Market Research as a Profession

Introduction

In this article I offer you a brief description of the market research profession. It is not a transcript of the clip above; instead, I’ll try to give more detail for those interested in working in this fascinating field. Let me note at the outset that my article will focus on the quantitative research specialization rather than the qualitative one. Although the two share many of the same required traits, there are some fundamental differences that I feel I must flag at the very beginning of my article. This is also an invitation to colleagues in the profession who specialize in qualitative research to write something similar, so that I can add a link to it within this same article.

What does a market researcher do every day?

Our daily work boils down to requests for information. A company, or an internal department, will need information in order to make a particular decision, or to discover a certain opportunity, or to solve an existing problem. Our work begins with capturing the research requirements, then designing the optimal research methodology that will achieve the study’s objectives. After that we define the sample frame, or — to put it more simply — the target population for the study. Next we determine the sampling methodology (how we’ll reach that target population), and finally the data-collection method (how the answers will be obtained — whether through a face-to-face interview, by phone, by email, and so on). The research project then begins and is carried out either by us or by a third party. Once the data has been entered, it reaches us in electronic form, and we call it raw data, because our job is to analyze it and make it meaningful. If we think of the data that reaches us as crude oil extracted from the ground, we refine it using particular skills and tools to produce something usable. In the case of data, we refine and analyze it to extract useful information, and we model that information into charts that make it easy for the party requesting the research to work with these outputs smoothly. Our task ends with presenting the findings and answering the questions of the research requester — and perhaps helping them translate the findings into an actionable plan.

What personally motivates and excites me about this field?

There’s a saying that knowledge is power, and this is the age of information. Someone working in this field possesses the right skills and tools to access that knowledge faster than others, which puts them in a position of strength — and that’s exciting. Because in this field you can build a personal brand for yourself. One day people will deal with you for who you are, not for the company you work for, and wherever you go you’ll be followed by a base of clients who value your skill and competence. You’ll enjoy exploring the depths of the unknown — the thrilling adventure through which you discover things that never crossed your mind, things that weren’t even on your list of possibilities, or your client’s. Things that might change the world around you for the better. You’ll feel a sense of worth, because you’re creating something with value and impact.

Abdulrahman Al-Khurayef, who has worked in this field from 2003 until now, adds to this question: I worked at many marketing research companies on the fieldwork side until 2015, and on the research analysis side from 2015 until now. My continued presence in this field stems from the fact that working in marketing research is one of a kind — it’s non-routine, and it’s full of both moral and material incentives, challenges, and skill-building. And because Arab professionals in this field are few, that makes you a rare currency. This field has added a lot to me and given me knowledge across most domains — on top of a wide base of acquaintances and relationships — and let’s not forget, in the end, the good financial return.

Does this profession require specific personal traits and abilities to excel in it?

Yes, absolutely: curiosity, a love of learning, a love of growing one’s knowledge and reading, and patience.

Curiosity and a love of learning to the point where you become more fluent in understanding the nature of your clients’ businesses than they understand it themselves.

The person should have strong analytical abilities, because they’ll be dealing with an enormous volume of raw data — both quantitative and qualitative — from which to read out insights and recommendations that are effective and actionable.

They should be able to remain neutral, stripping away all their own convictions and staying away from any bias — whether while gathering information, conducting personal interviews, or analyzing the data and drawing the conclusions.

You should be a good listener: attentive to the research requester’s needs, speaking only once the picture is complete.

This job can suit introverts, because preparing the research report is usually a great solo effort that demands the endurance to keep going so the chain of ideas isn’t broken — and this kind of endurance may not be available except to introverts. But you must develop your communication and public-speaking skills, because no matter how outstanding the content you present is, if the manner of delivery and presentation is poor it will blow away all your earlier effort.

Abdulrahman Al-Khurayef adds: those who excel in this field are very few. I’ll add to what was mentioned that a person working in this field must be able to earn others’ trust — someone who takes on responsibility, who can acquire new skills every day and develop them.

Khalid Saeed, who has eight years of experience in this field, adds: if you want to join the quantitative research team, that means you must be good at reading and analyzing numbers and data and have a solid statistical background — in addition to communication skills and the ability to deal with the client to understand the nature and type of need they have. As for qualitative research, that depends on other skills, such as the language of dialogue with respondents, reading the text of their answers, and producing reports that are meaningful and highly useful to the client.

Which companies are keen to hire someone with this job title?

There are two types of opportunities available: at agencies (the service providers) and at companies (the service requesters). As for agencies, there are many local and global agencies that provide the service of executing marketing research for various parties requesting it. Saudi Arabia currently has more than forty agencies, and I advise everyone wanting to move forward in this field to start their career path at one of the agencies, because they are the real factory for any seasoned researcher. Later, once a person feels they’ve gained enough knowledge to qualify them for working at one of the companies that request this service, they can apply to work there — and such companies often have a marketing research department that reports to the marketing function, or sometimes to the CEO, to ensure it isn’t affected by any administrative hierarchy. As for the companies requesting marketing research services, they fall within multiple industries, because our era is the age of information and all industries need information in order to make smart decisions that help them grow and capture a larger market share amid fierce competition. In general, the industry that most demands this service may be the

(FMCG)

industry, represented by companies such as — but not limited to — Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Almarai, Al Safi, NADEC, Savola, and so on.

Abdulrahman Al-Khurayef adds: all large companies need to have someone specialized in this field — for example, but not limited to: Aramco, SABIC, Saudi Telecom, the Saudi Electricity Company, and the banking and telecom sectors. That’s for the private sector. The government sector also needs this role so that it can keep pace with Vision 2030. Among the government bodies that come to mind are the MAS Research Center affiliated with the Tourism Authority, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Economy and Planning, the Ministry of Commerce, the Food and Drug Authority, and many other ministries and government bodies.

Khalid Saeed adds: there are companies specialized in particular fields, such as healthcare companies (the medical field) like IMS Health (where I currently work) and Kantar Health. These usually recruit graduates of pharmacy or medicine to focus their research on the medical field.

Which university degrees help a person quickly break into this profession?

In reality, those working in this field hold a diverse mix of university degrees, but they took some scientific courses or had practical experience that qualified them to enter this field. I, for example, am a graduate of management information systems. That said, there are certain specializations that may help a person advance quickly in their career if they start working in this field. Among them are statistics, quantitative methods, psychology, marketing, and business administration. And although a bachelor’s degree in marketing research has appeared — and a master’s as well in some developed countries — it isn’t a basic requirement for entering this field. Perhaps having the skills we spoke about earlier matters more than the specialization itself. But later on I could liken this profession to medicine in terms of the diversity of specializations: after a few years of experience, some people in this field prefer to specialize in a very narrow area of marketing research, and so you’ll find supporting sub-specialties that help you excel in a particular area within the diverse fields of marketing research.

Which professional certifications help a person quickly break into this profession?

As for professional certifications, unfortunately there is no complete body of knowledge as there is in the field of project management. There are many courses, all of them in English, due to the scarcity of knowledge content about this profession in Arabic. I recommend the following courses, about which I had written an article and published it on LinkedIn. Below I list the most important of them from my personal point of view:

1. Principle of marketing research certificate program – University of Georgia

2. MRS certificate in market research & social media research, Advance certificate

3. MRA certificate in quantitative/qualitative research principles

On the website of the European Society for Opinion and Market Research, ESOMAR, there are also some courses. And let’s not forget free education platforms like Coursera, where many free courses about this field are available.

What is the difference between this profession and the marketing profession?

Those working in this profession primarily support the marketing function by providing it with information that helps it make decisions related to the marketing mix. That’s why, in many cases, the marketing research unit reports to the marketing function in many companies.

They also provide information to other functions, among them the strategy function, which needs general information about the state of the market in order to understand it — and in light of that understanding, short-term or long-term strategies are set, or some strategic plans are adjusted according to the changes that have occurred in the market in which the company operates.

Khalid Saeed adds: there’s no conflict between the two. But marketing research is always and forever the first step in studying the market and the products before starting any marketing plan, which is why marketing research is a strong support for marketing.

What about the job market’s need for this profession right now?

There is a severe shortage of Arab talent in this field (I’m speaking about the Arabian Gulf), and most of those working in it are of East Asian or Western nationalities — which is a negative, because they don’t have a good grasp of the local culture, something any researcher needs in order to read the data better and draw better recommendations. That’s why companies that realize the importance of this point fight over a person who speaks both Arabic and English and also understands the culture of the country’s people. On that basis, I promise every person working in this field to write only five years of experience — and some of them will find offers pouring in from everywhere.

Khalid Saeed adds: in my personal opinion, this field is advancing and flourishing compared to yesterday, because the need to understand the market is the fundamental factor in building and sustaining some companies — through what is called primary intelligence

primary intelligence

which is the other name for marketing research.

Conclusion

I hope I’ve been concise without losing the meaning, and that I’ve been of benefit to you. Your comments and critiques are welcome, and anyone who would like to ask via private message is most welcome. I thank Abdulrahman and Khalid for their contributions, which enriched the article. And may God guide us all to the straight path.