As we near the end of another year, Quirk’s staff pulled a list of the most popular magazine and e-newsletter articles published in 2023.* And while it didn’t come as a surprise that AI and ChatGPT-related articles topped the list, we were happy to see readers were still drawn to real-world case studies, including one from Purdue University and another from Spruce Haven Farms.
Most-viewed articles of 2023
Will ChatGPT replace your consumer insights team?
While there’s been chatter about AI’s potential for years now, the recent launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT has generated significant interest and is sparking countless predictions on how AI may impact our lives and reshape industries. While its “large language model” and “generative AI” technologies seem seductively intelligent and almost sentient on some occasions, it also raises concerns about accuracy, privacy, bias and ethical implications – as well as potential implications for the world of work. Read more.
ChatGPT and its impact on marketing research
ChatGPT is a free tool that combines the power of natural language processing with machine learning to generate hypotheses, insights and great writing at scale. Imagine having a super-smart robot researcher at your disposal, ready to analyze data, find patterns and come up with hypotheses and suggestions in a fraction of the time it would take a human. Read more.
ChatGPT: The biggest change to marketing research since the internet
Throughout my 20-year career in data science, I was an AI skeptic. When companies bragged about the AI in their software, I cringed in embarrassment. At best, it was glorified machine learning. At worst, flat out deception. Read more.
Linking the heart and the mind: How latent emotions drive decision-making
Behavioral economics has become a buzz topic in marketing. At its heart, behavioral economics is the study of how emotions impact rational decision-making. It’s an imperative concept for marketers to understand as consumers rarely make decisions using just their rational brain. Therefore, the role of the “irrational brain” in decision-making needs to be considered as well. Read more.
How to make ChatGPT your ultimate UX research buddy
If you’re anything like me, when ChatGPT burst onto the scene, your first reaction was probably a mix of apprehension and curiosity. Is it safe to use? Will it steal my job? Will it take over the world? The adoption of this new tool has skyrocketed and with good reason. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have many applications and the potential to change the way we work. As a UX researcher, I soon discovered that ChatGPT could be my ultimate research buddy. Read more.
Conducting a research study? Tips for getting better insights from participants
When you begin a research study – be it a qualitative interview/focus group or a large-scale quantitative study – the first question you ask in the study tends to put horse blinder constraints on what the person will share with you and can even taint the ultimate research findings. Your questions outline a path that most will default to following, and in many cases keep them from sharing anything off the path that might be relevant, i.e., oh, they want me to talk about X, so I wouldn’t even mention Y, even though to me it might be a relevant part of the topic that is being explored. Read more.
Understanding your audience: How Purdue University created an effective messaging strategy
If you participated in higher education of some kind, think back to that time. How many universities did you consider? Who helped you make your decision? Ultimately, what reasons did the university give you that made you believe it was the right choice? Read more.
The human experience: How consumers are reshaping marketing research in 2023
Market research is entering a pivotal moment in its existence, and the modern consumer is driving industry-wide change. Even before the pandemic, social media was making a seismic impact on consumer behaviors and that has only become more of a factor as post-pandemic life settles in. The adoption of more permanent work-from-home policies changed the landscape, too, with Gallup reporting that only two in 10 remote-capable employees are currently working fully on-site while the rest work fully remote or hybrid. Read more.
Online fraud in marketing research: Tips for taking action now
Market research has always been about the human connection, from door-to door and kitchen table interactions, to shopping mall intercepts and in-person focus groups. It wasn’t until the late 1990s during the technology revolution that market research moved online, creating the opportunity to do both quantitative and qualitative research in more efficient and innovative ways. Read more.
AI and marketing research: It’s time to wake up
Members of the market research/insights/business intelligence profession have always been early adopters of new technologies and developments, demonstrating a keen desire to keep up with commercial evolution and new practices. However, in adopting such practices, our sector (with a few exceptions) has also been quite slow – and sometimes too late – to defend some of the founding principles of our profession. Read more.
How research helped develop the go-to-market strategy for a new cold brew coffee
Spruce Haven Farms (SHF) is a fourth-generation family farm and one of the largest farms in Upstate New York. Milk from its 2,000+ cows supplies some of the top brands in today’s competitive yogurt market. The family spent 20 years working on nutritional science to create a way to make cow feed that could improve the nutritional benefits of their cows’ milk, with the end goal of enhancing people's wellness and nutrition. Read more.
6 key principles for effective segmentation studies
Segmentation research is a powerful tool. It provides a deep understanding of and empathy for real people, identifies those with the greatest potential value and uncovers opportunities to shape the business. It guides strategy and tactics for targeting, messaging, media planning and product and feature development. It engages cross-functional teams and inspires them to action. Read more.
A guide to generative AI for insights
“With great power comes great responsibility.” You don’t have to be a Marvel buff to recognize that quote, popularized by the Spider-Man franchise. And while the sentiment was originally in reference to superhuman speed, strength, agility and resilience, it’s a helpful one to keep in mind when discussing the rise of generative AI. Read more.
*While the list above is an accurate representation of the most-viewed articles published to Quirk’s article archive in 2023 (data gathered from Google Analytics), our calculations only include views on Quirks.com/articles and do not take into consideration the following modes of publication: print magazine and digital magazine (including PDF downloads and Quirk’s Digital Edition). In addition, articles published in Quirk’s E-newsletter during the month of December 2023 were not included in the data pull.