Marlena Mattei, Consumer & Cultural Insights Senior Strategist, 2023 Future List Spotlight

Editor’s Note: The following interview features a Greenbook Future List honoree, Marlena Mattei. The Greenbook Future List recognizes leadership, professional growth, personal integrity, passion, and excellence in the next generation of…

by Karen Lynch

Chief Programming Officer at Greenbook

Editor’s Note: The following interview features a Greenbook Future List honoree, Marlena Mattei. The Greenbook Future List recognizes leadership, professional growth, personal integrity, passion, and excellence in the next generation of consumer insights and marketing professionals within the first 10 years of their careers.

Introducing Marlena Mattei of Pearson

Marlena Mattei is University of Pennsylvania graduate and a Consumer & Cultural Insights Senior Strategist at Pearson. She is passionate about growing the community and working to bolster the industry through mentorship and thought leadership. She has frequently developed innovative and creative methodologies, tools, and analyses and presented them at industry events including the QRCA and Insights Association. She is currently working on developing a framework to better understand the relationships between complex personal drivers, which she plans to share when it is complete.

With a cultural anthropology background, she has developed a unique perspective and skillset to take consumer-centricity one step further and understand not just the consumer, but the entire HUMAN — including cultural and environmental forces shaping their experiences, perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. She fuses creativity and analytical thinking, allowing her to develop innovative methods and analysis frameworks, including unique mixed-methods research drawing from different fields of thought.

What’s a fun fact about yourself that would surprise people to know?

I started doing research when I was a cultural anthropology student at the University of Pennsylvania. My interest in public life and using observation as a research tool led me to work on some… unconventional projects. I once volunteered at a contemporary art museum where I got to be part of the exhibit – observing people observing me. During another project, I spent an entire summer at the Philadelphia Zoo – watching people watching animals. You can find my contributions in my professor’s book, American Zoo. Both of these projects were such unique and fun “meta” experiences. I feel lucky to have worked on them, and they are definitely conversation-starters. And one more fun fact – I haven’t visited a zoo since that project!

What are three skills you believe to be crucial to succeed in market research and why?

Beyond foundational skills like analytical thinking and emotional intelligence, I’ve found that the most successful insights professionals tend to excel in a few more nuanced areas:

The willingness to question your own assumptions: This is so important in our work; it allows us to be more empathetic, creative, and innovative. It challenges us to think beyond what is and start to imagine what could be.

The ability to identify and communicate the most significant insights: I consistently hear from colleagues inside and outside of insights that one of the biggest challenges they are facing is dealing with the overwhelming amounts of data they encounter. It is critical to not just know how to collect and present data, but also how to connect the most important parts to an organization’s goals and how to communicate it effectively, so it doesn’t get lost in the sea of information. Storytelling is a great skill to hone for this.

The ability to forecast and plan for the future: Being able to think beyond the present and give strategic recommendations based on likely future scenarios is becoming increasingly important. This requires a deep understanding of emerging cultural shifts in order to help anticipate how the landscape will evolve and what an organization needs to be prepared for. And even within our own research and insights industry, technology is rapidly changing and it is crucial that we are adaptable and ready to take advantage of these advancements.

How do you advocate for others on your team or your customers?

Advocating for people is one of my priorities and closely aligns with my values, so I’m lucky to work in an industry where it is so natural to do this since our toolbox is really well-equipped for it. We use data which can cut through bias to help people understand the realities of others. We use empathy to understand perspectives, challenges, and motivations. We use storytelling to create powerful narratives that can help propel change. Personally, in my work, I’m constantly asking – how can we better understand what our consumers feel, want, and need? What is going on in their lives, even beyond where they touch our brands? How can we make their experiences better by being more seamless and human-centric? And this extends to the people I work with – understanding their experiences, goals, and challenges allows me to better advocate for them and champion their work.

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Karen Lynch

Chief Programming Officer at Greenbook

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The views, opinions, data, and methodologies expressed above are those of the contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect or represent the official policies, positions, or beliefs of Greenbook.