The future's bright, the future's branded: How branding is the future of the marketing research industry

Abstract

People working in market research and consumer insights advise clients on their brands a great deal – it is often our bread and butter. But in this paper the authors propose that researchers often do not apply that learning to themselves. It suggests that in order to thrive and survive in the future, agencies and the industry as a whole should think and behave like true brands, with a strong philosophy and view of how the world works. The paper looks at how another B2B industry has approached this issue and reinvented itself successfully. The authors suggest that good branding could change existing perceptions of researchers as dull, grey and boring; it could attract new talent to the industry; engage audiences; demonstrate that we are a dynamic and exciting business; enable us to compete with a broader range of competitors; charge more money and behave with confidence in the future.