Not Art, Not Science--What Is Market Research?

Neither Art Nor Science--What Is Market Research?

When I talk to people outside the profession of market and marketing research, I often get asked to sort of put our research into a category box. 

Is it science? Well, no, although many of us do the same things scientists do with higher math, statistics etc. 

Market research is not in the business of testing a hypothesis against a 'null assumption.' If there is a hypothesis at all, it is usually handed to us by a client and usually it is in a remarkably fuzzy condition. But the bulk of what we do in brand tracking, segmentation, etc., is remarkably free of hypotheses.

So then, my friends, neighbors and occasional clients ask, what is market research? Is it an art, like the dark art of marketing? Again, no. We don't go by our gut or by the brilliance of what our competitor is doing. We make conclusions based on data.

We're certainly not a profession--not like doctors, lawyers and accountants. There are few barriers to entry and no mandatory licenses (thank the stars). There is no certifying board and precious few universities and colleges that even have a market research major.

At the end of the day, market research is best though of as a craft. Remember those? It is a trade where experience counts but apprenticeships are short and intense. It has tricks of the trade--you don't know how to make statistical software packages roll over or sit up and beg when you start. You learn it on the job. Moderating focus groups is something best learned by sitting in the back room and watching someone else do it. And there are tips and tricks that mentors and colleagues provide, usually happily (market researchers are generally a good group of people, if often socially challenged [just kidding, we're all ebullient extroverts, that's why we do this, right?]).

The nice thing about a craft is it can be honed right up to the day you retire. A nicer thing is that you don't have to be as defensive as some artists are or as arrogant as some scientists.

It's a nice way to make a living.