Research Narrative

10/11/2022

Hear ye Hear ye, we'll be talking data and storytelling later this month. What are some of the ways you've seen companies "lie" with statistics to misrepresent the business story?

We'll start: always read the labels on the Y axis when looking at bar or line charts. If the range seems arbitrary and narrow, it's probably precisely by design to make changes appear bigger than they are.

Join us on Thursday, October 27th, for XDay North America 2022!

Our panelists will be at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center in Austin on a Data-Driven Discussion, 'Linear, Lucky, or Lies: The stories we tell with data.'

Don't miss this opportunity! https://hubs.li/Q01nYRvh0

10/04/2022

Thrilled to have our long time research colleagues and multicultural research advocates Michelle Auguste and Lori Kaplan join us for this important discussion on representation in insights. We hope you'll join us at CRC later this month!

07/26/2022

The world has changed quite a bit these past couple years. While we still have an office in LA, we've been slowly phasing it out and hiring people all over the country. Friday afternoon, a few of us got together in person in NYC to get to know each other better and introduce our newest member Abby to some of her new coworkers. Fun and milkshakes were had. Team building can take many forms!

04/11/2022

We are thrilled to announce that our president, founder, and inspirational colleague Kerry Edelstein has been selected as a 2022 Insights Association IPC Laureate. This is a lifetime recognition of distinction in the field of consumer insights. She joins a formidable group of industry icons and leaders who’ve served as trailblazers, innovators, and thought leaders in our field.

Those who hold the Laureate certification are recognized as outstanding members of the insights community, with distinguished careers marked by meaningful contributions that have advanced the profession.

Laureates are nominated by their peers, chosen by IA’s IPC committee, and approved by the IA board. Certified Laureates agree to lead by example in the areas of ethics and integrity, serve as mentors to less experienced colleagues and students, and fulfill the role of ambassador for the industry and the Insights Association. Kerry and all of us at Research Narrative are honored to accept that responsibility and look forward to working with current and future generations of insights leaders to advance our profession with integrity and stewardship.

12/13/2021

In today’s edition of “My how time flies,” we’re thrilled to announce that Research Narrative turns 10 today! We thought we’d share a few of our favorite milestones from our first decade.

Through the Years: The Timeline of Research Narrative Milestones

2012: The kickoff - Our first full month in business, we’re off to the races. A deep debt of gratitude to WNYC, Viacom, and Netflix for all trusting in us our first full year in business.

2013: Little company, big projects - We receive our first six figure check, back when people still sent checks. We think about framing it, but decide that depositing it is more fiscally responsible.

2014: Insights meets advisory - Our vision to launch an advisory arm comes to fruition, as we begin conducting consulting and retainer projects with media companies to improve their research functions and weave analytics and audience insights together.

2015: From solopreneur to business – As business expands, key contractors start to work a few too many hours to remain on contract, and we begin converting them to full time employment.

2016: Defining the future of media and the “multi” in multicultural – Rewarding projects allow us to predict media industry trends (we called Disney+ launching in 2019, folks) and delve into the intersections of culture and identity that define Americans.

2017: Investing in ourselves – We cross the chasm into our second five-year window, with investments in rebranding and data science personnel. We love our new logo and our logline: Reimagine. Reconsider. Rethink. Reinvent. Research Narrative. (We took that advice ourselves!)

2018: A place to call home (but not at home) – We find and decorate the perfect office space in Culver City, with a charming courtyard view, kitchenette, curiously luxurious office restrooms, and wait for it – ample free parking. Nobody’s commute is more than 15 minutes. It feels like home, and also winning the lottery.

2019: Going bicoastal – Our fearless leader relocates to the East Coast and begins hiring there, giving us a presence on both coasts. We setup remote work infrastructure and data security systems to accommodate work-from-home outside our LA office.

2020: A virtual world – COVID-19 hits, and our remote work investments suddenly become prescient. Team members graciously work from their bedrooms and kitchen tables as our beloved office shuts down. Methodologies and workflow shift to fully virtual, and our advanced preparation pays off in the form of our highest revenue year ever.

2021: Investing in our industry – Grateful for a fruitful 2020, we begin to give back more holistically to our industry. We make investments in data privacy research to support the Insights Association, and kickoff our first consortia study on the language of social justice and racial equity, as co-founders of the Multicultural Insights Collective.

What will the next ten years have in store? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see. 😉

12/06/2021

‘Tis the season for wrapping up 2021 research, reviewing progress and revisiting goals – and of course, scoping out research initiatives for the coming year. Planning out a research strategy also means anticipating new and effective deliverables for the coming year. And why not have a little fun and embrace a bit of that tasty, holiday spirit as you plan out your strategy? Instead of , think “delectables.” Look back on the most impactful research deliverables of the year and ask yourself – what made the best deliverables so deliciously effective? What made those learnings clear, memorable and actionable for your team? Did you savor those insights in different ways? After all, there’s not one perfect deliverable (or dessert) that fits all audiences and occasions.

As you think about what deliverables you want to invest in, grab your favorite holiday treat and check out our recent article, “Let Them Eat Cake: A delicious metaphor for deciding on the right deliverable,” written by our Managing Director Tracey Castle. We promise to entertain with some sweet insights, and we’ve included a free download for our digital “Guidebook to Choosing the Right Insights Deliverable” to share with your team. Satiate your appetite for delectable deliverables at https://researchnarrative.com/thinkerry/let-them-eat-cake/

10/14/2021

A message from our founder:

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Integrity.

It’s a word I think about often, in running a business. Revenue, profitability, sales, growth – much conversation around management focuses on these priorities. But seldom do leaders take a step back and talk about how to pursue these goals with integrity. And the truth is, that’s a lot harder. It can mean sleepless nights, figuring out how to do right by employees and clients alike; days spent considering what investments are both financially viable and ethically responsible; an occasional awkward conversation that results in turning down business that doesn’t meet company standards.

Last week, Facebook’s integrity was called into question, and it quickly became a conversational topic in one of our staff meetings. Our Managing Director posed the question: Should we continue to have a presence on Facebook, given the 60 Minutes report and whistleblower congressional testimony?

It’s a question worth considering carefully.

As the owner of a research agency conducting business in the media sector, I’ve found that Facebook’s actions regarding data and research have given me pause on several occasions. Can we trust a company that’s done mood experiments on users (under the guise of “engagement”) without opt-in and without actively screening out minors (2013)? That released PII to third parties without user permission and then failed to enforce the policies it set to mitigate that breach (2015-2018)? Or that’s become aware of its own algorithmic harm to civic stability and democracy and neglected to heed warnings to change those algorithms (present)? Do we want to be associated with that, as a company that cares deeply about data ethics?

Some people on our team reasonably question if Facebook is becoming an unethical lightning rod that we shouldn’t want any part of. Others recognize the practical irony that we can use Facebook itself to promote business ethics, data use ethics, and data governance ethics, and to call for sensible regulatory oversight that prevents ethical violations. Both are right. Whether we stay put and campaign for needed regulation or leave this platform and put our promotional efforts elsewhere, I’ll feel we’re acting with integrity. But I do feel that if we remain on Facebook, we have an obligation to speak up. So today, I’m doing just that.

At this stage, the digital media industry is aware of the potential harm caused by AI, the violations to data privacy and consumer trust, and the reality of algorithmic bias. But it hasn’t been successful at self-regulating. We are long overdue for reasonable and effective oversight of the tech and digital media industries at the federal level. Research Narrative has intentionally invested in data privacy research for several years to help with his effort, and we’re currently working with industry membership organizations and other companies in the insights space to inform federal data privacy regulation.

We believe companies such as Facebook (although certainly not limited to Facebook) cannot and should not be left to audit themselves in matters related to data integrity. Third parties and government agencies already audit (or even provide) TV and online measurement data, financial statements, and clinical trials; we believe the time has come for third party auditing of algorithms and oversight of consumer data as well.

We certainly don’t begrudge companies like Facebook their success in creating a successful and engaging platform that we ourselves enjoy using, but we do believe that with power comes responsibility and accountability to others. We will continue to champion reasonable and responsible federal oversight, in the hopes that we can build a better and safer digital media ecosystem. An ecosystem that is trustworthy in its stewardship of data and use of algorithms. An ecosystem with integrity.

Yours in trust,
Kerry

10/06/2021

What makes a brand standout?

From the name you choose, to your color palette, to your values and how you both operationalize and communicate them, to your creative assets and talent, to your competitive differentiation, building a standout brand can take a tremendous amount of work - and wisdom. When companies ask us what types of brand research we do, if feels oversimplified to simply respond with “brand trackers” or “creative testing.” So much consideration goes into even one of these methods.

We’re an agency that values narrative as much as rigorous research, so we wrote a short magazine to answer that question.

In this issue, we cover methods and pillars like market and brand positioning, creative evaluation, spokesperson alignment, brand health and tracking, brand lift, and ad effectiveness. Wherever you find yourself on your brand journey – building the brand, staying on track, navigating new challenges, entering new markets, reinventing yourself, seeking to make a greater impact, (maybe all the above?) – refresh your toolkit with a free copy of “Be a Brand Standout.” Get your readable, downloadable, and printable copy at www.researchnarrative.com/ezines.

09/17/2021

What is ? TV shows and movies have their viewers. Streaming services, their subscribers. Marketers, their media & advertising target. Social media, its followers. Indeed, the concept of “audience” spans industries and takes different forms. But as audience research experts, we know there are challenges, strategies, goals, and even research methods that apply to our audience-oriented clients regardless of how they define “audience.”

For our own audience, we’re excited to unveil (drumroll, please) Research Narrative’s new Audience EZine! A free digital magazine focused on , our Audience EZine features tips, strategies, and approaches across topics like consumer targeting and segmentation, content development, insights activation, and audience growth strategy. And you’ll find interviews, stories, and original research findings on everything from TV to Taco Bell. Get your readable, downloadable, and printable copy at our website. Just follow the link in the comments!