GreenBook Future List Honoree Konstantin Morjan on Succeeding in Market Research

Outside of insights, what are your passions and interests?

I enjoy cars – especially 1990s BMWs – and all types of video games. I’ve been developing a video game on the side for about six years. It’s a space-age strategy game about survival on a new planet.

 

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

I’ve taken up horseback riding as an adult.

 

Who is your career role model or source of inspiration?

I don’t always agree with Elon Musk, but I admire the way he makes his ideas real.

 

Since starting your career in MRX, what would you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?

Without a doubt, it’s creating Phebi. The ability to detect emotion in people’s voices is something different and new. I’m honored that Phebi was recognized by both IIEX and the MRS for its innovation.

 

When did you know you wanted to enter a career in insights, and what inspired you?

I started programming when I was only fourteen. I had an internship, and afterwards, I was hired to finish the projects. I met Mike Page, my co-founder at Phebi, about ten years ago. Mike has been in insights tech for most of his career, and that meeting led me into insights as an entrepreneur. My first business did scripting and other work related to SPSS Dimensions.

 

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned from market research?

From a technology perspective, the market research industry moves quite slowly. Even if you have a good idea, you have to be persistent for it to be adopted.

 

How has market research changed since you first started your career?

Unfortunately, it hasn’t changed a lot – yet. I think there will be more change in the next ten years than in the past ten.

 

What advice do you have for folks hoping to start a career in insights?

I say, “When you have an idea, go with it.” I’ve done that but, still, it’s good advice for anyone.

 

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

Being an entrepreneur and an innovator starts with having a good idea. Once you have that, you need to be persistent and work hard. As a technologist, you need to have a good understanding of the problem you are trying to solve, and what’s possible, then you need to apply logic to solve the problem.

 

What do you think the key characteristics or qualities of a leader are? How does this play into MRX?

A leader is not just a boss. A boss tells people what to do, but a leader inspires people, works with people, and keeps the team moving towards the goal.

 

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

One of the great things about working at Phebi is that everyone is an advocate for our customers. We don’t have to bring ourselves back to a focus on our customers; we have to decide which of many good ideas to do first.

 

Tell us about any advocacy/volunteer/association work you’re doing within the industry. What issues are you trying to solve? Why is this work critical for the industry?

Like everyone else, I’ve been locked down during the pandemic. During that time, I’ve been working on detecting the emotion in people’s voices at Phebi, which is a first for the industry. Given that people prefer talking over typing and that talking results in answers with more rich potential for insights, advancing Phebi’s capabilities, both stand-alone and integrated with other restech, is critical for the industry, not just our company.

 

Where do you see the future of insights heading in the next 10 years?

Clients are already demanding better insights faster and at a lower cost. New research technology, both in terms of the underlying methods used, such as AI, and in terms of automating routine tasks to improve both speed and consistency, and more aggregation of data are needed to accomplish that. All of those things are already on the rise as traditional surveys decline.

 

If you could change one thing about insights, what would it be?

The pace of change. Consumers are changing rapidly; the industry needs to change at the same rate just to keep up. If they want to stay relevant to their clients, insights professionals have to adapt quickly. Traditionally, researchers have thought logically and proceeded carefully as part of showing clients that their work is credible. That’s important, but today it isn’t the full answer. Now, they can’t wait for others to try new things and prove them out; they have to get out of their comfort zones and be on what feels to them like the bleeding edge in terms of the use of technology and data.

 

What challenges do you see facing newer MRX professionals as technology advances?

There’s an inherent tension between the collection, aggregation, and use of data and people’s privacy. All researchers, but especially the new ones who are leading change, are going to have to figure out how they navigate that – how do they comply with regulations without creating a high bar that constrains the innovation that comes from new companies with new ideas. Also, as technology and innovation make the industry more agile and efficient, there is likely to be less entry-level work in the industry. The good news is that there is likely to be much more interesting and challenging work.