Some of the newer research methodologies embrace empathy (and/or its measurement) to be able to get to the bottom of what people need, how they think and how they feel. In this issue, three articles bring their own unique approaches to empathy in research and how to apply it for the betterment of humanity. Each of them, in their own way, also speak to the modern need for marketers and designers to be authentic in their application of empathy to what they do for a living.
This paper is a call to action to think about bias in a different way - by going back to basics. It is an outline about how to develop greater empathy from the beginning of a project to the end. Far from a touchy-feely or soft luxury, empathy is a critical tool that must be carefully cultivated in order to provide the understanding and explanation of data that yields truly meaningful and effective consumer insight and thereby helps overcome bias and stereotyping.
Based on her research on empathic skill levels of 464 professional advertising communicators and 515 students of advertising and marketing, this author believes that lack of empathic skill training is one of the voids in marketing training today. In cooperation with Professor Elizabeth Williams trained counseling and clinical psychologist on the faculty of Suffolk University, Auer is currently conducting what is probably the first known pilot experiment in a U. S. university designed to train graduate marketing students in empathic skills. What the implications of this experiment may be for consumer oriented, socially responsible marketeers is explored by the author.