No more research bashing please!

18th May 2015

The misleading General Election opinion polls have led to much research bashing in the media.  In particular, there is much criticism of research that fails to take into account the gulf between what people say they are going to do and what they actually do. This is an age old research challenge and there must be hundreds of examples of concepts that fly through research only to bomb when launched.

But let’s not tar all research with the same dodgy brush. It is true that people will tell you anything if you pay them; but if research is designed in the right way, it can be one of the most valuable assets to your marketing plan.  For every bad piece of research, there is another brilliant research piece that has uncovered that Eureka moment & unearthed amazing insight upon which great ideas are built.

We are huge advocates of heavy pre-tasking & of giving consumers time for due consideration of whatever it is we are seeking to understand. Using video diaries, mobile apps, and ‘being there’ techniques, we do the ‘real world’ stuff that bridges the gap between actual & claimed behaviour.