MRX Lab

The MRX Lab explores new & novel conversations from the fringes of the insights industry. Episodes 10 minutes or less.

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Episodes

Wednesday Feb 17, 2021

In this episode of the MRX Lab, we are joined by Gareth Bowden and Sally Nicholls from FlexMR to explore the common challenges that can hold up a research project before it even gets off the ground.
Over 10 minutes, discuss the ways in which insight professionals can avoid these challenges – speeding up the research process and driving improvements in efficiency. Gareth highlights the importance of a reliable network, while Sally underlines the need for flexibility and adaptability.

Friday Jan 22, 2021

The MRX Lab is back for a second season. In this episode, we're joined by FlexMR CEO, Paul Hudson, to discuss the emerging topic of insights empowerment.
Over 10 minutes, we look at the role of efficiency, reach and influence as key drivers of change and investigate creative tactics for overcoming common challenges. Paul highlights the role of video in activation, and identifies how empowerment moves data out of insights departments to underpin a customer-centric culture.

Friday Nov 20, 2020

In this episode, we look at the opposing forces of globalization and localization. What do these trends mean for the market research industry and how do they affect the work that we do?
In the second half of the episode, we outline simple ways in which market research teams under pressure to deliver more for less can influence both global decisions and act as the voice for territorial differences at the same time.

Monday Nov 09, 2020

In this episode, we look at philosophical constructs of knowledge, and how our beliefs about the nature of information shape the work we do. In particular, we discuss the ideas of rationalism, empiricism and pragmatism through the lens of the insights sector.
Throughout the course of this episode, we investigate the theses that define each of these systems, the key differences between them and identify how we can use each to deliver more impactful research.

Wednesday Oct 21, 2020

In this episode, we investigate three project management methodologies that are not agile. Agile research has quickly become part of the insights lexicon, but there is also much to be learnt from examining other techniques that have guided management principles over the past decades.
Over ten minutes, we dive into the manufacturing roots of waterfall, the extreme ends of agile that comprise lean ideals, and the statistically driven Six Sigma process.

Thursday Oct 01, 2020

In this episode, we discuss a valuable but rarely discussed soft skill that plays a vital role in research – critical thinking. While strategic thinking may have taken the spotlight in recent years, the ability to think in a critical manner and minimise cognitive bias is one all insights professionals need to succeed.
Over ten minutes, we examine some of the potential reasons why critical thinking may have been side-lined, what value it holds and some simply ways to develop the skill.

Tuesday Sep 08, 2020

In this episode, we talk about the economic principles that are relevant to the insights industry. We start by defining the key differences between behavioural and more traditional economics, as well as exploring how the two fields have blurred lines of enquiry.
Over the second half, we dive into a number of key economic ideas and how they relate to the work researchers undertake – from marginality to calculating cost, understanding trade-offs to the role of incentives.

Tuesday Aug 18, 2020

In this episode, we talk about the slow movement; cultural revolution against the notion that faster is always better. We identify some of the key areas that the movement has influenced and ask whether there is a place for market research that is conducted at a deliberately slow pace.
Over the course of 10 minutes, we examine how science, journalism, marketing and other practices have been affected before turning our sights on the popularity of agile practices in market research.

Wednesday Aug 05, 2020

In this episode, we look at the forces of sacred & profane consumption, and their effects on consumer behaviour. We ask what relevance these theories have to modern researchers and examine the ways in which our investigation of behaviour can be shaped by such a lens
After defining the sacred and profane, we discuss the role of brand cathedrals, consumer rituals and other parallels that can be drawn from both the secularization of religion and the sacralization of the secular.

Friday Jul 10, 2020

In this episode, we explore the gig economy and ask whether it's having an impact on the market research industry. We look at the societal changes taking place, shifting consumer attitudes, the effect on insights professionals and deep dive into conflicts with research sampling.
Although freelancers in the insights industry have been insulated to date - offering a highly skilled service in a complex environment – we cannot ignore the wider changes and what it means for the sector.

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