FUTURE TALENT MEETS THE INDUSTRY

ESOMAR CONGRESS 2008

Name: Sébastien Dandurand
University: HEC Montréal, Canada
Title of course/programme: Master in Marketing
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How do you see the market research industry evolving and how can you contribute to it?

For the next years, marketing research will take advantage of new technologies. Many researches have been done on e-commerce but with the coming of Web 2.0 this leads the way to a new research area. Also, I think the future of marketing research will reside in crossing other sciences with marketing. This will lead to exploring new fields and practicing new methodologies. Some multi-disciplinary techniques are starting to be practiced by marketing researchers (ethnography, neuro-marketing and eye-tracking), and this helps pushing the boundaries of marketing research.

With my academic experience, I can bring a different point of view in marketing research and contribution to market research evolution. Because of my bachelor degree in psychology, I am able to better understand the consumers’ behavior and their motivations. During my master degree in marketing, I studied many ways to approach market research and did research on new subjects. For my thesis, I am creating a model explaining the aggressive behaviors of customers. I was interested in that subject because I wanted to see the unusual customer’s behavior.

I could also contribute to market research evolution with my research skills. I like to see what has been done on a subject to push these boundaries and explore new areas. I am also very attentive to details and a good analyst.

What are in your opinion the necessary skills for market researchers in the present environment?

A good market researcher has to be interested in many subjects. The curiosity to discover new things will lead him to study new fields. It is always better for a researcher to adopt a multi-disciplinary approach and integrate elements of other sciences in marketing research. To be able too do that, a researcher has to be creative and imaginative. He also has to keep himself informed about the newest trends in research. Finally a good market researcher must be able to explain his findings properly.

How do you see your career unfolding and what are your aspirations?

I have many aspirations for the years to come. I recently started my professional career as a marketing analyst for a media agency and I would like to pursue in the same direction. I would love to continue working in marketing research to explore new horizons. I am also interested in the management side of marketing. As a product or brand manager, I could apply my knowledge to strategic means. Eventually, after gaining years of professional experience, I don’t reject the possibility of doing my PhD and become a teacher to transmit my knowledge about new analysis techniques to students.


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