How did you get there? Charles Allison

Great to hear from Charles Allison who is a seasoned consumer insights expert, with previous roles at Optimisa, Sky, Starbucks and Instacart. Charles recently moved back to the UK after 6 years working in the US.

So, Charles, how did you get into the industry, and take us through how you got to this point?

Like a lot of people in Research, I kind of fell into the industry. I had been working in a sort of journalism role, and applied for a job as a “researcher” for movie studios. I honestly didn’t really know what I was applying for, but I got the job! The role turned out to be social media analytics at a small agency in London named WaveMetrix. We were turning social data and commentary into actionable insights for movie studios in Hollywood. I really loved diving into what consumers think/want, but decided I wanted to go down the more traditional Market Research route. I took a backwards step salary/title wise and joined Optimisa Research, before eventually moving client side, initially at Sky in London, then at Starbucks and Instacart in the US.

Why should anyone consider a career in market research, data and insights?

Because it’s really fun! If you are interested in the way people behave, think and make decisions, then a role in insights could be for you! It’s so satisfying to see your insights actually driving a businesses strategy, and once you get really familiar with a business/industry, you can really become a recognized and respected expert in not only the insights field, but that sector too. Also, people in the industry tend to be really fun to work with, as we all share that open mindedness and desire to learn from consumers.

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? 

I’ve missed out on multiple jobs at the final stage, and this always feels terrible. You work so hard and get so close, only to fall at the last hurdle. But, although it sounds cheesy, things have always tended to work out for the best. Often I wasn’t quite ready for those roles, and the jobs I’ve landed instead have been a better fit, and have still led to great career progression.

What two things should junior researchers focus on as they progress in their careers?

I think the real secret sauce to being a great researcher, is actually understanding business strategy. If you can start to get a handle on that, then you go from being a provider of research, to a driver of strategy which is much more valuable. I’d also say that you shouldn’t pigeon hole yourself too early into one of qual or quant. Even if you really love one or the other, you should keep growing your skills across both disciplines. My career has taken in roles that were mixed method, then quant only, then mainly qual, back to mixed method, and so you should be open to at least being well versed in both.

Do you have any advice for our sector?

Maybe everyone says this, but I would have to say that we need to stop being fearful/dismissive of the role of AI in research. I see senior people in the industry being dismissive of the role AI can play in helping to generate insights, and honestly I cringe slightly. AI is here, and it’s not going anywhere, so let’s work out what it’s good for, and what it isn’t. I’ve spent a lot of time becoming familiar with the various AI offerings out there. Some are instantly useful and I’ve implemented them at Instacart. Others I’m more sceptical of right now, but I’m keeping my ear to the ground! Let’s embrace and harness AI as an industry, not be scared of it.

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?

Honestly too many people! Alan Ault at WaveMetrix who taught me a lot about presenting and stakeholder engagement, Anne Coveney at Optimisa who was my quant mentor, Mike Sutton at Sky who showed me how to drive insights client side, Abhilasha Gupta at Starbucks who took a chance on hiring me even though I was awaiting my Green Card, and always championed me in the business, and then Becca Han and Jasmine Taylor at Instacart. Becca not only because she hired me, but because I learned so much from her about how to turn insights into strategy, and Jas for just being the ultimate proponent of consumer insights and helping me take my work to the level where it drives company wide strategy.