How did you get there? Andrew O’Connell
Great to hear from Andrew O’Connell who is currently the Managing Director of Norstat UK, the ex MD of Dynata, and has worked in the research industry for nearly 30 years.
So, how did you get into the industry, and take us through how you got to this point?
Unlike a lot of people, I didn’t really stumble into market research – I purposedly worked as a Research Assistant at Aston University and enjoyed grabbing people with my paper and pencil as they were walking out of theatres. I had hoped to research the Arts sector, but ended up working in Financial Services instead! In the early noughties, I briefly left the industry to go travelling, but came back when online began to emerge.
I thought I would work for an online panel company for one year to gain experience of this new world, but ended up staying in it for 20 years. The early days of online research involved holding the hands of clients as they migrated from face to face and telephone. The key thing has been earning and keeping the client’s trust by treating every project with the upmost importance and reacting honestly and constructively if anything went wrong. Always try something new as well – new types of projects such as meter downloads and digital ad effectiveness, new client segments such as consultancies, new markets such as Ireland, Italy, and Spain.
Why should anyone consider a career in market research, data and insights?
Quite simply, we’re at the heart of business decision making. When someone asks me what I do, I tell them my industry tries to understand people which then impacts business outcomes, influencing new product launches, advertising campaigns, brand positioning, even when a General Election might be called!
Career paths are rarely without challenges. Can you share an honest moment from your career when things didn’t go quite according to plan, but the lessons remain with you to this day?
Whilst is it good to challenge your own comfort zone, don’t jump too soon as the grass is not always greener. I went for a dream “Analyst” type role looking at future trends, but it turned out to be nothing of the kind. Seek a mentor to advise on next career steps and only make the next step if it is a well thought out progressive career move. Always remember longevity in roles is highly valued by future employers.
What two things should junior researchers focus on as they progress in their careers?
Understanding how AI tools can make their job more efficient. Also, try to develop some basic programming skills, as the industry expects quick turnaround projects so scripting your own surveys can be a big advantage.
Do you have any advice for our sector?
Regain the initiative on data quality as there is lot of negative noise about fraudulent respondents, which is overplayed. Call out the bad actors on data quality and have objective checklists for sample providers. Also in relation to data quality, have a grown-up conversation about survey design and discourage any survey over 20 minutes!
And do you have anyone who has helped your career so far that you’d like to acknowledge and say thanks or give a shout out to?
Chris Havemann (CEO of Reality Mine) has been a great mentor to most people who worked at Research Now in the early days, offering “next step” advice. Michel Guidi (COO of Ipsos) has remarkable emotional intelligence and inspired so many people at Dynata. Chris Watson (International MD Dynata) always offered practical and sound advice about the industry, and how to have fun along the way!