Solving puzzles delivers answers; solving mysteries delivers insights

Philip Herr

This Point of View suggests that market research methods need to be changed so that consumer research is treated as a "mystery" rather than a "puzzle".

Solving puzzles delivers answers; solving mysteries delivers insights

Philip Herr

At a recent ARF conference, Stan Sthanunathan of Coca-Cola exhorted the market research industry to move beyond understanding consumer needs to understanding consumer motivations. If we are to accomplish this, we need to go beyond observed behaviors and their attendant inferences to truly immerse ourselves in the "why": why consumers choose one brand over another; why they decide to "like" something on Facebook; why they buy certain products at certain stores.

Our questions must be carefully framed if we are to arrive at appropriate answers. So the question "What drives...

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