Back in the July 2011 issue of Medical Marketing and Media, CEO Richard Vanderveer of GFK Healthcare made a prediction:
“Hard” researchers, he claimed, those who explore things like formulary decisions, access and reimbursement would be in greater demand by the pharmaceutical industry than “soft” ones dealing with brand personalities, corporate image and the like.
He may be right.
But he overlooks the need for a new kind of researcher altogether, one that that will be in increasing demand as our media landscape changes, both in medical marketing and other every other sector.
Let’s call it a “CreaSearcher,” someone who combines the talents of both creative and research.
What’s driving this are opportunities provided by the internet and new media technologies, which now enable qualitative research to be crafted into videos of broadcast quality and distributed at almost no cost.
I recently discussed this with a focus group recruiter who noted that clients are increasingly seeking respondents who are willing to appear on-camera and in non-traditional research settings.
Moreover, agencies are expanding their in-house video production capabilities, and companies specializing in testimonial and documentary filmmaking are springing up all over.
For sure, bridging the gap between creative and research offers financial efficiencies. But, just as important, it makes for better research and more rigorous analysis.
Knowing from the outset that you have to deliver a film that flows logically will focus your mind, forcing you to think in terms of a story, with a beginning, middle and an end. It demands a new level of intellectual commitment, precision and care.
Thanks to inexpensive video and editing technology, rather than thinking in terms of PowerPoint bullet points, we’re now thinking more in terms of narrative. We’re moving away from making lists to crafting stories.
Perhaps the expertise for this new kind of “CreSearcher” is not social science but disciplines like jounalism or literature or directing.
After all, we’re in a new world, and it requires new ways of thinking all around.
At least that what the research tells me.