&more Virtual Conference 2022

09.30 Opening comments from the Chair
Jennifer Perry, Trustee at the MRBA & Board Member of Market Research Society (MRS)

09.40 Case Study
A radical voice for mental health – creating a blueprint for change alongside young people

Discover how an impressive partnership between YoungMinds (a UK leading mental health charity), Wagamama and YouthSight/Savanta worked with peer researchers to uncover the systemic pressures impacting young people today.
What made this research remarkable was the involvement of young people as peer researchers. A number of teens were trained to moderate the online community, get involved in the research design process and contributed to the brainstorm and insight sessions.
This research will be used by YoungMinds to lobby government, to develop a clear blueprint for change, as well as helping Savanta reflect on the welfare of participants and the research team who work on similar research in the future.

Tom Madders, Director of Communication and Campaigns at YoungMinds
Aaliyah Esat, Researcher at YoungMinds’
Anna Parker, Consultant at Savanta

10.10 Case Study
PAVE in 2020, an Audience Closeness initiative  - engaging the next generation of superfans

Online roundtables, zine-making workshops and a launch party in East London might not be how you typically envision research, but it’s certainly effective when you’re speaking to a generation that’s bursting with creativity.  Join us to learn more about Sony Music’s Audience Closeness programme (aka PAVE) and how it’s tapping into the various sub-cultures and communities of Gen-Z music superfans through authentic forms of co-creation.

Aadit Shah, Insight Manager, Sony Music
James Bartlett, Head of Insight, Sony Music

10.40 Skills Session
Market Research: Where Elton John meets Star Wars?

Elton John (flamboyant showman) or John Reid (his dull manager)? Qualitative or quantitative research?
Jedi Knight (good guys) or Sith Lord (masters of evil)? Client-side or agency-side organisations?
Is being an agency-side qualitative researcher the equivalent of Elton John as a Sith lord? And is being a client-side quantitative researcher the same as John Reid being a Jedi Knight?
This session will provide you with a view of the Market Research industry from someone who has experienced the four main pillars that define it – qualitative and quantitative research, client-side and agency-side – so you can make informed decisions about your career journey and where you might like it to go.

Amanda Hammond, Qualitative Research Executive, Opinium

11.10 Break

11.30 Skills Session
How to make your voice heard as a young researcher

Young researchers’ opinions, perspectives, and ideas matter.
But often what we say, how we say it, and what we do make a big difference in how it is received and recognised by others. This panel discussion will discuss a range of topics such as ‘what does confidence mean?’, ‘what is imposter syndrome’ and ‘how to be seen in an organisation’. This session will empower and inspire fellow young researchers to make their voices heard within their organisations.

Panel host:
Carolina Starkhammar, Principal at Incite
Panellists:
Robert McLaren, Graduate Insight Executive at the7stars
Tomi Durosinmi, Research manager at Verve
Emily Gribble, Brand and Comms Insight Professional at BT Group

12.00 Skills Session
A call to action from the Young Persons’ Sustainability Collective

Sustainability is rising to the top of everyone’s agenda and market research is no different. Supported by &more, the Young Persons’ Sustainability Collective has been established to ensure that young voices are heard, as the MRS sets the agenda for the future of sustainability in market research. In this showcase, the Collective will share their core goals, their initiatives for young researchers to shape the future and details of how you can get involved.
We believe that as a team we stand to achieve much more than as individuals. We are the future, so we should be heard.

Emily Jackson, SRE at 2CV
Nikita Simone, RE at The Big Picture
Laura Baker, RE at Walnut
Hayley Kingston, Services Manager at MM-Eye

12.30 Lunch

13.30 Case Study
Understanding lived experiences of discrimination: methodological insights

his session will share an innovative analytical approach used by The Foundation to understand intersectional privilege and discrimination based on gender, class and ethnicity. This approach shows the benefits – and the challenges - of focusing on lived experiences.  It helps to evidence the wide and consistent gap between perceptions of discrimination between those who belong to minority groups and those who don’t. The approach can also show how lived experiences are shaped by a combination of systemic, organisational and personal forms of discrimination and exclusion.  

Jack Elston, Analyst at The Foundation.

2.00 Case Study
The hidden world of subcultures

If you thought about brands that captured a subculture you might say Dr Martens, Vans or Harley Davidson – despite the brands becoming mass market the subculture still defines them today.
The internet now predicts the demise of subcultures, but this session will argue that, if you know where to look, they’re everywhere.  Discover where subculture all began, what it means to those involved and why they’re important.

Natalie Webb, Associate Director, The Nursery

2.30 Case Study
Turning TikToks into insight: helping people become better artists

TikTok has exploded over the last couple of years. It gives us an unrivalled view into people’s lives, and it’s insanely influential on what people will buy.
But TikTok is massively underused for insights.
This session will share how Listen + Learn developed a brand new TikTok insight approach to help brands understand what consumers are buying, why they’re making the choices they do and how to better appeal to them.
Discover how this approach helped global art supplies brand Colart understand the needs of different graphic art tribes online - so that they could help them to become better artists.

Hannah Hargreaves, Listen and Learn Research

15.00 Break

15.20 Skills session
Careers Boost Super Session

This fascinating, quick-fire session will combine three complementary career-development approaches from young research superstars who’ve used their experiences to maximise their career potential. These bite-sized 10-minute presentations are bursting with usable ideas to help your career, including:

The Brand Called YOU

Young researchers work for a range of agencies, charities and corporations where they adapt themselves to meet their needs and deliver excellent work. Equally, each organisation has its own culture and values which attracts its clients and employees.
But what about you? Each of you has a personal brand which adds to the culture of your organisation and is a key element to a successful career. This session will share how to build a personal brand, the subsequent benefits from investing in it, and some tips that young researchers can use to develop the brand called You.

LaShanda Seaman, Qualitative Research Manager, Opinium

“What We Owe to Each Other” – The importance of supporting your peers in a deadline-centric industry

It is tough being in this industry, especially for those of us just starting our careers. The world of research is fraught with pitfalls for young researchers to fall into, and often there is not adequate scaffolding put around those who most need it.
This session will discuss how we as &more researchers can look to support each other, as well as the benefits that you will see in your own career by adopting a more peer-centric mindset.

Beer Khamtonwong, Senior Research Executive, 2CV

Start Acting Senior

Once you’ve ‘learnt the ropes’ in your first few years in the industry, it can be challenging to know how to step up to the next level. This session will look at some of the ways young researchers can fast track their career through proactivity, confidence and having a self-defined purpose in their company. At the core of it, will be an exploration of the idea of seniority being about approach and actions, not just time spent in the industry.

Raaheel Husain, Senior Consultant, incling

16.00 Closing remarks from the Chair

Jennifer Perry, Trustee at the MRBA & Board Member of Market Research Society (MRS)