I know that what I am about to write is an oversimplification, but I still think it is relevant. 

In watching the news and following our national political discussion, I have to come to the conclusion that all of the frames are forcing us to think in terms of “either/or” questions.  When the better way would be to hold the conversation is with “if/then” questions. 

This is a question I’ve asked myself over the years and I do flip flop on my feelings about market research, but here are a few things that I know for sure:

A.  Market research isn’t necessary to create great products or services.  When I first got involved with nightclubs, I was working on a concept that involved 3 clubs in 1. 

No one was looking for 3 in 1 nightclubs with dance/hip hop, rock and disco. 

But when you have a big space, you have to do something with it.  So why not give people a little bit of choice in one complex. 

B.  When I was a buyer for a large ticket broker and also owned my own ticket brokering company, I didn’t go with market research to buy tickets. 

I went with my gut. 

More often than not that would find me making bets that other brokers weren’t making and that my boss and partners would question until the money started coming in, but having a strong sense of where the population is moving or what is going to catch fire is way more important than what people are going to tell you that they want today. 

C.  Lately I’ve been using the iCloud to link everything in my apartment together.  Including using the awesome Jawbone speaker. 

The original idea of cloud computing came out of a need to have greater access to files and documents while moving around the world.  Not out of market research because I’m sure that the corporate bean counters would have ‘we need more security of our intellectual property’ the life right out of the idea, but now, we have clouds and interconnected networks that allow you to seamlessly link all of your data to your devices or access anything from anywhere. 

Market research might have shown that this was a great idea, but it also might have killed it. 

In closing, I’m not sure that market research is overrated, but I am sure that it isn’t the be all and end all. 

Of course, my examples are limited and there are tons of examples where market research worked. 

So your mileage will vary with these. 

Earlier this week I published the books I read in 2011.  Since the list is kind of split between stuff that was completely entertaining, utterly useless and, in some cases, possibly useful, I thought I would highlight some of my favorite things from 2011 in hopes that you might find one that entertains you or that maybe helps you out a little bit. 

*  In the area of just plain entertaining, I read many Tim Dorsey books in 2011, finishing his entire series of Serge A Storms books before moving on to John D MacDonald.  The Travis McGee books inspired tons of really great writers including Stephen King, Carl Hiassen, and Dave Barry. 

Pick up one of them.  Start anywhere.  You’ll thank me for it. 

*  Obviously I can’t tell you often enough that you need to read Seth Godin’s blog.  So it should be no surprise that I read a few of Seth’s books last year.  One I want to point out to you is We Are Weird.  Its a book about the death of mass marketing and how marketers need to focus on the niche markets now.  I’m not sure I agree with everything there, but I do know that marketers need to think a bit differently and embrace diversity in the marketplace. 

*  I’m a bit of a runner.  Or, I have been known to go out for a few hours at a time as a way to relax and think.  So I’m always looking for tips that will help me increase my endurance and speed at the longer distances.  Relentless Forward Progress has a couple of great training plans for people that want to try out ultramarathons. 

Here are a few books I wanted to highlight.  Going forward I will point out other books that I find interesting and maybe you can enjoy them and use. 

One of the problems with much of what is termed ‘mainstream media’ is that all too often they participate in ‘groupthinking.’ 

While the world is crying out for real coverage of real issues or real ideas on how to tackle tough problems, we are stuck with tons of journalists parroting the same ideas and stories that everyone else is covering.

Examples:

Who will step up as the conservative opposition to Mitt Romney in the GOP primaries? 

How to make sure you really follow through on your resolutions this year? 

Are JT and Jessica Biel really engaged?

Is Kris Humphries the most hated man in the NBA? 

What’s reflected in this is a lack of conviction that people will respond to real news, or to real stories that if people knew about them and responded could have a positive impact on people’s lives. 

This goes back to yesterday’s post about choice and advertising metrics.  Sometimes the smartest thing isn’t to give your audience what they want, but to give them what they need. 

I read a post this morning from Seth’s Blog about direct marketing and measuring your advertising. 

Since I’ve mentioned that I often read Seth’s blog, this isn’t super surprising, but what I wanted to point out is something that I have been beating around the edges of and Seth points out pretty specifically today…

Just because you can measure something, doesn’t mean that its worth a damn. 

As we have gained access to more and more information, or ability to decipher and make decisions based on the information at hand has slipped. 

Sure, you can say that because I have more information and I know what people want that makes it easier for me to give it to them. 

Here’s the thing….

Remember when we all had Blackberries and PDAs and iPods and all types of specific devices….we didn’t know that we needed an iPhone or that it was even possible to put so many devices into one small device. 

Or, remember the first time you took a saleman’s advice at the wine store…..you’d always drank Merlot, but you decided that you would listen and the guy turned you onto a nice Shiraz. 

What I am getting at is that just because we as marketers have more information to work with, doesn’t mean that we can’t make decisions based on taste and shifting our potential customers’ line of site towards something new.  Instead, its just as important that we do find incredible things and send them out to the world. 

Even if the world doesn’t specifically say that they want it.