Rarely do those of us in market research and intelligence ask ourselves what our true role is in our clients’ decision making. Most of the time we communicate it as a task of providing solutions for our clients and companies to make the best decisions, but if we go deeper, what role do we play in that decision making? If we use one of our many strategic techniques to dig deeper – such as the 5 whys – what will we find?
In the first instance, when we delve deeper into the topic, issues such as any of the following elements come up:
- Helping customers to see the potential of a business before investing more
- Playing in a particular market more safely
But there are also internal issues that we never talk about such as:
- That brand managers and their content or advertising agencies have less back and forth before launching a campaign, or
- That a consumer intelligence manager has more time for his / her life, or
- Unblocking decisions that have been stuck for a long time, or
- Helping our clients grow more intrinsically and be more professionally successful in their companies, or
- To provide security by giving a back-up and a basis for decision making.
But several of these last elements are controversial because of their ethical issues, but they do not cease to exist. Many times information represents power, it provides the ability to show off and position oneself as an intelligent decision maker within the company, and it can empower a person’s professional future.
On the other hand, it is also a fact that we help brands to be more aligned in terms of everything they communicate in media and social networks, and to solve the contradictions they may show in their points of contact. In other words, we also contribute to the clarification of what brands communicate… and what they are. Thus, we help brands to be authentic brands.
Another role is that we help build a case for an unknown topic for a client, such as a new market or competitive environment. We help shape and find a new market or segment.
And finally, why not, being honest, we often help to strategically justify decisions that clients have already made. There are cases where at a crossroads, the client would love us to decide for them, or to encourage them to take a concrete decision.
I listed a number of important roles that those of us in market intelligence have that are relevant for us to begin to enumerate and understand, if we want to understand our customers as well as we understand our consumers.
In the end, if we summarize what we do, we are empowering our clients through first dissecting a given topic to put it back together in a clear, concise, fluid and confident way. We give them power and control by helping them make a complex decision to make it simple, concise and grounded. Let’s start reflecting on the real role we play in our customers’ lives.
