Just started at an agency that employs both researchers/intel and brand planners. Used to scrappier places where we did it ourselves. How do you work together?

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Do your best to integrate. If you have research needs, esp time-intensive ones that would distract you from your main responsibilities, communicate then to the researchers.

Utilize their specialization to your benefit

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I was in your exact position a few years ago, with the benefit of a strong academic background and a few years in management consulting which is vastly more exhaustive and rigorous compared to market research. Key thoughts below:

Iterate iterate iterate. It will be frustrating at first because they won’t understand what you really do or need. Get them involved as early as possible and don’t say yes to what they first propose. Research people tend to try to take a lot of time and if they do that and bring back useless stuff you’re up a creek at that point.

So I like to spend an intense first week with them just making sure we’re truly aligned on what research is going after.

Also I would suggest presenting synthesized research findings to the client separately from any strategy work and using the meeting to explore implications. Sometimes you’ll get a bad reaction to the research and it will feel more objective if you don’t immediately follow up with an idea you’re pushing (to smart clients it will feel like you cherry picked findings). You can tease whatifs to get an early read on your thinking, of course.

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Also look into their individual backgrounds and be skeptical if they don’t have a graduate degree, a hard sciences degree, or went to a stunning school.

Just because they work in research does not mean you can assume they understanding issues with methodologies or statistical validity and smart clients can blow you up on stuff like that

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