Monday, May 31 - 3:00 - 3:45 pm

Using Marketing Research as a Business Development Tool –
Panacea or Ethical Dilemma?

The pressure has always been on our profession to demonstrate a clear link to business results; never more so than in the last couple of years.  No one needs to convince this audience of the benefits of research in terms of improved decision-making and mitigating risk.  Canada Post saw an opportunity to use research not only as an internal decision making tool, but also as an opportunity to be viewed as thought-leaders (which would hopefully lead to revenue generation)  by conducting "customer-facing" research specifically to share results with their customers and prospects.

Favourable research results have always been used after the fact in sales presentations.  However, what about designing, conducting, and sharing marketing research with the explicit purpose of sharing information with customers and developing new business?  Are we on an ethical slippery slope?  What about objectivity?  Most importantly, does it work?  Is it a new trend emerging which can bolster the industry?

Norman Baillie-David, MBA, CMRP

Norman Baillie-David is Vice President and Director of Public Opinion Research for TNS Canada, and leader of the Canadian firm’s public sector and social research practice.  Norm is a well respected marketing researcher and management consultant with more than twenty years of experience in qualitative and quantitative marketing research and strategic management consulting in Canada and around the world. Norm is an accomplished bilingual (English/French) focus group moderator, as well as a strategy workshop facilitator.
As Norman advanced into the senior management ranks in his career, he was called on repeatedly to use his facilitation skills in the area of strategy development and professional development and training, particularly for clients such as Canada Post, the Federal Government, and a host of private sector clients. 

Prior to TNS, Norman was the Managing Partner of an Ottawa-based boutique firm, and served many years in both research and management consulting with PricewaterhouseCoopers and its predecessor firms in both Montreal and Ottawa.