ee ren Pree oe nets cern) Sree ee Beet eres reassurance i standards. But in an interview with Research last month, See er ease ere en rer eee se Penn ers are ener ee Peete Penne rt) ee eee neces! ena’ ‘Choosing the best research ore ee ay eee ed ee See ns ed eh er et) oravery aren Preece tty eee eo eens eed business. But market research is one oe en science and simplicity can be an rT ee ae ean eg Poteet ig erent e ea ea Ree era td Cr ed eter Pe enc! eet Pt eens eee een ers Cre te Pennsbravery WHAT MAKES A KING “22cese corporate drones, not something that OUT OF A SLAVE? fesse" Hore av six reasons why I believe COURAGE = WHAT MAKES THE FLAG Sesser sliscuss business outside the project. itself We're worried about saying the ‘wrong thing and offending the people who pay our wages. Amongst ‘ourselves at industry meetings, woe 6 ) ‘eyeing the competition and trying not togive too much away. Overtime, the habit of not speaking out e ‘becomes ingrained. Day-to-day this is probably the single biggest barrier in sharing opinions. @ 2: THE PRACTICE OF IRONING ‘OUT THE SELF Theicewordintion Sores fas and miming oneself as an influences. We are consultants shouldn't imagined trained not to ask leading questions thy can flr moreno THE GUTS TO in surveys, we practise a neutral tone tnderstanding than the lens of voice for presenting concepts 0 themsees Ista they should ain SPEAK UP respondents, Overtime we learn that to guide clients through the research INDEPENDENT RESEARCH cur subjective response isnt findings in a way that leads them to r bons desirable or wanted. Worse, this ‘come up with ther own insights — ALISON MACLEOD ‘depersonalised version of research is ‘even if you can guess in advance IN B asks Way waeeer the one that non-researchers are the what those might be. RESEARCHERS AREN'T most familiar with 10 not ficult find catchy MORE FORTHCOMING wit quotes and ‘expert advice on THEIR OPINIONS '3, SHALLOW UNDERSTANDING ‘overcoming fear. But we should ‘OF THE METHODOLOGY remember that if you're seared of arket researchers keep ‘While we are happy to take ourselves Se nny etgemuns A A h w pe out ote eetn woe ose perfectly respectable altemative t Although the internet and realy not that confident withthe exposure therapy or hypnosis ‘Twitter have brought afew underlying methodology. 1 stil very ‘The fear that researchers felt rescarchers out with thei opinions it common to come across quantitative rooted in interpersonal and remains a low-key industry. Research researchers who cout tell you the commercial relationships, so while doesnot appear to produce ditference between correlation and wwe ponder how we can get overit, charismatic thinkers inthe sgl of causation, and qualitative researchers wwe should also consider how 10 say, Sth Godin or Matcoim who dont know how to explain why create situations where we don feel Gladwell. Infact there are no public {qualitative research i perfectly afraid in the fist place. I'we can ‘figures, ules you count Rober respectable practice nurture working relationships in Worees which we have the confidence © Why are we so reticent? it simply 4. THE RESEARCH POSITION express ourselves, absorb other ‘our nature? And is it such a bad Isa diffcult one. Im many stings, views, and limatly do the right thing anyway? we are basically pary-poopers. We thing, well find bravery wit come The danger in being so quiet is hat are specifically brought in to those much more easily theres simpy no one around buckets of eld water over otherpeople’ brilliant ideas. This is nota route towards universal popularity. ‘5. THE INDUSTRIALISATION OF RESEARCH PRODUCTION ‘The structure of market research ‘management does not help. Most project work is done by junior stall and signed off by seniors. Juniors ‘may not have the industry knowledge ‘or confidence to present their, ‘opinions cleaty. The senior on the team is more distant from the data and more focused on relationships Unfortunatly just as researchers bocome experienced enough 10 Aelver thoughtful opinions while ‘maintaining trast, they get promoted away from the frontline. 6. THE FEAR The feat refers to the kind of projects that ae o fraught thet they induce nervous breakdowns. The research manager ison beta-blockers and busy considering her latest redundancy offer within the agency, the big boss and all the seniors have boen wheeled in to r-check the charts forthe umpteenth time. When itcomes to the highly charged debrief, the experienced junior researcher who did all the stual ‘work is offered up ike a ritual sacrifice. Yep, ina time of economic darkness, the fate of an entire marketing idea rests on the shoulders ofa young ge, [At some point, alter the executive \P has had the diferences between «qual and quant clarified to his satisfaction, the young researcher will ‘offer an unpopular opinion, and the atmosphere will thicken ike custard Somebody senior wil then say. 'S0 id the data really say that, o sit just your opinion?” and al bets are ‘ofl. Fither the researcher wil freeze, (or Hollywood syle, launch into an impassioned defence of her imterpretation. Research isa seary business a times These rather chilling elects produce the much-mocked stereotype ‘of researchers as grey, over-cautous people who wouldn’ recognise a ‘00d idea if leapt up and kissed ‘them, Even if you don't subscribe to this view, it easy to see that this natural dtfidence pus the researcher ata disadvantage. Marketers instinctively sll themselves. Advertsing people have the irrepressible self confidence born from surviving in an industry where ‘ideas have to be powerfully expressed. In many debrief, researchers... defend themseves Perhaps is inevitable. Ifyou cant say much without upsetting someone orendangering commercial relationships, there are few places to 40. Pm sue thas why researchers retreat tothe safety of taking about methodology and respondent However, there ae risks to staying silent, and they're increasing. The industry is changing rapidly: do ‘yourself methds are making it easier for organisations to gt the insight they rave for rock-bottom prices, Without a positive voice, research continues to bea dul, worthy, intgng thing, ot precious or insight In my view, researchers need to get much louder. ike to see people ‘who can talk authoritatively about consumer behaviour. I'd love to soe big ideas communicated well. Is that possible for research? Can researchers find their voice without alienating the people around them? ‘There are plenty of highly vocal individuals i other fields making noise about research-elatd issues en Goldacre, in his Guardian column, etiques pseudoscience largely by analysing poor research evidence. Malcolm Gladwell populariss psychological ideas, dana boyd [sc] researches teenagers’ use ofthe internet and hhow they se themselves, None of those things is rocket ssience: they simply require the will to engage. Theres change in the at. The FImernet has had a huge impact. More senior researchers and business ‘owners are blogging and finding ways of expressing themselves online, Intemet research companies ae adopting the more vocal habits ofthe new media industry, where an abiliy to join the conversation isan bravery imporant indicator of your rei: beieve talking i a way fof being more than simply a technician, We should al tr it. We hhave nothing to lose but our fears. THE GUTS TO DO THE RIGHT THING WHEN IT COMES TO SELECTING THE RGHT APPROACH TO YOUR RESEARCH, BOTH BUYERS JAND AGENCIES CAN BENERT FROM HAVING A LITTLE ‘COURAGE, WRITES SIMON LAMEY er oo FEAR IS THE PATH TO THE DARK SIDE FeseaRCn pny 2010-241 DO RATHER LAUGH IN THE FACE OF FEAR, TWEAK THE NOSE OF TERROR Edmund Blackadder innovative, preferring more teaitional approaches, because some buyers and agencies ae septical of the unconventional This has led to research buying becoming an ‘either/or question: either ‘conventional research’ or innovative" research. The question should really be: Are we brave ‘enough to underake research that truly answers the needs ofthe research issue? ‘THE CERTAINTY FACTOR Part ofthe problem is that, understandably, some research buyers avoid risk and value preditbiliy, which means tied and tested research methods (such a the ‘much-maligned group discussion) offer a more certain outcome. Equally there are other research ‘buyers who are more excited by rscarch that innovate, Aes ply there part here, They Fave The comion zones an are emped tock with what thy know, Drkrig to propow ie ype Teach hey tk len ee hep buying rater an eserch thr bter anger te rach ie tan This problem in exacted daring fn conoic dnt, when elcome wi tn sacha citi surpisng that escech agen, Opt for an anus of ener Bese ying the ae Seah hy el hens ant ae tha wat ithe ig aprach ‘the research issue. nae Wis nesta too that few may wat to rook te bot Batin thong una sate aes alr ft going to hep eis ‘enough to ring about the dliretion thee brands need to differentiate themselves in a fiercely competitive marketplace, As brands fight for survival, refusing to leave our comfort zones and underiaking ‘inappropriate researc is potentially problematic. It makes it less likely that brands wil perform at their best against competitors. (OLD VERSUS NEW Another art ofthe problem is in the tension between conventional and innovative research, where more conventional research can be dismissed simply because iis not innovative enough, even fit isthe ‘most iting approach forthe research. The group discussion, for ‘example, is commonly cited asthe ‘most conventional too! and researchers using it have been citcsed (perhaps too much) for relying on it too much, But, like any ‘other ‘raditional research, it an be the right tool fo the ob. Braver research means we now have to be open to slicing the cake in a way researchers (clients and agencies) may not necessarily be comfortable with, but which we ‘know isthe right way to yield more ‘meaningful insights. Braver research means recommending approaches to clients that are best suited tothe reds ofthe research proj even iit means you risk losing 2 few proposals Granted, a future of unsuccessful proposals may sound scary in the shor term. But in the long ru, braver future for research will most likely mean improved quality of research for clients, which should bravery add greater value to thei brands It will also mean increased agency partnerships and fresher thinking from a wider pool of collaborating research minds, All his offers 1 much more promising future for agencies. CLIENTS TAKE NOTE But ies not ust the agencies who need to be braver. Clients need tobe ready to try new things too. At Wardle MeLean we have begun to offer a technique called ‘co-discovery’ whereby we fm someone doing what they do, then so back and ask them to provide a ‘commentary on what was happening ‘We 'co discover it with them. It costs a litle more and takes lite longer, ‘but because we know it adds a ‘much-needed extra layer of richness and insight ~ something that would ‘ot have been possible if we'd relied ‘on observation or interiew-based approaches in isolation - we propose ftto clients in cases where we believe ito be most suitable approach for the issue In the long run, making bolder stops into a braver research world should allow clients o feel thatthe research they are buying isthe most suitable approach, and one that goes to the heart oftheir paniculae research issue. It could even help lead recession-hit cients (and agencies) out ofthe economic ‘downturn more quickly In buying research, clients too have tobe bolder and willing to take a leap of faith if they want to make headway in an oversaturated, ever more competitive market. Its our duty as research agencies to suppor, encourage and direct them, THERE ARE VERY FEW MONSTERS WHO WARRANT THE PEAR WE HAVE OF THEM André Gide