For Whom The Division Bell Tolls

The term 'Division Bell' in this article symbolizes turning points, decisions, and challenges in the evolving landscape of market research. For added context, it's also a nod to an iconic album by Pink Floyd, a band I've always been deeply passionate about. Their themes of change and communication resonate with the transformations we observe in our industry.

I'm not just jotting down quick thoughts. Instead, I'm sharing my honest feelings about how our role is changing in a very fast-moving world.?

Market research has always been about helping companies make decisions. That hasn't changed. But the way that insight is gathered and applied? That's changing a lot. Remember the days when data was our gold and we were its eager miners. Are those days really behind us, or are we on the verge of another paradigm shift? What is the Devision bell trying to tell us?

Remember the good days when data was a precious commodity, and we were the miners (or is it only me that kind of dinosaur here? :)

Analog time.

It all started in the age where even data itself was deficit, so a big part of the researchers' job was collecting data - observing current and potential customers, running focus groups or other qual research to understand whys, doing surveys asking about literally everything even to evaluating market size, business needed more informed decisions. Research agencies mainly provided data for those decisions or helped each other collect the data, while analysis and consultancy were split between the agency and the internal research team.?

Digital Evolution.

Surprisingly, the digital transition in the beginning didn't change the rules of the market research game but at least helped to do some things more efficiently. Face-to-face questionnaires were transferred to phone surveys, then to quite terrible online experiences (we are all guilty, are we? :))

Then, the real digital evolution happened outside (!) of (what we or ESOMAR called) the traditional market research industry. It shifted boundaries and opened new ways of getting data to support business decisions (it's not only about research technologies). It's more about the digital and mobile transformation of consumers. I don't think most research agencies at that time heard that first tolling bell. Most of us tried to use digital tech to (collect data - crossed out) make a horse faster.

Big Data Awakening

The amount of data in a beautiful digital and omnichannel world rose until everyone noticed the elephant in the room, and then somebody called it Big data. Big Data was our first real wake-up call and our second tolling bell, but did we truly heed its sound? Or were we too lulled by the siren song of familiar methods and long-term partnerships? Oh no, I remember we all discussed how to deal with big data (but I don't recognize any viable solution coming from research suppliers.

Rise of ResTech

So, this way or another, businesses themselves notice and use the opportunity to deal with other data sources supporting their decisions rather than expensive and often inefficient cooperation with agencies. Many external technologies appeared during the last decade, helping companies of different sizes know their potential customers better and operate more efficiently. Social listening tools, digital analytics, DIY, and automated interception studies became available. We can probably call this a third call. This time, research companies shifted towards technology, the whole new ResTech sector appeared, and many agencies started developing their own tech stack.?

Yes, the global pandemic was an excellent accelerator for these changes, and maybe it is worth a thank you and a separate chapter, but it's not the key. The key outcome is that more and more companies are getting more and more capabilities to make their marketing and business decisions without external help but with internal resources (or optimized external resources) and third-party tools provided by startups and technology companies.?

AI's Dominance

Now, as AI's reverberations grow louder, can you hear the Division bell's toll?

I envision a future where our insight role, though vital, is seamlessly automated. It will be an INVISIBLE function in decision-making.?

Customers' insights and voices will be counted and integrated seamlessly into a creating or decision-making process. A fluid reality where design feedback is instant, marketing reactions come in real time, and AI tools, much like ChatGPT, churn out insights at the click of a button.

Nothing compares to the efficiency of AI in terms of costs and speed. What about quality? Of course, when it's garbage in, garbage out. But with or without us, AI will be better.?

But I'm still convinced - our value is not lost, but there are big questions we have to face:

1. Will there be enough room for all of us in this evolving landscape?

2. Are we truly ready to adapt or are we clinging to the familiar?

3. How might AI and human researchers coexist? Are there areas where AI might never replace human intuition?

4. How can we best provide a human touch? The ability to understand emotions, nuances and cultural contexts - will always have a unique value. Especially in the qualitative and behavioral sciences, our path is not entirely foggy.?

5. How can we help industries make invisible and accurate AI insights work?

Conclusion

When the Division bell rings, it's a reminder for us to pay attention. Our role may be changing, but it's far from obsolete - it may look different in the future, but it's still important.?

It's time for us to adapt and embrace this new reality, finding our niche in a landscape enriched by technology to add our unique human perspective. The bell is ringing not as a warning, but as an invitation to evolve and hopefully thrive in this dynamic era.

So, what do you think? Share your thoughts or ideas, whether you're nodding in agreement or itching to disagree. Challenge this perspective. And if it strikes a chord, share it. Let's shatter the echo chamber together.

P.S. While experimenting with different AI tools, I've seen their potential and their limitations. We do have a window of opportunity, but it's narrowing quickly. If we don't act now, we might find ourselves reminiscing like the song 'High Hopes' from 'The Division Bell': 'The grass was greener, the light was brighter...'