Big data is one of those topics that seem to crop up cyclically in the news circuit, sometimes with scary-sounding article titles proclaiming the demise of traditional primary marketing research. While big data won’t kill traditional marketing research, there is overlap between the two fields, which present a great opportunity for collaboration in order to develop more meaningful insights.

Imagine a successful consumer focused business with tens of billions in annual revenue headquartered in the EU looking to grow profit and potentially gross margin in a captive, yet static market. Looking across the pond to the US, leadership in the business decides to mirror their American counterparts, assuming what is working in the States will translate to greater profit and revenue opportunities across the European and UK marketplace.

As is the case each year, the leadership team at MarketVision Research engaged in discussions and planning to establish direction for the upcoming years. 2020 caused us to take an even stronger look at our business, our operations, our offerings, our……everything!

In June of 2014, then House Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost his reelection bid in the Republican primary in spite of being heavily favored. Polls showed him with a double digit lead days before the election. That was the first major signal that political pollsters needed to change their approach. Unfortunately, due to a variety of issues, they kicked the can down the road.

A Little Qual, A Little Quant…Something for Everyone

First off, I am grateful for the continued good health of my family, friends and colleagues. Trying to find some good out of this tragedy, I am also thankful that the pandemic has given (read, forced) some of my colleagues and clients to see the up-side of online community work. Without the opportunity to do in-person qualitative work or the ability to travel, more have warmed to the idea of working with the online community team to deliver insights and many have been pleasantly surprised by the results.

Education is in a state of flux as school systems scramble to establish a remote learning model that effectively supports the students and families they serve, as well as the staff and teachers they employ. There is much to learn from the struggles and successes from last spring and it’s clear that improvements are needed to enable a true learning environment that works for all.

MarketVision worked with a large public school system to better understand the issues.