I always enjoy when internal or agency creatives are involved in my projects and wish I saw more of them, more often. They’re usually present for qualitative concept testing – a challenge I’ll talk about later – but seldom around for the critical first step...
Many years ago, I settled into the comfy salon chair for my haircut with my regular stylist, Amy who I’d been seeing once a month for several years. Like many clients and hairdressers/barbers, we had developed an easy rapport, talking about everything from our kids,...
This is story about marketing that starts with a night at the L.A. Opera. But allow me to digress for a moment. I saw an ignorant rant on LinkedIn the other day disguised as an intellectual thesis. The writer opined that creating personas for brands is “fairly...
I started my career as an ad agency account executive before being hired away by my client as a brand manager. We did a lot of focus groups back then, and I was able to observe several moderators conduct many dozens of focus groups. To...
I don't follow sports as seriously or passionately the way I did from the time I was able to read the backs of baseball cards through my late 20’s. A LinkedIn post from on the "Sports Equinox," offers part of the explanation. This piece pointed out...
It’s a shame that society has forced women into uncomfortable garments that squeeze and suffocate for the benefit of the male gaze. It’s been going on for centuries. Spanx, and now Skims have become the latest expression of this phenomenon, helping women appear to be slimmer...
As part of my wife’s birthday weekend, I took her to see the Taylor Swift film. What a spectacle! Over 70,000 screaming fans jammed into SoFi Stadium having the time of their lives. Music, dancers, lasers, holograms, amazing computer graphics! It all added up to sheer...
The future of qualitative research is AI. Here's a snippet from a group run by AI that proves it. Moderator: Arthur I. Respondents: Wendy R., Joseph H., Rick P., Josh B., Samantha A., Cassidy D. Art: Hello and welcome to our AI Focus Group! My name is...
We are always asking, far too hastily, “what’s the insight” or “what’s the answer?” Qualitative research, in and of itself, seldom provides “the answer.” But when in the hands of experts, it can lead to asking the right questions, opening the intellectual and creative floodgates...
What inspires you? Every day, posts on LInkedIn tout business books with the secrets to motivate us and compete more effectively. We need to be aware of the new thinking in business literature, and once in a while, a gem or two do emerge. Still, I...