BEYOND THE BLANK-CANVAS APPROACH

The world's leading brands, governments and presidents have relied on survey research in order to make better decisions for decades. Quite recently, however, the global economic recession, the associated belt-tightening, and uncertainty over whether and to what degree the economy will recover have taken a toll on research spending. With the advent of online research and all of the data it offers, it is much easier today than ever before to link together new (e.g., social media postings) and existing (e.g., survey responses) information to develop a deeper understanding of people -- how they live, shop and behave, and why they do what they do. Some research organizations are reconsidering the blank canvas viewpoint, perhaps taking a lesson from colleagues in the marketing sector.