The Alchemy of Insight: Technology, Hype, and the Search for Truth

The market research industry has spent 80 years rapidly reinventing itself, engaging in a form of modern alchemy, chasing the dream of turning messy human behaviour into clean, predictable data, hoping each new technology will be the magic solution.

To mark MRS's 80th year, the International Journal of Market Research (IJMR) reviewed seven decades of its own archives, uncovering some striking patterns. From the punch-card optimism of the 1960s to the backlash against 'American' statistical techniques, to the neuromarketing fever of the 2000s, the industry continues to look for the next tool to eliminate the friction of understanding people.

With AI promising to synthesise the consumer, we face the Alchemist's dilemma again. Is AI the breakthrough for reliable data, or just another false dawn?

Join us for a provocative exploration of the history of the market research industry. The event will uncover the prophets and dinosaurs and analyse what the discipline’s track record tells us about its ability to navigate coming disruption.

Please note this will be an in-house event at MRS HQ.

The speakers are:

• Professor Dan Nunan, Editor-in-Chief of IJMR
• Dr Arry Tanusondjaja, Senior Marketing Scientist, Ehrenberg-Bass Institute
• Leo Paas, Professor of Marketing at the University of Auckland

They will be followed by a panel of researchers and practitioners who will debate the questions that will define market research over the next decade.