Insight2Perspective's blog

Are you buying research or are you buying knowledge?

Believe it or not, the difference is big enough to separate the proactive from the reactive.  If you're sick of playing 'catch up' in the market place, this blog may provide a first step toward change. 

Companies buying research are buying a process with predictable results.  Whether or not companies like to admit it, they often have a checklist of desirable (and undesirable) results in mind before they start a given study.  Rather than trying to gain a true understanding of the situation, research buyers are often looking for 'affirmation' (in other words, the ability to say "thats what we thought!").  Research shopping is safe and rarely results in genuine A-HA! moments.

Shopping for knowledge has a much greater risk/return ratio.  Few companies are willing to step out into unknown territory and ask open-ended questions that might expose them to harsh realities.  No one wants to hear that their once innovative product has become a commodity or that they've been missing an obvious market for a long time.  However, gaining access to these blind spots gives companies the insight they need to get on the right track.

It all starts with developing the right goals.  It's very different to set out to gain understanding that can drive direction than to get quick answers to an immediate situation.  Gaining understanding requires a lot of thought, effort and creativity after the study.  However, it can lead to breakthrough ideas.  Quick answers provide quick solutions... But often of questionable quality. 

Does the following example sound familiar?

A product manager has been charged with developing new ideas for next year's product line.  In order to find answers; he approaches a number of research companies with the following request:

Product Manager:  "We want to hold 6 focus groups to come up with new ideas to improve our existing product line"

Now that you know the difference, what do you think this product manager really buying?  More importantly, what will this product manager receive in return?

If you are willing to take the leap and buy knowledge over research, make sure you are working with the right people.  Look closely at your potential research vendors; are they catering to a desire for 'affirmation' or are they challenging you to grow in (sometimes shocking) understanding?  

Creating An Innovation Mindset

"Innovation is the commercialization of creativity."

Interesting interview with Dr. Vijay Govindarajan of Dartmouth University who gives his perspective on changing the culture of an organization nurture innovation. Video made by Harvard University Publishing.

Understanding Your Audience Starts in the Mirror

The company I work for, Insight2, specializes in helping companies through the 'fuzzy front end' of marketing processes.  Companies invest in us to help them overcome the standstill inertia of repetitive product lines or static markets and point them in a new, profitable direction.  As a result, one might assume that anyone who spends as much time with a company such as ours would have no problem starting a new blog from scratch.

This is not the case.

Just like our clients, when my boss said to me, "You should really start a new blog to get some online exposure," I was lost.  Sure, I know what a blog is, but how the hell are you supposed to start one from scratch?  Infinite is the best word I can think of to summarize the amount of potential topics, commentaries, and subjects that could potentially be addressed.  Even then, the most important factor yet has to be addressed: How am I going to make this entertaining?

For a couple days, I found myself drowning in a baby pool of cruddy ideas.  Rather than pouncing on the first semi-amusing idea that came to mind (the same problem our clients approach us to solve), I backed off and took a new approach.  If I am marketing this blog to my decision-making peers in other industries, then what am I currently reading and how do I currently read it?  Without a budget to do big picture market research, I figured I could probably take the time to figure out my own values when it comes to internet materials.

And so I put on my Sherlock Holmes monocle and started perusing.  Here's how I define a blog as worthwhile or a bust:

1.  Clear Purpose - Subject matter is important, but I knew going in that high-speed roller sculpting and Scandinavian doll collecting weren't going to be on the list.  However, the blogs I value over time manage to have a tightly defined scope.  Marketing blogs tend to cover a singular facet of marketing.  The design blogs tended to cover an area of design.  Even the sports blogs covered a single team or sport.  Blogs that tend to drift around from topic to topic don't stay on the RSS reader long.

2.  Enlightening - Something worthwhile was brought to my attention.  This can range from a humorous video, to a new product concept, a marketing study, or a status update on my favorite team's roster.  While some blogs I read 'break the news' while others just 'report the news' that someone else uncovered, the importance to me is that I don't have to go searching for meaningful news.  Some of the blogs I read link most of their articles to other blogs.... that's one google search I didn't have to make.

3.  Personality - By reading blogs, I get to know the writer.  Unlike college, you get to choose who you're learning from when you're reading blogs.  I'm gonna choose the professors that I like.  Sarcastic, ingenious, straight-shooting, detail-oriented.... everyone is different, but if I can't hold an enjoyable conversation with the author, then the five minutes it takes to read their blog can be better spent.

I'm certain that there are other elements in play, but these are the three that I'm going to focus on while I build the Insight2Perspective blog.  This blog is going to be focus on providing perspectives on consumer understanding, accompanied with meaningful links and materials.

As for the personality, well, you'll figure that out on your own.