Editor's note: Finn Raben is director general, ESOMAR.
For client-side researchers September often signals the start of fall conference season, a time to re-join their research-buying peers, review their common challenges and gain some valuable insights on how the industry is adapting to the rise of different technologies, budget challenges and ensure that insights have impact. If you are traveling to Berlin for ESOMAR’s Congress, here is a roundup of a few presentations you will be able to attend.Â
The small enterprise blueprintÂ
As new technologies are opening up the world of insight to companies that for years did not have the budget for research projects, we’re seeing more and more client-side researchers in the small- to medium-sized enterprises sector – a trend that will surely continue. Interestingly when new markets open up like this, you see more innovation as smaller more agile companies challenge the legacy systems.Â
Metfriendly, a small investment specialist for the Metropolitan Police Force in the U.K., will be sharing their key learnings from recent experience in the market research space and how these learnings can be applied to larger organizations.Â
ROI of influencer marketing
Not a day goes by without a story on influencer marketing and how beneficial it is for brands. However, as with much in the new world of digital marketing, businesses still don’t truly understand the impact of influencer marketing, or even how to approach measuring it. By aligning insight teams alongside digital marketing teams, researchers can help to select and choose the correct influencers, providing insights to the company while marketers can enable them. This only works, however, when everyone knows what the ROI will be.Â
Thomas Gruber, market researcher at German retail chain dm-drogerie markt, will be able to demonstrate how to finally solve the issue of ROI and influencer marketing.Â
The great communication experimentÂ
TLDR, nothing was attached, PDF will not load on my phone …Â
Communicating insights (and their value!) internally is one of the biggest challenges faced by R&I teams, so what do teams need to do to maximize engagement with their insights? Coca-Cola decided to put this to the test. In a pilot study with Keen As Mustard, Coca-Cola discovered how best to present and communicate insights effectively and quickly.Â
This is a session for client-side researchers struggling to get cut through internally with their research projects. Begonia Fafian, Western Europe knowledge and insights director, The Coca-Cola Company, and Lucy Davison, managing director, Keen As Mustard will share their findings on the pilot study and provide a series of tips on how to communicate insights internally.Â
Craftsmanship to accelerate insights and impact engines of the future
Technology is changing the market research industry more rapidly than ever before. AI and automation are disrupting the industry and driving prices ever lower. But what does this mean for client-side researchers? What unique skills do they provide that a piece of code cannot match?Â
Put simply, emotional and cognitive skills are used to analyze data and generate human insights. Myralda Derks, vice president, consumer and market insight Unilever plc, will be demonstrating how the craftmanship of the client-side researcher can’t be replicated by a machine. While providing practical insights on how client side researcher can better prepare for tomorrow, today and ensure that not only does the business thrive but the people inside the business as well. A vital session for anyone that is worried about robots taking over our jobs!Â