This video of today’s generation of kids trying to master the electronics of the 80s elicited some giggles out of my co-worker and me. It really flips the “grandmother trying to use an iPad” stereotype on its head. I have to say I was particularly shocked at the challenge of operating a cassette deck – surely that’s not that old??

Working with new (or even “new-to-me”) technology can be a hard transition to make. “How does it work?” “What is it good for?” “Is it worth it?” “This just feels… wrong!”

Nobody knows this challenge better than the Market Researcher faced with the array of new methods and data sources enabled by technology improvements over the past several years. Is Research keeping up with these changes, or are we still playing Atari?

There are increasingly more – and increasingly sophisticated – ways to collect information about customers and consumers. Advances in data collection methods, storage, and modeling make it possible to gain an understanding of customer behavior to a degree previously unattainable. On the other end of the spectrum are methodological advances like neuroscience and mobile research.

Is it worth it? Early indicators point to yes. More data certainly presents an opportunity to generate more holistic customer insights. From the opposite perspective, might the expanding sources of customer data present a potential threat to the unique value that Research has for the business?

The MREB is tackling this topic in its major research initiative for 2012, Rebalancing the Insight Portfolio. Members, read more about our latest observations pulled from interviews with your peers and take a look at some of our early hypotheses.