In the market research industry, 2018 will forever be known as the arrival year for AI and blockchain (Well done on the first patent, 20/20 research!) In Canada, we also got to witness the birth and growth of a brand-new product category when cannabis become legal for recreational consumption on 8/17, our version of 4/20.
But so much more happened over the year. From qual and quant to food and tech, lots of people shared inspiring ideas that made us take stock and rethink. So in no particular order, here are some of our favourite articles from 2018.Food Innovation: How Far Is Too Far? By System 1 Research
Thousands of new food and beverage products go through taste tests and package tests every year as brands attempt to create outrageously innovative new products that people will love and buy. At the same time, brands don’t want to go so far such that people simply can’t relate to them – pink toast anyone? In this post, System 1 Research presents a case study for identifying innovations that maybe don’t even deserve a taste test!
10 Things We Learned about Qualitative Research in 2017. By the Sklar Wilton & Associates team: Meredith Morino, Mike D’Abramo, Gloria Watson, Barb Paszyn, and Sarah Liverance
From focus groups and interviews, to discussion boards and video production, great researchers are always on the lookout for ways to improve their techniques and become even better researchers in the future. This post was the perfect reminder that even the most experienced researchers have room to grow and can benefit from rethinking the old ways of doing things.
Leapfrogging to equality: Why brands must think ‘women-first’ when developing voice applications. By Anjali Puri, Global Director, Qualitative Offer and Expertise, Kantar, Insights Division
We’ve heard all year long that voice is going to be the next big thing for consumers, and potentially for market researchers. But for those of us conducting research around the world, we need to first take a step back and consider whether voice is a universally accessible tool. Anjali helps us to understand why brands need to be more considerate of cultural segments as they plan for a future with AI and voice assistants.
Do you know how to assess innovations in market research and insights? By Ray Poynter, Founder and Chair, NewMR
Well oiled marketing machines can transform ordinary technologies into the realm of new and amazing innovations never before seen! In his post, Ray lays out an excellent framework that will help you identify whether a research tool is indeed an innovation or simply really great marketing from an overzealous brand.
3 Lessons In How Not To Write A Questionnaire. By Andrew Grenville, Chief Research Officer, maru/matchbox
Andrew brings to life yet another story of market researchers forgetting what it’s like to be a real person. It keeps happening and the stories keep coming so maybe this time, the moral of the story will stick. We need to do a better job of writing questionnaires that people can actually answer honestly.
SAMPLE SIZE IN QUALITATIVE RESEARCH. By Dr. Kakali Bhattacharya, Qualscape
Though not a traditional blog post’ Dr. Kakali Bhattacharya shares excellent thread of how to approach question of sample size in qualitative research. Qual researchers know that the samples sizes are too small for generalizability and thus concerns actually reflect ignorance about the assumptions and purposes of qualitative research. And I do think the ‘YELLING’ title is well deserved!
11 common customer journey mapping mistakes to avoid. By Kelvin Claveria, Marketing Manager, Vision Critical
This post summarizes a webinar on customer experience by Annette Franz, founder and CEO of CX Journey Inc. She spoke about some of the major myths related to customer journey mapping and reinforced the notion that once your consumer research is done, it’s probably time to start all over again. Well, not quite but consumers, society, culture, and technology change so rapidly that we must always be ready to adjust our marketing models to remain relevant.
Voyageurs National Park wolves eating beaver and blueberries, but not moose
Yes, this GPS mapping of six packs of wolves around Voyageurs National Park belongs here. Why? Because it’s an excellent, real life example you can use to teach a client about cluster or factor analysis. Why do people lump together these product features? Because they’re from the same family of wolves. Why don’t people choose a different set of product features? Because the land is different. Cluster analysis happens all around us if we just take the time to notice.
Is your favourite article missing? Let us know. We’d love to read it!
