Ponderings From The Perch

Why are traditional market research firms getting left behind in the industry's rapid evolution? On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO Priscilla McKinney talks with Tony Brown, founder of SKAIL, about transforming revenue generation strategies beyond traditional relationship-based selling. The urgency of this transformation is evident in recent industry reports, which show traditional firms growing at just 3% while the overall industry enjoys a 7.6% expansion rate. McKinney and Brown discuss how market research firms can adapt to changing market conditions, particularly focusing on marketing effectiveness in their business development efforts. Brown, with over 25 years of experience as a fractional sales leadership consultant, shares insights on helping research firms transition from reputation-based growth to proactive business development, emphasizing the importance of measuring marketing automation ROI. "Sales is not really about sales," Brown expl

On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO Priscilla McKinney, along with guest and CRO Stephanie Douglass, discuss implementing the Little Bird Marketing  SOAR™ system. The system was created after noting that many companies were implementing the right marketing tactics but in the wrong order, leading to suboptimal results. So if you’re tired of marketing strategies that fail to produce results, this is the episode for you.  They discuss the two primary ways to implement the SOAR™ system: DIY (Do It Yourself) and DFY (Done For You). McKinney explains that the DIY option includes the framework, training, and essential assets designed for internal teams to handle execution themselves. She emphasizes that DIY clients receive persona development, strategy sessions, and an annual marketing roadmap. For the DFY option, Douglass describes it as making Little Bird Marketing "an extension of your team," handling everything from strategy to execution like a marketing

Trust and human connection are driving innovation in our digital world. On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO Priscilla McKinney talks with global trust expert and author Philipp Kristian about developing a thought leadership strategy that transforms how businesses approach social selling and building your social influence in the digital age. McKinney and Kristian discuss how the trust economy is revolutionizing business relationships and social influence, drawing from Kristian's extensive work with Fortune 500 companies and his book "The Trust Economy: Building Strong Networks and Realizing Exponential Value in the Digital Age." Through their conversation, they explore how technology is scaling human connection and why innovation naturally emerges in environments where trust flourishes."What technology is doing [is] scaling human connection," Kristian explains. "When we scale human connection and trust, all of a sudden, there are a huge number of poss

Ready to stop chasing every lead and focus on the ones that matter? On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO Priscilla McKinney talks with guest and CRO Stephanie Douglass about Account-Based Marketing (ABM). As a B2B lead generation agency, Little Bird Marketing shares insights on this targeted and customer driven marketing strategy that focuses on identifying and pursuing specific high-value accounts rather than casting a wide net with traditional demand generation approaches. McKinney and Douglass discuss marketing effectiveness through the three-tiered approach to ABM: one-to-one (highly personalized campaigns for specific large accounts), one-to-few (targeting similar companies within specific industries), and one-to-many (broader targeting that resembles traditional demand generation). They explore the FIRE framework for selecting target accounts: Fit (alignment with ideal customer profile), Intent (showing interest in solutions), Relationship (exis

**This episode of Ponderings from the Perch is a replay of a popular episode first aired on Digital Transformation Success, the premier podcast for no-nonsense discussions of digital innovation in business.** No matter how advanced the technology it uses, market research still needs astute judgment… and the best judgment comes from humans.  On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO, Priscilla McKinney, gives her patented Conference Flyover of Question Pro’s XDay 2024 in Austin, TX. XDay is a premier event where the best and brightest in market research come together to both network and share insights.  Mckinney, and Little Bird Marketing CRO, Stephanie Douglass, talk with industry experts, such as Garry Batroff of Thematic and Ibby Sayed of Cotera (who is also a fellow podcaster). Question Pro’s Cecil Puvathingal joins Priscilla in a conversational recap about what they heard and felt throughout the day. There were moments of inspiration – both personal

Today, Miami. Tomorrow, the world!  On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO, Priscilla McKinney, gives you her conference flyover of Greenbook’s IIEX LATAM in Miami, Florida. IIEX LATAM is a conference dedicated to exploring the latest trends, technologies, and methodologies in market research, with a specific focus on gathering market insights from the Latin American region. She talks with leaders in market research about evolving marketing strategies and consumer insights in Latin America and how Spanish and Portuguese are needed for conducting representative market research in the U.S.  McKinney's guests, such as Natalia Infante Caylor, Brian Ewan, and Ricardo Alvarez, discuss topics like the importance of understanding Hispanic markets, the role of AI in revolutionizing marketing analysis, and the challenges of discrete choice modeling. The conversations delve into various aspects of marketing strategy, from the nuances of multicultural research to t

What if the magic behind the Cinderella story isn't a prince and a fairy godmother but rather strategies for tapping into our potential? On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO, Priscilla McKinney, talks with guest and published author Joanna Bloor about her book, Tales of Potential: The Cinderella Story You Haven't Heard. Bloor, who examines how things work behind the scenes, discusses her experience of writing a book that presents a different perspective on potential and future. She describes how she overcame initial reluctance to put her ideas on paper, resulting in a work representing her viewpoint and contributing to thought leadership in the field. Bloor and McKinney explore various elements of the Cinderella story that Bloor uses to illustrate her ideas about realizing one's potential. These include Cinderella's interaction with her fairy godmother, which Bloor interprets as a demonstration of holding one's own in front of a powerful figure, and t

Learn how market researchers navigate the complex market landscape to deliver more accurate and valuable insights. On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO, Priscilla McKinney, gives you her 2024 ESOMAR Congress flyover, held in Athens, Greece. The ESOMAR Congress is the premier global gathering for market research professionals. It brings together industry leaders to explore cutting-edge trends, share innovative methodologies and shape the future of marketing research. McKinney’s guests discuss key topics such as the integration of AI in qualitative research, the use of virtual reality for enhanced consumer engagement and the challenges of conducting research in niche markets. She also highlights strategic insights from industry thought leaders, such as Ray Poynter, who emphasizes the importance of embracing diverse perspectives in today's global market research landscape. "The first thing we have to accept," Poynter explains. "Is [that] there is not on

AI's potential in SEO lies not in replacing human expertise but in enhancing it strategically as part of a comprehensive content marketing strategy. On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO, Priscilla McKinney talks with guest and Orbit Media CEO Andy Crestodina, about the role of AI in modern SEO strategies. Crestodina, known for leading with value and always being helpful, brings over two decades of digital content marketing experience to the table. As the co-founder of Orbit Media, a web design company in Chicago, he's been at the forefront of content marketing and SEO trends, making him the perfect guest to shed light on this timely topic. Crestodina delves into AI's strengths and limitations in content creation. He explores the importance of human creativity in crafting compelling content and explains how AI can be leveraged effectively in the content auditing process. Crestodina discusses using AI as a tool to enhance human-created content rather th

It’s time to rethink how businesses use marketing.  On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO, Priscilla McKinney, talks about our proprietary SOAR™ - Strategy, Organization, Accountability, and Repeatability - system, a structured approach to marketing.  While many businesses use systems for everyday tasks, like shopping lists and calendars, many abandon this systematic thinking when it comes to marketing. The SOAR™ system, on the other hand, is designed to help businesses create a sustainable lead generation system. It is broken down into three main elements: understand, unlock and unleash.  The "understand" phase focuses on laying the groundwork by clarifying who the target audience is, establishing clear goals, and evaluating existing marketing assets. In the "unlock" phase, emphasizes the importance of organizing content into clusters to establish authority on specific topics in search engines. And finally, the "unleash" phase involves implementing p

Marketing research in healthcare is the key to unlocking better patient outcomes On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO Priscilla McKinney talks with guests Brendan Egan and Lisa Kaiser, CEO and COO of Brightside Research Solutions respectively, about the latest market research industry trends in healthcare. With over 25 years of combined experience, Egan and Kaiser founded Brightside to address long standing issues in service and feasibility within the business marketing sector, touching on its unique approach to serving clients and enhancing healthcare outcomes through targeted market research insights. Egan and Kaiser emphasize that their primary goal is to approach every challenge with innovative solutions, often going unnoticed when things run smoothly but bearing the responsibility when issues arise. They discuss the difficulties in reaching healthcare stakeholders and how they tackle this by tailoring their approach to each project, offering full

Is project management the secret sauce to organizational triumph? On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO, Priscilla McKinney talks with guest and TrueSense Marketing VP, Ann Campea, about the often-overlooked role of project management in business success. Campea, a fellow podcaster and experienced project management professional for companies like Apple, Amazon and Hasbro, has a diverse background that includes launching products, creating retail spaces, implementing data systems, and managing employee onboarding processes. She touches on TrueSense Marketing's unique approach to serving non-profit clients and enhancing their missions through targeted marketing strategies,including content marketing strategy and digital marketing strategy. Campea emphasizes that a project manager's primary responsibility is to pave the way for team success, often going unnoticed when things run smoothly but bearing the brunt of criticism when issues arise. Using a sport

Can unity be a meaningful and quantifiable statistic in business?  On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO Priscilla McKinney, talks with guest and Senior VP of Global Practice at The Kaleidoscope Group, Dawn Bryan, about the practice of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Unity (DEIU) in the corporate world.  Bryan, a seasoned business and marketing strategy consultant with 30 years of international experience, discusses how these concepts translate into tangible business outcomes, examining the shift from mere tolerance to active unity in cross-cultural teams that actually enables positive change and measurable growth in organizations worldwide.  Bryan and McKinney then examine the nuances of cultural anthropology in business settings, discussing how understanding and leveraging diverse perspectives can lead to innovation and improved performance. They address the challenges of implementing DEIU strategies in a globalized business environment and offer

Hey y’all, Priscilla McKinney here, CEO and Momma Bird at Little Bird Marketing.  This episode of Ponderings from the Perch will be what I call a “Conference Flyover” of my time at the Quirks New York conference, which took place in… well, guess where! But first, check out my latest boutique hotel find from my last night in The Big Apple!  The conference itself was full of discussions on AI and data quality, and I'm still energized by the constant conversations and new connections I made. One of the highlights was co-sponsoring a private dinner with Adam Weinstein of Full Circle Research and Bernie Malinoff of Element54, which brought together an amazing group of industry professionals. There was also room for standout expressions, like Roddy Knowles of dtect sporting a shirt with a bold message against data fraud.  Throughout the conference, I talked to various industry professionals who shared insights on market research trends and data analysis innovations with me, and we recorded said insights just

Data informs… but human judgment decides.  On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO, Priscilla McKinney, and guest and CCO of PSB Insights, Christopher Frank, talk strategy in business and market research. Frank, who brings 25 years of frontline experience from American Express and Microsoft, discusses his recent move to PSB Insights, a 40-year-old research-based consultancy with offices in DC, Seattle, and London, transitioning from the client side to a consultancy role in the field of market research. He stresses the importance of framing problems correctly before diving into data analysis, which is crucial for gathering meaningful insights from both audiences and competitors; a key framework for which he calls IWIC (I Wish I Knew), which aims to shift discussions from data-driven to strategic by asking stakeholders what information they truly need to make confident decisions. The two discuss Frank's two books on the subject, Drinking From the Fire Hos

Hey y’all, Priscilla McKinney here! This episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing Podcast, will be a replay of a part of my appearance on Joseph Jaffe’s podcast, Joseph Jaffe is Not Famous. Amongst the hijinks, I talk with Jaffe about my book, Collaboration is the New Competition: Why the Future of Work Rewards A Cross Pollinating Hive Mind and How Not to Get Left Behind. The book's chapters are designed to be time-efficient, ensuring busy professionals can easily integrate these transformative ideas into their workflow. From discussing the state of affairs in business to providing fundamental strategies for growth, this book offers a fresh perspective and a competitive advantage in today's complex business landscape. (LINK to purchase). “Collaboration is not about losing the hierarchy,” I explain. “It's about seeing it for what it is now, not importing unnecessary value.” We also discuss LBM’s SOAR™ system, which provides businesses a framework for effective marketing that moves be

On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO, Priscilla McKinney, discusses her experiences at Greenbook’s IIEX Amsterdam with guest and CRO, Stephanie Douglass, exploring key market research trends and insights. A major topic of discussion is synthetic data in market research, with data quality remaining a crucial concern for obtaining reliable consumer insights. In fact it emerged as one of the top 12 trends mentioned by Insight 250 CEO, and Behaviorally Group President, Crispin Beale, the latter likening it to plastic pollution in oceans and emphasizing the need for industry-wide standards. "We have to move very quickly right now as an industry to create standards that we will all adhere to,” Beale warns. “Or we're going to end up with a big blob of synthetic data in the data ocean.” Priscilla had to run down Mark Earls from HERD at the event because of his presentation on the concept of time and how we have enslaved our lives to chronology. THIS WAS FASCIN

This episode ain’t a swim in the kiddy pool. On today’s episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing Podcast, host and Momma Bird Priscilla McKinney, and guest and marketing strategy consultant Ryan Barry, discuss the future of market research and the importance of community when fostering b2b relationships.  As the co-founder and President of Zappi, an agile market research platform built to empower creators globally with smart, quick, and actionable data to inspire, optimize, and validate their ideas, Barry shares lead generation tips and intimate insights on the importance of customer and people-centric methods, emphasizing the significance of making genuine, human connections with all types of people, regardless of their position within a company. He also discusses the role of GenAI for both marketing automation and in today’s market research and its ability to deliver actionable results.   “How can we give people tangible advice [today],” Barry asks “[so we can] make their jobs better

Like the bird she named her company after, Data Larks founder, Mary Hunter, is looking to lead the dawn of a new era. On today’s episode Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing™ podcast, Hunter and host, Priscilla McKinney, delve into the world of market research and its potential to increase both awareness and market potential for underrepresented communities.  Data Larks is a pioneering consultancy dedicated to diverse data storytelling and analysis. Hunter, with over 20 years of experience in cultural studies, shares her insights on both the benefits and overall importance of inclusive persona profiles, the pitfalls of traditional and subsequently outdated market research methods, and the intersection of market research and marketing in today's diverse landscape. “We need to be able to pull all of [these differences] together and learn to collaborate,” Hunter explains. “To be able to deliver incredible insights that our clients can act on.” Hunter and McKinney also discuss the transition of di

Uncover the hidden heroes behind billion-dollar business decisions. On this episode Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO Priscilla McKinney, and guest Corie Suzuki, director at Fieldwork Chicago, chat about the world of market research as they celebrate the upcoming Global Focus Group Day on July 9th! "This day is all about recognizing the heroes of market research,” Suzuki explians. “It's a day to honor the power of face-to-face interactions and the ‘A-ha’ moments they bring." Suzuki shares her eight-year journey with Fieldwork, offering listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the company's dedication to high-quality participant recruitment and hosting facilities for in-person market research.  McKinney and Suzuki also discuss the challenges faced by the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic and how Fieldwork's adaptability and client-centered approach helped navigate these turbulent times. Well past this history, the Fieldwork team continues to support brands, organizatio