Obituary: Conjoint and MaxDiff Pioneer Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen, the co-founder of US firm in4mation insights (i4i) and a pioneer in the application of sophisticated analytic models for consumer understanding, died last weekend.

Born in the late '40s, Cohen studied Mathematics at the City University of New York, then added an MS in Communications and a PhD in Mathematical Sociology from Boston University. He joined health non-profit JSI as a Senior Analyst in 1979, and moved to Decision Research Corporation in 1983, then IRI in 1987. He was President of Stratford Associates for ten years before joining Knowledge Networks at the turn of the millennium. Between 2002 and 2006 he ran his own company, before co-founding Needham, Massachusetts-based In4mation Insights (i4i).

Already by this time Cohen had established himself as a pioneer of new techniques and their application to business decision-making. His innovations included using Latent Class models for enhanced segmentation, developing the first simultaneous multi-way segmentation model, both in the mid-'90s; and developing menu-based conjoint analysis and Maximum Difference Scaling (MaxDiff) in the following years. He also worked with partners including researchers from MIT on VoC tools and Information Acceleration.

i4i specializes in measuring and predicting the impact of investments in products, pricing, media, and marketing spend on the fundamental business drivers of sales. The company is known for its expertise in advanced analytics theory and practice, and associated technology, and one of its differentiating capabilities is the application of Bayesian modeling to big data, a particular focus and fascination of Cohen's. His work in this and in the wider field of science-based consumer understanding gained him the Charles Coolidge Parlin Award from the AMA in 2011 - this recognizes the lifetime achievements of selected research practitioners and academics and is acknowledged as one of the most prestigious given to marketing researchers in the USA. Among several other high profile awards he was inducted into the Market Research Council Hall of Fame in 2013.

In an announcement on LinkedIn, his colleague Stuart Schwartz celebrated his achievements and described Cohen as 'our luminary co-founder, partner, and dear friend.' Schwartz notes: 'Steve's brilliance wasn't defined solely by awards. He was a teacher, a collaborator, and an eternal student who brought warmth, clarity, and insatiable curiosity to everything he touched. He fostered a culture where rigorous science served as a means to deliver real business value with honesty and impact.

'At in4mation insights, Steve's fingerprints are on everything - from our methodological foundations to our collective ethos. Along with co-founder Mark Garratt, he helped build a wonderful culture that continues his legacy.

'Steve will be greatly missed, but his legacy will continue to inspire and guide all who had the privilege of knowing him.'

A mass of comments in response to this article bear witness to both the esteem and affection in which Cohen was held across the industry.

He leaves a wife, Barbara, and family, and his life will be celebrated on Saturday September 13th at 11am at Stratford Street United Church, 77 Stratford Street, West Roxbury, MA.

Web site: www.in4ins.com .