There’s No Such Thing As Bad Information

Posted by Rahna on September 3, 2009 under Consumer Engagement, Consumer Research | Be the First to Comment

 

 

Earlier this week, I was sharing research results at Marvel’s headquarters in New York City.  This was the day after the announcement of Disney’s intent to purchase Marvel for $4 billion, so the whole office was abuzz about that….exciting news that should do good things for both parties involved … but I digress.  That is not the purpose of this post.

 

The purpose of this post is to talk about how we receive information, even supposedly “bad” information.  It is a gift… just like feedback (or criticism) is a gift.  It’s all in how you look at it.

 

In the discussion of the research, there were some results that were not in line with Marvel’s current thinking, information presented that challenged their current view of their target audience and their beliefs.  I was concerned that this information might not be received very well.  The question becomes, “How do we react to information that challenges our current thinking?”  There can be a tendency to dismiss it out of hand as irrelevant or flawed in some way.  That is only human nature…

 

Or we can choose to find the nugget of learning in it.  While reviewing the learning with Marvel’s Research Manager, we talked about the insights to be gained and the guidance the information provided.  It turned out to be a very fruitful conversation and sparked some great discussion.

 

Are you skeptical about some information that has crossed your desk?  Certainly check the credibility of the source, but make sure that you give the information its due.  What is the information telling you that might be helpful in your future planning?  Be open-minded.  It may just be the catalyst to your greatest out-of-the-box thinking yet!