It seems everyone is writing about the ‘death’ of design thinking lately. Business publications have worked themselves into overdrive to write the epitaph for design thinking as a practice, spurred by companies like IDEO coming down to earth after their meteoric rise over the last decade. Like most things, the reasons for the downfall of … More Why “Design Thinking” Might Have Been a Victim of Poorly-Executed Research

Is it just me, or is marketing using the word “human” everywhere right now? To my eyes and ears, it seems every product and service is being marketed as “human-powered,” “human-centric,” or “designed to be human” or “a more human way to…” or “a human-first approach” or perhaps the most fraught, “for humans”— (who else … More For the Love of All That is Human, Stop Using the Word ‘Human’ in your Marketing

I hear this one a lot. When talking to clients who are thinking of undertaking qualitative research, I often will hear a high-level executive make this statement (in a somewhat dismissive and definitive tone): “But we already KNOW our customer.” When I hear this said, it’s a doozy. Because of course, there’s literally no rejoinder … More Why Businesses Who Claim They “Know Their Customer”… Can’t Unless They Actually Speak to Them

Lots of companies pay consumer respondents as little as possible for research participation. In doing so, they are doing invisible harm to their findings: they might get something out of that research, but what they can’t see? Is what they aren’t getting. How do I know they are unintentionally missing out? I once conducted an … More Why Paying Higher Participant Incentives Leads to Better Research Results

Marketers and advertisers love to profess what industries or businesses they WON’T work on. You’ve heard the usual suspects listed when fellow professionals share what products or services they refuse to promote on-principle: cigarettes, alcohol, oil, gambling, defense contractors, pharmaceutical companies, chemicals— etc. Good for them— I support people doing what they feel is right … More Why Doing “Good” in Marketing and Advertising is More about Everyday Decisions than What You Choose to Work On

I’ll start out by saying, I’m not an AI skeptic nor an AI proponent. I AM someone who works in a business that is decidedly human— qualitative research— a business entirely made up of people discussing things with one another. And I’ve come to understand that given the conversational nature of my work, this both … More Why AI Just Isn’t There Yet for More Nuanced Qualitative Research Insights

There’s fads in the business world, just like in broader world. Businesses can swoon over new terms, new technologies, new processes, or new systems that rocket to popularity, before seeming to crest and fade after a few years. “Design Thinking” was one of these terms that lasted more than a decade. For those in media … More Why Did We Stop Talking about Customer Experience (CX)?

I am seeing a lot more marketing campaigns featuring employees lately. Are you? Whether it’s those wonky Wendy’s staffers, or the white-aproned Progressive crew, or overly-enthused Discover card customer service agents, or polo-shirtted “Lily” from AT&T, or Jake from State Farm popping up ad nauseam, these campaigns generally utilize extremely-engaged employees as the basis for … More Are Employee-Based Advertising Campaigns Setting Consumers Up for Disappointing Customer Experiences?

Despite the clickbait-y headline, the recent Vox article, “Going Shopping is Dead”— has a point. https://www.vox.com/money/23831438/shopping-retail-theft-target-walmart-macys-losses American consumers I have spoken to in the past year definitely would agree. I forgave Vox for the sensationalist headline, because they did their homework. They interviewed American shoppers and asked them about their frustrations with shopping retailers in-person, … More Why Recent Customer Service Declines Are Making Employees Even Bigger Brand Assets

I promise, the following is NOT a made-up conversation I had with an imaginary client 🙂 It was a real conversation— one in which I ended up being more matter-of-fact than usual. I had presented my client with research findings showing that their customers were feeling disrespected, due to being on the receiving end of … More What Should We Do When Data Says People’s Feelings Don’t Matter?

Consumers shouldn’t have a ready, easy answer for every research question. If they do, they probably aren’t thinking or feeling much. And to get to the heart of the matter, a moderator often has to dig a little— and that means pushing beyond what’s obvious and top-of-mind for respondents. In qualitative research, it’s not a … More Why Embracing ‘Awkward Silence’ Can Be Key to Successful Qualitative Research

Marketers all want to know it. So they think: why not ask people about it in research? It’s the million dollar question— meaning, if I could just pry this information out of consumers in qualitative, I’d be a millionaire several times over by now. But I have to be honest with my clients— consumers have … More Why You Can’t Ask People in Research What Their Favorite Ads Are