Feature #2: MRS Plans Client Partner Service, and Wider Definition

The MRS is agency dominated and will work hard to get research clients more involved, according to Chairman Simon Lidington. The UK association must also broaden its base to include emerging professions and techniques on the edge of the sector – 'if we don't represent them, somebody else will'.

At present, most members of the UK Society, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of its annual Conference this year, are agency researchers. While this reflects the balance of the industry to some extent (MrWeb always uses the rule of thumb of 2 agency researchers to every one client), the membership is probably slightly more skewed than this.

According to Simon Lidington, the MRS also still has a 'huge quant' feel to it – historically, the Society's main backers and enthusiasts were from large agencies specialising in large surveys. The rapid growth of qualitative research – and its growth in confidence – has not been entirely reflected in membership, or membership activities, with the result that some quallies feel it's 'not for them'.

Correcting these two imbalances is a key aim in the next year for Lidington, who says the MRS 'needs to be more of a business association' – involving both sides of the industry and all major sectors. One way to boost client involvement will be the introduction 'within the next 18 months', of a client side equivalent of the successful Company Partner Service (CPS). The CPS, introduced in April 2005 and giving MR providers a deeper level both of involvement/support and responsibility/commitment to standards, is rapidly approaching its 200th member agency.

A client side 'equivalent' will have to be very different, as Lidington acknowledges – work is 'in progress' to assess the options and plan out the details of such a scheme. 'We're looking for a package that would apply to all clients' says Lidington – not an easy task given the diversity of organisations buying and using research. In the meantime, and more generally, Lidington says the organisation will take steps to give clients more involvement and 'more of a voice' in the MRS.

The latter includes getting clients on the board for the existing CPS so that its functionality reflects what clients actually need from agencies. 'There is a growing gap between the way clients look at MR and the way agencies see themselves' says Lidington. 'Clients are very serious about insight and it there to stay in their organisations. Insight wasn't just a rebadging exercise.' Explaining, he points out the crucial role of insight in the new business climate. 'Clients have been through cost-cutting and restructuring and in many cases there's very little room left for this. So where do the go next? Where do they gain competitive advantage? To answer this, they need innovative thinking.'

In addition, Lidington points to the large number of client side people now involved with insight who 'don't necessarily have a research background' – whether they're Insight Directors or have one of a huge variety of other titles and functions. This is part of a more general trend for the edges of the industry to blur – and it's not difficult to see examples of what he means, with knowledge management, data mining, analysis, online searching, proprietary panels, DM, consultancy, strategic planning and many other functions old and new all hovering at the periphery of what was traditionally seen as 'market research'.

Although Lidington doesn't go into detail at this point about what he would include, he is clear about the implications for the Society: 'It's our responsibility to get as broad a footprint as possible' and the many new techniques and tools which 'extend what MR is about' need to be included. Sounding a little like a man who knows there will be opposition in some quarters, he sums up in determined fashion: 'If we don't represent them, somebody else will'.

Simon Lidington started his first research agency at the age of 31, and four years later bought into and helped build up management consultancy Quadrangle. He became the CEO of Research International UK in 2004, and the following year left to found and lead a new venture, The Insight Exchange. He won a closely-fought election to the Chairmanship of the MRS at the end of February 2006.

The MRS – or just 'MRS' as we might one day get used to calling it, if they really are sure about the rebrand – is online at www.mrs.org.uk .

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