Rock n' Roll Research Podcast

As the founder of OdinAnswers and StoryHub, Tom Anderson has done much to advance the veracity and application of text analytics, AI and big data within the disciplines of customer experience, insights and business strategy. But he also vaulted the market research industry into the modern world by creating Next Gen Market Research, enabling a network of tens of thousands of researchers to discuss important research topics with peers across the globe. He stimulated discussions, often passionate and contentious ones, and Tom has never been known to shy away from a good debate.Tom discusses how he got interested in analytics, his experience with NGMR and where analytics is taking him now. He also shares his take on missed opportunities for corporate researchers and the persistent research problem yet to be solved. I wish for nothing more than to be singing Karaoke at an industry conference with Tom, but a podcast is the next best thing!

Greg Park is in his third week as Director, Market Strategy and Understanding at Ipsos, the world’s foremost leader in understanding society, markets and people. Consumer Insights has been the focus of his entire career including 6+ years on the client side at Giant Food/Ahold.But in parallel to developing his research chops, Greg spent several years guitar-shredding for an East Coast prog/hardcore/punk/metal band called Pandas, performing regularly and putting out an album. I know these genres well and I have never heard anything quite like Pandas! Greg and I discuss the ins and outs of his research career and what he’s learned along the way. He also shares some great stories about his band and his (very metal!) music choices if stranded on a desert island.

Bianca Pryor is Vice President at BET leading their content optimization team and a Board Member of the Insights Association. Consumer Behavior is a long time passion but there is so much more to her than that. I am grateful to Bianca for bringing her whole self to the Rock n’ Roll Research Podcast.Bianca discusses her career, what she learned along the way from TNS Kantar and System 1/Brainjuicer and what the future of research and insights looks like. She generously shares her deeply personal story that has led to her taking action about black maternal health by co-founding Dr. Shalon’s Maternal Action Project. Finally, Bianca reveals the BET show she most recommends, the music that nurtures her soul and the record shop in the Bronx where she finds the best vinyl.

Ben Doepke never accepts the norms and standards of research as gospel. In his work as Principal of IX Strategy, he takes all the givens and the best practices, interrogates them and usually subverts them in the service of more meaningful, reverent, and human connections and insights. If you’ve worked closely with Ben, you’ve surely learned to see your work in ways you’ve never before thought of.In this episode, Ben shares his unique perspective on insights, consumer brands and our deep responsibility to the humans who volunteer their experiences under the auspices of research. He traces his unconventional upbringing growing up on a goat farm without a television, to years on the road as a musician/songwriter with the band Homunculus, to the present day with fascinating and formative stories along the way.

It may sound like a leap to go from aerospace and operational physiology to overseeing user experience research for a major financial services company, but Jeff Scott explains just how much these worlds have in common.Jeff shares his unique and fascinating journey from the US Air Force to Director of User Experience Research at Charles Schwab. He shows how each step along the way built upon the previous to make him perfectly suited for his role.Along the way, Jeff discusses what call center work shares in common with flying a fighter jet, the military lessons he applies every day at Schwab and how good vs. bad data can literally save lives. He also throws me for a loop with his desert island music choices!

“I live alone in a forest of likes,” a telling Instagram quote about the media context for brands in Emmanuel Probst’s best-selling book, “Brand Hacks: How to Build Brands by Fulfilling the Consumer Quest for Meaning.”Emmanuel is like a physician for brands. I couldn’t get enough of his ideas in our talk and we continued our conversation long after the podcast ended. Emmanuel began his research career humbly and has become one of the most trusted advisors for growing brands. Today he is Global Lead: Brand Thought Leadership for Brand Tracking at Ipsos. He is also a contributor to Forbes and Media Post, a reviewer for the Journal of Advertising Research and adjunct faculty at UCLA Extension.We dive deep into why and how brands must create meaning with consumers. We also discuss the power of nostalgia in branding and the appeal of Pink Floyd and Brittany Spears as a student learning English.

As a professor of Cognitive Psychology, Leib Litman was a pioneer in using the Internet for academic research. He met and tackled data quality challenges and has since become a trusted leader in ensuring online data quality at the firm he co-founded, Cloud Research.Leib takes us on a journey into the world of survey participants, both genuine and bogus, identifying the scope and nature of the problems and how a blend of technology and cognitive psychology can help ensure high quality survey data.Leib also shares the records (highly approved by the host!) that he would want to keep him company on a desert island.

Dyna Boen has spent most of her career helping lead start-ups to success, including her own. She has seen it all, done it all and inspired many along the way.Yet, she has always made time to help others. Seven years ago, she and Heidi Dickert had an idea to create an offsite for executive women in research to share experiences and learn from each other. They saw it through and it became the WIRexec Leadership Summit which she has continued to help lead.Dyna discusses the early days of ResTech with MarketTools, her journey in research and what she has learned and applied along the way.

As a huge hip-hop fan, how does an internship with legendary Def Jam Records lead you out of music and into advertising? Michael Schonfeld has a fascinating story about that!Since joining the ad agency world, Michael has worked with meaningful brands like Mars, Sandy Hook Promise and Reebok. Today, he is Senior Strategist on Michelob Ultra in NYC at the iconic FCB, winners of the 2019 Cannes Lion North American Creative Agency of the Year, the 2020 Adweek Global Agency of the Year and countless other awards over the past 148 years.In this podcast, Michael shares his journey, his take on the relationship of brands with consumers and how brands can better understand the people they serve.

Today Jennie Finerty has a very successful career in insights as VP, Qualitative Research for Magid’s Global Media & Entertainment practice.But before her career in research, Jennie spent much of her life as a successful competitive athlete. She spent countless hours over many years with her twin sister in the pool training as an Artistic Swimmer (then known as Synchronized Swimming), where she excelled and eventually went on to make the US National Team and the US Training Squad for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.Jennie shares her journey on today’s podcast, including how she got started, what she has learned from her experience in athletics, how qualitative research has changed and the “inspirational pressure” of representing her country in international competition.For more really cool insights from Magid, go here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeuJSsivrUGht8ZimN7rLxA