Rock n' Roll Research Podcast

Sue Collin is one of those rare people who has spent her entire career with one organization. Her first job was with a research company called Directions for Decisions which was later acquired by RTi Research where she has been ever since. But while the company has remained the same, Sue’s career has done anything but. After years of applying her quantitative expertise, she expanded disciplines and is currently RTi’s SVP of Qualitative Research. Sue shares her career journey along with her lifelong passion as an artist which went from doing life drawing in Soho to mixed media art in her home studio. Along the way, we discuss why AI is like a microwave, the importance of integration / collaboration and the music that moves her.

On Episode #34, Priscilla McKinney from Little Bird Marketing shared her story of growing up in a family singing troupe. In this episode, we invite her back to the Rock n’ Roll Research Podcast to discuss her book, “Collaboration is the New Competition: Why the Future of Work Rewards a Cross-Pollinating Hive Mind & How Not to Get Left Behind.” Priscilla and I dig deep into this highly useful guide on what collaboration *really* is, why it is so powerful and how to make it intentionally work for you - including several concrete examples from the market research industry. Of course, we finish with a little rock n’ roll, too. You can find the book on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle formats where it currently enjoys a 4.9/5.0 rating. Enjoy!

Mark Earls, The HERDmeister, shares his story of how he went from European tour guide to being labeled the market research industry’s “public enemy #1.” We have a wide-ranging conversation on how people really make decisions, the freedom to experiment in the insights world, predicting multiple futures, how brands grow, being clear in your terminology, making presentations into performances, how to do your own early research and the illusion of tradition. Mark also shares the story of his ska/punk band – over 30 years and still going strong – and the three records he’d want to keep him company on a desert island.

Jeffrey Porter will graduate from the UT Arlington MSMR program in December of this year. In addition to his studies, he is keeping extremely busy with an internship in financial data analysis with Lockheed Martin. But there’s more to Jeffrey than insights. He has maintained a nice side hustle of buying and selling vintage video games, timing the market perfectly by selling high during the pandemic. He’s also a shredding guitarist, crushing Jimi Hendrix and Red Hot Chili Peppers licks in his spare time. We discuss Jeffrey’s passion for insights and the discipline required to grow in all his pursuits. We also delve into a possible sci-fi future for data and consumer insights.

Kevin Lang is a recently minted Senior Sales Representative at the mighty research media company Greenbook, home of the GRIT Report, the IIEX conference series and “The Exchange” podcast with Lenny Murphy and Karen Lynch. While he got his start in the insights industry with Civicom, many people know Kevin from his involvement in the “MR Jam,” providing the backbeat for a who’s who of research industry musicians at Quirk’s conferences in New York and Chicago over the past few years. Kevin shares his experiences in research and his journey through music, from beating on pots to pans to playing in band to the MR Jam. Along the way, he shares his take on AI in market research, the drummer who most inspired him and we swap stories about Green Day, Dave Matthews and the Rolling Stones.

Dave McCaughan has long been a leading light on all things brand strategy, research and insights in Asia, having spent nearly 30 years in strategic planning and executive roles at McCann Worldwide all over the region. He has also long given his time back to the research industry through associations like ESOMAR and Greenbook among others. Dave shares his journey from children’s storyteller to advertising and from librarian to strategic planning leader in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Thailand. With characteristic wit, Dave describes the groundbreaking work he led along the way and contrasts key findings with insights, the US with Asia, The Beatles with Taylor Swift, and generations with life stages. And would you believe that AC/DC played at Dave’s high school back in the day?

Aryn O’Donnell is VP of Corporate Services at Fieldwork, known by many to be one of the most trustworthy and engaged qualitative research partners in the industry. But what many people don’t know about Aryn is that the first paycheck she ever drew was for a role she played in musical theater. Aryn and I discuss her theater days, the value of backroom focus group interactions and how AI frees people up do what they do best. We also discuss her recent appreciation for the world of metal music \m/

Steve Portigal of Portigal Consulting has been doing User Research since the days our software all came in a box. He has written a seminal book on the topic, “Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights,” recently released in a 2nd edition available through Rosenfeld Media. Steve shares his journey from the nascent years of user research through today and his take on where user research is headed. We discuss his book and how studying creative writing has informed his approach. Steve also tells the story of building a community of Rolling Stones enthusiasts – pre-World Wide Web! - that is still alive and kicking (just like Keith Richards). [Visit rosenfeldmedia.com to find Steve’s book and use the code ‘rocknroll’ for a 20% discount \m/]

It was in college where Travis Miller first made an impact with research by helping the city of Thousand Oaks, CA design a new mall expansion. With an introduction like that, it is no wonder Travis pursued a career in market research. Travis started his career with JD Power and today is VP, North America sales for PureSpectrum, a GRIT Top 50 insights innovator and member of the Deloitte Fast 500 since 2020. But Travis also has a fascinating story of growing up amidst his father’s metal band which led him to pick up a pair of drumsticks at a young age. We talk drums, metal and harnessing technology to make insights easier, faster and more dependable. Tune in to hear why market research is like an elephant and to hear a first on the Rock n’ Roll Research Podcast that was music to my ears.

Brian Zimmerman is an expert at one of the toughest roles in the research industry: prospecting and business development for research suppliers. Companies in insights really struggle with this and Brian steps in and fills that gap. The music bug bit Brian early when his grandfather introduced him to guitar at age 3. Music has been a constant passion throughout his life, and he keeps guitars throughout his house so he always has one ready for when inspiration strikes. Brian shares his philosophy on sales, the importance of continuous learning and why he approaches it as a craft. We discuss the music commerce site Reverb and why guitarists accumulate so many guitars, and we also find deep common ground on a classic Kiss album.

Joe Emery started on the bottom rung of a political consulting firm when he was hired as a runner right out of school. He learned from some of the greats like Mark McKinnon, host of Showtime’s ‘The Circus,’ and famed political commentator, Paul Begala, before founding his own firm in 2020, Emery Research, where he focuses on insights supporting communication, branding and policy issues. And while some know Joe the communications researcher, many others know Joe as the singer and lead guitarist for 60’s-style garage rock band, The Ugly Beats, based in Austin, TX. They have 5 albums out on Pittsburgh-based, Get Hip Records, and Spotify listenership numbers to which many of us can only aspire. Joe shares his research and music journeys with characteristic modesty. We also discuss the studio vs. live performance and why the future of research is simultaneously awesome and terrifying.

You probably know Eric Hall from his career as an insights and category management expert, currently with Boehringer Ingelheim, the world’s largest privately held pharmaceutical firm, and previously with companies like Allergan, Coors, Kellogg’s and Nestle. But do you know that Eric is an Instagram influencer with corporate sponsorships and a die-hard community of nearly 200K followers? Probably not! Eric shares his journey through the research and the coffee house chat that became a hobby turned passion that launched his Instagram side gig.

For this special 100th Episode of the Rock n’ Roll Research Podcast, I go mano-a-mano with Leigh Kessler, VP of Mercury Analytics, former professional comedian and current country singer. Leigh and I each perform the classic, “Angel from Montgomery” by John Prine – who did it better? A quantitative gen pop audience of dial-testers renders their verdict! Leigh also applies Mercury Analytics’ cool AI tools to zero in on improvement opportunities. Listen as we also cover some podcast highlights like listening stats, the top 5 most popular episodes so far and the music insights pros most covet. Big ups for tuning in! Keep listening and we’ll keep sharing the super cool backstories and side gigs of the research and insights pros you trust \m/

Kory Grushka is the Founder of Stories Bureau, a really cool B2B creative agency that, among other things, helps insights teams make their data come to life and influence decision-making through effective storytelling. You may be surprised to learn the profession that Kory came from and how it made him uniquely qualified to help researchers tell better stories. It all made sense to me after this conversation. Kory shares his professional journey, some thought-provoking perspective on AI and why he’d want the Rocky IV soundtrack with him if he were stranded on a deserted island.

I’m BACK! Your humble host’s brief pause provided plenty of time to dig into Pepper Miller’s brilliant book on Black insights, “Let Me Explain Black Again,” from Paramount Market Publishing. I gained so much from this book that I had to reach out and learn more. Pepper is a true pioneer when it comes to helping brands understand and connect with Black America. After starting her career in advertising, Pepper launched the market research and strategic planning firm, Hunter-Miller. Her passion has led her to write three seminal books on the topic, helping marketers everywhere understand and reach the Black audience with cultural intelligence, respect and authenticity. We discuss her journey through research, the relevance of history, some key insights from her book and the music that gets her stepping. Join us for this fun and insightful conversation!

Angelo Pierro founded his consultancy, Strategy by Insight, in 2021 after 20 years at Research Dynamics acquired by GfK acquired by Ipsos. He is now using his deep experience in big company leadership, marketing and business development to advise his clients in sales effectiveness and strategy. Angelo and I occasionally worked closely together while he was running GfK Canada around 2011-2016. We reconnected recently at Greenbook’s IIEX over a few sessions and a punk rock show in Austin, and I learned that Angelo has finished and is marketing a screenplay he’s had in his head for many years. Angelo discusses the inspiring personal story behind his screenplay, and he shares the wisdom he’s gathered throughout his career in research.

Over the past 16 years, Annie McDannald has risen through the ranks at Civicom to her current role as Global VP of Marketing Research Services. Chances are you’ve used Civicom at some point for their myriad of useful technologies and services supporting the market research process. What you might not know is Annie has been a performer since a young age - from supporting the family’s carnival puppet show business to being a professional runway model to singing. In fact, she is a vet of the Quirk’s MR Jam Session which she will reprise at Quirk’s NYC in July. Annie and I discuss her journey through her research career, her carnie life growing up, how the pandemic changed the future of research and getting the Led out.

Rob Volpe left a successful career in promotional marketing, got a certification from RIVA and found his calling as a qualitative researcher. In 2011, he founded a thriving insights consultancy, Ignite 360, on the principles of curiosity and empathy. Through his personal experiences, activism and engagement with people and customers, Rob learned how empathy can be a powerful force for good yet is, sadly, in short supply. He has helped fill the void by writing his award-winning book, “Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time.” Rob shares his personal and professional journey, his philosophy on insights and some fun and heartfelt stories along the way.

Torsten Mueller-Klockmann is the Marketing Science Lead for the DACH region at Meta where he has been for the past 7 years. Before Meta, Torsten was an entrepreneur and pioneer in the user experience research tech space having founded SirValUse which was purchased and integrated into GfK. That’s not all, though. Torsten was a shredding guitar player in a band called The Crunch who played their brand of pop punk/metal/funk-inspired jams around Hamburg, Germany. Torsten shares his journey through analytics+music, his take on the future of research panels and the records he’d take with him if stranded on a desert island.

If you watched VH1's "Best Week Ever," The WB, Discovery or CNN in the aughts, you might know Leigh Kessler from his hilarious pop culture commentary. Or you might know Leigh as the VP of Client Solutions for Mercury Analytics, an insights agency developing and employing cutting-edge research technology. Leigh shares his improbable path from comedian to researcher, the necessity of human observation to both disciplines and the comics who do it best. He also discusses his recent foray into music.