EMAC – ESOMAR Conference 2004
Marketing: Where Science meets Practice
Warsaw, October 2004

In January 2003 at its meeting in Brussels, the EMAC steering committee decided – initiated by the VP External Relation Gérard Hermet – to embark on a joint venture with ESOMAR: to relaunch cooperation with ESOMAR, a cooperation that started in 1984 and that had resulted in five events at regular intervals. However, the last time ESOMAR and EMAC joined forces was in 1996. It was deemed to be about time that we renewed our cooperation after 8 long years.

The theme agreed upon was “Marketing: Where science meets practice.” A Programme Committee was established, with Gerda Feunekes from Unilever Research Vlaardingen, the Netherlands, as chair. The EMAC representatives were Peter Leeflang, Veronica Wong and Suzanne C. Beckmann. The other ESOMAR committee members were Steve Cohen from SHC & associates (USA) and Wlodek Daab, 4P Research Mix (Poland).

ESOMAR kindly agreed to be in charge of all the organizational matters – and their team, consisting of Victoria Steven, Anna Alu, Katja Hänninen and Sandra Koning, did a fantastic job both before and throughout the conference!

After months of hard work promoting the event, reviewing submissions and deciding about the final programme, we came together in Warsaw in mid October. A total of 50 delegates, including speakers, from 24 countries participated. 46% of participants are ESOMAR members, 6% are members of EMAC.

The conference covered a broad range of marketing aspects, including managing brands, understanding consumers, innovative tools, methods and their application, advanced uses of the internet, and research in emerging markets. The conference was structured with plenary sessions in which 16 papers were presented. The final session was organized as a panel discussion which was opened by a positioning paper given by Peter Leeflang, long standing EMAC member and former editor of IJRM: “Marketing science and market research: Bridging the gap.”

Fredrik Nauckhoff, ESOMAR President and Head of Market Intelligence, Nestlé Ltd., Switzerland, said in his opening speech:

“The theme of this conference – Marketing: Where science meets practice – is fundamentally important to us all.

‘It isn’t only what you don’t know that can hurt you,
it’s also what you know that isn’t.’

The American writer Artemus Ward was neither a scientist nor a market researcher, but he pinpointed the challenges facing us. We share a role in spreading knowledge and light."

Academics are developing methods that have not been applied by researchers, who in turn are using methods that academics are not fully aware of. It is clear that the world of practitioners, business schools and academic institutions will highly benefit from improved co-operation and business performance. Indeed, the world will benefit. The gap between marketing scientists and practitioners needs to be bridged. That’s why we are here today.

This event will establish an exchange on new thinking for methods, techniques and their application, to widen perspectives on marketing practice, and to ensure business relevance.

At ESOMAR, we recently completed a survey with market research professionals. We asked them how the world would change. These were what they saw as the three most important trends:

• Clients will require far more creativity and business intelligence from providers (53%). This is a challenge this audience can pick up with confidence.
• Also, the Internet will become an even bigger factor (35%).
• And, MR will become more important because of greater incorporation in companies strategic planning (32%). And data will come from many sources (27%).

In terms of future threats, the risk of falling standards was seen as a major threat (54%), where I believe what we in the profession see very much eye to eye with you in universities.

The success of our industry in the future will depend on how we tackle the issue of “making the difference”. It goes without saying: understanding business and domain specific issues are of paramount importance for success (72%).

However, crucially for us here today, the most important success factors are related to “the demand for professionalism”, if I may call it that: 60% identify recruitment and training of a new generation of researchers as the key success factor, 58% refer to standards of performance or quality standards. A lower number stress the importance of industry promotion, exchange of best practice and respondent participation rates.

Marketing research is uniquely positioned to make the difference. We have a huge potential to contribute. Marketing research-based advice is a strong value driver. Hence, ESOMAR, EMAC and others must work together on a number of interrelated attention areas. We must accelerate the creation of standards of performance and compliance.

The good news is that the process of developing an ISO for market research is underway now. The development of the ISO is a very important step, as the whole process of research will be made more open and transparent.

Jointly developing professional standards and ensuring adherence is of vital importance in representation efforts. At a recent meeting with the EU Commission, EU representatives were pleasantly surprised about the fact that the existing ESOMAR/ICC Code is endorsed by so many organizations worldwide!

But if recruitment of a new generation is a key factor for success - how do we attract tomorrow’s high flyers? If we take the outcome of our study to heart, we increasingly will need a different breed of researchers - not only on the client side, I would add.

We need different skills and competencies. Education is fundamental here - basic education and training in data management, but, above all, university level programs, post graduate initiatives and the like, putting the emphasis on the wider context of integrating information and market knowledge in generating decisions. Today, these kinds of programs are scarce.

ESOMAR has concluded that it is high time that the industry joins forces in order to establish what the actual situation is at universities and major business schools and to assess what can be done together in the field of education, training, teaching and coaching. We need new skills. We need real professionals who can appreciate, and produce, good research.

ESOMAR has launched a major industry project - the working title is “BRAIN TRAIN” - involving leading representatives from academia, consultancy and the research world to take stock and develop an action plan. All this will not result in quick wins overnight. But ESOMAR is committed to invest in this key priority area given the significance for the future of the industry.

Focus on the client side, working on professional standards, developing different skills and competencies, and enhancing the perceived contribution of marketing research with senior decision makers are interrelated topics. In line with its mission, ESOMAR is prepared to continue orchestrating these efforts and make available resources.

At ESOMAR, we feel that it is useful to remind ourselves, frequently, but without self satisfaction or pomposity, that we are working for a noble purpose: to promote the use of Opinion and Market Research to improve decision making in business and society. Doing that better means important change for us, and for all around us. Academics have, of course, a similarly noble purpose to expand knowledge in the world. Let’s do it together.”

With these last sentences in mind, the challenge now is to continue the communication platform at the academic – practitioner interface, i.e. between EMAC and ESOMAR. The next joint event should not take place in 8 years from now! In Warsaw we agreed that EMAC and ESOMAR will discuss the next steps and possibilities in the near future. One of the important issues will be the means by which to increase the interest of EMAC members in joint events, since EMAC participation was a bit low in Warsaw. And we will of course inform EMAC members over the next months about further developments – while at the same time welcoming any suggestions and ideas of EMAC members!

Copenhagen, November 2004
Suzanne C. Beckmann
EMAC Vice President Development and Programme Committee member of the conference
For more information visit also http://www.esomar.org/esomar/show/id=153695