Why isn't more research commissioned?

Editor's note: Edward Appleton is a client-side European consumer insights manager. He can be reached at eappleton@brandnewonline.com. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's alone and do not reflect the views of his employer. This article appeared in the May 21, 2012, edition of Quirk's e-newsletter.

With the advent of new technologies, expanding marketing research's penetration could be one area of significant growth in future. After all, what company doesn't stand to benefit from listening to and observing the users of its products? However, there are still many organizations that don't put aside the time and money for research - or simply don't believe in it. Conducting no research at all is potentially the largest and most important white space out there. So what's holding non-users back?

Here's my take on the five major barriers to commissioning marketing research:

1. Budget perceptions.

For many smaller companies, charities and start-ups, doing research is perceived to be too expensive to consider going outside for. Even in companies that do have a marketing research budget, it often happens that the desire to do research is not met by the budget available.

We need to address this (i.e., by being flexible, exploring available databases, looking to DIY tools, etc.) to help something to be done rather than nothing. Just saying, "Oh well, your budget doesn't stretch; I can't help," is a counterproductive answer.

2. Timing pressures.

This is something we've all experienced - the rush job, the topline needed yesterday, etc. But in how many cases does the potential rush job morph into a there's-no-time-to-do-it project and end up cancelled?

If marketing hasn't left enough time to adequately scope a brief, shape an appropriate research design and the various other steps to getting a research project off the ground, it puts huge pressure on all stages, from survey design to analysis and reporting.

Proactively reaching out at the right time in the yearly operational planning cycle to senior marketing folk and asking them to build in marketing research time for major initiatives is key.

3. Fear of "the truth." 

Market research is an extremely powerful tool. It is without an agenda and often respected as a neutral decision-making source by highest-level management. To those at an operational marketing and sales level, research can be perceived as a threat, potentially interfering with carefully-laid-out plans.

This one's difficult to address, in my opinion. It's rooted in the decades-old mantra that research can be a destructive but blunt instrument, especially in the field of creativity. The more we do to be proactive; suggest solutions; and demonstrate how research creates and adds value and improves problem-solving, the better.

4. Lack of understanding.

Outside of the marketing department, which parts of the organization are aware of the ins and outs of what research can and can't do? Establishing a research presence and taking the time to educate those who are not familiar can help build a larger base of support.

5. Absence of marketing.

Companies that don't have a strong marketing culture - those without a CMO, maybe - are driven by sales, finance or operations personnel, many of whom are not likely to have been exposed to marketing research. They may well be more driven by prejudice than experience, which may work against us.

Reaching out across boundaries is valuable. One-on-one sessions with non-marketing decision makers can help them understand what research does, how it impacts the organization and what value it brings.

Some is better than none

The above list of obstacles isn't by any means exhaustive. The message we - both client-side researchers and research agencies - should convey is clear: Doing some research is better than doing none. Research is invariably extremely useful if done intelligently, on however small a scale. It can be fun, it doesn't need to cost a fortune and it can happen pretty quickly.

Perhaps we need to think in terms of "bite-size insights" - small, cost-effective pieces of research that act as appetizers to those dipping their toe into the marketing research waters. We should take every opportunity to document the instances where research's input significantly enhanced the success of a given project. Success has many fathers - research needs to be identified as one of them.