Conversations with corporate researchers

Brooks Deaton  

Senior Director, Consumer Insights, NASCAR


What led you to a career in marketing research?

Curiosity and relationships. I think those are fundamental attributes of a marketing research professional. I started my career in the marketing department for a PGA Tour-run golf course developing programs to engage golfers where I met a member who had his own boutique research firm. I joined him and stayed on that side of the business for about five years, having the opportunity to work for some of the biggest brands and spanning most industries. I made the familiar jump to the client-side 10 years ago and have been able to work for some amazing brands. 

Prior to joining the team at NASCAR you held positions on the vendor side as well as at Aflac and Denny’s. Of all the market segments you’ve researched, is there one that seems more open to participating in the research process than others? 

I’ve been fortunate to work in industries that have very committed – and opinionated – consumers. I think anyone can be open to sharing their thoughts with you if your work is positioned to them in a relevant manner. 

Aflac is such an incredible company because it wants to be at its best when its consumers are in times of need. Our research had a large focus on making sure every touchpoint the consumer had with the business was the best representation of what the company believes in. When the company culture is committed to providing a dependable and positive experience, consumer feedback is critical.

Talk about your greatest achievement within marketing research to date.   

It is hard to pinpoint one single greatest achievement as the brands I have worked for each believed in the role of consumer insights, but at NASCAR we have received awards for the Official NASCAR Fan Council we have with Vision Critical. The partnership allows us to talk with nearly 25,000 NASCAR fans on a regular basis utilizing numerous methodologies and bringing in third-party APIs to broaden the experience for the fans. With the scale of the community and ability to segment fans through their life journey in NASCAR, and in sports, we gain tremendous insight on how our fans live their lives through the sport.

What emerging technologies do you think will make the greatest impact to MR and consumer insights in the next five years?    

Obviously, the world of AI and VR are starting to make a significant impact on the industry. I think the applications of these technologies will only advance and I wouldn’t be surprised if it is the next industry shift in methodological approach a la online research 10-to-15 years ago.