Abstract:

Three experienced researchers - one from a major UK client and two from the supply side - COLLABORATE to argue we are entering a post quantitative world, a world in which the skills of qualitative researchers are in high demand. Clients want wisdom as an output from their research; this is what helps drive their brands and business forward. We have seen a methodological explosion over recent years, many techniques have been 'invented' for research and insight, most of which are qualitative in nature and seemingly genius is all around. However, whilst researchers are intrigued by these techniques (and conferences are full of case studies about them) our ultimate end clients are not - they want wisdom that can be applied to their businesses. In the current era where absolute measurement has become relative, qualitative is more and more important and definitely COOL! To borrow from TS Eliot's famous quote 'where is the knowledge we have lost in information'; we would ask, "where is the wisdom we have lost in all this genius?"