Data Gurus

On today's episode, President of The Opinion Economy Ted Waz sits with Sima Vasa to talk about the rising distributed ledger and blockchain technology. They also touch on how it will affect the way we collect consumer data and the market research sphere as a whole. Ted Waz - On The Opinion Economy The Opinion Economy is a distributed ledger, blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS) company. They focus on unifying conversations between consumers and those who would like to purchase these data. Consumers are the people who display behaviors and express opinions. The latter group can comprise of marketing companies, aggregations, or brands. Opportunities in Market Research Ted got exposed to consumer data and market research through his firsthand experience as part of and working with investors groups. During a convention, he met and got into discussions with incredible people. He promptly realized the energy and great technology in the sphere. People guided him around the space. Then he decided to spend a little more o

Ben Smithee is the CEO of The Smithee Group, a digital marketing agency based in New York City. On this episode, he sits with Sima Vasa to talk about what they do, how they do it, and how millennial research has affected the marketing sphere. “I think there’s a new shift… marketing in the moment and not for the moment.” - Ben Smithee Ben Smithee - The Smithee Group’s Pedigree His full-service digital marketing agency focuses a lot on small-medium businesses but still serve large enterprise companies with intelligence and insights work. They work with luxury brands—the jewelry industry—, which as Ben says, is every marketer’s dream. Their background is founded on research and analytics. With this history, they are able to take their learnings and understanding of how consumer behavior works and apply them in what they do. Research-based Execution Ben started his company with a big emphasis on execution and not just research. Of course, the two should go together. Effective decisions are made based on facts an

On this episode, Anese Cavanaugh, CEO of Active Choices, Inc., joins Sima Vasa to talk culture and leadership. Devoted to helping people show up, Anese is an author and is the leading voice on intention, energy and presence. Today she brings to us the story behind her famous IEP Method. “I believe that we each create the culture that we are a part of.” - Anese Cavanaugh Anese Cavanaugh - Contagious Culture After doing work with business leaders and organizations for 15-16 years, Anese wrote the book Contagious Culture. She discovered two myths that every business leader and organization believe in. “One was that leadership was about what we do… The second myth was that culture was created by everybody around us.” - Anese Cavanaugh What people didn’t realize, however, is that leadership is about who we be, how we show up, our energy, intentions and presence. Culture, on the other hand, isn’t something created by everybody else but by each and everyone that is part of it. Leadership and Culture Combined When we

Steve Koenig is the Vice President of Research at the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), a US trade association for all consumer tech. Today he joins Sima Vasa to talk about the future of society with the continued rise of consumer tech, automation and AI. “I think it’s safe to say, in 2018, that technology is a mainstay of our society, whether its for work, business, or personal use. That dynamic is only going to just intensify.” - Steve Koenig Steve Koenig - Working at CTA Today, consumer tech is everything from an iPhone to a Mercedes Benz. CTA’s membership constituency reflects this. They have members like software developers, retailers, and anybody making or selling consumer tech in the US market. They are best known for their trade show CES® - The Global Stage for Innovation, which is held in Las Vegas every January and in Shanghai every June. The show draws thousands of people eager to hear the latest and see the greatest technology coming into the market. In fact, this past January alone, over 18

Tuomas Syrjänen is Chief AI Officer and Co-Founder of Futurice. Today, he sits with Sima Vasa to talk about emerging data-driven business models. He also discusses the impact of data and AI on culture and practical blockers to data and AI adoption. "We are in the middle of this kind of digital innovation culture shift where we are talking more about agile organizations." - Tuomas Syrjänen Tuomas Syrjänen - A Primer on Futurice Futurice is a 500-employee digital consultation company. They help big corporations determine their direction and undergo digital transformations. Some of their big league clients include BMW, E.ON, and Nordea Bank. The company has been around for 18 years. Their consulting spans different levels. They build digital services and define how a business compares to other models and in relation to culture. Growing Digital Marketing Trend A trend in product creation is rising. From experimentation, people have started to take observation-driven approaches. "Instead of experimentation we act

Ryan Barry is the Chief Revenue Officer at Zappi. In today's episode, he sits with Sima Vasa to talk about Zappi's unique approach to innovation, how a culture of instant gratification is shaking up market research, and the exponential growth of the insights industry. “My worldview of research is it's an industry that should be growing exponentially.” - Ryan Barry Ryan Barry: A History of Zappi Zappi started four years ago when their founders realized the problem with research. People had to program surveys or wait a long time in order to gain access to potential insight. Zappi came up with a new platform that rebuilt methodologies designed to help answer specific business questions and took out all the manual process. Two and a half years ago, they merged with an analytics and data digitization company. They have since been doing research in 37 countries about the globe and some brands. Ahead of Their Time When Zappi first introduced their models, they had mixed reception. Some people thought they didn't ne

Joel Rubinson, founder of Rubinson Partners, Inc., joins former colleague Sima Vasa today. They talk about how digital analytics can be intercepted with the theory of recency to create great strategies. Joel also discusses targeted advertising, and why surveys are important to improve marketing. “There’s a need for survey because you can’t learn everything you want from digital exhaust.” - Joel Rubinson Joel Rubinson - The Persuadables In order to address the struggle of figuring out fragmentation in advertising, Joel published a white paper titled The Persuadables. Viant and Nielsen Catalian Solutions (NCS) collaborated with Joel in this groundbreaking research. The study intercepted two analytic frameworks that weren't brought together yet. The consumer dynamics framework used reflected customer loyalty or buying rate towards a particular brand. When intercepted with the theory of recency, they were able to arrive at interesting results. Intercepting with Recency Joel had also worked with late Erwin Ephron

Allie Bohm is the Policy Counsel at Public Knowledge, a non-profit advocacy organization based in Washington DC. Today, she and Sima Vasa discuss the existing privacy and consumer policies in the United States. Allie Bohm - Policy Work Expert Prior to Public Knowledge, Allie dedicated most of her time at law school. She also spent 7 years at CLU doing policy work. Now, she is working to help promote the freedom of expression, an open internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works. Privacy Policies in the USA In the absence of a privacy law, there are a few things in place. One is the Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPP), which the Department of Housing, Education, and Welfare established in the 1960s. "We need a comprehensive privacy law and we don't have one." - Allie Bohm FIPP serves as the basis of many discussions on privacy in the industry and in the United States. But, it never became law. There are a number of sector-specific ones instead. Among which are the Health

Ulli Appelbaum is the founder of First the Trousers Then The Shoes, Inc. The consulting firm has been grounded by execution rather than deliverables, resonating with Ulli’s beliefs on strategies and the creative process. Today, he sits with Sima Vasa to talk about the power of extracting insights from data. Ulli Appelbaum - Advertising Ever Since Ulli’s US advertising career started 16 years ago. He has immense fascination and passion for the concept of positioning. Additionally, the knowledge of how people can influence perceptions others form fueled his drive to become successful in the field. His many experiences in advertising opened up opportunities in a vast array of fields. After a while, he switched to account planning, gaining exposure to planning and market research. He then received an offer in Minnesota, which trailblazed his expansive career that branched out to both traditional and digital platforms. Turning Data into Insights Ulli recently launched a set of method cards with exercises and ques

Rolfe Swinton is known as the blockchain expert. He joins Sima Vasa in this episode to talk about the potential and applications of this fundamental technology that can change the workings of the market industry. Rolfe Swinton - Promoting Blockchain Insights Rolfe has recently joined GfK where he's taken on a new role as Director of Data Assets. GfK is currently on a mission to reinvent its business and to refocus for the future of the insights industry. He is also the co-founder of IIeX's Accelerator, a new program that is helping bring new capital resources to help very early stage companies targeting the insights industry. Rolfe also co-founded a forum in an effort to promote the understanding and application of blockchain in business models. Blockchain: What's in a Word? In order to better understand blockchain, it must first be separated from cryptocurrencies. It's a very specific use and application of blockchain, but it is by no means the be all end all. “When we talk about blockchain, we want to thin

Tia Maurer is a Group Scientist at the Procter & Gamble Company. She sits with Sima Vasa to discuss data integrity, statistical significance, surveys and automation, and the shift to behavioral-based research methods. "Your analysis and insights is only as good as your quality of data and rarely is your data file 100% error free." - Tia Maurer Tia Maurer - Seasoned Product Researcher For more than 20 years, Tia has worked closely with Beauty Care products researchers. She specializes in consumer research and product development. She has designed, developed and piloted many emerging consumer research methodologies to fuel innovation and guide product development. Among the brands she's worked on are Cascade, Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Olay, and Pantene. Developing a Brand Message At Procter & Gamble, they have two research groups. One focuses on consumer market knowledge, while the other focuses on products research. “Nowadays, reliable data is really critical to us and our product development… it's r

Melissa Sauter and Duncan Lawrence join Sima Vasa to share a bit of history of Market Strategies International (MSI) and Morpace. The two leading market research companies are combining after the acquisition by a private equity firm, STG. In today's episode, they share the separate histories of their companies and the factors leading to the merger. "We're better together. The merger was meant to be." - Duncan Lawrence Duncan Lawrence - History of Morpace Morpace was founded about 40 years ago in 1975, with a focus on automotive. Some decade and so down the road, they realized the need to broaden their focus and do something different. In 1990, they merged with the company Market Opinion Research (MOR). This merger allowed them to venture into healthcare and financial services, among other other areas. Since then, Morpace has focused on growing organically. They have expanded globally and erected several offices in the United Kingdom, Los Angeles, and China. Melissa Sauter - Market Strategies: A History Almo

Joe Catling is the Head of Analytics at Relish Research. Today he sits down with Sima Vasa to discuss marrying client or 'big' data to market research data, the challenges of doing so, and the future of advanced statistical or machine learning techniques. “What I think we're going to see is a democratization of a lot of machine learning, big data tools, which can make them more accessible for people.“ - Joe Catling on future perspectives Joe Catling - From Mathematics to Analytics Joe studied mathematics in university and eventually managed to transition into a standard research track. This enabled him to focus on advanced statistical techniques as they pertain to market research. He currently leads a team of thirty based in London. While there's a standard suite of research techniques available for those in his field, his role also entails finding new and creative ways of doing things. Marrying 'Big' Data and Research Data There's a rich data set that you can't get any other way apart from research, includi

Brian Califano is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of AcceleratngCFO. Today he joins Sima Vasa in an episode dedicated to current trends of finance and the role of data in how we budget our financial results and plan for business future. Brian Califano - CFO: A Significant Service AcceleratingCFO offers Chief Financial Officer (CFO) services for small to medium size businesses, specializing in entertainment, media, and technology industries. They assess the needs of their clients and help them come up with effective marketing strategies to bolster their businesses. The mid-market region comprises 90% of American companies. While CFO's value is apparent when taken in the context of budgeting, performance, and even buying or selling, this portion of the market doesn't see this expertise. Trends in the World of Finance Brian's interactions with his clients has made him see symptoms of acceleration going on in the marketplace. A lot more people are getting into buying and selling. More companies are availing

In today's episode, Sima Vasa talks with Roddy Knowles. Roddy is the Director of Product and Innovation Research at Research Now SSI. His leadership runs the machinery that leverages technology to effectively support products. Technology underpins processes by which innovation comes to fruition. This is what Roddy and his team are working to achieve. Technology Behind the Process Today, tech advancements are coupled with ways to make more efficient various research processes. This is seen from data collection to generation of reports. There’s a constant goal to make work at the back end of everything easier and quicker. As Roddy says, there are lots of technologies working as the machines underneath all these other technologies that run research methodologies. Roddy Knowles Diving Deep into Automation Process automation is key to a streamlined user experience. It opens a lot more opportunities for the collection of data. In addition, it equips researchers with the means to deliver fast and efficiently. But

Simon Chadwick is the Founder and Managing Partner of Cambiar Consulting. He and Sima Vasa discuss the shifts in the research industry and the Gen Z potential in the workplace. How different are they from the Millennials? Tune in. "If we look in the news we are constantly reminded that this is a generation that thinks rather differently ... it's much more about authenticity, much more about show me the evidence." - Simon Chadwick on gen Z’s impact on the industry Market Reseach Industry - Simon Chadwick Simon is popularly known as the rockstar of the market research industry. According to him, the year 2013 saw the rise in investments in data and analytics. Billions of investments came since then. But the past two to three years showed a precipitous collapse in the industry. This year is focused on the stabilization of coming investments. Investments and Industry Shifts Venture capital firms now have to focus on returning investments to tons of investors. "They are just basically doubling down on their succe

Hermann Kudlich is a Denmark-based business development partner at LEGO Brand Group. Today, he touches base with Sima Vasa. They talk about how coming up with innovative ways to marry physical and digital experiences can be fun, albeit challenging. Physical Experience in the Digital Age For over nine years, Hermann has worked with product innovation and lean startup methods at LEGO, leading major digital initiatives and product launches. But the times have changed. In this age of advanced technology, he continues his mission to create products that will entice the traditional and tech-savvy audience. His working experience at LEGO has always been dosed with fun, down to the bricks scattered in boardrooms, inspiring creativity. This very nature of the workspace is what makes team members highly innovative, which is exactly what they need to be. Hermann Kudlich The Testing Process LEGO’s testing process ensures that they are up to date with a generation’s preferences. While it’s complex, Hermann admits that it

Annie Pettit has a masters in data quality and online surveys. She was a certified organizational psychologist with the Ontario government. Annie then moved into the private sector doing research on the research of data quality and it's analytics, social media analytics and now is a freelance researcher advising companies on best research practices and research reports. The Market Researcher - Annie Pettit Annie Pettit will argue that the market researcher has not changed one iota. She defines a market researcher as one who strives to understand consumers and markets. There's nothing to do with a questionnaire, big data, neuroscience or technique; it's the end purpose. In that sense, in traditional research, we've normally used focus groups and questionnaires.  Just because researchers are not using these techniques does not mean they are not market researchers. We're all in this game together whether we call ourselves market researchers or we don't quite see ourselves as researchers. "I am a big fan of lett

Per Håkansson is the Managing Editor for Inside Blockchain and founder of Makerminds, Inc. On top of these, he’s a TEDx speaker and learning facilitator. He helps entrepreneurs shift their mindset and become more experimental and exploratory in their innovations. Transformation of humanity comes with emerging technologies.  Knowing this, Per promotes looking at the change from the perspective of the individual, organization, and society. He’s an advocate of finding humanity in cloud living. Per Håkansson – Living in the Cloud Per began a radical experiment several years ago when he sold his house and got rid of his car, taking out from the picture his physical ownership. It all began with realizing that all these physical things can be replaced with applications and web sources. He acted on this epiphany when the iPhone came around and struck him that it’s all he needed to live, along with his passport. “Once I started to let go of things, my life became much simpler.” - Per Håkansson Per has wanderlust, and

Laura Chaibi has enjoyed a twenty-year digital career that started when she moved from Canada to UK. She got into digital media measurements and research when the industry was cutting-edge, hence progressing and growing with it. Her career cuts across media, telco, and digital brands like Yahoo, BBC, Orange, AOL, and the Middle East Broadcast Center, which she now works for as the Head of Market Intelligence and Syndicate Digital Data. Laura is CIM qualified and was awarded women of tomorrow status as one to watch in media by the IPA. She is on several advisory boards in the US as well as international entities like WiRe and i-com, actively supporting policy making for digital media. Laura Chaibi - Career-Altering Frustration Laura’s international role opened her eyes to how difficult it is to conduct her job in the Middle East. Out of sheer frustration of working with some of the biggest brands in the world and failing to get any conclusive information in the region, she moved to the foreign land. “Someone’