The market research landscape is a challenging one to navigate - drawing professionals from social sciences, business management and academic disciplines. What that creates is an environment in which future leaders need to hone both practical research, and a complex set of interdisciplinary, skills to succeed. In this episode, we speak to Harriet W…

As marketers, brand managers and insight professionals seek better ways to create emotional connections with audiences, video has long stood as an attractive, creative medium that commands attention. In this episode, we speak to Harry McGill, Co-Founder and Creative Director at McGill Productions, about what makes film and video such a powerful sto…

Despite recent advances in data collection, analysis and communication – asking questions is still the lifeblood of the insight industry. So why, then, is the quality of this vital component of our craft so often overlooked? In this episode of the MRX Lab, we speak to FlexMR CEO Paul Hudson about the challenges associated with determining and raisi…

How do you turn insight from a routine, mundane process into a driver of transformative change and competitive advantage for your business? With over 15 years experience developing teams and functions for leading UK brands - including British Airways, Halfords, and Saga - Debra Walmsley explains how in our opening episode of Season 5. We discuss th…

If 2023 is to be remembered for one technological boom, it will be the explosive growth of generative AI. In this episode, we speak to Phil Sutcliffe, Managing Partner of Nexxt Intelligence inca about what that means for the research industry, how new modes of working will develop and why AI represents the biggest opportunity to improve insight sin…

The role of research doesn’t end at the point of debrief. To create a successful, valued insight function it’s vital to engage with key business challenges, large and small. In this jam-packed episode, Nicola Stevens shares her experience building a research team from scratch – and the lessons learnt along the way. We discuss the role of post-debri…

It’s a challenging time for the insight industry. But after successive Bellwether reports highlighting a downward trend in spend, new research from the IPA and stagnating customer service standards – the need for sound decision-making has never been greater. In this episode, Danny Russell explains why aiming for a seat at the boardroom table might …

Both the marketing and research industries have undergone tremendous change in the last decade. Discovering the new role that insight teams play in the modern world is a challenge for many. In this episode, we explore the intersection of data, communication and company culture with award winning comms expert Lucy Davison. Over the course of 30 minu…

In Season 3, we spoke to Andrew Cannon ahead of the Year of Joy launch. Now that the community is up and running, we check in and meet Shari Alyse, America’s Joy Magnet, who has joined the team as the official Joy Reporter. On this episode, we hear about some of the previous and upcoming joy superpowers that the team are shining a spotlight on, plu…

How can research and insight shape the important conversations around sustainability and the climate crisis? In this episode, we’re joined by members of the Young Person’s Sustainability Council, a part of the MRS &More network to explore exactly that. Nikita and Lisa explain how the group started, it’s ambitious aims and views on building sustaina…

The world today is a complex place. We have access to vast, often overwhelming, volumes of data all competing for attention. In that environment, how can corporations and busy executives make sense of it all? That’s the central question we pose to Paul Hudson, CEO of FlexMR and Edward Appleton, Director Global Marketing & Sales at Happy Thinking Pe…

Market research and consumer insight professionals are no stranger to artificial intelligence. The technology has been listed as a top 5 buzz topics in every Greenbook GRIT report since 2016. It’s increasingly being used to power data collection and analytics tools, and offers the promise of previously unseen insight. But the release of advanced na…

Empathy is a skill that we’re all born with, but as with everything else – it’s something we must practise to become better at. Marketers and researchers are acutely aware of the role that empathy plays in building customer relationships, creating positive work cultures and simply connecting with others throughout all aspects of our day-to-day live…

What role does joy play in our lives? How can we measure its impact? What steps can we take to create more joy for ourselves and others? These are the questions we explore in this conversation with Andrew Cannon, Co-Founder of The Art and Science of Joy. Andrew’s latest project is The Year of Joy, an online research community launch in January 2023…

A new election period is just around the corner for ESOMAR. The incoming candidates are laying out their visions for the future of the industry and highlighting what they can bring to the organisation's Council. In this episode, we chat to FlexMR CEO, and Council candidate, Paul Hudson about his experiences in the market research industry and the c…

The past few years have thrown unprecedented challenges at the global economy: A pandemic. War in Europe. Supply chain breakdowns. Rapidly rising inflation and murmurs of recession. It can be tempting to ask, during such trying times, what place does marketing have amid such dire circumstances? That’s the exact question we aim to answer in this MRX…

Modern brands thrive on data. From optimising supply chains and real-time product distribution to instant CX feedback and live marketing tests - data is everywhere. Traditionally, insight professionals have acted as the custodians of customer and consumer knowledge. But times are changing, and data engineers are building pipelines that feed crucial…

Brands powered by data and insight are 3x more likely to report significant improvements in the quality of their decision making. But how do you build trust and engagement with stakeholders to create a culture of insight? In this episode, we speak Andy Smith from NFU Mutual about how research professionals can begin on that journey. Across 10 minut…

How do you approach a research topic as divisive and polarising as vaccine hesitancy? In this episode, we speak to Dr Jack Gorman – Co-Founder of Critica, a non-profit organisation which does precisely that. We delve into the technique of motivational interviewing and how it’s helping to deliver better online interventions against misinformation. A…

As the Founder of Insight Platforms, Mike Stevens has a long history of creating high-quality, practical content for research and insight professionals. From detailed market maps to e-learning courses, buyers guides, themed summits and more – we discuss the story of Insight Platforms and the process behind creating valuable, practical resources for…

We explore Kristina's experience taking leave as a parent of a newborn, and, true to MRXplorer form, expand it to how leave should be for everyone everywhere. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message

Z gets pretty vulnerable as she shares her struggle with whether or not she can still be considered a market researcher now that she's in a research operations role. If you've ever experienced impostor syndrome, you'll likely relate quite heavily to her concerns about the way her career has evolved. From career paths to how one's focus changes duri…

A rising demand for data and new technologies have both pushed qualitative research to new heights. But in the pursuit of speed and scale, have we lost some of what makes qual valuable? In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Matthew Farmer, Senior Research Associate at FlexMR, to discuss the challenges of scaling qual, and emerging thinking around thi…

As a burgeoning media channel, much of our understanding of podcast listeners relies simply on volumetric listening figures. But Acast is changing that dynamic. The company is building a robust library of insight into listeners, their preferences, habits and more. In this episode, we’re joined by Tommy Walters of Acast. Over 10 minutes, we explore …

Kristina and Z are back! They chat through some of the "where have we been," and then, "what are we gonna talk about the next few months," and generally just catch up podcast-like. Also, Wordle and Nerdle get a mention! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message…

Today’s customers are connected, influential as individuals and have access to a global stage upon which to act. In this world, the dynamic between brand and buyer provides great leverage to customers, but also great opportunity to insight teams. In this episode, we explore with Maria Twigge of FlexMR, why it is no longer enough to understand a mar…

Insight frameworks represent a formalised expression of the strategy, tactics and implementations of how research flows through a business. From the inputs, to the processes, systems and technologies that shape fieldwork, and eventually to the way in which outputs impact action – frameworks are a crucial tool for building a data-driven, customer-ce…

To democratise data is to provide access, control and input over the research process to the end-users of data. There’s a huge range of benefits that this can provide, from better communication to more streamlined project management. But to create a true culture of insight is challenging. In this episode, we discuss the steps to success. After an i…

In this episode of the MRX Lab from FlexMR, we’re joined by Greg Morris, Senior Brand Research Manager at F1. Over the course of ten minutes, we evaluate the role of insight activation in market research – what it is, why it’s important and the impact that it can have. Greg shares his advice for engaging stakeholders throughout a research project, …

As the volume of available data sources increases and business decision making becomes ever-more distributed, how do you capture stakeholder attention and ensure insight has a seat at the table? That’s the question we explore whilst investigating new, emerging and creative reporting techniques. Joining us on the journey is Maria Twigge, Research Di…

In an ever-expanding sea of options, it can be difficult to find the right mix of market research data collection methods. In this episode, we dive into the decision-making process and investigate how you can audit your research skills and investments in relation to the needs of your company. We discuss a set of four key questions that you should a…

What does it mean to humanise data? This episode dives into the meaning of this often-misunderstood option in the insight professional’s toolkit. We investigate the alternate definitions before working through an example of the ways in which buyer personas can be brought to life. We also touch on the dangers of humanising data and pinpoint the comm…

What exactly IS semiotics? Whitney Dunlap-Fowler joins us to walk us through what it is, how it's used, and where to learn more about it. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message

In this episode of the MRX Lab from FlexMR, we’re joined by Dan Siddle, Senior Consumer and Brand Insights Manager for Western Europe at the Molson Coors Beverage Company. Across the ten minutes, we discuss how research and insight teams can dig deeper into business questions, understand what stakeholders need to know and prioritise projects in a f…

Z and Kristina muse over a few things in this episode. - When will "agile research" become "research"? - When will "agile research" reach business-to-business research? - Is "agile" excluding the ability to achieve inclusive research? - Whose job is it to solve data quality issues or DE&I in research? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters…

Kristina and Z take some time to reflect on the conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion with the guests from the past few months on the podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message

In this episode of the MRX Lab from FlexMR, we look at the roles of customer, user and human experience research. What makes each of these domains different and where do they share similarities? We look back at the origins of UX and CX to investigate how they have evolved over time and what might be in store next. This episode also serves as a deep…

In this episode of the MRX Lab from FlexMR, we interview Charlotte Evans on how to effectively connect with long-term market research participants. An expert in engagement, Charlotte highlights why this is such an important topic for insight professionals to understand, in addition providing an overview of simple strategies that can be employed. We…

Mary Ann Mendez joins Kristina and Z to chat about her experiences as a blind woman in the field of market research. Learn about the opportunity for online qualitative tools to be more inclusive, the diversity philosophy, and the skills of blindness. Interested in Mary Ann's consulting to help your platform be better? Or just want to learn more abo…

In this episode of the MRX Lab from FlexMR, we speak with Sally Nicholls on how to approach the design stage of the research process. Drawing on years of industry experience, Sally highlights a number of the common challenges that insight professionals often face, and practical ways to overcome them. In particular, we discuss the role of robust deb…

Welcome to Monday Musings, the series where Z and Kristina muse over a market research topic. We kick it off with a chat about storytelling in market research, the difficulties around storytelling as a market researcher who wants to share ALL the numbers, and some advice on how to kick off any project so that the story practically tells itself when…

In the second episode of the MRX Lab, we investigate what it takes to make research happen. Joined by Gareth Bowden and Sally Nicholls from FlexMR, the episode explores the common challenges and pitfalls that can hold up a project before it even gets off the ground – from business-wide input to budgetary decisions and sudden, unexpected development…

Melissa Nevarez and Anacely Vazquez-Carrillo join Kristina and Z to share their experiences being Latinas in the world of market research. We get into topics like different subgroups within the Latinx umbrella, 2020 polling and messages about the Latinx community, and more! As always, we hope this inspires discussion, though, and, ultimately, actio…

The MRX Lab podcast is back for a brand new season in 2021. In our first episode, we chat insights empowerment with FlexMR CEO, Paul Hudson. A 15+ year industry veteran, Paul explains how the modern pressures placed on research professionals are creating a strong need to find new ways of working. We discuss the role of efficiency, reach and influen…

Hear from Mario Carrasco, co-founder and principal of ThinkNow as he explains some of the cultural nuances that lead to marked differences in the way Latinx survey respondents are recruited and nurtured, then stay as he candidly shares his experience on being a Latinx market research company co-founder. Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mrx…

In our first international episode, we chat with a couple of the founding members of Colour of Research (CORe) in the UK. Listen to their experiences as people of color in the market research industry, and enjoy their passion for the work they're doing with CORe. When you're done, come back to the show notes to learn more about them at the links be…

Our journey exploring the world of diversity and inclusion inside and outside the market research walls starts with our conversation with Pepper Miller, author, market researcher, and Black-American subject matter expert. This candid conversation was very thought-provoking; we're sure you'll agree. Are you ready to dig in? To shop Pepper's books: h…

In this episode of the MRX Lab podcast from FlexMR, we look at the opposing forces of globalization and localization. What do these trends mean for the market research industry and how do they affect the work that we do? After a brief introduction, we examine the challenges that a connected world poses and identify ways local knowledge can be used …

We're kicking off a series of interviews that talk about diversity and inclusion from the perspective of underrepresented groups. We hope you'll join us as we share the fun and courageous conversations we've had (and continue having) around this topic. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message…

In this episode of the MRX Lab podcast from FlexMR, we take an in-depth look at philosophical constructs of knowledge, and how our beliefs about the nature of information shape the very work we do. In particular, we discuss the ideas of rationalism, empiricism and pragmatism through the unique lens of the insights sector. Throughout the course of t…