In this episode of Stories of Market Research: The Insightrix Podcast, host Sharday Torgerson sits down with Shonna Caldwell, Chief Revenue Officer of Insightrix, and Larry Anderson, Chief Relationship Officer of Chess Club Agency, to explore the benefits of collaboration and partnerships!

Shonna and Larry emphasize the advantages of working together, particularly when a market research firm and a creative agency collaborate on client projects. Our guests unravel the story behind their partnership, discussing the driving factors that brought their organizations together.

Discover why building partnerships around service offerings is crucial for organizations seeking to enhance brand recognition and deliver comprehensive solutions to their clients.

Shonna and Larry dive into their recent presentation on employer branding. They discuss the importance of research, such as brand auditing, and its role in shaping a company's employer branding strategy. Shonna and Larry provide real-life examples, good and bad, to illustrate the impact of these strategies on organizational success.

Join us for this informative episode as we uncover the power of partnerships, the value of employer branding, and the limitless possibilities that arise when agencies combine forces and insights and creative strategies converge.

"Understanding attitudes, preferences, behaviours, and working with a market research agency, we can tailor that message and those visuals to resonate with potential employees or showcase company culture in the way that these audiences value."

- Larry Anderson, CRO | Chess Club Agency

"Showing how we can stay curious together, how we can value each other's expertise - we can bring a holistic approach to our client's problems."

- Shonna Caldwell, CRO | Insightrix Research

More from the episode:
Learn more about Larry Anderson and Chess Club Agency: https://chessclub.co/   

Want to check out Larry and Shonna’s awesome employer branding presentation? Check it out here! https://wesk.ca/resources/employer-branding/

Want to be on our podcast?
We are always looking for new guests to appear on our podcast! If you think that is you, please email [email protected]. For more exciting content, check out our market research blog for informative articles about everything and anything market research related.

In this episode of Stories of Market Research: the Insightrix Podcast, host Sharday Torgerson engages in an insightful conversation with a spirited and intuitive strategist and qualitative UX researcher with Savanta. Sharday and Nikki delve into the human side of qualitative research and user experience, highlighting the role of empathy in successful research projects.

Nikki shares her perspective on how qualitative researchers and emphasizes the importance of sharing something authentic about oneself at the beginning of a research session to establish a human connection with participants, even if it's something as simple as sharing a common interest, like sports. Sharday agrees and highlights how being authentic and relatable goes beyond project work but extends to being a human amongst humans, especially when discussing sensitive topics.

The conversation also touches upon examples of past failures in user experiences and the importance of conducting user research to avoid costly mistakes. Sharday highlights the example of Coca-Cola's failed launch of "New Coke" in the 1980s, which failed to consider the emotional connection many older consumers had with the original flavour. They emphasize the need for brands to conduct the right research and evaluate different audiences, situations, and experiences before launching products or changing existing ones.

Nikki also shares insights on the challenges and pitfalls of conducting user research, including the struggle to maintain and share knowledge across organizations, particularly in tough economic times. She also highlights the importance of using language that users can easily understand to gather more accurate insights, avoiding jargon and technical language that may not resonate with users.

"It's impossible to understand the consequences of a potential decision that a stakeholder might be making if there's no contextual understanding. The data tells you what, but the qualitative tells you why."

- Nikki Lavoie, EVP, Strategy & Innovation, Savanta

Nikki and Sharday discuss the importance of community and resources for those interested in getting started in UX research. Nikki shares valuable advice on seeking out online resources related to UX, which provide insights and career advice. In addition, they highlight the supportive and approachable nature of the UX community, where high tides raise all ships, and stress the availability of help and resources for those starting in the field. Don't miss this engaging conversation on the evolving landscape of market research and the importance of empathy and human connection in qualitative research and user experience.

More from the episode:

Learn more about Nikki Lavoie and the incredible work she does with Savanta!
https://savanta.com/

Read more on the industry insights around UX Nikki has authored for Greenbook:
https://www.greenbook.org/mr/author/nlavoie/

Want to be on our podcast?

We are always looking for new guests to appear on our podcast! If you think that is you, please email [email protected]. For more exciting content, check out our market research blog for informative articles about everything and anything market research-related.

The full transcript is available on page two.

In episode 35, Sharday connects with Natalie Renna, President of Fieldwork Minneapolis. Natalie joined Fieldwork in 2015 as a Project Manager and, in March 2020, took on the role of President of Fieldwork Minneapolis. In the episode, Sharday and Natalie discuss the importance of project management in facilitating face-to-face market research projects.

Natalie dives into the service side of project management, including important core skills and challenges project managers face in the industry. Later in the episode, Sharday and Natalie discuss the impact of hospitality in market research and why it's more important than ever to focus your service offering on helping clients and research participants feel comfortable while meeting their expectations.

Throughout the episode, Natalie and Sharday discuss the shift of in-person research, how project managers are recruiting through new methods, how to anticipate end-client needs, and how to create the best experience possible.

"As things went back to more and more face-to-face research, we really see how important that human factor is... getting people together to talk is a really powerful thing. Sharing those human experiences together - it's such a huge part of what we do in market research."

- Natalie Renna, President, Fieldwork Minneapolis

https://youtu.be/_xhZ_03ucPg?list=PLQaLCYjJ9INcDaNdvDWJbMBLDeJ7-y70T

More from the episode:

Fieldwork website:
https://www.fieldwork.com/

Get to know Natalie!
https://www.fieldwork.com/about/team/natalie-renna/

Natalie Renna’s Introduction Screener (So much fun!!):
https://www.fieldwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/NatalieRenna-screener.jpg
 
Need a qualitative facility?
https://www.fieldwork.com/market-research-services/research-venues/

Want to be on our podcast?

We are always looking for new guests to appear on our podcast! If you think that is you, please email [email protected]. For more exciting content, check out our market research blog for informative articles about everything and anything market research-related.

The full transcript is available on page two.

Welcome back to the Stories of Market Research: the Insightrix Podcast. We are excited for another new season of SoMR - with amazing guests and topics focused on the world of market research.

In our first episode of Season 4, Sharday connects with Leib Litman (Co-Founder and Chief Research Officer) and Cheskie Rosenzweig (Senior Researcher and Product Scientist) of CloudResearch to chat about the state of data quality in market research.

In this episode, Leib Litman, who recently led an expert panel on sample quality at ESOMAR 2022, debates the evolving techniques of survey fraudsters, the importance of sample (and panel) providers taking responsibility for data quality, and how organizations like CloudResearch is actively setting the standard for handling online sample, no matter how it's collected.

Then, Leib and Cheskie explore the industry-wide challenges and ways to address systemic fraud when managing market research, specifically online samples. Cheskie shares how CloudResearch has developed rigorous data quality solutions that combine unique behavioural and technological vetting - known as Sentry - and how this powerful tool can help businesses worldwide eliminate the many threats to data quality and the validity of online research.

https://youtu.be/WNmlEmQ-Tmg

Check out CloudResearch:
https://www.cloudresearch.com/
https://twitter.com/CloudResearch
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloudresearch/

Check out Sentry:
https://www.cloudresearch.com/products/sentry-data-quality-validation-online/

Want to be on our podcast? 

We are always looking for new guests to appear on our podcast! If you think that is you, please email [email protected]. For more exciting content, check out our market research blog for informative articles about everything and anything market research-related. The full transcript is available on page two.

Full AI transcript available on page 2.

Some of the brightest minds in market research have found their way into the industry, often from an unsuspecting path, to support a gap in the sector where their background and passion can thrive.

The same can be said for our next guest! Dr. Jill Kushner Bishop is the Founder & CEO of Multilingual Connections, a Chicago-based company that provides translation, transcription, transcreation, multimedia localization and research services in over 75 languages.

Dr. Jill Bishop's journey didn't quite start in market research. In fact, her early fascination with language and culture led her to pursue a BA in the Teaching of Spanish and an MA/Ph.D. in Linguistic Anthropology.

An unexpected opportunity brought Jill to the corporate world, where she worked as a user experience researcher for a business and technology consulting firm.

She later leveraged her skills and background—plus her love of burritos—when she was hired to oversee language, culture, and diversity programs for Chipotle Mexican Grill. Then, in 2005, Jill took the next step in her career by launching Multilingual Connections.

"It's one thing to reach out when you want to connect with a multilingual audience, but if you don't care enough - meaning investing the financial resources and time resources to do human or quality translation - it tells them that you want their business, but you really don't care enough to earn their business or create that connection."

- Dr. Jill Bishop, Founder & CEO of Multilingual Connections

In episode 33, Sharday and Jill discuss her unique journey into market research – from a student at UCLA to landing a "perfect position" that ultimately led to starting a business, supporting professionals worldwide to connect with their audiences authentically.

As a language and culture expert, Jill speaks about Multilingual Connections' ability to provide culturally relevant and linguistically accurate language solutions to help resonate with your hyper-local audience.

Later in the episode, Sharday and Jill dive into the art and science of transcription, when human or quality transcription is important, and why language services are critical in supporting businesses interested in expanding into global markets.

Do you want to expand your products and services internationally? Conduct a community survey? Collect neighbourhood data? Jill shares why transcription, multimedia localization and transcreation can help your next project be representative of your audience's worldview in a meaningful and genuine way.

https://youtu.be/8DGO133P0zM

More on today's episode:

Learn more about the guest on today's episode: https://multilingualconnections.com/

Special thanks to Dr. Jill Bishop (Guest), Sharday Torgerson (Host/Producer), and Jason Hattie (Editor/Producer).

Want to be on our podcast? 

We are always looking for new guests to appear on our podcast! If you think that is you, please email [email protected]. For more exciting content, check out our market research blog for informative articles about everything and anything market research-related. 

The full AI transcript is available on page two.

"Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not by the powers they are graced with."

—Ironman

As they say, not all heroes wear capes! However, many possess the ability to make things happen by helping and supporting others by acting as a catalyst for change.

In Episode 32, Sharday connects with Kevin Hayes and Scott Wells - two co-leads at the Regina Chapter for Data For Good. Data For Good is a collective of do-gooders who want to use their powers for Good and not Evil (think the Avengers) to help improve their communities through data (…think of Professor Hulk!?).

Like the Lasso of Truth (yes, we went there), the volunteers at Data For Good possess a power unlike others – the ability to use their talents and help NGOs explain 'the why' behind their data.

Using Powers For Good

In the episode, we learn from Kevin and Scott about the incredible work the Regina Chapter is doing to support local organizations by helping uncover the story within their internal data assets. Then, we dive into a sample of some organizations they've helped, including the Regina Food Bank.

Later in the episode, Kevin and Scott give their thoughts on the movement of volunteering data science for good and how others can get involved, no matter their experience level. It is a great episode about why the research community is such a collaborative group of people who truly want to make the world a better place!

If you enjoyed this content, check out more great interviews from leaders within the research industry on our website. Be sure to like, share and subscribe to your favourite podcast player and subscribe so you do not miss an episode!

https://youtu.be/EFJQUXt7ceI

"How do we set up an organization to actually make good use of their data with the resources that they have? And then what are some potential resources in the future that they could look at adapting that would be reasonable and relevant to the organization?"

-Kevin Hayes, Regina chapter co-lead, Data For Good

"Having the ability to automate [data] is really where the power comes in. What I hear from a lot of organizations is 80% of their time is spent on gathering data, cleaning it, and not even using it."

-Scott Wells, Regina chapter co-lead, Data For Good

Check out Data For Good!

For more information on Data For Good and its entire roster from coast-to-coast, visit: https://dataforgood.ca/

To learn more about the Regina Chapter of Data For Good, visit:
https://regina.dataforgood.ca/
https://twitter.com/dataforgoodyqr

Connect with Data For Good on social:
https://ca.linkedin.com/company/data-for-good

Want to be on our podcast? 

We are always looking for new guests to appear on our podcast! If you think that is you, please email [email protected]. For more exciting content, check out our market research blog for informative articles about everything and anything market research-related. The full transcript is available on page two.

In Episode 31 of the Stories of Market Research: The Insightrix Podcast, Sharday meets with Leigh Caldwell – a mathematician and economist and the Co-Founder and Partner at the Irrational Agency, a group of narrative discovery experts committed to exploring consumer world views and perspectives.

In this episode, Sharday and Leigh dive into the nuance of storytelling in market research and how insights professionals apply behavioural science techniques to bring their client's narratives to life.

"You have the mathematical/quantitative skill, you have the creative storytelling skill, but you need both as a quant researcher. It is such a great and unusual combination of skills. And it is brilliant when somebody can bring those two together."

Leigh Caldwell – Co-founder and Partner at The Irrational Agency

Later in the episode, Leigh discusses his recent innovative work and the psychology behind this research to help us understand this unique set of narrative research tools to capture these stories.  

For more information on today's episode, visit:

• Check out the Hidden Stories of Sustainability Guide: https://www.irrationalagency.com/  
• Leigh and some of his team's publications: https://www.irrationalagency.com/publications
• The Irrational Agency https://www.irrationalagency.com/
• Insightrix Research website https://insightrix.com

Check out the episode with Ellen Eastwood Sharday mentions.

https://podcast.insightrix.com/episode-1-storytelling-in-market-research/

In Episode 30 of the Stories of Market Research: The Insightrix Podcast, Sharday connects with Anne Brown, the CEO and principal of Gazelle Global Research Services, an established leader and innovator in managing research logistics on a global scale.

As a leader in international research, Anne joins us to share her perspective on how global insights professionals are managing client expectations during challenging societal times.

https://youtu.be/Jmh2oNHu5-c

Together, Anne and Sharday break down current issues impacting the research community and the shift in consumer behaviour through a research lens.

From climate change to the pandemic, from inflation to civil unrest and global conflict – Anne helps us explore the role of international research at such a unique point in our history. Later in the episode, they discuss how insights agencies recruit hard-to-reach populations and ways to eliminate confirmation bias when working with different people of interest.

Finally, Anne helps us understand why diversity within their organization is essential to expand your research capabilities internationally - all this, and more, on the Stories of Market Research: the Insightrix Podcast!

"I know what a great privilege it is to work in this industry of ours. I've been doing this for a long time; I've been through a lot of changes in the industry, a lot of pivots, and I still love what I do."

Anne Brown, CEO and Founder of gazelle Global Research Services

For more information on today’s episode, visit:

• To donate to the Ukraine Crisis, visit: https://donate.redcross.ca/page/100227/donate/1?locale=en-CA
• SaskWatch Members can donate their survey earnings to the Ukrainian Red Cross Society. Visit info.saskwatch.ca for more information

For more information on today’s guest(s), visit:

• Gazelle Global Research Services https://www.gazelleglobal.com/
• “The Insights Accelerator Checklist”: https://info.gazelleglobal.com/the-global-research-operations-checklist
• Insights Association https://www.insightsassociation.org/

Special thanks to:

• Anne Brown, Gazelle Global Research Services
• Sharday Torgerson (podcast host, digital and creative strategist)
• Jason at Golden Media (editor, producer)

Want to be on our podcast? 

We are always looking for new guests to appear on our podcast! If you think that is you, please email [email protected]. For more exciting content, check out our market research blog for informative articles about everything and anything market research-related. 

You asked, and we listened! We decided to drop all three parts of episode 29 into one easy-to-listen episode! People. Work. is. Changing! Nine-to-five schedules are less relevant, co-location offices are more common, and hybrid working with flexible schedules are here to stay.

In Episode 29, Sharday connects with Karen Jaw-Madson, principal of Co.-Design of Work Experience + author of Culture Your Culture: Innovating Experiences @ Work, and Evan Hanover, anthropologist and director for Conifer Research. In this jam-packed episode, Karen provides us with a much-needed “how-to” for applying design thinking to workplace culture, co-creation and employee engagement using the Design of Work Experience (DOWE) framework.

Evan, an anthropologist with a background in ethnography research, pulls the curtain on ethnographic approaches to workplace research and how businesses look to reimage what work and organizational culture could be like moving forward. Together, Sharday, Evan and Karen discuss the impact of workplace culture due to the pandemic and many other changing variables in how businesses operate.

Workplace culture was never about buying ping pong tables – it’s always been an untapped asset or a possible liability for all companies, no matter the industry. Given the change in society – hybrid work, flexible schedules, and new organizational change – how are businesses using market research to help support the shift in employee engagement and tackle business challenges to help positively influence the future of work?

https://youtu.be/rP34JIgXM10

More information on today’s episode:

Check out the DOWE framework model provided by Karen Jaw-Madson, author of Culture Your Culture: Innovating Experiences @ Work:

• Culture Your Culture Innovating Experiences @ Work
• Mobile Medicine: Overcoming Culture, People, and Governance (Karen wrote the chapter on “Innovation” – check it out!)
• Punk XL (XL stands for Experience Leadership and Karen participated in a couple of tracks!)
• The Secret Sauce for Leading Transformational Change (forthcoming June 2022! Karen contributed an essay, “Sustainable DEI: Changing cultural patterns at the individual, team, and organizational levels”) 

Want to be on our podcast? 

We are always looking for new guests to appear on our podcast! If you think that is you, please email [email protected]. For more exciting content, check out our market research blog for informative articles about everything and anything market research-related. 

In our final part of episode 29, Karen and Evan offer their final thoughts on how organizations can continue to apply holistic strategies to help support their employee engagement programs.

Karen, an author and expert on workplace culture, sets the stage for brands looking to break the ceiling and build organizational capacity in a way that can let employees thrive and get excited, engaged and inspired.

Evan dives into his experience as an anthropologist and provides real-world examples of clients looking to understand how to build better employee experience programs with their staff in a meaningful way.

The future of the employee experience is co-created, and it is time that organizations tap in!

https://youtu.be/yrOHhnjskjg

"I encourage all of you to take a step back and start putting on those traveler's eyes, as they say in design thinking and start asking some questions. Because, you never know what you're going to discover."

- Karen Jaw-Madson, Principal of Co.-Design of Work Experience

"...this is not going to be a simple bounded solution and initiative that just gets done and then everybody runs off into the golden future where we all have wonderful workplace experiences."

Evan Hanover - Director, Conifer Research

More information on today's episode:

Check out the DOWE framework model provided by Karen Jaw-Madson, author of Culture Your Culture: Innovating Experiences @ Work:

• Culture Your Culture Innovating Experiences @ Work
• Mobile Medicine: Overcoming Culture, People, and Governance (Karen wrote the chapter on "Innovation" - check it out!)
• Punk XL (XL stands for Experience Leadership and Karen participated in a couple of tracks!)
• The Secret Sauce for Leading Transformational Change (forthcoming June 2022! Karen contributed an essay, "Sustainable DEI: Changing cultural patterns at the individual, team, and organizational levels") 

Want to be on our podcast? 

We are always looking for new guests to appear on our podcast! If you think that is you, please email [email protected]. For more exciting content, check out our market research blog for informative articles about everything and anything market research-related. 

You can also access SoMR on your favourite podcast player app like Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Make sure you subscribe to be notified every time a new episode is published. 

Part two continues off where part one left us with Karen Jaw-Madson, principal of Co.-Design of Work Experience + author of Culture Your Culture: Innovating Experiences @ Work, and Evan Hanover, anthropologist and director for Conifer Research. Karen, Evan and Sharday, where we are defining workplace culture and co-creation and diving into how insights can support businesses who are looking to engage their employees using research methods that involve co-creation, and intuitive design thinking such as ethnography.

How do co-creative processes help us develop meaningful connections and support transparency and collaboration in business?

What is it about making sure people have the autonomy to do their jobs the best way they know how? How do physical locations come into play? How are business leaders engaging their employees past ping pong tables and free lunches? Further, they explore the topic of empathy, its importance when pursuing design thinking, and why it is integral to employee research.

Evan says it best: people do not want to work in crappy places. So what are organizations doing about it? What should they do about it?

https://youtu.be/yrOHhnjskjg

"[Culture] is a balance. And that's why co-creation is so important. What you're doing is bringing the organization closer together so that you can weave the future together."

- Karen Jaw-Madson

"Empathy is much like culture; a practice."

- Evan Hanover

More information on today's episode:

Check out the DOWE framework model provided by Karen Jaw-Madson, author of Culture Your Culture: Innovating Experiences @ Work:

• Culture Your Culture Innovating Experiences @ Work
• Mobile Medicine: Overcoming Culture, People, and Governance (Karen wrote the chapter on "Innovation" - check it out!)
• Punk XL (XL stands for Experience Leadership and Karen participated in a couple of tracks!)
• The Secret Sauce for Leading Transformational Change (forthcoming June 2022! Karen contributed an essay, "Sustainable DEI: Changing cultural patterns at the individual, team, and organizational levels") 

Want to be on our podcast? 

We are always looking for new guests to appear on our podcast! If you think that is you, please email [email protected]. For more exciting content, check out our market research blog for informative articles about everything and anything market research-related.