The market research landscape is in disruption – how we capture consumer insights is changing drastically from how it was done years ago. Agile is the new mantra for most marketers these days – it’s about being faster, cheaper AND smarter. Is it possible to have all 3?
Further, Agile isn’t the only A-word – there’s Artificial Intelligence and Automation as well. These A’s comprise some of the major factors disrupting our landscape. So, what does it all mean and how does it impact you?
I spend a good deal of time visiting clients – in fact; I count the companies I visit year after year, that’s companies, not individuals. Last year 129, the year before 105 – all global and across many sectors.
Here’s what I am hearing (and seeing of course):
- Consumer companies continue to focus on Millennials, and now Gen Z; these are mobile-centric consumers, they balk at traditional research, & more importantly, use visuals & video (SnapChat, Instagram, YouTube) to communicate & curate behavior. How you talk to them needs to change – meaning how you collect and capture what they’re doing.
- Today’s consumers are informed ‘digital spenders,’ according to Harvard Business Review –they integrate mobile devices for information seeking and purchase, both in-store and online. They are informed and connected, making in-context learning more critical for consumer closeness and activation. Further, because of their relationship with mobile devices, there is inherent intimacy, enabling marketers to gain from richer understanding, both via active and passive ‘data capture.’
- How consumers use information and communicate is shifting to what Google refers to as micro moments. We live in a world driven by instant sharing, YouTube videos, TED Talks, etc. Marketers need to shift their approaches and focus to how they capture consumer information – both actively and passively. This adds to the disruption.
- Healthcare companies are somewhat still focused on older generations (Boomers, Xers), but how this information is delivered is shifting to online sources of health information, and compliance mechanisms go beyond the life-saving pill to apps and other ways to reinforce usage of new treatments and medications. And it’s the same with doctors – tablets and mobile devices are used for their daily work, therefore research needs to conform with video interviews, etc.
- Navigating this learning also has its set of buzzwords and new requirements. AI and automation are the 2018 buzzwords on top of being Agile. Clients are rearchitecting processes and disciplines. The emergence of Zappistore, Wizer, Audience, and other self-serve platforms also, has gained acceptance offering an automated way for marketers to get fast results using standard approaches. In fact, it’s resulted in a shift to marketers becoming more empowered for research ‘buying’ as insights teams continue to shrink.
How do you live in this world?
At BuzzBack, we’ve been pioneering innovation in insights for more than 17 years. In fact, this month, we turn 18 emerging as a leader in innovation. Sometimes we don’t explicitly use the word agile, because we’ve always been agile. That means providing insights at different stages in your innovation journey – sometimes with stages even conducted in parallel – faster and more affordably, making it easy for your team to move forward. You’ll benefit from a unique experience that combines:
- Research guidance – research steering, whether you’re an insights expert or at the early stages of developing a brand. Our seasoned researchers guide at multiple steps along the way
- Interactive techniques – our proprietary projectives yield greater depth and understanding, using interactive technology to engage – especially younger generations accustomed to living in a digitally-centric environment
- Depth of reporting – combining visual, verbal, emotional and contextual understanding, illustrating consumer closeness in both consumer generated and passive data capture. Your learning needs to conceptually, concisely and quickly deliver a ‘story’ that’s easily digestable and shareable
- Faster delivery – automation to give you results in just a few days – even hours – to bring you consumer closeness
- Holistic view because your journey has multiple steps, and key themes need to fit together when you’ve completed the steps.
Over the years, hundreds of brands have relied on our techniques to better connect to consumers, break through marketing challenges, and fast-track their innovation – with proven results bringing new products to market.
When it comes to determining your next steps in marketing, how do you plan to get all A’s?
