Twitter sponsors new MRS Award for Social Media Research
14 March 2016

MRS has today announced the launch of a new award for the research and insight sector. Sponsored by Twitter, the award is designed to highlight how social media can be used to identify new insights that drive growth for business and brands.

New figures – also revealed today in a report commissioned by MRS and produced by PwC – show a 350% increase in data analytics undertaken in the UK since 2012. The Business of Evidence 2016 also reveals that while 30% of key influencers within market research currently undertake social media listening and analytics, 46% of those interviewed felt that they would be doing more of this type of research over the next three years.

This Award seeks to reflect and celebrate that trend and will be presented at the MRS Awards ceremony in December, the annual celebration of the research sector’s most outstanding achievements.

Judges will be looking for innovative case studies where analysing social media data or integrating it into a broader research methodology has provided powerful new insights that address client challenges, leading to innovative solutions and commercial results for businesses.

The key criteria for the Award will be as follows:

•  Demonstration of a new, or best practice of an existing, technique in the field of research using social media
• Proof of effective application and client impact in terms of real commercial change
• Ability to replicate the methodology

 Jane Frost CBE, Chief Executive of MRS, commented: “We are thrilled to be working with Twitter on this new award. Understanding the role and impact of social media is crucial if researchers are to get to the crux of how consumers see the world and interact with brands. The MRS Award for Social Media Research will recognise those leading the way in exploring how social media can be used as a viable research tool and channelling the results into actionable commercial insights for their clients.” 

Matt Taylor, European Head of Insight at Twitter, said: “Social media data represents an unprecedented opportunity for researchers to understand what consumers think and feel. With hundreds of millions of Tweets sent every day, Twitter represents a vast part of this world and provides incredible opportunities for both quantitative and qualitative analysis, but all too often has been reduced to counting Tweets and Likes. 

“We want to inspire research teams to be the ones who explore and innovate with social data to keep the voice of the customer firmly in their control and to lead their businesses in understanding and driving value from this new source of insight.” 

The award will open for entries in May 2016, with finalists announced on 3 October ahead of the annual awards ceremony on 5 December. 

>> Find out more about the MRS Awards and how to enter.
>> Find out more about The Business of Evidence report.