I will let you into a secret. A lot of current thinking in brand and communications research is misplaced. Most marketers and market researchers fail to take account of recent advances in psychology. This presents a great opportunity for many companies to get ahead of the competition.
“Data is not information, information is not knowledge, knowledge is not understanding, understanding is not wisdom.” - Cliff Stoll & Gary Schubert
In 1969, at the peak of the Vietnam War, progressive rock group Jethro Tull recorded one of their best-known songs, Living in the Past. For a reminder of its unusual 5/4 time signature, and the even more unusual flute playing of Ian Anderson visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsCyC1dZiN8. The song seems to be about people wishing to live in peaceful times (the “past” mentioned in the song) rather than at a time of war and turmoil (the “present”).
“Our lives are frittered away by detail; simplify, simplify.” - Henry David Thoreau
“Power corrupts. PowerPoint corrupts absolutely.” - Edward Tufte
Many people today still believe in ghosts. Some people also believe that the mind, and even a soul, exists separately from the brain. The ‘social sciences’ and humanities often still hold that people are born as ‘blank slates’ ready to be molded by society. They cling to romantic notions of the “noble savage”, primitive hunter gatherer societies unfettered by violence or sexism. The truth is that science has over the last ten to twenty years shown much of this to be “poppycock” (senseless nonsense).
A recent Accenture study of senior marketing executives highlights the growing need for smarter use of data, creation of unique value propositions and squeezing more business impact from less budget.
“Seeing is believing.”
For those of you who have never tried, please use the link below and complete the selective attention test before reading the rest of this article.
(Please note, this article contains plot spoilers!)
Inception is based on the notion of “exploring the idea of people sharing a dream space — entering a dream space and sharing a dream. That gives you the ability to access somebody’s unconscious mind. What would that be used and abused for?”
“The story – from Rumplestiltskin to War and Peace – is one of the basic tools invented by the human mind for the purpose of understanding. There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories.” - Ursula K. Le Guin
Has market research dropped the (crystal) ball?
I came into the market research industry because I was curious about people. I love uncovering the motivations and behaviours of others, and enjoy exploring and connecting data to find new meanings and inspirations.
