Why we have to change the language of market research

Monty Alexander and Virginia Valentine

Market research is caught in a historic language trap. Our perceived discourse is 'scientific' and 'rational', at a time when clients are looking for 'insight' and 'creativity'.

Why We Have To Change The Language Of Market Research

The case

Virginia ValentineandMonty AlexanderSemiotic Solutions

Introduction

Why do we have to change the language of MR? Because our discourse our language and imagery, our whole communications approach to the outside world still encodes market research as the backroom technician providing the data, rather than the boardroom executive making the action. If we don't change the language, we'll never change the way we are perceived by our clients.

What do we mean by 'our language'? Everything: brochures, agency names, iconography, the style of proposals, presentations...

WARC subscribers can sign in to keep reading

Not a subscriber?

Schedule your live demo with our team today

WARC helps you to plan, create and deliver more effective marketing

  • Prove your case and back-up your idea

  • Get expert guidance on strategic challenges

  • Tackle current and emerging marketing themes

We’re long-term subscribers to WARC and it’s a tool we use extensively. We use it to source case studies and best practice for the purposes of internal training, as well as for putting persuasive cases to clients. In compiling a recent case for long-term, sustained investment in brand, we were able to support key marketing principles with numerous case studies sourced from WARC. It helped bring what could have been a relatively dry deck to life with recognisable brand successes from across a broad number of categories. It’s incredibly efficient to have such a wealth of insight in one place.

Insights Team
Bray Leino

You’re in good company

We work with 80% of Forbes' most valuable brands* and 80% of the world's top top-of-the-class agencies.

* Top 10 brands