The right tools for the job | Rhiannon Price| Director | Northstar Research
Rhiannon Price
1
Northstar Research
Studio D
22 Ebury Street
London
SW1W OLU
T 020 7824 9876
E rprice@northstarhub.com
W www.northstarhub.com
Market research:
put it to good use,
not misuse
1 The comfort blanket: but it should not hold up
decision making
2
Market research sometimes gets a bad press,
but as Rhiannon Price of Northstar Research
proposes, could this be because it is sometimes
carried out and used in the wrong way?
2 The holy grail: research should guide, it's not absolute gospel
T
he court case between Apple and Samsung
has just revealed that Apple does do market
research after all. Despite Steve Jobs’
protestations that ‘it isn’t the consumer’s job
to know what they want,’ it is a relief to hear that the
largest technology company in the world feels it too
needs to hear what their customers have to say.
In fact, not only does Apple do market research,
but it appears its philosophy surrounding research
is very sound – ie, like many marketing tools, market
research must be used with discretion.
To put it in context, Jobs’ infamous quote was
apparently in relation to the development of the
iPad for which he – like Henry Ford before him when
he stated “if I had asked people what they wanted
they would have said faster horses” – felt it was
not in the customers best interests to have a say;
ie, that with this type of revolutionary innovation,
inertia and resistance to the unknown might set in
and muddy the water. The research produced in
court, however, was an ‘iPhone Owner Study,’ which
surveyed users in multiple countries about why they
bought an iPhone – something that Apple could
not know on its own, but that is fundamental for
its product development.
Therefore, given this context, I like to think Jobs’
10 | Insights from leading experts on market research
statement – which seems to damn market research –
was not actually down to arrogance or a disrespect
for the discipline, but rather an intelligent approach
to market research; one which acknowledges that
sometimes talking to the customer might not be
the right thing to do.
Now, this might seem like a counter intuitive
comment coming from a market researcher,
however, I believe that it is when market research
is wrongly applied that it gets a bad name and
negative press.
In short, as Jobs showed, market research
is a tool that needs to be used in the right way,
otherwise, the bad workman will of course blame
his tool.
The misuse of market research: three ways
to sully its name
All market researchers will have to defend the role
of market research at some point in their careers –
whether it is to advertising agencies which believe
we are ‘killing their ideas’, internal stakeholders who
feel the report is too reliant on subjective opinion
or naysayers who undermine findings because they
do not believe a research environment can ever
truly mimic a real life situation.
However, charity starts at home, and there are
a few ways we – as agencies and commissioners
of research – can approach and disseminate market
research to help stop its name being sullied.
Misuse #1: the comfort blanket
Misuse: We’ve all been there: you have been asked
to research that design, ad or product just one
more time, but by such ‘over researching’, market
research is seen as the bad guy who is holding
up progress and finding faults. In reality, however,
it is often the case that research is being used as
a comfort blanket and a decision will not be made
internally until vigorous research has taken place
and a gateway has been passed.
Good use: A good research agency will never
report on a design, ad or product as an isolated
proposition, but will highlight the themes at play
that can be reapplied in future development.
Stakeholders should try to take confidence from
the original findings and – unless there is a dramatic
departure – feel ready to move the idea on.
Misuse #2: the holy grail
Misuse: Sometimes there are unrealistic
expectations placed on a study to provide the
definitive answer and, in this instance research
becomes seen as the Holy Grail. Understandably,
this places unreasonable pressure on the study and
leaves market research vulnerable to being blamed
for erroneous decisions or for not being willing
to provide a black and white answer.
Good use: While a good research agency will
be a partner, knowing wider business issues and
analysing the research accordingly – market research
should be used to help give context to business
decisions. It should be used as guidance,
not gospel.
Misuse #3: the weapon
Misuse: Perhaps the one misuse which creates
the most fear among researchers is when
different parties use research as a weapon in internal
wars. At worst, this means there is little interest
in letting the researcher do their job as an objective
and experienced analyst, and instead research
is ambushed with any relevant piece of data –
no matter how small – being leveraged to gain
an advantage.
Unfortunately, this often means the
misinterpretation of data. Such warfare leaves the
research agency in a very vulnerable position when
it brings the actual findings to the presentation as
it is either at risk of contradicting what has already
been wrongly disseminated or it is caught in the
crossfire between the interested parties.
Good Use: Internal custodians of research
need to make sure that access to preliminary
findings or attendance at groups is carefully
managed. Asking the agency to compose a one
page summary that can be cascaded immediately
after groups or a survey closing will provide the
‘official’ line to all parties involved.
The final dissemination of findings is also
important to ensure that a report is not taken
out of context.
What can we do to help?
As market researchers, we must take responsibility
for such misuse of market research and work with
our clients to ensure such problems do not happen.
In fact, we must ask ourselves: what do we do to
perpetuate the situation? How can we inspire clients
to be more confident in using market research in the
right way? How can we help clients recognise when
research might be ill conceived? Are we helping
our clients to manage the expectations of internal
teams? And how can we help clients manage and
3
3 The weapon: internal wars can result
disseminate both interim findings and final reports?
Ultimately, as is proven time and again,
a research agency that can act as a consultant to
its client, instead of a supplier, will have a stronger
relationship and shared understanding of their
business needs.
As such, they will have the ability to guide and
advise on which research is undertaken and how it
is used internally. After all, it’s not much fun being
the bad tool! l
Insights from leading experts on market research | 11