Great news! My article on DIY research “Why It’s Good for Everyone” won the counterpoint contest recently run by the MRA’s Alert! Magazine. The article is reprinted in the MRA
Clients seeking to conduct a market research project typically choose one of two paths: do it in-house or outsource to a full-service market research agency. Pretty simple.
But now, a third option exists: out-tasking.
Even if we put aside self-serving forecasts that are patently optimistic, many market forecasts are based on a rather murky mix of supply-side assumptions, total available market estimates, and compound annual growth rate hunches. In some markets, the forecasts rely heavily on input from suppliers to the market (for example, analyst firms ask PC manufacturers how many units they expect to ship).
The US 2010 Market Research conference season will be starting soon. Luckily, this year they are a bit more spread out than last year.
The MRA’s big conference will be in Boston in June.
The AMA’s annual Market Research Conference will be in Atlanta in September.
And IIR’s The Market Research Event will be in San Diego in November.
I can hear the sighs of anticipated exhaustion already. Travel, sessions, expense reports. And the dreaded, overflowing inbox that faces you upon returning to work the next week.
Besides, we have to ask ourselves: do in-person events matter anymore? Look, I am in the business of online training—I LOVE online content. But I do believe that there is still a place for in-person events as well. And here is why:
Do these websites matter? Aren’t they just electronic billboards?
I think they do matter. A lot of people who buy and use market research visit agency websites. And frankly, they are more likely to visit an agency site than that of a professional association (such as the MRA or CASRO) or of a trade publication (such as Quirk’s or Research Magazine). So these agency websites are, intentionally or not, a key source of client education.
Websites are the virtual storefronts of market research agencies. It’s where you often get your first impression of a potential research supplier. You peek in the window and see if the goods are narrow or diverse, dated or current. You get an impression about personality and culture. You may even get a sense of trustworthiness.
But if you have ever looked at more than 2 or 3 agency web sites, you will see that the quality and content vary dramatically. Almost dismayingly so.
So how to compare them?…
