The new MRII Data Analysis Award, sponsored by Infotools Harmoni, was created to recognize individuals who demonstrate exceptional skill in analyzing market research data and providing actionable recommendations. All applicants submitted a 10 page powerpoint presentation from a global dataset about tourism to New Zealand, housed on the Harmoni platform that they were asked to organize and analyze. Our first winner is Elliot Ansari, a consultant with Quadrant Strategies—he received a $2,500 cash prize for his data project. Here he shares about this journey and experience with the award.
My journey into the market research industry goes back to my childhood. I used to ask my mom why she chose one cereal brand over another or why the watermelon she picked out was better than the one I chose. The desire to understand why people make decisions led me to pursue a Master’s in Research & Experimental Psychology with a focus on consumer behavior. My master’s thesis analyzed how different racial/ethnic groups prefer brand logo sizes on t-shirts and hats. After graduate school, I aimed to use my unique skill set to assist brands in effectively communicating with their audience. During interviews with my first market research firm, I realized I could follow my passion for understanding the root of people’s unique behaviors. Working in the market research industry allows me to explore consumer decision-making at its core.
I have been in the market research industry for over three years and am currently a Consultant at Quadrant Strategies, where I conduct end-to-end quantitative and qualitative research. Quadrant specializes in reaching niche audiences to solve the most challenging brand, product, and marketing problems. I am constantly discovering new ways to approach a problem or research need, and this takes me back to my desire to understand why people make certain decisions, from purchasing a car to selecting a watermelon. There are always new advanced analytics techniques to master, better ways to ask a question in a focus group, and different approaches to deliver insights. I am continuously learning how to become a more well-rounded researcher and strategist, which is my favorite part of being in the market research industry.
In the next five years, I aspire to work on UX testing, in-person international research, and socially impactful projects to expand my market research skill set. As products continue to become more innovative, they must continue to be user-friendly, and I want the experience of designing products that people truly enjoy. I love to travel and have always been fascinated with cultural differences in market research, so conducting research in a foreign country would check both boxes. Finally, working on socially impactful research gives me so much fulfillment and pride. Last year, I worked with a hedge fund to optimize its internship program and early-career role experience, particularly for underrepresented groups. This project is still my favorite market research experience, as I helped underrepresented individuals like me enter a more inclusive workforce. I would love to continue to develop my social impact research skills to create better opportunities for underrepresented groups and increase equity in the workplace.
I enjoyed working with the New Zealand travel dataset on the Harmoni by Infotools platform. My favorite part of the platform is the ability to instantly turn crosstabs into charts and graphs, which makes reporting so much easier. My only complaint is the inability to run correlations and regressions in the demo version of the platform. I would have loved to run a driver analysis to show a causal relationship between travel factors and style on average total spend to strengthen the insights presented.
A special thank you to everyone who has supported me along this journey. I would not be the researcher I am today accepting this award without the support of some incredible people. In particular, I want to thank two close mentors and friends for whom I am eternally grateful, Sam Sturgeon and Nichole Mullen. Sam, thank you for always pushing me to think outside the box and answering my random research questions. Nichole, thank you for taking a chance on a young researcher a few years ago and giving me the confidence I needed to succeed in the market research industry.
To learn more about the MRII award programs, visit mrii.org/awards.
