Market research aims to understand people across all dimensions of their lives to help brands make decisions based on consumer needs. However, to make these decisions, it is critical that the research is representative, fair, and robust; otherwise, it risks discrediting the brand, demotivating consumers from taking part in research again, and, most importantly, making decisions based on inaccurate data.
At the7stars, putting people first lies at the heart of the agency, and as such, research is a fundamental part of our everyday work. Since the creation of the Insight team at the7stars in 2014, the team has recognised the importance of conducting research that is both accurate and actionable. Therefore, regardless of whether it is a qualitative or quantitative methodology, we ensure that we deliver on these two key components end to end to provide confidence in the research we conduct.
As a result, we continually strive to improve the research we conduct, from the methodologies we use, such as incorporating implicit testing into our brand and campaign evaluations, to reviewing our approach to recruiting participants. This is why we co-founded Voices4All, which places quotas on ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability, in addition to social grade, gender, age, and region, when seeking to conduct nationally representative research.
To provide additional confidence to our clients in our research, we have become an MRS Company Partner. The Market Research Society was established in 1946 as a professional body for market research in the UK. It provides a Code of Conduct and guidance on how to accurately conduct research for individual researchers. However, in 2005, the MRS Company Partner Service was established, which, for the first time, applied the MRS Code of Conduct to research organisations. Therefore, as a team and as individuals in the Insight team, we comply with the Code of Conduct that all research agencies adhere to.
The key areas covered in the Code of Conduct include ensuring transparency throughout the research process, ensuring confidentiality for both clients and participants, protecting participants throughout the research process, ensuring that researchers exercise independent professional judgment in the design, conduct, and reporting of research, and ensuring that all researchers have the necessary training, qualifications, and experience.
The Insight team becoming an MRS Company Partner further underscores the importance of research at our agency and the level of rigour in the research we conduct.