What is marketing research?
Annie Pettit PhD CAIP FCRIC
Independent insights consultant. Writer. Advisor. Helper. Ally.
Let’s start by understanding what marketing research is not. It is not surveys, focus groups, social media research, transactional data, big data, or little data. It is not sensory testing, neuroscience, eye-tracking, EEGs, or fMRIs. Marketing research is not a set of tools, a style of work, or laboratory setting. It is not qualitative, quantitative, observational, or passive.
Marketing research, rather, is a scientific system for learning about markets and consumers. It takes advantage of any and all, old and new tools and can be conducted under the umbrella of various styles of work. It can be labeled as "Market Research," "Data Science," "Business Intelligence" or any of a whole host of specific tasks that seek to understand consumer behaviour.
Tools, like surveys and focus groups, can be used and abused by anyone but when they are applied in a scientific way, such as with precise sampling and questioning techniques, they help researchers properly understand the consumers and markets.
Quantitative Cognitive Scientist, Data Science and Analytics Expert. @lyndbacon@masto.ai on Mastodon.
8yAnnie, I think you're right that the practice of MR in industry is (or should be) an expression of science, as well as perhaps other things. It's more "using" science than it is "doing" science, then. Like engineering (outside of academia) is more about using science than it is about formulating and testing theories. So is carpentry and plumbing.
President of KNow Research & Co-Founder of Scoot Insights, Speaker & Mentor
8yAnd one could also argue it's an art as well as a science!
Quantitative Cognitive Scientist, Data Science and Analytics Expert. @lyndbacon@masto.ai on Mastodon.
8yWell put. It occurs to me that most of the practice of marketing research is not "doing science," per se. Then again, most of data science isn't really "science." As I recall, the relationship between science and marketing research has been a topic of discussion off and on over the years. The AMA definition of marketing research doesn't explicitly mention science.
I help organisations tell stories using research
8ySo is it fair to say: "marketing research *is* surveys, focus groups, social media research, transactional data, big data, or little data.... sensory testing, neuroscience, eye-tracking, EEGs, or fMRIs", combined into one skillset by people who know how to draw insights from them?
Well said!