Gary Menger, the founder of Applied Geographic Solutions and a pioneer in market research, shares his fascinating journey from geography enthusiast to industry leader. He discusses how CompuSearch revolutionized retail research and the crucial role of trade area analysis for retail success. Menger emphasizes the blend of intuition and data in market strategies, detailing his collaboration with Experian on the Mosaic segmentation system. He also covers the challenges of income estimation models and the importance of innovative approaches in understanding demographics.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Choice to Pioneer Demographic Data
Gary Menger turned down a tenure-track geography professor job to work at CompuSearch.
He found a new career path innovating with digital demographic data and location analysis.
insights INSIGHT
Data Complements Gut Instincts
CompuSearch used census data to define trade areas with radii and demographic profiles.
Early retail clients initially resisted data reliance, favoring gut instinct of site selectors like 'Earl'.
insights INSIGHT
Early Market Research Innovation Spirit
Early market research companies collaborated to push geographic and demographic analytics innovations.
Despite limited technology, they ambitiously built location and sales prediction models.
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In this episode, Gary Menger, founder of Applied Geographic Solutions, shares his journey from a young geography enthusiast to a pioneer in the field of demographics and market research. He discusses his early fascination with maps, his transition from academia to the industry, and the significant impact of CompuSearch on retail research. Gary elaborates on the evolution of demographic data, the importance of understanding trade areas, and his collaboration with Experian to build the Mosaic segmentation system. Throughout the conversation, he emphasizes the need for innovation in data analysis and the integration of human intuition with data-driven insights.Chapters:(00:00) Intro(01:24) Gary's Early Interest With Geography(03:45) CompuSearch(21:33) Meeting Richard Webber(25:47) GDSS(29:18) Urban Decision Systems(34:43) Applied Geographic Solutions(36:23) Building Mosaic segmentation system(40:56) Collaborating with ExperianAbout AGS:Applied Geographic Solutions has been powering smarter market decisions for over two decades, always with a focus on providing and supporting the most accurate small area demographic data available, covering the broadest range of topics, and delivered with the maximum flexibility and cutting-edge tools.Learn more about Gary Menger and AGS at https://appliedgeographic.com/Listen to Consumer Code on: Spotify | Apple | YouTube
Spatial.ai’s PersonaLive is an advanced consumer segmentation platform for developing data-driven marketing strategies. PersonaLive categorizes U.S. households into 17 groups and 80 segments using consumer behavior data from transactions, mobile visits, and social media activity, providing marketers with deep insights for effective audience targeting. From mid-sized retailers and agencies to Fortune 500 companies, hundreds of businesses use PersonaLive to drive strategic decisions and enhance marketing performance.
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