Putting the "public" back into public opinion and market research

One often reads in these pages about the many challenges facing marketing research today, but the industry overall is clearly alive and well. The most recent estimates of economic activity in 2013 totalled $600 million in Canada and over US$40 billion worldwide. This is a significant industry by any standard, and owes its success to having demonstrated its value in supporting the marketing and promotional activities of almost any organization and institution you can name; companies selling every type of product and service, charities promoting causes, and political parties and governments pitching candidates and policies. Marketing research has indeed become an essential part of our economic and political systems, and those who work in this industry can take some pride in being part of something so important.