Our Future Is Calling: Do You Hear? La relève nous parle. Écoutons

Our Future Is Calling: Do You Hear?
La relève nous parle. Écoutons-la!
Supplement to articles featured in Vue, September 2011
Read the full statements from:
Sean Copeland
Research Associate | Environics Research Group | Toronto
Maria Popova
Senior Project Manager, Project Services | Uthink Online | Toronto
Tracy Rideout
Research Director | MarketQuest-Omnifacts | St. John's
Marc Grégoire
Analyste Marketing | Rogers Communications Inc. | Montréal
Caroline Lévesque
Chargée de recherche | Léger Marketing | Québec
Élise Roy-Pepin
Analyste de recherche | MétéoMédia – Pelmorex Media Inc. | Montréal.

Sean Copeland
Research Associate | Environics Research Group | Toronto
Academic Path?
Almost everyone I know didn't grow up thinking that they
would be working in market research when they grew up, but
rather it was a career that they naturally grew into overtime.
Like many industry professionals, I worked in a variety of
different industries before joining the market research world,
including grocery, retail, eCommerce, computer repairs,
property management, web design and marketing, and video/
film production. I finally decided to pursue a career in market
research after it dawned on me that I was more interested in
the way the businesses were managed and marketed rather
than the work I was hired to do for those businesses. I then
began the arduous task of searching out pathways to find this
ideal job, with the idea that I wanted to work with a variety of
companies without having to go back to school for years to
get my business degree. In my search I came across the
Research Analyst Post-graduate Program (RAP program) at
Georgian College and decided to apply based on the online
description, a college career assessment, and speaking with
Rob Wong, the program coordinator at the time, and a few
graduates of the program.
After graduating from the RAP program and working in the market research industry for several years, I
can confidently say that the RAP program was crucial in laying a foundation for my career in the market
research industry and that my past experiences and education have helped to define my unique skills in
the industry.
Why Marketing Research?
The first time that I heard the term “market research” was in my late teens after my father Steve
Copeland, Design Director at Spark Innovations, came back home one night after having one of his new
products discussed at some focus groups. However, it wasn’t until I read these few short sentences from
the RAP program description in 2007 that I first became attracted to a career in market research:
“What makes people tick? Are you curious about why people think the way they do? Do you like
the idea of putting those findings to work?”
I’ve always had a keen interest in the motivations behind people’s behaviours and a strong understanding
of business administration and marketing, so a career in market research seemed like the best way to
merge these two interests into an ideal career.
…and MRIA?
I first heard about the MRIA from Rob Wong, the previous RAP program coordinator, when he was
discussing the NetGain conference during a class in 2008. Back then it wasn’t clear what the MRIA was,
but it was clear that if I wanted to be kept in the loop on relevant industry discussions then I should
strongly consider joining.
Suggestions to Attract More Young Professionals?
I am a younger researcher (26 years old) and a recent graduate of the RAP program at Georgian (2009),
but I’m very engaged in the industry through my blog (www.seancopeland.me), Twitter (@copeland1985),
LinkedIn, company presentations, and conferences held by industry associations/groups. Keeping all of
that in mind, I have struggled to see the real value of a MRIA membership and the CMRP designation,
but I do see the colossal value they could have in the near future.
In my personal opinion there are many ways to improve the perceived value of a MRIA membership and
the CMRP designation, but the following are my top recommendations:

1. Educate research buyers and the organizations they work for, so they are aware of the MRIA and
the CMRP and understand the value.
What type of researcher does the MRIA and CMRP represent? What are the core
strengths that these people must have? What kind of brief write-up/discussion can be
included in a proposal or client meeting to define a CMRP holder and MRIA member as
someone that is better than the norm and can add value to a project? What are the key
industries in Canada where market research and insights are playing big roles? How are
the MRIA members and CMRP holders being advertised as the best of the best
researchers?
2. Update the CMRE to reflect the industry as it is today and the roles people work in.
From what I understand from the CMRE prep course and the people I have spoken to
with the CMRP designation, the CMRE doesn’t largely reflect the industry regarding
trends, new tools/methods, and focused roles. How can the MRIA provide variations of
the CMRP for people working in such a wide area of focuses in the industry and
furthermore, is “market research” the umbrella term that actually works best in this quickly
evolving and diverse industry?
3. Change the definition of and method of obtaining the CMRP designation in order to get the full
buy-in from research buyers and seller who are opinion leaders and managers in Canada and
internationally.
People like Tom H.C. Anderson are considered movers and shakers in the industry even
though what they do is fairly new to the “market research” industry. They are loved by the
people who don’t always agree with the industry “norms” and are too shy to speak up. It’s
difficult to market something like the CMRP designation or the MRIA membership to
people that don’t like to be part of the “norm”, unless those people are involved in the
development process. Find these industry outliers, newcomers, and research buyers who
can take lead roles in developing the next generation of the CMRP and the MRIA.
4. Rebrand and refocus the MRIA so that it isn’t seen as the “old man’s club” and continuously
prove the ROI to newcomers of the industry.
Is the MRIA a worldwide industry leader and advocate for Canadian market researchers
and buyers of research? Where is the emphasis on keeping members up to date on the
latest in market research while advocating for positive change? Is there money and
efforts being spent at the MRIA to better understand the work that we do and to add
value for our clients (research on research)? Is the definition of “market research” too
narrow and possibly alienating people from joining the MRIA (eg. web analytics)? Among
many young researchers and newcomers to the industry, the MRIA portrays a very
conservative, dated, and static image of an association that spends most of its time
creating standards and policies based on the way things used to be done. I remember
attending the NetGain conference 2 years ago and then again this year, and thinking on
both occasions, “We are so technologically behind in the market research industry in
Canada that I’m honestly concerned about its survival”. For example, “social media” has
been around as a data source for over 10 years (it goes way beyond Facebook, Twitter,
and LinkedIn), but up until recently our industry has yet to notice it exists as a valid data
source even though many other industries have been developing tools for it and seeking
insights from it.
Even though I have struggled to see the value, I believe that with some creative and youthful guidance
the MRIA can be something truly valuable for the next generation of research buyers, suppliers, and
users.

Maria Popova
Senior Project Manager, Project Services | Uthink Online | Toronto
Academic Path?
I started in Market Research through a little bit of
both, but it mostly through peer recommendation. I
did my Bachelors degree in marketing management
at Ryerson University, and within the program there
were a couple of market research + statistics
courses, which are relevant to the industry but
certainly not sufficient (at least for myself at the time)
for one to make a decision and pursue a career in
market research.
Why Marketing Research?
The way I landed my first job in MR (about 7 years
ago) was through a close friend from my graduating
class, who just got hired at this global MR data
collection company which was at the time growing
their Toronto office. In addition to the opportunity for
establishing a career path within this global
organization, the atmosphere and people (I trusted
my friend’s words on that) were significant reasons
for me.
Suggestions to Attract More Young Professionals?
I believe that the MRIA should have a strong(er) presence across career events/fairs throughout post-
secondary institutions in Canada. Being on campus for such events makes a huge difference, as there
are many 3rd and 4th year students who are unaware of their options after graduation so they seek out
advice/guidance at these fairs. For example, our industry can attract young people with various academic
backgrounds: business, social sciences, liberal arts, but many students in those faculties may not know
about the application and opportunities within our industry.
Another important source of information would be the MR faculty themselves, as they can serve as
advocates for the industry. In return, the MRIA Professional development program can perhaps
share/update educational materials therefore enhancing the MR curriculum in the schools. Furthermore,
getting out there and having a direct dialogue with students through scheduled speaking engagements, in
their classrooms, is a another way of attracting them.

Tracy Rideout
Research Director | MarketQuest-Omnifacts | St. John's
Academic Path?
I completed my undergraduate degree with specialization
in Psychology. During my undergraduate career I became
quite interested in the area of Social Psychology but was
unsure of exactly what I wanted to do after graduation.
During the final year of my undergraduate degree program
I was accepted into a social psychology graduate program
offered through Memorial University – Master of Applied
Social Psychology (MASP). This program focuses on
research methodology, research design, program
evaluation, group dynamics, attitude measurement and
advanced statistics. My primary reason for choosing this
program was because it included two work term
components.
MASP is certainly relevant to market research and I would
recommend this program to anyone interested in market
research. The two work-term components are especially
relevant to market research as both of my work-terms gave
me an opportunity to take what I had learnt in the
classroom and apply it to a real world setting. It was during
the completion of my first work-term that I knew market research was the right career path for me.
Why Marketing Research?
It was throughout my graduate education and work-term experiences that I became familiar with market
research. I was attracted to market research because I quickly found out how important it is for so many
companies and government departments. I wanted to be able to provide clients with the information
needed to make their program/services and/or business a success.
Also, my passion is questionnaire design! I love the challenge of designing a questionnaire that meets the
goals of the research. So, it was quite a nice fit as questionnaires and market research go hand-in-hand.
What also attracted me to market research is the fact that no two situations (research projects) are ever
the same. There’s always something new and exciting around the corner.
…and MRIA?
I first heard about the MRIA when my employer asked if I was interested in attending the 2007 MRIA
Conference in Collingwood. Attending the conference was a great introduction to the MRIA and made me
want to find out more about the Association.
Suggestions to Attract More Young Professionals?
It seems that many of those who work in the industry tend to ‘stumble’ across it as their career path.
That’s how it happened for me. Individuals need to know that market research is an exciting career path
with opportunities for growth and advancement. Perhaps the MRIA should consider partnering with
universities throughout Canada to ensure undergraduate students are aware of market research as a
potential career option and also what they need to do to prepare themselves for such a career.