Customer Reviews

Market Research Matters: Tools and Techniques for Aligning Your Business

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This was one of the worst examples of rehashing previous consulting work and placing between two hard covers that I have ever witnessed. I have had over 20 years of strategy consulting experience with global firms, and have taught at one of the top ten business schools. I would never use this book with my students. It shifts back and forth from anecdote to cut and paste diagrams, with no structure or detailed description of the actual methodology and approaches that are used in serious market research efforts. Don't waste your time.

Long ago, Sun Tzu asserted that every battle is won or lost before it is fought. Hence the importance of preparation. Decisive preparation requires (a) whatever information may be necessary and (b) appropriate initiatives based on that information. In their Introduction, the authors acknowledge a number of rational and emotional "arguments" against the value of market research. They then identify "The Dangerous Myths": I know these things. Things never really change (so simply updating yesterday's plan will be fine). The people with whom I talk all agree with me. The authors explain why each of these myths is so dangerous. Myopia, ignorance, and arrogance do indeed make a deadly combination.

It may be helpful if I now list the ten chapter titles which correctly indicate the scope of the material covered:

Why Market Research Matters

The Tools to Research the Future

How to Implement Strategic Anticipation

Researching the Future Brand

Researching the Future Customer Loyalty

Researching the Future Competition

Researching the Future Channels

Researching the Future Employee Loyalty

Researching the Future Internet

Is Your Market Researcher Up to the Challenge?

Perhaps you agree with Sun Tzu about the importance of thorough preparation. Perhaps you appreciate the importance of having whatever information may be needed to make appropriate decisions. And finally, perhaps you need a cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective market research system to help achieve your business objectives. If so, I highly recommend this book.

here's a quote from page 35

"Paul Simon wrote a song called "Sixty Ways to Leave Your Lover." Maybe we can put it another way: How many ways can you be wrong about consumer demand for your product?"

No one edited this book. No one thought much about writing it, either. And what's with the registered trademark symbol showing up on almost every page.

Unsophisticated, hard to read, not very useful, totally unoriginal and scary in its badness.

I know the author, so I can't sign my name, but I feel required to warn you off this...

Market Research Matters is rich with constructive new ideas. A must read for researchers, marketers and managers in every field. This book empowers the reader to improve their business, and put themselves in line for a successfull future.

When it comes to planning a winning corporate strategy, many business leaders fail to consider market research. This is a critical mistake. Done correctly and with creativity, market research can provide real value by serving as the radar that will alert your business to the perils-and opportunities-that lie ahead.

Excellent marketing insight is the edge that differentiates business winners from losers. It can help your company in its effort to make-not merely serve-markets. Businesses that successfully anticipate major marketplace shifts reap rewards of legendary proportions. Few do. Less dramatic but equally important is the opportunity to improve the understanding of customer behaviour, which can grow profits daily. Businesses should and can do better at this and this book will show you how.

Market research can and should be a backbone of any business strategy. It should move beyond its traditional and limited "number-crunching" function to its proper place as a platform for enlightening decision making.

Market Research Matters provides you with the tools to better align your company's market research and business forecast efforts to the overall business strategy and operations. It polishes traditional market research techniques and reveals new ones that can help any company avoid the pitfalls of focusing only on the present. Companies need to seize the opportunities that an uncertain future has to offer. You need insight into the dynamics of the marketplace to act in anticipation of what might happen. This book will help you make certain your business is up to the challenge of becoming a truly future-focused business.

Robert Duboff is Partner and the Director of National Marketing for Ernst & Young. Duboff was previously vice president at Mercer Management Consulting, where he spent over twenty years helping clients achieve their marketing goals. He has written numerous papers for a number of management journals. Jim Spaeth is President of the Advertising Research Foundation.

This wonderfully written book goes deep in strategic marketing research, and even broader. It talks about many important things having to do with market research and tells you exactly what you can do. I recommend this book to everyone. I was interested in reading the book after I saw that Clairmont College rated it as one of the top 50 business books of the year, and rightfully so.
The first three reviews I read disturbed me and I firmly believe that the reviewers did not read the book at all. Enjoy this great book.

I hesitated to order this book, after seeing some of the reviews posted on this site. However, this has been an confirmation for me that these reviewers aren't qualified to review. This is a good, useful book-- I enjoyed it. I am a trustworthy source, and take my advice... this book is pretty good.

in a word WOW--i learned so much about research the market...i recomend this to everyone who wants to give the market a try,unlike other market book, i didnt fall asleep reading them, i had fun while i learned about the market (i hit it bi and im only an 21 year old college student) thank you Market Research

I hesitated to order this book, after seeing some of the reviews posted on this site. However, this has been an confirmation for me that these reviewers aren't qualified to review. This is a good, useful book-- I enjoyed it. I am a trustworthy source, and take my advice... this book is pretty good.

I finally give up on finishing this book. It talk about strategic anticipation which sounded greate however it never said anything about how or what to do.