Back in the dark ages, before the Internet, before text messaging or instant messaging, before pop-up surveys, surveys on store receipts or automated surveys following a contact with a call center, market researchers would gather at conventions to bemoan how it seemed that every manager, every client, heck, everyone in their company fancied themselves as market researchers.
Managers and clients would re-write questionnaires. Some insisted on using pejorative questions, gilding the lily to garner what they perceived to be favorable responses from customers; other insisted that questions had to conform to the rules of written English, regardless of how ridiculous this sounded when posed over the phone. Everyone, it seemed, knew how to do it better than the market researchers charged with actually doing it.
In spite of this, almost all market research conducted in those times went through the market research department or group. For one main reason: market research required the hiring and management of a market research consulting firm at the very least to design and execute the study and data collection and reporting.
And the market research department or group was the liaisons to these companies.
Have things changed?
Yes, they have, at least in the respects above. Market Research has gained academic prominence and the professionalization of the industry has led to market research being viewed as a discipline rather than merely a set of tasks.
Ironically, in other aspects, market researchers face even more daunting challenges now. While managers and clients often wanted to (and did) interfere in the research process, in today’s business world, basically anyone can generate an email survey, or put up a survey online, and collect whatever “data” they desire.
More to follow.
Comments welcome.
Dr. Bob
