Ponderings from the Perch

If you're in the qualitative side of the MR business then you know the team at Fieldwork. They are friendly, helpful and definitely teach us all a thing or two about five-star hospitality. Whether they volunteer to check you in at Quirks, or sponsor Women in Research continued education and networking events, they always show up with a smile. With the advent of Coronavirus few segments of the indu...

Decisions are like onions. They have layers. And sometimes they make you cry a little bit. The truth is, the complex cognitive and emotional workings that drive our choices are not always aligned with our perception of them.  In this episode, Priscilla McKinney talks with Nailbiter’s SVP and Head of Client Services, Jocelyn Simon, about the minute, specific decision point: the moment of truth. Nai...

Show of hands: Anyone else getting sick of receiving random messages from every site you’ve ever bought anything from over the past 13 years? They’re like “Here’s how we’re handling the pandemic...need some new cuff links for these trying times?” What a bunch of applesauce. Priscilla and Ashley use Superman vision to reveal the hidden cause behind this unprecedented outcropping: It is the panic ca...

In the midst of a global pandemic the insights industry has proven to be flexible and dynamic. Looking for ways to meet brands' needs to navigate an era of drastically changing consumer opinion, leaders are digging into empathy, doubling down on communication and letting positive work culture guide their daily decisions.  Becky Harrison, President of both the Ft. Lee, NJ and New York Fieldwork off...

Merrill Dubrow is a thoughtful leader, podcast host, blogger, sought after keynote speaker and CEO of M/A/R/C Research. At the first sign of the Coronavirus making an impact on American business, Merrill moved quickly to spearhead a leadership roundtable and has been listening as much as leading, giving voice to many within the MR industry to help us all face what he refers to as this "opportunity...

Anne Brown is an experienced market research professional and serial entrepreneur. As founding partner in Gazelle Global Research she leads a global team with international data collection, data processing and total fieldwork management. She knows market research in multiple time zones, continents and languages.  She's no stranger to change. In this episode her experience and practical knowledge s...

Sandy Casey is the Senior Vice President of Global Supply at InnovateMR - a trusted provider for consumer and B2B panels used for surveying and data collection. Sandy kicks off this episode with a super helpful paradigm to help navigate the stress during COVID-19. Of course it's a great piece of advice at any time, but it seems especially relevant today.  She offers the best feedback loop as follo...

Ryan Barry leads Zappi's global commercial function overseeing its sales, partnerships, marketing and client service functions and serves as a member of the firm's executive leadership team. He is well know in the market research industry  Want to talk about Boston teams and have a beer? Ryan's your guy.  Want to talk about effective sales enablement? Ryan's your guy.  Interested in leaving behind...

It’s MR Leadership week! Benefit from the collective wisdom of market research thought leaders, who share their experiences, mindsets, and tips for managing in these trying times. Mario Carrasco is the cofounder and principal at ThinkNow - a technology-driven cultural insights agency. ThinkNow is also responsible for Diga y Gane, one of the largest and most representative Hispanic online panel in...

Imagine that you are friends with a guy who has consistently been an advertising industry juggernaut since the 1970s - hypothetically, let’s say this guy has been a major account executive with Saatchi & Saatchi, has owned an ad agency with clients including Nike, MLB and Harrah’s, has written a best-selling book, and has worked with RADIOHEAD. Now imagine that there’s a global pandemic that’s thr...

In these trying times, it’s especially important to celebrate success. In this episode, Ponderings from the Perch host and LBM president Priscilla McKinney talks with Fieldwork’s Natalie Renna, who has recently accepted a position as president of the Minneapolis Fieldwork facility. Natalie served as project manager at Fieldwork Minneapolis for five years and celebrates Fieldwork’s culture of valui...

Times are tough.  Times are confusing.  What is clear is that we are ALL now ONLINE.  The global pandemic has hit brands hard, but it has hit sales professionals even harder. Those who were not in up to date with the skills needed to survive in an ONLINE only sales environment are kind of freaking out right now.  Interestingly enough, some people think that Coronavirus created this situation, but...

In the midst of a global pandemic, companies everywhere are taking a serious look at their marketing strategies. In this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, Priscilla and ScaleHouse founder/managing partner Kristin Luck join forces to take a deep look at what constitutes a successful business mindset in these trying times.  From early decision making, to familiarity with day-to-day expenses, to...

Want to know what it takes to successfully unify a team? Of course you do! Check out this episode, wherein Priscilla shares her top three tools for teamwork unity activation (visual: multicolor power rings in a semicircle!) Guess what? Each tool is centered around a component of communication.  Learn how Little Bird wrangles intensive project management both internally and externally (Trello), how...

And now for something completely different! By popular request from the ever-inquisitive listener base of Ponderings from the Perch, this episode centers around sales in the market research space. In order to present a well-rounded picture of successful sales insights, Priscilla phones a friend - actually, three friends! Those three thought leaders are: Noelle Emmons, Sales Director at Remesh Dyna...

Growth, as a business owner, strikes up against a number of obstacles - control issues, financial issues, team dynamics, and perhaps most of all: the stories we tell ourselves, when those stories don’t match up with reality. The truth is, the clutter of these largely-internal struggles create what CEO and host Priscilla McKinney calls “head-trash,” leaving little room for leaders to rise above wit...

Prost! We’re back from IIeX Europe in beautiful Amsterdam! In addition to presenting in a marketing module with esteemed colleagues from DLA Ignite, Keen as Mustard Marketing, and the Retail Performance Company, Priscilla McKinney chatted with several other presenters and attendees - both during the event and after - to learn what their key takeaways were. Additionally, we received some exceptiona...

Across the market research space, specialization is becoming an increasingly sought-after quality - but it can also create an unintended silo effect. In this episode, CEO and Momma Bird Priscilla McKinney talks with SVP and Senior Client Officer of Ipsos, Kris Hull about striking a balance between deep expertise and a broader lens to uncover meaningful insights. Hull discusses the importance of li...

One of the most frequent requests we get is to share more information about podcasting. In this episode, Little Bird Marketing CEO and podcast host Priscilla McKinney shares three simple, actionable tips that can be implemented immediately by anyone - whether you’ve been a guest on somebody’s podcast, or are the host of your own! These tips will change your mindset regarding audio content promotio...

In this episode, CEO and Momma Bird Priscilla McKinney talks with President and Founder of Market Dynamics Research Group Sondra Brown. In addition to discussing how to uncover rich insights for companies, the importance of events like CRC (Corporate Researcher’s Conference), and coffee, they also talk about a major shift that MDRG initiated in 2018 and 2019. That change helped refocus the directi...

Success is kind of like the triangulation of GPS systems - nonlinear. In this episode, CEO and Momma Bird Priscilla McKinney talks about her journey to success through the lens of Malcolm Gladwell's bestseller Outliers. Where humanity celebrates a simplified "rags to riches" style tale of human ingenuity, Priscilla opts for a more realistic view that encompasses the bumpy path of entrepreneurship....

If you believe pop culture wisdom from the 1980s, you know that to exist in 2020 is to exist in “the future.” We finally made it. And because we live in the future, we have an unbelievable amount of technology that provides volumes and volumes of data on all imaginable subjects. Let’s call that “the rose,” and refer to another 1980s prophesy: “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” The thorn, in this instance...

Priscilla “Momma Bird” McKinney and Lucy “Colonel Mustard” Davison keep it real in this episode of Ponderings from the Perch! Lucy is founder and president of Keen as Mustard Marketing, and she talks with Priscilla about Insights Marketing Day 2020, B2B marketing intricacies, mustard (of course) and Women in Research. Hold that thought for a second, though.  FIRST, you must know that Insights Mark...

Little Bird Marketing CEO Priscilla McKinney and Disconnect | Reconnect Founder Steve August are no strangers to the “stunning discomfort of entrepreneurship.” In this episode, Steve recounts the early experiences in scaling and exiting the digital qualitative research platform Revelation. Along his journey, which includes multiple successful exits, he witnessed a continuity between entrepreneurs....

As Communications Director at Keen as Mustard Marketing, fellow road warrior, and foodie, Adam Warner and Priscilla McKinney have a lot in common, and a lot to talk about. In this episode, they discuss the state of marketing in the insights industry, the importance of persona development, the upcoming Insights Marketing Day event in London (Jan. 30), and of course, food. Adam’s previous experience...