Keynote speakers and industry executives provided blunt assessments of market trends and established business models during CASRO’s Annual Conference at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, October 14-16. It was just the sort of candid perspectives needed in this tumultuous economic period. And while some were put on edge, the subject matter was widely appreciated by the 257 in attendance - an audience on par with last year’s total.

It is the best of times for market research, stated keynote speaker Chris Anderson, editor of Wired magazine and author of “The Long Tail” in his kick-off presentation. There exists a “golden age” of measurability thanks to the trackability of online behavior and a widespread appreciation for the value of research, Anderson observed, yet it also is the worst of times. “We’re probably not paying you for it,” he said. With the democratization of the tools (see self service surveys) there is greater use, but less money being spent. Thus is the formula for a new economy and the central theme of Anderson’s newly-published FREE!:The Past and Future of a Radical Price, which was provided to all attendees - you guessed it, free.

How to compete? In his presentation, “A Radical Price: The Value of Research When Information is Free”, Anderson cited such online businesses as Flickr and in research, Zoomerang, which offer free basic services and tools and a premium for-fee service. Upselling is easy because customers have tried the service gratis, like it and see the value. These customers tend to be loyal and not sensitive to price. People with more time than money will seek out free services, however people with more money than time will be customers of for-fee services, said Anderson, citing the success of iTunes.

Even for companies doing all the “right things” there is no guarantee of success, noted Kevin Bolen, Senior Director, Innosight in his presentation, “Leading Innovation Through the Great Disruption”. Innovation is difficult, he said, because what companies are good at today limits their ability to find what they could be good at. Success with a product or market segment invariably prompts companies to focus on and invest in servicing the cash cow. Also, risk increases when companies move from their “high knowledge”, proven product/service area to “high assumption” or disruptive areas - creating new products/services. Among Bolen’s “Top 10 Ways Research Organizations Can Enable Innovation”: Study non-consumers to find new growth opportunities; encourage clients to meet with real consumers to humanize survey results, and remember that the consumer will not always have the best answers.

In “Lead or Be Trampled: The Road Ahead For Corporate Researchers”, client-side executives disclosed how they are being pressed to prove their worth. Adam Rothschild, Vice President and Head of Global Marketplace Insights, American Express, discussed a recent shift from being a research team consumed by supporting key

executional business priorities to also being able to play a more consultative role. The team had been built with a focus on technical skills and primarily was charged with adhoc projects that supported mostly narrow executional programs, he explained. With the migration to the consultative model, employees and research partners began to develop a deeper understanding of business and are moving beyond cranking out tracking studies and instead help to identify big essential questions.

Anna McClafferty, Senior Vice President, Marketing Analysis & Commercial Support (MACS), GlaxoSmithKline, US, provided her insights in the pharma area while Bryan Mahlmeister, Senior Manager, Brand & Strategy Research, General Motors Corporation, shared an interesting perspective on doing research for a corporation suddenly more interested in warranty and dealer support than horsepower and car model names.

In a session entitled, “After The Dust Settles: Opportunity From Upheaval” moderated by Chet Zalesky, President, CMI, some of research’s most respected chief executives shared their take on the industry’s future. Always dynamic and entertaining, Dennis Gonier, CEO, TARP Worldwide, Inc., provided an interesting parallel between the recent economic storm and the depression-era dustbowl. Both crises were marked by a focus on the short-term (overfarming in the 1930s and beating quarterly Wall Street expectations in the 2000s). Gonier called on his fellow researchers to change what they do when they consult with clients: Help find common ground and make intelligent choices; help find ways to consume less and foster innovation; reduce reckless ways companies press to “meet the numbers”; and be sure “Citizen-Consumers” are represented. Gonier said researchers must prepare for a new mission, which entails being more efficient, focused and nimble; proactive about research that is needed and not needed and staying true to science while using new data collection technologies. Companies also will be wise to embrace new approaches such as unstructured data, and convenience samples, he said.

How we ask questions will change, Eileen Campbell, Global CEO of Millward Brown, noted, citing such alternative methods as neuroscience-enhanced measurement, virtual immersive experiences, games and purpose-built social networks. Also changing is what is asked - the “what”, “who”, and “when” will be known from real-time behavior tracking, leaving “why” and “if” as the primary questions to be answered by research. Among her predictions for the future is that research will be faced with too much data. Rather than concentrating on generating survey responses, companies will need to have expertise in extract meaning from the deluge of data.

Brad Bortner, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, noted that in the current “great recession”, the economics of Internet-enabled technologies have fostered momentum for in-sourcing quantitative research as well as the start of in-sourcing qualitative research. While the internet has been slower to impact qual, that is changing with the recent surge in market research online communities (MROCs). Bortner noted excitement from end-user clients in harvesting data from their own MROCs, including a retailer that set up a community for its high-end women’s fashion line and a hotel chain which formed a community for business travelers.

Noting that 85% of human processing is unconscious, Gary Singer, CEO, Buyology, Inc., detailed the philosophy and goals of his company, which ultimately is the linking of non-conscious measures to purchase behavior and enhancing understanding of consumer motivations. In “The Real Decision Maker: Unveiling The Consumers’ Unconscious Mind”, he described how supplementing traditional methods with the non-conscious significantly enhances predictiveness.

Attendees took advantage of free legal advice from Duane Berlin, CASRO General Counsel; Principal, Lev & Berlin, P.C., in one of three featured “Reconnaissance Roundtable” sessions. Another sought-after expert is Larry Ponemon, Founder & Chairman, Ponemon Institute, L.L.C., who presented on Data Privacy Management & Safe Harbor. Many companies were curious to learn more about the ISO Standard as a Business Credential, presented by Peter Milla.

Citing the trail of personal data we all leave behind us living in a digitally interconnected world, Stephen Baker, senior writer at BusinessWeek, zeroed-in on the market researcher’s role in the process in “Making Sense From The Data Explosion: Researchers As ‘Numerati’”. Later he signed copies of his book, The Numerati.

Several took advantage of Friday’s special scenario planning session with John Austin, Senior Consultant, Executive Development, Decision Strategies International. The hands-on exercise helped organize conference learning and formulate action plans.

Among the other highlights was special guest Bob Groves, director of the U.S. Census, who was a featured speaker at Wednesday’s dinner at the Cheyenne Lodge. Thursday’s dinner included a celebration of Diane Bowers’ thirty years with CASRO. Serving as emcee was former Board Chair Joe Baldi.

Temperatures warmed for Thursday afternoon’s recreation activities -- the golf outing on the Broadmoor’s famed West course and a cog railway tour to the top of Pike’s Peak.

Congratulations to Brian Dunn of J.D. Power & Associates, winner of the conference prize, a 46” Sony Bravia LCD TV.

CASRO extends its appreciation to all exhibitors and sponsors.

Special thanks to our Annual Conference Committee Co-Chairs: Jeffrey Resnick, President, US Group, Opinion Research Corporation and David Rothstein, President, RTi.