MIT-inspired Market Research Possibilities

Do big tech changes mean big market research changes?

The MIT Technology Review recently published “Breakthrough Technologies 2015,” a fun and inspiring list, including some items with market research implications. Let’s take a quick look at that subset, and see how it could be leveraged for improving market research or creating research opportunities.

7 Top Market Research Articles of 2014

So many great market research articles, so little time.

It is hard to keep up with all of the great market research articles that get published. That’s why I am happy to share a compilation of article synopses. I took seven of the articles I liked best in 2014, and worked with my amazing college intern to write synopses of them. They have now been compiled into a single document.

Top 10 Market Research Articles in One Compendium

We have compiled our top 10 articles from our blog for your convenience. The topics range from a fun look at innovation in, “Is Your Market Research the Functional Equivalent of an iToaster,” to practical tips such as time management for market researchers and how to interview quantitative market research job candidates.

So explore, learn and enjoy this compendium of Research Rockstar’s top 10 articles 2013-2014.

Four Favorite Market Research Glossaries

Whether you’re a beginner or a pro when it comes to market research, there will always be unfamiliar terms—especially as technology continues to evolve. Thankfully, there are many online glossaries to help you when you’re stuck.

In this article, Research Rockstar intern Sarah Stites has evaluated four of our favorite market research glossaries for ease of use and completeness. As a gauge of completeness, we tested for the inclusion of five terms: ethnography, laddering, MaxDiff, orthogonal, and projective.

Video Will Rock the Market Research World in 2015

I’ve been reading a lot of predictions for market research—the typical pontification we see at this time of the year. Some of it has been very inspiring, but too many just rehash the obvious.

Personally, I think there are a lot of interesting theories, a lot of long-term shifts taking place. But as for something we will truly experience in 2015? Something that will really change what we do, how we do it? It’s simple: video-based reports.

110 Ways to Handle Project Overload

End of year can be a surprisingly busy time for market researchers. Some clients have “left over” budget they need to spend. Others are trying to get a head start on 2015. And then you get a few of those “rush” projects that seem to pop up at the worst possible times.

What if you could temporarily expand your research team with the precise skills you need to cover these temporary spikes? You can.

Article Synopsis: Quantitative or Qualitative Research Methods, Let’s Go Back to the Basics

data, different statistical methods and models can give different readings. Gray states, “Causation requires correlation of some kind but correlation and causation are not the same.”

When looking at probabilities and categories, Gray cautions the researcher to, “Avoid confusing the possible with the plausible and the plausible with fact. It’s also not difficult, though, to miss something of genuine practical significance that lies hidden beneath…

12 Actionable Tips from the 2014 MRA Corporate Researcher’s Conference

The MRA’s Corporate Researcher’s Conference (CRC) was full of great sessions and first-class attendees. And I came home with a pile of business cards that are covered with scribbled down notes for follow-up. If you didn’t make it to CRC this year, here is a sampling of my notes from this 2.5 day event.

1. Sally Hogshead: High performers tend to specialize & tend to over-deliver in one area. I find this to be true, though she said it more articulately than I ever have.
2. Sally Hogshead: Successful brands know how they are different and what they do best. They avoid the “all things to all people” trap…

5 Ways You Know You Are an Awesome Market Researcher

Here are the five core attributes of an awesome researcher. Make sure you have these nailed, and your clients will quickly begin to appreciate your awesomeness.

1. You use multiple research methodologies. You are familiar with multiple research methods, and can match a project’s goals to the best available method. You don’t assume every project is either a survey or a focus group.
2. You think carefully about sample source. You know when to use panels, …

Article Synopsis: Still Full of Beanz (Effective Data Management)

Using a philosophy of test and learn, Heinz looks to multiple information sources for research, including electronic-point-of-sale, Nielsen data, panel data, and social media and brand monitoring. One such panel, Heinz 57, is an online community of 300 consumers that the company uses as a source of customer feedback.