I graduated with a degree in librarianship, immediately choosing to forge a path into the private sector. I have seen great change in the way information is used and valued, and see that it is poorly used.
Desk research is a maligned and underappreciated discipline. All information sweeps begin with, and many end with, Google. Whether you are a marketing agency, a research company, a manufacturer... the Big Data sector will have you believe that data scraped from cookies and from online polls, from footfall, from transactions... from everything that collects from the consumer.... is all that you need.
This is wrong.
This data is useful, but it is not enough.
Keep looking through the microscopes, but don't forget the telescope.
I led the insights department at Publicis London, the UK hub of one of the world's largest communications companies, giving the agency and its subsidiaries the means to acquire competitive intelligence, and to speak to brand owners with added confidence. I did this by using desk research combined with data from syndicated data sources and primary research.
I pioneered social listening as an insight method back in 2007; the first in our group to do so, and possibly even in our industry. Not only could we understand the brand, its category, its consumers and the cultural context, but we could also include their conversations too.
During my time at Publicis I gained experience in a large swathe of sectors: FMCG, auto, travel, and wealth management, amongst others. I worked closely with strategists, account directors and creatives across the marketing disciplines: advertising, content, digital, shopper marketing, PR etc., using a mixed toolbox of primary and desk research, expert interviews, and consumer studies.
Prior to working for Publicis, I gained experience in business research in the energy sector, IT, investment banking, broadcasting, and management consulting.