Ponderings from the Perch

Over the past couple weeks, a whole bunch of people have thought they accidentally opened the wrong app when they noticed a “Stories” button at the top of their LinkedIn feed. “Ope, accidentally got Instagram, dang thumbs,” they muttered and then headed over toward LinkedIn ONLY TO REALIZE THAT THEY WERE IN LINKEDIN ALREADY! As with any new feature, LinkedIn Stories opens a lot of questions for us...

Are you struggling with using LinkedIn to effectively grow your network and generate leads? You’re not alone! In this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, host and LinkedIn wiz Priscilla McKinney chats with Advanced LinkedIn Strategies Coach Andy Foote. Andy is the author of “3 Stunningly Good LinkedIn Profile Summaries,” author of the LinkedInsights blog, and host of the Foote-Notes Podcast. Tog...

You remember regular-old in-person conference fatigue, right? The packing, traveling, and reservations…the seminars, breakout groups and after-parties…the (slightly-tipsy) 2 am bedtime, and (still-tipsy) return to the fray? By contrast, one might assume that attending virtual conferences from either the office or the comfort of one’s home would be a walk in the park. And yet, digital conferences s...

During Greenbook’s IIeX North America 2020 event, Priscilla McKinney hosted a live visual podcast with Bianca Pryor, VP of Consumer Insights at BET, and Chrystal Day, Global Head of Marketing Measurement at Google.  While 2020 has had its share (and more!) of hardship and struggle, it has also fostered many new opportunities for increased representation and social impact. Bianca and Chrystal discu...

At Greenbook’s IIEX NA 2020, Priscilla McKinney, Little Bird CEO and Momma Bird sat down for a fireside chat with Mary Martha Stasinopoulos, Head of Consumer Insights at Kairos. Stasinopoulos came to Kairos after serving as Head of Consumer Insights at Glossier, and previously Insights Manager at HBO - each with wildly diverse internal insights configurations. Mary Martha discusses the differences...

In this episode, host and Momma Bird Priscilla McKinney talks to QualSights Head of Operations Courtney Williams about continuous improvement, the industry-wide race toward better and faster insights, and the importance of the consumer voice.  Growth, in any industry, poses an opportunity for reinvention and improvement. Sometimes, however, the growth becomes the focus, and the quality inadvertent...

What constitutes “quality?” As Mark Menig, CPO at PureSpectrum points out, the phrase “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” perfectly illustrates that quality is a subjective construct.  In this episode, host and Little Bird Marketing CEO Priscilla McKinney geeks out with Menig about how PureSpectrum uses advanced machine learning to process unfathomable amounts of data and objectively iden...

In the “Dear Priscilla” series, host and Little Bird Marketing CEO Priscilla McKinney, along with Executive Director Ashley Le Blanc provide answers to the sometimes-weird, oft-embarassing marketing questions that everyone has — and everyone is afraid to ask.  This episode is all about LinkedIn’s SSI Score. What is it? Where does it live in LinkedIn? What is it used for? If your SSI score is low,...

Our notion of online quizzes is largely limited to ideas like, “Which Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean Are You?” or “How Would You Die in an Agatha Christie Novel?” However, Josh Haynam, cofounder of Interact is proving that quizzes have a lot more to offer in terms of lead generation.  Interact helps businesses (like Eventbrite, Forbes, American Red Cross, and Marie Forleo) build beautiful and enga...

So, you’ve got questions about marketing. Not the type of questions you can just raise your hand and ask in the middle of a crowded auditorium. No, no. These are the questions you’re maybe a little…embarrassed to ask. Maybe you’re afraid you should already know the answer. Maybe you think you’re the only one with this particular problem. Fear not: you’re not alone! Between immeasurable speaking en...

No, it’s not Christmas, but in this episode we unwrap the truths of research during the pandemic. Katrina Noelle of KNow Research returns to the podcast and comes bearing the gift of insights. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal. In this episode, Priscilla McKinney and Katrina elaborate on the recent collaboration between KNow Research and Logica Research and how brands are hungry for deeper insight...

This episode was originally a live podcast, broadcast during IIeX Behavior 2020 by Greenbook on July 22. In this episode, host Priscilla McKinney talks with Rana el Kaliouby, co-founder and CEO of Affectiva, and author of Girl Decoded. As a pioneer in artificial intelligence, Kaliouby’s personal mission is in humanizing technology.  She and Priscilla discuss the trajectory of societal empathy, pro...

The last time Michael Brenner was on the Ponderings from the Perch, we thought it was weird that at the end of the show he said, in a spot-on Schwartzenegger voice: “I’ll be back.” But now, it’s all starting to make sense, because sure enough, he’s back as the special guest of this episode.  Brenner is many things. He’s the CEO of Marketing Insider Group, an author of bestselling books The Content...

This episode was originally a live podcast, broadcast during IIeX Forward 2020 by Greenbook on June 15. In this episode, Priscilla McKinney talks with Stephanie Robotham, CMO of Gainsight about mindset shifts toward customer-centric thinking. They also discuss the role of marketing in insights, humanistic presence, and thought leadership.  IIeX Forward 2020, a new virtual conference, was presented...

As brands attempt to understand how consumers are navigating the ever-changing landscape of Coronavirus, good market research acts as a counterfriction against oversimplification. Instead, deeper understanding is dependent upon recognizing the mechanisms with which people react in establishing their routines. In this episode, Priscilla talks with Sigi Hale, Ph. D., Principal Neuroscientist and Dir...

In the insights industry Lenny Murphy is a household name. From his list of concurrent roles, including Director at Veriglif, Thought Leader at GreenBook, Senior Partner at Gen2Advisors, and Chairman/Producer at IIeX, to his prolific insightful content production, it is easy to understand that Lenny knows what he’s talking about. Fittingly, his reaction to the global pandemic was different from mo...

If authentic relationships are your thing, this is the episode for you. Listen in as Priscilla and AJ Keirans, VP of Client Development at Disqo discuss authenticity, emotional connection, and embracing partnerships as learning experiences. Through Disqo, AJ helps businesses make informed decisions using customized proprietary technology. He shares his views on being open to evolution by embracing...

Robert Gray is co-founder and COO of Paradigm Sample. His superpowers are operation strategy and world-class client services. In this episode he elaborates on how Paradigm Sample is meeting this pandemic head on and moving forward. From internal promotions to far-reaching collaborations from within the industry, he celebrates the human side of insights and data collection.  Check out this quote fr...

Anyone who knows Rob Volpe knows he is a deeply empathetic professional and leader. As the CEO of Ignite 360, he leads a team consulting with some of the world's leading brands to help them connect and understand their consumers.  In this episode he gets into great data on who consumers are dealing with the pandemic and recession. Beyond the data, his team is focused on helping companies think abo...

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...