Recent research by the Global Research Business Network found that 41% of people don’t trust market research companies with their data. Although the reason for this is not difficult to rationalise – the commoditization of personal data, qualms about technology and unethical data use – the real question is how to counter the mistrust. To change people’s perceptions, something must change in the way market research companies communicate, and the key to consumer trust is for a brand to behave
Read MoreSo, 2013 was the year of the twerk and the selfie. Now 2014 looks set to be a pivotal, self-celebratory moment of a different kind. Economists predict a brighter financial situation and as the economy is set to prosper, so should your agency. It’s no longer possible to opt out of social media. You might not see it as a way of delivering clients but you’d be wrong; in the latest GRIT report, LinkedIn was named as the second most
Read MoreThis post was originally written for NewMR - for a series on Threats and Opportunities in Market Research, promoting The Festival of NewMR (Monday 2nd December to Friday 6th December). As we race at alarming speed into the future, accessorised with new technologies, swathed in big data and seduced by social media, it is important to step back and reflect on the bigger picture. Sometimes on a day to day level it’s easy to forget that we are living through
Read MoreIf The Apprentice was the face of market research, then it would definitely need some of Dr Leah’s TLC. Or possibly something a little more drastic. Regular viewers will know that research has been battered and bruised by Lord Sugar’s hot and cold attitude, candidates’ terrible techniques and forgone conclusions: the industry is portrayed very poorly on the show. But what can we learn from the way the contestants use market research? Know and listen to your customer In order
Read MoreEvery different industry and market has a trade media. These publications hold a mirror up to the industries they cover – the good, the bad and the downright ugly. But I have lost track of the time our PR clients have in the past dismissed their trade media as unworthy of attention or effort. They always brief us to aim for bigger prizes – coverage in Nationals or international business media. This is short-sighted at best and can be damaging.
Read More‘Webinar’ – the word is a portmanteau of web and seminar and encompasses all online workshops and conferences. According to RSM’s survey of research professionals, they are used by 30% of those in the research industry to stay up-to-date with everything research – they’re more popular than Twitter. On Friday 28th June, Mustard’s very own Simon Dunn hosted a #NewMR webinar on infographics. Infotactics' purpose is to introduce the infographic, and to take the market research professional through the process
Read MoreThere are many brilliant people in the research and consumer insight business, who advise clients on all aspects of marketing, customer experience, innovation and branding but who often do not apply what they preach to their own businesses. Now, I know how hard it is to step back from your own organisation and see it clearly, warts and all. It is even harder to put yourself in the shoes of your potential clients and see what they see, hear what
Read MoreMarket research industry commentators are increasingly throwing around buzzwords like "story-teller" and "storymaker" in association with brand. In a post-advertising world where engagement with consumers comes more from brand authenticity and personification, than from didactic brand messages, story telling is the new mantra. A recent blog by Added Value outlined how various brands, like Coca-Cola & Revlon, are adopting the "story-telling" approach. Brand story-telling even made headlines in the Entrepreneur in an article published this past April, calling it a booming business. While story-telling is
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