People tend to be skeptical about working in marketing research because in their perception it’s just not aspirational enough. I must admit that it is hard to turn around this prejudice of marketing researchers as a bunch of boring data crunchers – I literally see people’s noses curl up (even in my family) when they ask me ‘what kind of work do you do’ and I say I work in market research, but I hope the below might change your perspective a bit.
Based on my experience, these are my 5 arguments about what makes marketing research such an interesting industry to work in:
The day-to-day contact with consumer’s opinions on various subjects enables you to really understand what makes people tick, how and why people make certain choices. Being able to think in terms of consumer needs and expectations is an asset that will set you apart from those that have no understanding of consumer behavior.
The fact that you can work with some of the largest global companies is just massively valuable for your personal development. Getting to know the people and processes in these companies, their way of thinking and their decision making flow, their company culture… is an experience that will be valuable for your entire future career.
A large part of market research is inspiring clients based on the results of your research. Giving presentations and bringing the voice of the customer into the board room sharpens your personal consulting skills. You become a much more confident speaker and debater, a person able to inspire an audience with engaging speeches.
On a daily basis you are working on B2B and B2C projects, going from FMCG & retail, to travel, health care, media, technology… different sectors and markets with different consumers and customers. Many of these projects will be cross-country. Getting insights in all these different markets fuels your overall knowledge and turns you into a true cosmopolitan.
Just like in many industries, market research is evolving at lightning speed because of the changing technological and social environment. As a youngster you can bring lots of new ideas to the table, based on these ultra-fast moving evolutions. You get plenty of room to bring your ideas to life and develop them further via the profound knowledge of experienced professionals. See it as living the life of an entrepreneur with all the necessary tools available to tap into new opportunities.
As you can see, working in marketing research goes way beyond statistics and numbers. So forget the existing market research stereotypes, marketing researchers are far from being boring statistical nerds or data-crunching geeks. We are the ones connecting the world’s most amazing brands to their core audience, the consumers.
So if you ever wondered ‘why people buy certain products’, ‘why certain ads works better than others’ or just simply ‘why people do the things they do’, and you want to guide brands in understanding their consumers… then a job in marketing research might just be your thing.
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