Tom Ewing asks:
What are they thinking about the future of market research?
Why aren’t we hearing from them?
My take:
I don’t think we’re asking their opinion and I’m not sure the industry is listening.
But, I would add another option somewhat related to “they’re too busy doing amazing stuff.”
“They’re in industries, businesses and functions that are not classified as ‘market research’ now, but will replace traditional ‘market research’ in a few years.”
Theoretical examples:
1. A MashUp whiz who is a baseball stats maven, has a boring job in accounting now, but will create a killer DIY research tool in 2012.
2. A gifted PHD candidate in anthropology that studies how women relate to food in their kitchens. She’ll go on in 2013 to build a stunning new “deep qual” firm.
3. A 25 year old Google math whiz that has never taken a survey course in her life, but will be tasked with architecting Google’s survey sampling methodology and DIY survey platform next year.
4. The 27 year old Boston Consulting Group wunderkind that is a virtuoso at synthesizing multiple data sets in his consulting gigs, but would never identify himself as a “market researcher” or in “market research”.
5. The 26 year old online gaming programmer that loves building simple simulation games for his buddies, but in 2013 will have the hottest new research interface on the planet. His company (Simusurveys) won’t ask respondent questions at all. Instead, it will have them play fun simulations. In fact, many people will play these surveys willingly as entertainment knowing that they are actually part of niche research efforts.
6. A 22 year old self-described “fashionista” in Miami that will create a global, invitation only, communnity for only the most cutting edge hipsters. When a high fashion corporation realizes she is sitting on a gold mine, they’ll buy her community for top dollar and hire her to maintain it. She will become their lead trends expert among the trendiest trendsetters. Overnight she’ll be a market research executive, but she’ll never use the term.
I could go on, but I think this is what part of the transformation will look like.