An attendee's view of our first session

Below is a short report from one of our attendees, Andy, who shares a few observations from his point of view.

The Elizabeth Normal International (ENI) and Chime Insight and Engagement (CIE) event was enjoyable on a number of accounts. Firstly I got to catch up with some people I’d not seen in a long time (research is a small world!), but secondly, the opportunity to be put into a mini research-workshop myself was very revealing!

From the discussions we had I think one thing that really shone through was that although nobody in research has a day structure quite the same as the next person, we all got frustrated by similar things. But what was perhaps more interesting was hearing about the different things that motivated people – for some it was all about seeing a job well done, for others seeing their work enacted upon, and for the likes of myself the social dynamic.

It was quite apparent as well, from a number of people, that market research is very much something you ‘fall into’. You may have a first class sociology degree when you leave Uni, but you don’t necessarily have a remote idea that the Market Research industry exists, let alone that you’ve got a degree that lends itself quite nicely! So Market Research ends up being the coolest job that no one ever seems to know about. There is something about that which enables you to feel quite self-satisfied and smug admittedly, but also I think we all learned that there was more effort needed for Market Research, as an industry, to branch out.

How would you promote the Market Research Industry

As part of our work on this project, we have been asking ourselves:-

How would you promote the Market Research Industry?

It would be great to hear what you think  - there is one catch, it's got to be 20 words or less!

Are you up to the challenge?

Use the comments box below to tell us what you think or tweet @mrxcareers

A moderator's view of our first event

What do you think happens when you put a bunch of young researchers in a room together?

If you’d have said “speed dating” or “deciding to embargo the term ‘market research’” or “designing an advert for the market research industry featuring none other than Chris Tarrant”, you’d be on the money.

Ok, so some pretty amazing things happened in that room of young researchers but it turns out, whether you’re a client-side or an agency-side researcher, specialising in qual, quant or a bit of both, you actually have a lot in common. Perhaps the most striking is young researchers’ bright-eyed eagerness to change the world. It’s one of the main reasons they were interested in research in the first place, and it’s one of the greatest sources of satisfaction in their work.

It’s about creating shockwaves, and jolting people in powerful positions into listening to the people that matter. Thy word/ethnographic video/crossbreak is thy weapon, and beware he who flies in the face of research…

Our bunch of young researchers also relish a challenge, which is fortunate really, as they see one of the greatest challenges to be overcome is the sheer lack of awareness or appreciation for the work that they do. Our young researchers don’t work all the hours God sends for the money alone (“what money?” some asked); they do it in the hope that the man on the street lives a happy, wholesome existence, but knows that it would not be so if there were not researchers out there looking out for him. 

Who else would be able to tell the powers that be that he needs to go to the doctor’s quite urgently but puts it off because he knows how much effort it will take to get an appointment; that he worries about sending his two children to university and doesn’t know what financial help is available; that his day would be so much easier if his mobile phone coverage actually allowed him to make telephone calls? 

To the man on the street, these improvements would happen as-if-by-magic.

He wouldn’t be far wrong.