Use October 2015 to become a Smarter Researcher

Last week at Vision Critical’s London Summit I presented the case that market researchers and insight professionals need to become Smarter Researchers, and we handed out copies of my new book on the topic (download it here). People seemed to be really happy with the evidence and the recommendations and many asked for a simple way to get started. So, here is my recommendation for October. October has five Tuesday’s, so I am suggesting 5 videos for you to watch, i.e. one a week. Ideally watch them at work, with colleagues. Afterwards discuss the main things you learned and how they might best be used by your team and your organisation. The five videos are: Hans Rosling: ‘The best stats you have ever seen’. This is a TED video (one of several Rosling has made). Look at the way he takes complex issues and complex data and makes the message simple and engaging through storytelling and graphics. Click for link Derek Silvers: ‘How to start a movement’. Another TED video and this one will have a major impact on how you think influence and influence marketing works. Click for link Ben Wellington: ‘How we found the worst place to park […]

Why the GRIT Survey is useful, and why you should take part

The link to the latest GRIT survey is available (click here to take it) and I encourage you to take part. The survey has been updated and should last less than 15 minutes. NewMR has been involved in the GRIT study for several years and we think it is a useful addition to the information available to market researchers, insight professionals, and the users of the products and services we supply. The main benefits of the GRIT study are: Larger than any other study into market research. Many years of back data to help highlight trends. Supported by a wide range of organisations, so less restricted to say a trade body or specific supplier. Covers trend and innovation topics that other studies don’t cover. The main limitations are: Not a random probability sample of the industry Tends to reflect researchers more interested in new topics and in particular those who read online publications and/or engage in social media. Tends to over-represent the English-speaking research community (although the survey is available in several other languages). What is GRIT most useful for? The best use for GRIT is for looking at emerging trends – especially if we assume that the early adopters […]

Will the Ashley Madison hack and law suits spell the end to Big Data as we know it?

The recent edition of New Scientist has a very thought provoking article (After Ashley Madison: How to regain control of your online data) looking at the near future of personal data and wonders if organisations are going to start avoiding holding large amounts of personal data. I do not want to discourage people reading this well researched and interesting article, so I will just highlight the key points: There is a good chance Ashley Madison will be sued, and that it will lose the case, and that the damages will be so big it will go out of business. Ashley Madison had personal data, it did not adequately protect it (but promised its customers it would), and many of those customers have suffered harm (including broken marriages, jobs lost, and apparently suicides). Most companies holding data about users and customers are not adequately protecting it, and it may not be possible to adequately protect central repositories of data. Eric Snowden illustrated that even the US National Security Agency could not adequately protect information. Consequently, the financial risk of holding large datasets of personal information may become too large for organisations such as Microsoft and Google to risk – which would […]