The GreenBook Research Industry Trends Report for Spring 2012 is Now Available!

Spring 2012 GRIT Report – Full Version

For several years now, we’ve been tracking various changes within the market research industry. To an extent, the bottom line of the past reports has been, “Yes, market research is changing.” For this edition our findings go farther:  yes, MR is still changing but at this point, change has been acknowledged by the majority and many are embracing it.

This gives rise to many vital questions that this report can’t fully answer. What will our industry look like in 3-5 years? Will we even recognize it as market research? Who will be the influencers, the change agents, and the mover & shakers? What new players will be in the competitive landscape? If MR is changing, what is it changing into?

We get tantalizing hints in the results of this study. A general outline and direction of the future are emerging, and we can make some highly educated projections:

We know that the research professional is under immense pressure to deliver value and measurable business impact. We see new technologies and research models less bound by traditional precepts of research best practices are gaining significant traction across the MR value chain.

We already see companies that embed the attribute of innovation into their messaging gaining mindshare (and perhaps market share as well) while helping to influence the global conversation on the future of MR.

Above all, it’s clear that the pace of change is only accelerating and that we’re in for quite the ride as these dynamics play out.

We have posted all GRIT data online in an interactive dashboard with many filtering options. Although we have referenced many of the findings here in this report, some were simply too unwieldy to display. The addition of the dashboard allows the industry to mine for additional insights that we hope will be valuable to your organizations. We also encourage you to share your explorations with others via social media (with proper attribution of course). You can find the dashboard at:

Spring 2012 GRIT Online Interactive Dashboard

Instead of a traditional written executive summary we proudly present an infographic to visually summarize key findings and stories in this  GRIT report. Designed by friends at AYTM (Ask Your Target Market), you can find the infographic here:

Spring 2012 GRIT Executive Summary Infographic

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Thank you to our partners and sponsors:

I hope that you’ll join me in heartfelt appreciation for the contributions of our sponsors for this wave: MarketTools, Infosurv, iTracks, Decooda, Q Research Software, Brand3Sixty, Research Rockstar, The Advertising Research Foundation, Qualitative Research Consultants Association, Market Research Intelligence Association, NewMR, The Research Club, and Market Research Global Alliance.

I’d also like to extend a special thanks to all of our friends and colleagues across numerous LinkedIn groups, social media portals, and networks who helped us raise awareness of this important study. Their hard work makes GRIT possible.

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You are invited to True GRIT, a celebration of what it takes to be truly innovative!

If you are going to be in New York attending the ARF Re:think conference, we’re holding a little get-together to celebrate the GRIT Top 50 Firms (the companies considered to be most innovative by GRIT respondents). Space is going fast, so RSVP soon to ensure your spot!  Here are the details:

(there is a password required to RSVP: innovate2012)