The announcement that Google had launched a formal market research offering sent shock waves through the industry today. What was surprising wasn’t that they did it but how well thought out the offering was. Is there a silver lining in this apparently oh so dark cloud? Yes, I think there is. Continue reading »

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote what turned out to be a somewhat controversial opinion piece about things I would do if I were a market research company. The writing process was not a “fair and balanced” editorial; it reflected my current opinions and beliefs based on what I believe are long-term trends in how research is conducted and acted upon in my corner of the world. I listed eight changes I would pursue, if it were my decision to make. Most of these changes were very substantial, but didn’t include much depth as to why or when or how. Continue reading »

As I read today’s story about Harris Interactive‘s continued operating losses, I asked myself “what would I do if I were in their shoes.” Or any research vendor’s shoes, for that matter. I don’t envy them, nor would I look forward to the many changes in strategy inevitably required to return Harris to profitability.

But change they must…change, we all must.

Here’s where to start: Continue reading »