In this episode, we explore the Jobs to be Done (JTBD) framework, a model embraced by many companies, including leading CPG brands, financial services, tech companies, and more. Your host, Kathryn Korostoff, gives you a brief overview of what JTBD is and how market researchers can use it to move beyond a superficial understanding of customer needs. Whether it's for physical products or services, understanding the real motivations behind purchases and brand choices is crucial. In professional...

Join host Kathryn Korostoff and special guest Dan Braker, President of Breakthrough Research, for a deep dive into the power of authenticity in shaping consumer decisions and brand loyalty. This episode explores the critical role authenticity plays in building lasting connections between brands and their customers. Drawing on psychological research, learn how authenticity impacts consumer decision-making and brand loyalty, and how these factors vary across different demographics. Dan...

What is your team's position on the continuum from basic to bold of AI so far? Is the status on the basic end, with AI used for personal productivity but not much else? Or is your team looking to leapfrog conventional methods with new AI-driven customer insights-driving products and services? Hint: your team is more on the bold end if it is already piloting solutions that include components such as avatars/conversational AI, data-to-text, image analysis, or synthetic data.  Conversations for...

Learn how to avoid analysis bias in global market research studies. Conducting global studies requires careful planning and data collection, but analyzing the results can be even more challenging. Human beings have inherent biases that can impact data analysis, compromising the quality and accuracy of research reports. In this video, we share three types of bias that can infiltrate our research reports. Enhance your market research skills and deliver an unbiased and reliable analysis of your...

As professional market researchers, one of our biggest challenges is access to quality sample. We have all had the experience of having to toss out 10% or even 20% or more of research respondents because they were likely bots, fakes, or otherwise low-quality responses. While online sample is problematic for both B2B and B2C studies, the "solutions" may be different. In this episode, our experts tackle the topic of B2B: how can we efficiently recruit authentic, qualified participants for B2B...

Newer researchers may not realize how much of the work in Market Research and Insights is in socializing the results. We don't just send a report out by email and nothing else... not unless we want the research to be ignored. Successful researchers help their clients/stakeholders socialize the research results to influence and persuade. In this episode, Kathryn Korostoff is joined by Kory Grushka, Founder and CEO of Stories Bureau. Kory's company is a creative agency with experience helping...

How will AI impact the work, and careers, of Market Research & Insights Professionals? Is it doom and gloom, a welcome revolutionary advancement, or does it lie somewhere in the middle? Enjoy this video of instructors Jim Newswanger and Kathryn Korostoff for a discussion about AI's current, and potentially future, impact on the entire cycle of market research projects.  Conversations for Research Rockstars is produced by Research Rockstar Training & Staffing. Our 25+ Market Research...

When making methodology recommendations, many market researchers find ethnography desirable but intimidating. The biggest worry is often about recruiting: how do we find qualified people from the target population of interest and motivate them to participate in ethnographic research? Join Instructor Kathryn Korostoff as she shares 5 specific ways to recruit individuals or groups for ethnographic research.  Conversations for Research Rockstars is produced by Research Rockstar Training &...

In the world of professional-quality market research, data visualizations are not just aesthetics; they are critical to research success. You don't need to be a graphic designer, but knowing how to ensure your data captivates and convinces does reduce risk. Join us in this enlightening episode of Conversations for Research Rockstars, where Instructor Kathryn Korostoff unveils the pivotal role of data visualizations in market research reports. Learn the 5 crucial criteria vital criteria taught...

Qualitative research professionals often create top-line reports as a key deliverable. Sometimes the top-line is the only deliverable, and in other cases, it is a preliminary one (followed later by a more thorough, full report). Unfortunately, the term “top-line” is often misused. But as a Research Rockstar, we want you to know the correct use, and in this Conversations episode, your host, Kathryn Korostoff, shares some guidance as to how you can create a top-line with confidence. This...

When confronted with superficial research participant responses, how can market researchers dig deeper? How do we design questionnaires so they uncover deeper insights without becoming lengthy? Using neuroscience-based understandings of human behavior can help uncover non-superficial demand drivers and help researchers prioritize questionnaire design. We spoke with Hunter Thurman, founder of Alpha-Diver, a research and strategy company that taps into insights from neuroscience and psychology...

Surprise! Contrary to popular belief, many clients LIKE slide-deck style reports. In this Conversations episode, Research Rockstar Lead Instructor Kathryn Korostoff shares two important reasons why many clients like slide-style reports, and insider tips for how to structure a slide-style report (including 3 options for structuring qualitative research reports in a way that will show your clients that you understand their needs and aren’t just generating a cookie-cutter report). So let’s jump...

Have you ever conducted market research in support of Thought Leadership (TL) programs? Thought Leadership programs are used by companies in many industries, especially in B2B, and can be used to establish or strengthen their visibility in their market. Within TL programs, conducting survey research is very popular, as it provides a quick and compelling way to showcase data-driven insights. After all, there's nothing like a little data sound bite about what percentage of people have a...

How do you handle over-rationalized and contradictory responses in research interviews? For the sake of high-quality qualitative data, we strive to recognize and resolve these issues, but doing so in a real-time conversation can be tricky. In this Conversation, Lead Instructor Kathryn Korostoff shares some tips and tricks to turn these sticky situations into insights gold.  Conversations for Research Rockstars is produced by Research Rockstar Training & Staffing. Our 25+ Market Research...

What makes a market research objective "good"? What makes it precise enough to guide a project such that, at the conclusion, the project will be likely to be perceived as successful? In this video, Research Rockstar Lead Instructor Kathryn Korostoff teaches the 4 components used to assess objectives. Too often, market research projects start with vague objectives that lead to operational delays or onerous research instrument iterations. Don't let this happen to you! Learn how to write...

As a Market Research & Insights professional, you have likely heard the term "insights democratization." The phrase invokes a vision of organizations that have numerous data sources, and data-based findings, that are seamlessly shared within and between various functional areas in a friction-free manner. Everyone with appropriate permissions has access to all the customer data they need--whether from behavioral data, transactional data, syndicated data, or primary market research data. ...

Planning your first multinational survey research project? Let's make sure you avoid 3 common newbie mistakes that can cost you money, time, and (frankly) credibility. These are three common, REAL WORLD mistakes-- let's help you to avoid them! Multinational market research projects are always fascinating learning opportunities, but they can be a bit tricky. Start by making deliberate decisions about how to maximize data quality on a per-country basis (hint: the best options for data...

As market researchers, we often have projects where we are gathering data about emotions. But identifying and describing emotions can be tricky. This Conversation will help researchers who have experienced the common challenge of how to accurately report emotion-related research results in a way that will be useful to research clients. Emotional content relates to many types of market research studies, most commonly those related to product testing, ad testing and brand perceptions. For an...

Want to feel more confident in your ability to optimize survey data quality? In this Conversation, Research Rockstar instructors Kathryn Korostoff and Julie Worwa share some of the key steps professional survey researchers take to optimize data quality. Even if you are new to professional-level market research, or feel uncertain about your statistical knowledge, these topics will help amp up your research success. Topics in this conversation are also covered in more depth in Research...

Please enjoy this conversation with Kathryn Korostoff and Jeffrey Henning as they tackle the question, “What did we learn (about our own skill/knowledge needs) in 2021 that we should leverage as we plan for 2022?” As Market Research & Insights professionals, what do we need to know to be effective in 2022? And what knowledge gaps exist that warrant prioritization? So, what are the hot skills for Market Researchers in 2022?

The Work from Home (WFH) phenomenon has impacted Market Researchers from two very different angles: first as employees/workers ourselves, and second as research methodologists. In this episode, the discussion tackles both: What does ongoing full or partial WFH mean for our profession, our teams, our collaborations, our career paths? What have we learned about doing research on WFH topics? Welcome to Part 3 of our “look ahead” for 2022.

Welcome to Part 2 of our 4-part series: Prepping Your Market Research & Insights Team for 2022. As Market Research & Insights professionals, what did we learn in 2021 that we should leverage as we plan for 2022? Part 2 of our series focusses on the question: “What did we learn about improving survey data quality in 2021 that we should leverage as we plan for 2022?”    Hosted by Research Rockstar Lead Instructor Kathryn Korostoff, with fantastic guests, Jeffrey Henning and Cindy Casper.

Welcome to Part 1 of a 4-part series: Prepping Your Market Research & Insights Team for 2022. What did we learn in 2021 that we should leverage as we plan for 2022? Guests • Amy Anderson, Owner of Solutions Through Research and Research Rockstar Instructor. • Michelle LeGros, Insights and Marketing Consultant and Research Rockstar Instructor. The 4-part series is being released on four consecutive Tuesdays starting November 2 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Audible (Amazon).

In this Conversation, Lead Instructor Kathryn Korostoff shows you how to document your sampling plan in a way that will thrill your clients, stakeholders and other collaborators--while mitigating data quality risks. This conversation includes content related to the Research Rockstar course, "Sampling Methods for Market Research": https://training.researchrockstar.com/courses/Sampling-Practicum-for-Survey-Researchers