GRIT Charts New World for MR

US research publication GreenBook has launched the 23rd edition of its Research Industry Trends Report (GRIT), featuring what it describes as 'the closest thing to a brand tracker for the industry', as well as GRITscape, a 'conceptual framework' mapping the world of MR in 'Games of Thrones' style.

The edition features a 'GRIT Top 50' ranking research suppliers and buyers perceived to be most innovative - and among new topics investigates GDPR readiness, perception of blockchain and its potential impact on insight, and forays into automation.

The survey boasts by far the largest sample to date - 3,930 completed interviews globally, with around 60% in the US and Canada and 11% in the UK. Executive Editor Lenny Murphy comments: 'The industry remains under intense transformative pressures and GRIT continues in its attempt to understand what's taking place and formulate the implications for today and tomorrow'.

In terms of industry outlook (see image right), findings were reasonably positive, with as many clients saying they were increasing research spending as decreasing (18% in each case) and 55% of suppliers reporting increased revenue, vs only 16% reporting a decrease. On the GDPR question, at the time of fieldwork only half of respondents were even aware of the then-forthcoming legislation and only 12% said they were fully compliant.

On automation, the report concludes that 'What can be automated, will be automated, and not only is adoption reaching maturity for many functions, but business impact is being felt across the industry'. For the clients, Unilever, P&G and Google took the top three innovation rankings, in that order - followed by Coca-Cola and Pepsico, while Kantar came out top among suppliers, followed by Ipsos, System 1 Group, Nielsen and Research Now SSI.

The organisation, a partner of DRNO, runs IIeX events (Insight Innovation eXchange) and operates the GreenBook Blog and directory.

The report and data can be downloaded at: www.greenbook.org/grit . The 'GRITscape' is defined and discussed in the report page 96 onwards, but kind of speaks for itself, we think - enjoy...

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.