GreenBook® Research Industry Trends Report

We anticipate that these novel and intriguingmethods will sort themselves out over time, astheir ability to address specific marketing andcommunications issues – and their potential payback– becomes more clear. We are clearly entering aconsolidation phase, with a shakeout occurringbetween the world’s largest technology firms, inwhich different platforms and business models battlefor market share (for example, Google vs. Microsoft insoftware-as-a-service, or Amazon vs. Apple in digitalmusic). We expect the same process to work its waythrough the research industry.Regardless of the technological fallout, significantchange is anticipated in the marketing researchindustry in the next five years (two-thirds say “quitea bit”, “a lot”, or “tremendous”), and younger/lessexperienced researchers anticipate the changeto be even more significant. But the news here ispositive: among those who anticipate change, over60% see more promise than threat and, again, this ismore in evidence among younger/less experiencedresearchers. Still, change will be tempered bybusiness reality: the need for effective and timelymarketing research information to shape andinform business decisions. Some are enamoredwith technological solutions, others are perhaps tooskeptical about the benefits of technology – hencethe truth likely lies somewhere in the middle. Asconveyed by our respondents, all of this changemust be managed against a shifting backdrop ofbudgetary constraints, doing more with less, sampleand data quality issues, declining response rates,and the drag of the larger economy as a whole.Navigating the technological landscape is now partof the required skill set for all researchers, regardlessof client or supplier side position.Choice Drivers of Data Collection Methods - Among SuppliersChoice Drivers of Data Collection Methods - Among BuyersPerhaps the most surprising finding is theimportance of relationship factors for bothclients and suppliers. Yes, utilizing the latestand most advanced technology is certainlyimportant to both clients and suppliers, but thebusiness relationship itself – personal service,responsiveness, and attentiveness – rises to thevery top of the list of decision-making criteria.This was true regardless of whether choosinga quantitative or qualitative research partner.Listening well and having a good relationshipwith the client – along with familiarity with theclient’s needs, rapid response, meeting deadlines,and having a knowledgeable staff – are keydiscriminators. In an age of high tech solutions,the “high touch” factors so presciently identified in1982’s “Megatrends”, remain as important todayas they have ever been. It appears that, for theforeseeable future, human beings will continueto play a central role in the profession we callmarketing research.8 GreenBook Research Industry Trends