The Future of the Market Research Industry: An Insider’s Perspective

Presented by:

Don MillsPresident & CEO

Corporate Research Associates Inc.

June 11, 2009

Challenges in the Industry

Dealing with tough economic conditions

Adapting to a shrinking market at the same time

Demonstrating the value of research to clients

Enhancing the reputation of our industry

Ensuring the integrity of our industry

Continuing the professionalization of the industry

Addressing employee recruitment and retention issues

Maintaining high standards in business practices and ethics

Advancing the art and science of our profession

Responding to cultural and technological shifts

Recommendations

Here are some recommendations. First to MRIA:

1. Build, promote and protect the reputation of our profession

2. Continue to advocate to protect our ability to do our work

3. Look beyond our industry for new ideas

4. Promote more research on research to advance the profession

5. Work with academic institutions to develop post-secondary

educational programs dedicated to our profession

Recommendations

Here are five more recommendations for suppliers:

1. Invest more effort in the conduct of research on research

2. Implement human resource management practices to recruit

and retain employees

3. Adopt a culture of innovation, especially with clients willing to

take risks to advance the practice of research

4. Increase your value proposition to clients by focusing more of

the outcomes important to those clients

5. Develop hybrid methodologies to address changing cultural

and technological realities

Recommendations

And finally, five recommendations from a client perspective:

1. Participate in helping to build the reputation of this industry by

promoting the social value of our research to your customers

and stakeholders

2. Treat suppliers more like a strategic partner and less like a

commodity supplier

3. Be prepared to pay a fair price for the work needed rather than

compromising the research

4. Become more active in the industry

5. Invest in new research techniques and methodologies to

advance our profession

The Future of the Market Research Industry: An Insider’s Perspective

Presented by:

Don MillsPresident & CEO

Corporate Research Associates Inc.

June 11, 2009