Research in the boardroom?

The day opened with the Big Planning Debate – ‘Is research failing in the boardroom?’ It seemed like there were two issues here.

In the past, a session with the word ‘planning’ meant advertising agency planners, and this did indeed get a mention, albeit only when one of the panel commented that agencies didn’t do planning any more, as their role had been high jacked by the research industry (I wondered if agency planners still attend the MRS Conference and find it relevant – they used to be a core part of the audience, and regular speakers).

However, I believe that the session title was really about the boardroom issue. We don’t need much of an excuse to delve into this, but it was interesting to see from a texted comment that the Marketing Society has been concerned about this (where marketers are concerned) for the last three years.

What, only three years! It’s been on the MRS Conference agenda, plus task forces etc., for perhaps the last 15 years. Come on Marketing Society, keep up!

Realism is key

The ‘debate’ was led by a very interesting talk from Rupert Howell, with a view from the ITV boardroom.

He provided a dose of realism about the dreary agenda of PLC boards, driven by governance, accounting and other regulations and legal requirements, leaving little time for

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