Our online efforts are not going very well.
Hmm... Let's brainstorm about things we can do to remedy the situation. Better yet, let's appoint a committee to develop a strategy that will get us out of this mess. Fantastic idea! Let's give the whole management team a bonus!
[several weeks go by...]
The committee's report is in: 1) tap into social media, 2) buy or hire a smaller company that knows how to mine the blogosphere ... whatever that means, 3) modernize our websites, 4) make surveys shorter and jazz them up with the latest and greatest interactive gadgets and widgets, 5) do something--do anything--with online communities... just make sure our clients know we do online communities
[lots of time and money is spent...]
Shit! We haven't made any progress. In fact, no one in this company has the slightest fucking clue about how to do any of these things. Oh well, let's just forget about it. The sky has been falling for years and it hasn't crushed us yet. We'll just wait for someone else to figure it out and copy/buy their solution.
Does this sound at all familiar?
Everyone wants to talk about transforming market research, but when it's time to turn words into actions we fall flat on our faces.
Why?
Because we still aren't prepared to do what needs to be done. Because we have the wrong people doing the wrong jobs, using the wrong tools. Because no matter how many times you fill a submarine with submariners, strap it to a rocket and shoot it into space, those people will not magically become astronauts and the submarine will not achieve a stable orbit or return safely to earth at the end of its mission.
If you want to drill through the brick wall that's keeping you on the wrong side of online success I suggest you get yourself some good drills, masonry bits, and professionals who know how to use those tools. Otherwise, you're welcome to keep beating your head against the wall. You might get through it, but odds are your head will crack long before you make a dent.
2 comments:
I think the whole idea of 'transforming market research' is misplaced. At its core, market research is about understanding the market (!) in order to help guide clients in their decision-making processes.
So, not quite so exciting, but far more useful, is thinking about our clients' problems and the questions they have around those problems. And *then* deciding on the appropriate research design and methodology – maybe online or offline or more likely a hybrid.
Your post gives a beautiful overview of what happens when shiny new technologies vs good business questions shape/determine research design.
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