We explore Kristina's experience taking leave as a parent of a newborn, and, true to MRXplorer form, expand it to how leave should be for everyone everywhere. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message

Z gets pretty vulnerable as she shares her struggle with whether or not she can still be considered a market researcher now that she's in a research operations role. If you've ever experienced impostor syndrome, you'll likely relate quite heavily to her concerns about the way her career has evolved. From career paths to how one's focus changes duri…

Kristina and Z are back! They chat through some of the "where have we been," and then, "what are we gonna talk about the next few months," and generally just catch up podcast-like. Also, Wordle and Nerdle get a mention! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message…

What exactly IS semiotics? Whitney Dunlap-Fowler joins us to walk us through what it is, how it's used, and where to learn more about it. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message

Z and Kristina muse over a few things in this episode. - When will "agile research" become "research"? - When will "agile research" reach business-to-business research? - Is "agile" excluding the ability to achieve inclusive research? - Whose job is it to solve data quality issues or DE&I in research? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters…

Kristina and Z take some time to reflect on the conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion with the guests from the past few months on the podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message

Mary Ann Mendez joins Kristina and Z to chat about her experiences as a blind woman in the field of market research. Learn about the opportunity for online qualitative tools to be more inclusive, the diversity philosophy, and the skills of blindness. Interested in Mary Ann's consulting to help your platform be better? Or just want to learn more abo…

Welcome to Monday Musings, the series where Z and Kristina muse over a market research topic. We kick it off with a chat about storytelling in market research, the difficulties around storytelling as a market researcher who wants to share ALL the numbers, and some advice on how to kick off any project so that the story practically tells itself when…

Melissa Nevarez and Anacely Vazquez-Carrillo join Kristina and Z to share their experiences being Latinas in the world of market research. We get into topics like different subgroups within the Latinx umbrella, 2020 polling and messages about the Latinx community, and more! As always, we hope this inspires discussion, though, and, ultimately, actio…

Hear from Mario Carrasco, co-founder and principal of ThinkNow as he explains some of the cultural nuances that lead to marked differences in the way Latinx survey respondents are recruited and nurtured, then stay as he candidly shares his experience on being a Latinx market research company co-founder. Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mrx…

In our first international episode, we chat with a couple of the founding members of Colour of Research (CORe) in the UK. Listen to their experiences as people of color in the market research industry, and enjoy their passion for the work they're doing with CORe. When you're done, come back to the show notes to learn more about them at the links be…

Our journey exploring the world of diversity and inclusion inside and outside the market research walls starts with our conversation with Pepper Miller, author, market researcher, and Black-American subject matter expert. This candid conversation was very thought-provoking; we're sure you'll agree. Are you ready to dig in? To shop Pepper's books: h…

We're kicking off a series of interviews that talk about diversity and inclusion from the perspective of underrepresented groups. We hope you'll join us as we share the fun and courageous conversations we've had (and continue having) around this topic. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message…

Ethnography: it's way, WAY more than just following someone around while they shop. Learn what it is, what to consider when performing an ethnography, and how to be sure your ethnography is inclusive! References mentioned: Paco Underhill, Why We Buy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001QA4SY2/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 Trendwatching: ht…

Welcome to CX 101 with Rajul Jain who works for Microsoft's Customer and Market Research team. Listen to learn hat is customer experience research, how is it different from user experience research? What does it measure? When should you use it? And what considerations should researchers keep in mind when it comes to diversity and inclusion in custo…

A group of crows is a murder. A group of fish? A school. But what do you call a group of research methodologies? We're kicking off our 2020-2021 season with a live brainstorm of research methodologies in various groupings - advanced modeling, behavioral research, retail, ethnographies, and more! This kicks off a new year of exploring the world of i…

We've been doing a lot of learning, listening, and self-evaluating the past few weeks with the renewed emphasis on systemic racism in the world. We wanted to share some of our fledgling thoughts and actions, and our decision for where this podcast is going to focus next. We mention a number of resources in this episode; links to the podcasts and gr…

A few questions to consider about inclusion in research and in the workplace. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message

Z and Kristina chat about being a woman in the market research industry, and their experiences seeing other women in leadership roles within the industry, their perceptions of being able to the mothers AND market researchers climbing career ladders, and considerations they've made when looking for new roles and new companies at which to work. We wo…

A quick take and call to action to continue having empathy for each other and for those who participate in research. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message

Zappi and VoxPopMe recently hosted the first ever Virtual Insights Summit, held May 5-6. Z shares a high-level view of what this event was like, how it differed and was similar to in-person events, and her experience being a speaker at the summit. Then she and Kristina close things out with a bit of forecasting of events for the rest of 2020 and po…

Hard skills: the ones like statistical analysis, how to write a survey, how to be a focus group moderator... Kristina and Z explore not just how to learn those skills, but how they identify when they need to expand their skillset, how to choose the learning tools they'll use, and Z shares some ideas on how she prioritizes things like what webinars …

Join Kristina and Z in a chat about learning, which morphs into a discussion about mentor relationships, turning to your network to help you learn, and various options available for learning hard skills on the job and off the job. Find us on Twitter: @mrxplorerp Send us an email: [email protected] --- Send in a voice message: https://podca…

Welcome to the first episode of "From the Front Lines," a series where I talk to those who are working "on the front lines" within brands, for market research partners (aka vendors), and software suppliers. Kristina Perkins is a market research manager at Microsoft with brand, vendor, and software provider experience. We chat through the impact COV…

How is the coronavirus, Covid-19, impacting the insights industry? From remote working situations to research itself, let's explore some of the impacts we're seeing, and let's talk about some of the ways we can mitigate those impacts. Keeping your team engaged, being inclusive in your recruitment and in your reaching out to team members, and findin…

Research community conference season is underway! I share what I hope to hear, what I will be sharing, and what I'm curious might fall by the wayside from last year. What do you hope to hear about? Share your expectations on LinkedIn (Zontziry Johnson) or Twitter (@zontziry). And hope to see you in person at one of the upcoming conferences and even…

Amid all the talk of AI, machine learning, and other tech, what are you doing to focus on the people creating and participating in your research? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message

A few learnings from 2019, including the challenges and joys of working from home! And then a look at 2020 and what things I'm anticipating will happen in market research. What are *you* excited about for 2020 and beyond? Share on LinkedIn or on Twitter (@zontziry)! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/mess…

Why do trackers exist? What purpose so they serve? Can we save them? YES, WE CAN! I make the case for doing trackers better and keeping them around. At least until we find technology that gives us attitudinal measures consistently over time. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message…

Have you been faced with "digital transformation," or "modern market research," as a goal for your team, but can't help but feel like nothing has actually changed? What does "transformation" actually mean? What does it involve? And, perhaps more importantly, what is it not? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplo…

A boardgame I played recently resulted in some introspection on research projects and keeping our eyes on the prize while not ignoring the value of the small steps along the way. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message

After attending a couple of local events recently where there were more agencies than brands, I reflected on why, when *I* worked for a brand, I didn't attend research industry events. There's a call to action for agencies and brands both in this one. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message…

First, let's talk about the changes that are available to us as insights professionals. Then, let's talk about the attitudes that exist regarding change. Last, a call for your stories about risks you've taken and the learnings along the way -- wins AND failures. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message…

Whether an experienced market research pro or a newbie, we all are kind of stuck being order takers, not strategic partners. How can we change that? I give three suggestions for starting the journey from reactive to proactive. Follow me on Twitter (@zontziry) or on LinkedIn (Zontziry Johnson) to continue the discussion! --- Send in a voice message:…

I've spent nearly 15 years in the world of market research, mostly doing satisfaction studies of various audiences, especially Business to Business. I'm realizing how little I actually know of the rest of the market research world. What does that mean for how we talk to each other in research? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify…

Recorded in New England, on the Harvard Business School campus, I pontificate on the need we have to partner with education institutions better to create curricula that not only prepares the insights teams we need, but gets people excited to work in the insights roles we have! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrx…

Let's change how we talk to each other in this industry: no more "client" or "vendor," but rather market research partners. Isn't that more descriptive of how we're working together anyway? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message

A couple of weeks from the IIeX NA 2019 conference, here is what's stuck with me: Hannibal Brooks' talk and the new speaker track led by Annie Pettit; the overwhelming number of research companies; the spectrum of insights team size and ability; how much there is to learn from each other, no matter who you are, how long you've been in insights, or …

Recording from on site in Austin, TX, it's MRXplorer at IIeX NA! Hear why I heart IIeX NA, and what I'm hoping to hear about from my friends and colleagues in this industry. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message

As we see evolutions in tech impacting the market research industry, why are we so slow to adopt the new tech? Are we worried about being replaced? Is that really what tech would do for the industry? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message

Linking to a personal experience with having gained some time back in my schedule, I debate whether efficiency gains in research will truly translate to space for researchers to "be more strategic." --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message

A haiku: Blockchain, can you solve my sample problems for real? All of them? But how? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message

The #MRxChat has been revived by Jamin Brazil and Jake Pryzlak. I thought I'd share a recap of the first Twitter chat about customer experience research and market research. Check out the tweets by searching for #MRxChat, and join the next chat Feb 19 at 9am Pacific time! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplore…

Are we seeing a convergence of data science and market research, or an evolution? Do we need to be a bit more humble as researchers or do we need to just go back to basics and use our expertise better? And last, let's talk data quality and blockchain. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message…

Weren't able to make it to Insights Association's Converge conference this year? I've got you covered: I give you a quick summary of every talk from the two-day event in Los Angeles, California! Occasionally, I also share some thoughts on the topics, but I try to stick to just giving you the synopses. This is unedited, so enjoy! And Bunmi Onibokun,…

This starts the first episode exploring the basics of market research. Step 1: understanding the business question. Your client has a business question they want researched, but is it the right thing to be researching? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message…

Let's go back and time 15 years and compare the advancements in tech generally with the advancements in market research! And then let's talk about keeping trend. Note: this is extremely subjective, based on my experience over the past 15 years in market research roles. It doesn't necessarily reflect everyone's market research progression. --- Send …

Per Hakansson spoke about being a digital nomad at IIeXNA 2018. While most people focused on the ethics, my mind went to how we are changing our market research strategies to include digital nomads? Catch me on Twitter @zontziry or at the blog mrxplorer.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mrxplorer/message…