The charm of magpies: how new disciplines emerge in market research

Andy Dexter

Market research is a magpie business. It has a wonderful history of borrowing from other disciplines and turning bright shiny things from the margins into powerful and insightful tools.

The charm of the magpies: how new disciplines emerge in market research

Andy Dexter Truth Marketing Strategies

1. INTRODUCTION

Market research is a magpie business. It has a wonderful history of borrowing from other disciplines and turning bright shiny things from the margins into powerful and insightful tools. The activities of magpie individuals have fuelled the growth and intellectual development of MR. Charm is the collective noun for magpies – and it is a quality they possess in abundance.

We have plundered social sciences, anthropology, psychology, and cultural studies for their silverware. Now we are in the...

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