Conversations with corporate researchers
Steve Seiferheld
Director of Market Research, Swedish Match | U.S. Division
What do you believe is the biggest challenge to marketing researchers today?
First, inertia. We continue to focus on the same tired, in-the-weeds issues without being able to construct a simple story on how to move a business forward. Twenty-five years ago we were worrying about how to weed out bad survey respondents. Today, we are worrying about how to weed out bad survey respondents. Why?
Second, a lack of leadership. Nobody seems willing to point out how we are our own enemy. Our industry needs voices to steer us toward being leaders in our organizations. Swedish Match values me because when I present, my key findings tell people what to do. Other researchers hurt our industry by worrying more about Likert scales and eye-tracking than how to acquire more customers and improve profits.
Describe your process for choosing a methodology when beginning a new research project.
There is no process. You let your objectives drive your methodology, and never vice versa. I choose the methodology that will make it easiest for my target audience to provide the type of feedback I need.
You worked on a gifting survey for a digital retailer. What was the aha finding?
Curation. Consumers are lazy – that isn’t surprising. The key insight involved curating the content to meet consumer needs. So instead of offering categories like “men’s clothing” or “hardware” it was “gift ideas for men over age 50” or “gift ideas for men under $25.” By curating the content correctly, consumers could more easily identify appropriate gifts and move on to other things.
Discuss the most challenging consumer segment you’ve researched. What made this group challenging?
Sports season-ticket holders. Without question, they are the most loyal and least rational consumer segment I’ve encountered. They will spend thousands of dollars on a product – tickets – without truly knowing what quality the product will be. It’s like going into Macy’s and buying yourself a $2,000 gift card to purchase your wardrobe, without knowing what assortment, sizes and brands they will stock. Why would you ever do that? But it’s common in sports. The challenge, plain and simple, is their inability to look past wins and losses. When your team wins, the traffic is better, the beer is cooler and the ushers are nicer. Very difficult to get objective, unbiased research minus the win/lose halo effect.
What tips do you have for corporate researchers looking to become leaders within their companies?
The one tip I will offer is this: corporate researchers do not have internal clients; rather, they have colleagues. Repeatedly I encounter corporate researchers who see themselves as subservient to marketing, sales and other functions. We cannot expect progress until researchers shed that mentality. My role is just as important as anyone else’s. I understand the consumer better than anyone else in my organization and understanding the consumer is vital to ensuring a company’s success. Yes, I understand that as a corporate researcher I am asked to help other employees succeed in their assignments. But that does not imply I work for them. It’s a collaboration; my fiduciary responsibility is to the company, not my colleagues.