As a boutique agency, our team is made up of people from a diversity of backgrounds, some from clinical psychology, marketing gurus, a couple of big data lovers with PhDs in Statistics, and creative thought leaders from the land of advertising and media. While our roles may vary, one thing that connects us all together is our passion for market research and delivering actionable insights to our clients. Having conducted over 300 research projects, there are a few key lessons we have learnt along the way.
Lesson #1: The client is mostly (but not always) right
You receive a brief from a client. In it they have stipulated exactly what they want from methodology down to line of questioning. But based on your experience, is it truly what they need to meet their objectives? Can what they want fit within the budget? Critical to success in a strong client relationship is to have open lines of communication from the very beginning. While you must always work on the assumption that the client knows more that you (It is their business that they know inside and out), a two-way dialogue and collaboration is instrumental to developing the right research methodology to address the research objectives. Compliment their existing knowledge base.
Lesson #2: The Collective Power
All too often in this modern world, we operate in our own silos. An individual silo sitting at our work desk; a business silo where we function effectively as one team, one company. But in reality we are all connected through the work that we do. Everybody’s connected and everything is connected through the reach that is research. It is not enough anymore that we deal only with respondents and the end client when the work that we do may affect multiple stakeholders. Particularly in the realm of advertising, branding and creative, we must harness the power of collective knowledge and skills to optimise research results to provide strategic direction. THINK works closely with a myriad of creative agencies and their clients to nurture and guide creative ideas. We don’t axe an idea based on data – it’s all about refinement.
Lesson #3: Look beyond the research to see the bigger picture
The flow-on effect from the research does not stop at the point of contact on the client side. Take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Question the objectives and analyse the ramifications of the key insights: If brand awareness is at an all time low, what can be done? If a key influencer is word of mouth, what can the client do to enhance and optimise the use of this channel? Who will be using this information other than the end client (internal departments / third party resources)? What will it be used for? Look beyond the research objectives and you never know what you may uncover.
Lesson #4: Insight without action is worthless
So you’ve completed the research. The client is happy. You give the client a call 6 months down the track… and nothing has been done as a result. At THINK, we always say “Our work begins when the research is completed.” Not only do we engage our clients with insights, we ensure there is an implementation plan in place customised to quick wins and long term planning. Fill your clients up with snackable recommendations (small chunks of information that won’t overwhelm them) and follow up!
Lesson #5: Innovate, Innovate, Innovate
The world is ever-evolving. Trends come and go, technology never ceases to amaze and astound us looking back at how far we’ve come. Key marketing trends for 2014 will see a closer focus on further adapting our methodologies to encompass mobile and tablets to reach the on-the-go consumer. Mobile friendly content will be essential. Social media marketing will require more diversity as a plethora of options are now out there on the market that have surged in popularity such as Pinterest and Google +. Clients are hungry for instant access to real-time data at their fingertips as we see a continued move towards online reporting and dashboard tracking and analysis. As researchers, we must always keep abreast of new technologies and market trends as key developments could have a significant impact on research.
Written by:
Kalai Chu – Senior Research Consultant
For further information on THINK Global Research, please contact Kristy Ihle (Managing Director) at info@thinkglobalresearch.com.
