us because they want more leads and see marketing as a support for sales and new business. In a digital environment, this seems to be an easy win. Create content to drive traffic and give you leads for your website, encourage clicks, capture data, measure, and target – and Bob’s your uncle. The problem is
Read MoreWhen 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
Read MoreThe 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
Read MoreOften clients come to us saying they want to feature in all the big titles. “I want my research to be published in the FT, The Economist, The Guardian, Forbes!”. But is it what you need? While featuring in national publications is definitely rewarding for your business and will raise awareness, we recommend clients think hard about their objectives first. Let’s take The Guardian for example. Their newspaper print circulation is approximately 100,000 while online they gather over 23 million
Read MoreOne of the most common mistakes a business makes when employing a PR agency is, ironically, not communicating properly. This can be frustrating for both parties, especially when one side is “employed” to communicate the business’ messages to the wider world. The agency is an extension of your business, relaying key information to journalists, shareholders, investors and potential employees. If your PR agency is not equipped with all the information that they need, they will fail in delivering the messaging
Read More