Ponderings from the Perch

At PFTP we’re always pulling back the curtain to reveal the wizards behind the wizardry. To that end, I’m always looking for industry leaders who are willing to share their expertise openly. They are willing to say, “it’s just us behind the curtain and this is how we make the magic.”

Today we’re going to talk about all things at the crossroads of shopper insights, marketing and behavioral science.

Anne Stephenson has been a guest on PFTP before and when I heard their team at Explorer Research had a new framework for their work I just had to ask her to tell us more!

Anne and I are both endlessly curious. You’ll love this guest. Welcome back, Anne Stephenson!

Anne Stephenson, Founding Partner of Explorer Research, is a behavioral science shopping insights expert helping clients develop and launch effective retail strategies grounded in shopper behavior. With over 30 years of marketing and research experience with packaged goods, retail, pharmaceutical and more, she captures and translates shopper behavior to help brands create winning campaigns and experience great business impact. 

None of us shop the same as we did 3 years ago. The customer journey has changed. Shopping is no longer a linear experience. Many questions need to be asked and answered with fresh perspective: 

Now, more than ever before, we need to look at shoppers from a holistic, total person standpoint. Being able to see the shopper as a person from multiple perspectives is important for brands. This kind of thinking needs a framework - a framework that can deliver compelling insights about how to activate your shopper. 

Let’s discuss with Anne on the Ponderings from the Perch Podcast.

And in case you’d like to snag yourself an amazing blazer, here’s the link to Smythe that Priscilla promised! https://shopsmythe.com Thanks for the hot shopping tip, Anne! 

Shoutout to our sponsors Ag Access and Year of Joy!

Uncovering insights in the agricultural industry can seem like looking for a needle in a haystack. Luckily, Ag Access is a team of needle-finding experts! From recruitment and survey design to planning and execution of custom full-service market research projects, you can count on Ag Access to deliver expertise and meaningful outcomes. Our 400,000+ member community covers the breadth of the agriculture chain, including technology, ag sales, crop growers, livestock producers, feed supply and more. With a full-time engagement center, research logistics team, and 400,000 member-strong insights community, Ag Access is an irreplaceable bridge between researchers and professionals in the agriculture industry. Visit ag-access.com to learn more. 

Are you looking for more joy in your life? Do you wanna improve your well-being? Increase your sense of belonging? Create more impact? Or simply have more fun? If you said yes to any of those questions, then check out the Year of Joy online community. If you are ready to find your tribe that helps you live your purpose. If you're ready for more fun, sign up for the Year of Joy at theartandscienceofjoy.com/year-of-joy The doors open to more joy on the 17th of January, so sign up now and be ready to receive that gift of joy. Learn more about the Year of Joy at the theartandscienceofjoy.com/year-of-joy or follow the Art and Science of Joy on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Whatever you do, choose joy today.

We've looked at it from all market research from all the different sides on the Ponderings from the Perch Podcast. Why is private equity interested? Why are people looking more to research technology to solve problems? How are people developing their teams in order to deal with technology? 

Join Little Bird Momma and CEO, Priscilla McKinney, as she chats with CEO and Founder of Hatch Tank, and VP of Qualitative Research at Numerator, Shamsu Bhaidani about the value of human support when it comes to market research technology.

With the push for better, cheaper and faster — and the word that we all have gotten sick of hearing: agile — teams were being asked to get more done with less. So what do they do? They turn to technology. Shamsu shared his observations, “​​What I see is that a lot of people get into using these platforms, do not necessarily use them to full capacity because they know what they know. They don't have time to explore more and take advantage of the different features and the different capabilities, and I just feel that the technology is underused.”

Specifically, Shamsu pointed out a shift in the last two years from clients wanting DIY to clients seeking DIT (Do It Together) technology. That is a collaboration. That is partnership. “That's where the human element comes in because everybody's good at what they do. You're good at doing your research. We're good at doing our technology,” as Shamsu says.

Human support eliminates a lot of stress around market research technology. It also boosts efficiency. It’s even better when the so-called human support is able to speak to you at a peer level rather than a provider level. Talk about a game-changer! Let’s reiterate: That’s a collaboration. That’s a partnership. That’s the power of real human support.

Ah, it’s always fun when two friends get together and talk shop! Catch the full conversation on the podcast with Priscilla and Shamsu!

Shoutout to our sponsor: CFR!

Businesses don't need research for the sake of research. They need research that leads to a meaningful impact for their customers, their products, and their bottom line. Communications for research is the trusted insights champion to lead you to that impact. They take their ownership of the research process so you can focus on your business and your customers, whether you need quantitative or data analysis for primary research, their expert logistics team has the experience to understand your objectives. They design and execute processes to achieve research outcomes that lead to better decisions. Visit cfinc.net to learn more.

Do not get on the train to “I suck.” When fear rears its head, especially in regards to public speaking, it’s too easy to get lost in the mental story of, “I have nothing to say, and I'm not good at this and nobody wants to hear what I have to say.” That is the train to “I suck,” and it doesn’t go anywhere else.

Enter: Johanna Walker. 

As a speaking coach and storytelling expert, Johanna joins Little Bird Momma and CEO, Priscilla McKinney, on the Ponderings from the Perch podcast to discuss the stories that we tell ourselves, and how tapping into, owning and sharing your story can transform your business and can transform YOU.

One of Johanna’s mantras is: “Go before you’re ready.” While there are a thousand uncomfortable feelings and thoughts that can pop up when imagining getting on stage, being vulnerable and sharing your story, you have to embrace the sensations and drop the stories. If you wait until you’re ready, you may never feel ready. You have to go before you’re ready. When fear arises, “Drop out of the story and into your body, into your breath, into the sensation. Lose the story, connect with the sensation.”​​ 

Johanna is an artful speaker, and the power of her presence and voice translates beautifully in this episode. 

During Priscilla and Johanna’s conversation, they discuss:

Fear as a “battery pack”

Your voice as an expression of your human truth

Curiosity as the best teacher

Speaking as essential for business owners – especially those who want to step into thought leadership

The power of dropping into the sensations that arise in your body 

The process of preparing for a TEDx talk and how it has served her business

Johanna Walker is the fear-blasting, storytelling maven for coaches, consultants, leaders and change-makers (also known as a public speaking coach). As a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator, she’s presented for corporations, non-profits, start-ups, community organizations and the TEDx stage, helping audiences develop an authentic presence as speakers, find the ideas they want to be known for, and craft those ideas into compelling presentations. She’s the founder of Craft Your Talk, a transformational speaker coaching program for emerging speakers, and The Speaker’s Playground, an unconventional training program where entrepreneurs and community leaders become confident and memorable speakers. She is the founder and host of Boulder’s Story Slam, where audience members come to the stage to tell true stories about their lives.

Johanna’s TEDx talk: “The stories that live in our bodies”

Johanna’s TED-style talk: “A Long Drink of Water: How telling the story makes anything bearable”

Johanna’s FREE download “Ten tips for telling more spine-tingling stories:” www.johannawalker.com/betterstories  

Want more from Johanna? She’ll be speaking live at Insights Marketing Day brought to you by Little Bird Marketing and Fieldwork. Don’t miss your chance! 

Don’t let the learning stop here. Little Bird Marketing’s 12-week social selling course is a practical hands-on experience designed specifically to help you network effectively and at scale, build rapport with targeted audiences, expand your influence, and become the go-to authority in your area of expertise. So this is not a quick “tips and tricks” for LinkedIn's success flash in the pan. It's a commitment to changing the way you show up online and experience career-shifting breakthroughs. This is expert instruction in small cohorts with personalized one-on-one coaching. If you're interested, learn more at https://littlebirdmarketing.com/social-influence-course/

Be forewarned: This episode is probably a gateway drug to a Little Bird Book Club. 

If you keep up with Priscilla, you probably already know some of her thoughts on competition (yuck!), and how collaboration (yay!) is a better strategy. But even collaboration can be a perilous landscape. It goes all the way back to fifth-grade group projects where one kid does all the work and the others just coast. In the professional realm, there are many examples of things that *look* like collaboration on the surface, but are not actually collaborative at their core. 

In this episode, Executive VP Leighton Cordell commandeers the podcast to get the scoop on Momma Bird Priscilla McKinney’s forthcoming book: Collaboration is the New Competition. Given that Priscilla is well acquainted with the stunning discomfort of entrepreneurship, paired with the fact that her heart is always with business owners who are trying to make an impact, get traction on their ideas and sell their products and services — a book was born!

She shares with us enticing sneak peeks into the tactical, practical and insightful pages of her book and drops a few pearls of wisdom along the way! 

You know Priscilla and her commitment to #alwaysbehelping. 

(Whitesnake fans: Stick around for the ending!)

Shoutout to our sponsors: Gazelle Global and Year of Joy!

Are you looking for experts and tools to collect research data worldwide? Global sampling, field management and data collection are just some of the services that Gazelle Global provides. Visit gazelleglobal.com to learn more about how our expertise can help you unearth quality data that drives meaningful insights. Get your research done anywhere around the world quickly and efficiently. Visit gazelleglobal.com today.

Are you looking for more joy in your life? Do you wanna improve your well-being? Increase your

sense of belonging? Create more impact? Or simply have more fun? If you said yes to any of those questions, then check out the Year of Joy online community. It really could be for you. It's a place where you can find inspiring stories and practical advice from experts to empower you to build a more joyful life. It's a place where you can connect and share with like-minded people who are also looking to lead a more joy-filled life. Sound awesome. It's actually totally free. It's being funded by generous companies who understand the importance of giving people the gift of joy. Something that is just so needed in today's world. So if you are ready in 2023 to make it a year of joy for you and your loved ones. If you are ready to find your tribe that helps you live your purpose. If you're ready for more fun, sign up for the Year of Joy at theartandscienceofjoy.com/year-of-joy The doors open to more joy on the 17th of January, so sign up now and be ready to receive that gift of joy. Learn more about the Year of Joy at the theartandscienceofjoy.com/year-of-joy  or follow the Art and Science of Joy on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Whatever you do, choose joy today.

No matter what Little Bird Momma and CEO, Priscilla McKinney, and Executive VP, Ashley Le Blanc do, they somehow end up writing. If you’re working on writing posts on LinkedIn, blogs or books, get ready for four applicable tips from these seasoned veterans to make writing that much easier for you. 

You know Priscilla is a straight shooter who doesn't shy away from tackling the big issues. In this episode, she delves into the world of ChatGPT, OpenAI, and the impact of NLP and NLG on business and branding. While she sees the potential for these tools to revolutionize the way we work, she also highlights some key concerns. For example, the lack of SEO integration in these systems can harm your online visibility, and using the same generated content as others can lead to plagiarism and a drop in page ranking. Additionally, the impersonal nature of these tools can detract from your brand's unique voice and style, and raises questions about the impact on thought leadership. Tune in to hear Priscilla's candid take on these cutting-edge technologies. 

Enough about ChatGPT and AI already? On to the tips!

1. Allow yourself the gift of the shitty first draft (SFD) as coined by Ann Lamott.

Have you ever heard of the SFD? That shitty first draft is exactly what you need to write to beat procrastination and beat perfectionism. Perfectionism is the leading cause of writers' block and it’s the enemy of writers!

1. Don’t keep waiting for inspiration.

If you wait for the day that grand ol’ magnificent and majestic inspiration pays a visit, you might be waiting for a long time. Waiting a long time means wasting a lot of time. Try to draw inspiration from your everyday experiences, from the mundane, from your drive to work and from your sock drawer! You make inspiration happen.

1. Outwrite self-doubt.

What if you just started calling yourself a writer? What if you started writing every day? Rather than basking in another self-doubt party, where it’s just you and a blank page… write, write, and write some more.

1. Don’t be boring.

Be creative. Be descriptive. See the world with new eyes. Try to describe things in such great staggering detail that your words come to life on the page. And then, after your first few drafts, we’re sure you’ll be cutting nearly half of all your descriptions, but still. It’s worth spending time noodling over the descriptions and breathing life into your words.

Marketing and content marketing is complicated. That’s why you need a system. Have you heard about our SOAR system and even about our SOAR DIY offerings? Consider it the ultimate flight plan. 

What's next for you? For business professionals, mastering social media is no longer a “nice to have” set of skills, but a fundamental need in order to advance your career. You need an effective and proven system to move from social selling all the way to digital dominance. Learn more here.

Books discussed on the podcast:

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown 

On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman

Shoutout to our sponsor: Ag Access! 

Uncovering insights in the agricultural industry can seem like looking for a needle in a haystack. Luckily, Ag Access has your back. From recruitment and survey design to planning and execution of custom full-service market research projects, you can count on Ag Access to deliver expertise and meaningful outcomes. Our 400,000+ member community covers the breadth of the agriculture chain, including technology, ag sales, crop growers, livestock producers, feed supply and more. With a full-time engagement center, research logistics team, and 400,000 member-strong insights community, Ag Access is an irreplaceable bridge between researchers and professionals in the agriculture industry. Visit ag-access.com to learn more. 

To succeed, brands can’t just go around selling products anymore. Brands have to create transformative experiences and positively impact people’s lives and the world as a whole.

Join Little Bird Momma and CEO, Priscilla McKinney and the Global Lead: Brand Thought-Leadership at Ipsos, Emmanuel Probst, as they discuss Emmanuel’s new book, Assemblage: The Art and Science of Brand Transformation and how brands can transform today to be truly successful.

So just what is assemblage? Emmanuel draws a delicious metaphor between the process distillers go through to create a perfect cognac by choosing wisely from a wide range of barrels, grains and other alcohols to combine and mix the blend until arriving at the perfect product, to what marketers and brand managers need to do — collect a wide range of personal, social, and cultural attributes that to bring to the brand, the product and the perception of the product.

Consumers are overwhelmed with products and overwhelmed with brands. Brands are waking up to the possibility of co-creating a new future with consumers. Emmanuel provides a handful of thought-provoking examples and walks us through how brands are dynamic and need to adapt over time.

Step one in transforming your brand? Close your laptop.

Tune in and soak up Emmanuel’s knowledge and guidance on where to start, how to transform, and what to keep in mind along the way. This podcast pairs well with a fine cognac. 

Links to Emmanuel’s books:

Assemblage: The Art and Science of Brand Transformation

Brand Hacks: How to Build Brands by Fulfilling the Consumer Quest for Meaning

Shoutout to our sponsor: Fieldwork!

It’s here! It’s here! It’s the 7th Annual Holiday Spectacular! Spectacular! Get ready for holiday fun, a movie quote quiz, musical merriment and the Great Birdish Bake Off! The Peeps are baking holiday treats and the judge is none other than our CEO and Little Bird Momma, Priscilla McKinney! 

Follow the trials and tribulations of our passionate holiday bakers whose goal is to be named the best Little Bird baker and the champion of the Great Birdish Bake Off! The bakers each tackle a different holiday treat, and Priscilla expects excellent flavor, top-notch texture, show-stopping looks and off-the-charts deliciousness. 

The Peeps also are all on board to share their favorite holiday desserts, dishes, and sides and then battle it out in the holiday quote quiz. We’re also going to share our top four photography tips for taking the best holiday photos! Be careful though, as we may be getting a little silly will all this holiday fun!

When the chaos subsides and your food coma ensues, wind down with our always hilarious, Annual Holiday Spectacular! Spectacular! You won’t be disappointed! 

Happy holidays! From the Peeps!

Shoutout to our sponsor: Gazelle Global!

Do you want to bring a box of chocolate chip cookies to the party, or do you want to bring a box of gluten-free, Himalayan sea salt, fair-trade dark chocolate cookies to the party? Are we really talking about cookies? Nope. This is our segue into the differences between generalists and specialists. Generalists are generally suited for everyone whereas specialists serve a niche market.

CEO and Little Bird Momma, Priscilla McKinney, and Co-CEO of Ag Access and Co-CEO of Communications for Research (CFR) Colson Steber dig into the differences between specialists and generalists in the world of market research. Colson Steber also volunteers as the President of the Insights Association Great Lakes Chapter, which is the combination of five regional chapters into one. 

In this episode, we also discuss the value of serving a niche. Ag Access is laser-focused on the agricultural sector and has done large-scale work at a gigantic scope to stand out. His company has put together a phenomenal resource called the Ag Researcher’s Almanac that helps to get everyone on the same page with the terminology around Agriculture-based market research. It’s yours for FREE.

So what is the difference between generalists and specialists? As Colson Steber says, “nothing and everything.” Curious? Let’s dive into the details on the show.

Shoutout to our sponsors CFR and Year of Joy!

Resources mentioned:

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman

The Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in Any Field by Mike Michalowicz

This show certainly gave us lots to ponder!

Join CEO and Little Bird Momma, Priscilla McKinney, and the Former President of ESOMAR and Chair of the Board at Zappi, Dan Foreman, as they unpack a laundry list of questions about WTF is going on with market research right now?

They start by pondering the big questions: Why are market researchers, albeit jokingly, bad at business? Are they really bad at business or are they just focused on their work? Do they simply lack the vernacular to have their point of view heard? Do they understand HOW their work is used for revenue or brand impact? Are they looking to solve their boss’s boss’s problem? 

As Dan says, “Data is the new oil.” Dan continues on to say, “Data is what people carry around in their heads and their hearts and their guts.” When you’re advising brands, governments, foundations, and people to make huge decisions based on the data, you get to see these incredible impact stories. Yet, the market research industry doesn’t effectively communicate that to the board rooms, the c-suite, or to the public at large. As Dan says, “we have a small voice that mostly takes to ourselves.” This is a huge industry problem. And, on the podcast, Dan and Priscilla stir up some ideas for how to move through that. 

Additionally, Dan also breaks down the anatomy of a private equity deal and we discuss the recent peak in interest from VC and private equity in the market research space.

Ultimately, Priscilla and Dan decided that they have broken through the difficulty and solved the conundrum of the market research world. Yes, you heard it all here on Ponderings from the Perch.

Don’t let the fun stop here.

For business professionals, mastering social media is no longer a “nice to have” set of skills, but a fundamental need in order to advance your career. You need an effective and proven system to move from social selling all the way to digital dominance. Learn more at littlebirdmarketing.com/social

Resources, companies, podcasts, and people mentioned:

WPP

Zappi

Bakamo Social

Latana Brand Tracking

VeyLinx

ESOMAR

Millward Brown

Market Research Institute International

Infinita Technologies 

Schroder Ventures Investment Plan

Neilson IG GFK

Ryan Berry

Steve Phillips

Leigh Caldwell of Irrational Agency

Kamran Jaffrani from HatchTank

Jamin Brazil

Stranded Podcast

Kristin Luck

What is the difference between marketing and storytelling? While marketing is promoting your business, storytelling is a method for engaging your audience that takes longer, is more honest, and asks people to pause, take a minute and connect with your brand. Is there storytelling in marketing? Absolutely. It takes time. It takes effort. It takes vulnerability.

Join Little Bird Momma and CEO, Priscilla McKinney, and VP of Marketing and Communications at Fluent Research, Stefanie Cousins, as they compare and contrast marketing and storytelling, and discuss the Venn diagram when two worlds collide! 

A lot of brands struggle, struggle, struggle to tell their story. As Stefanie Cousins says, “There’s a transparency to storytelling that some brands might not want to dig into.” While social media has given brands the opportunity to dig deeper into storytelling, melding and mixing storytelling in marketing takes finesse. 

Brands need to think about the craft of marketing, and hold space for storytelling to create something even more beautiful, meaningful, and powerful for their audience to connect and engage with. Storytelling content marketing is what stops the scroll. It creates space for a pause. 

If you’re looking for the inside scoop on storytelling content marketing, you’re in the right place.

Shoutout to our sponsors: Fieldwork and Year of Joy!

If you think you need a social media influence course…you do. Our 12-week Social Influence course will more than do the trick! We would also be happy, quite thrilled actually, to discuss what digital transformation could look like for your team! 

On the hunt for powerful content marketing and strategy resources? Come under our wing.