Reflection on the MRS Manchester event 2024

25th September 2024 15:17

Article by Jasmine Palin, Research Executive. 

I, along with a number of my colleagues from across DJS Research, recently had the pleasure of attending the MRS Best of Events and Awards, in Manchester. We embraced this opportunity as it's not every day that the research sector sees such strong representation in the North, especially compared to our friends down in London. It wasn’t just us - the event sold out with many different agencies and companies that support market research also in attendance.

This made for an interesting, diverse opening discussion on the potential of generative AI in research. Streetbees, experts in using AI to support the entire research journey, spoke about how AI can handle open-response questions more effectively by generating tailored follow-up questions through a process called laddering. However, there was acknowledgment that the industry is still figuring out the best applications of AI and the suggestion of a hybrid approach where AI takes over the laborious tasks of research and leaves the creative and human aspects to the researcher.

“I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes.”

– Author, Joanna Maciejewska

As we know AI can be daunting and there isn’t necessarily a consensus on recommended ways to use it yet. However, there was encouragement to get stuck in, keep having these conversations, keep trying different things and keep an open mind.

Continuing this conversation on, L’Oreal researchers showcased how they used AI to generate innovative concepts from news and social media platforms, which were then evaluated against L'Oréal's business objectives. The collaboration between AI-generated ideas and human refinement resulted in five top ideas, three from AI and two from L'Oréal’s team.

Premier INN researchers introduced the use of a browser recorder tool, Lookback, which tracks respondent behaviours to gain deeper insights into customer interactions. This approach aims to bring stakeholders closer to the consumer experience by showing real-time data on how users navigate and make decisions.

Behavioural science took centre stage when Google guided us through their “Decoding Decisions” report, delving into the intricacies of how consumers make purchasing choices. They demonstrated how small tweaks to a webpage, informed by behavioural science principles, can significantly boost customer engagement. At DJS, we are well-versed in the principles of behavioural science, thanks to Alex McCluckie, who has been instrumental in advancing our expertise in this field and making it a key area of growth for us.

For those keen to dive deeper, Google recommended the “Marketing in the Messy Middle” report, which offers valuable insights into consumer confidence and decision-making during the purchasing process. Interestingly, through their research they found in 2009 there was a shift in consumer search trends from “cheap” to “best”. They hypothesised that this was due to the internet developing from a tool that only compared quantifiable modifiers to a tool that can compare everything, even subjective, emotional modifiers.

Stakeholder engagement was another hot topic, with a strong focus on the power of storytelling. Research showed that storytelling activates the same brain areas in both the storyteller and the listener, a phenomenon known as coupling. To foster this connection, researchers were encouraged to use relatable, personal stories. Practical examples included using video outputs of consumer behaviour to make research findings more relatable and using podcasts for environmental research to allow the client to connect with nature whilst they absorb research insights.

This MRS conference provided a comprehensive look at the evolving role of AI in market research, balancing technological advancements with human insights, and stressed the importance of engaging stakeholders through innovative and relatable methods.

Personally, I am excited about the evolving role of AI and find its applications both intriguing and somewhat questionable, especially in a field so focused on human experience. It raises the question of how we can use AI, which relies on generalised data, to understand the unique and complex aspects of the human brain and experience. I believe this is a multifaceted discussion that will only gain momentum, and as a researcher in the early stages of my career, I feel it's an exciting time to be involved.

All of us definitely came away with our minds whirring with how we can implement these ideas into what we do best!

We would like to thank MRS and Vision One for having us and we hope that this is just the beginning of market research representation and collaboration in the North.

If you are interested in anything in particular from this day or just want to chat please feel free to contact me: jpalin@djsresearch.com

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