Scott McDonald, President and CEO, ARF,
is helming his organization at a pivotal time for research, data and analytics.
Between the recent Cambridge Analytica data usage controversy, fake news, and
the upcoming EU GDPR
data regulation, the use of data and research insights are hot topics.
The annual ARF ConsumerxScience conference (previously
Re:Think) brought to light new ways of measuring the consumer journey,
understanding the psychological motivations of populations and brought forth,
as McDonald pointed out, “A lot of conversation about the accuracy and validity
of targeting data and, in the context of recent events, about the ethics of
kinds of advanced data-driven targeting that are at the core of digital
advertising.”
The Good and Bad of Data
Nothing has
impacted the field of research as data has, “in ways both good and bad,”
according to McDonald who added, “We have a lot more behavioral data to work
with than ever before, but best practices are still evolving for the use of the
data for insights.” He stated that the
growth in the amount of available data has outstripped tools for analyzation
resulting in older consumer protection guidelines that have not kept pace. “There
is some risk now of a privacy backlash that could restrict targeted marketing
and cause collateral damage to research,” he concluded.
Where this
all has to lead is more priority given to rules around data use and retention, “either
through self-regulation or government regulation, more emphasis on data
transparency (labeling) and validation (quality scoring),” stated McDonald. But
he also believes that tools will continue to improve to get more insight value
from data collected and this could lead to a better balance between classical
research approaches and data science approaches.
The Influence of Millennial Men
With
movements such as #MeToo, there has been less discussion about the influence of
Millennial men who, according to Brad Fay, Chief Commercial Officer, Engagement
Labs, are, “Surprisingly engaged as Influencers in the marketplace. They are an
everyday source of advice and have expertise in a wide range of categories and
large social networks.” These digital natives came of age during times of
upheaval and have witnessed the backlash of trends.
Fay referenced
with Jack Myer’s seminal book, The
Future of Men, in concluding, “There's something different about millennial
men.” He asked, “What does it mean to be male? The definition of masculinity is
changing. We are reinventing masculinity. There are generational differences.
Today’s young men struggle to figure out a path forward.” His research
concludes that young men are avid consumers who talk about a range of subjects including
media and automotives. But versus all men, younger men also talk more about food,
finance, travel and even beauty products. Interestingly, they talk less about sports
and technology than in the past. Fay offered the following insights: Men care
about relationships. They want to see themselves as smart shoppers. They enjoy
meal preparation. They still over-index in sports and beer but not as strongly
as they used to. He advises marketers to “Start looking at young men that they
haven't done before because they influence others. Think of them as a key asset
though their social networks.”
Preparing for the Research Departments of
the Future
Industry veteran David Poltrack, Chief Research Officer, CBS
Corporation and President of CBS VISION, is concerned about where research is
and where it is going. “We have big problems reach industry now,” he stated. “We
embrace insights and now it is coming back to bite us. Insights are intuitive,
not empirical. Intuitive means instinctual, what you feel. But Our business is
based on empirical evidence and not intuitive.” His advice is to “reeducate our
management… and get insights out of your title!”
McDonald noted that any disruption is scary. But Radha
Subramanyam, Chief Research and Analytics Officer, CBS Television, embraces
change. “Most people don't like change but we have to stay focused on the objectives.
Data is useless without insight and our insights get better with more and
smarter data.”
In terms of skills set for hiring, “Surround yourself with
generalists,” suggested Subramanyam. “As individuals think of their career,
they should amass more than one set of skills and find ways to harness all of
them to business goals. As we staff at CBS, we look for people with skills and
with curiosity.”
How can today’s researchers prepare for tomorrow? “Classic
researchers need to go beyond the usual software and multivariate statistics
and learn the approaches favored by data science. Data scientists need to get better at
understanding the domain specialties they study, and also the body of
scientific work that they are addressing with new tools. Both sides need a bit more humility about the
limitations of their approaches and the value of hybridizing,” concluded
McDonald.
This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com
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