Rock n' Roll Research Podcast

Hannah Taphorn is a Sr. Scientist, Information Research and Analysis at the great consumer goods company, Procter & Gamble. Her assignments require her to find, evaluate and make sense of global data sources to deliver credible, evidence-based answers to the myriad questions that come her way.Hannah didn’t join P&G directly out of school. She took an unconventional path that perfectly prepared her for her role, spending seven years of increasing responsibility doing research and strategy in support of regional economic development with REDI Cincinnati. Dare I say she has played her own part in the recent renaissance of the city.We discuss Hannah’s journey, including all the family photo albums she’s graced (likely my own!) as a face painter at the Cincinnati Zoo, and the central role she played organizing the legendary Cincinnati Northside parade.

Neil James is an accomplished Director of Research at Solve Advertising and Branding in Minneapolis, a two-time winner of AdAge’s Small Agency of the Year. With clients as varied as Porsche, Rust-Oleum and Goodwill Easter Seals, it is no surprise their team is just as intriguing.Concurrent to taking a winding path that led to a career in market research, Neil has released 4+ albums and played countless shows in a shredding Twin Cities metal band called Cwn Annwn (look them up on Bandcamp!).Neil traces his career path from philosophy grad to commissioned sales to strategy and research. He shares his lessons learned along the way, thoughts on research democratization and, of course, his journey through music and metal.

Expertise requires more than just putting in the time, it requires being very intentional about what you choose to practice and learn. That’s true whether learning an instrument or an intellectual discipline.Leona Nadj is currently a Market Research Manager at Intel, inventor of the microprocessor and one of the world’s largest and most innovative tech companies. Leona has applied the same level of discipline  in her research career as she did in becoming a successful, professional violinist playing at Carnegie Hall, in top Broadway shows and more.Leona shares her journey from Croatia to New York City to Arizona, from music to microprocessors and research with some fun stories and hard-won lessons along the way. 

By day, Mireya Arteaga is Lead Customer Researcher in CX Research and Strategy at GoDaddy (where this podcast is one of over 20 million happy customers). As a researcher she is thoughtful, measured, insightful and “professionally nosy.”But as a self-described risk averse person, you might be surprised to learn Mireya’s story. From finishing her degree as a single parent at age 30, to becoming a trained amateur formula race car driver, to starting her own insights company (human-stories.com) to learning to play the drums, Mireya isn’t one to shy away from tackling new challenges.Mireya discusses her journey in research, her long-time appreciation for Ringo Starr and how societal shifts towards inclusivity are fundamentally changing the practice of research.

When Tron Smith joined Suzy in 2020, she was stepping not just into a new company but a new industry. The market research learning curve can be steep and the esoterica daunting.To meet the challenge, Tron found a mentor. She became involved in the Insights Association and joined the Board. She has embraced the insights industry and is helping to make it better. She has rapidly become a valued contributor to Suzy’s explosive growth as one of the most disruptive and buzzworthy companies in the industry.Tron discusses her journey and dishes on her passion project, an LLC delivering staging services to AirBnB hosts. She also shares her fresh and honest observations of the insights industry, her love for Judge Judy and the music she’d choose if stranded on a deserted island.

Larry Cheng was a mechanical engineer working to design a new baby stroller when he nearly tipped his own child out of a stroller at the airport. It changed his conception of the problem from one rooted in a series of calculations to one much more human-centered.Since that time, research has played a part in all of Larry’s roles from designer and project lead at IDEO, to experience design, strategy and innovation at Intuit and, currently, design research and insights within Intuit’s Small Business & Self-Employed Group.Larry discusses his journey and the role that creativity and curiosity have played throughout, including his days as lead vocalist of a really cool punk rock band in college called The Skullmen. He shares how “Design for Delight” drew him to Intuit and offers his take on the dynamics of doing user experience research in the world of digital products.

As the founder of OdinAnswers and StoryHub, Tom Anderson has done much to advance the veracity and application of text analytics, AI and big data within the disciplines of customer experience, insights and business strategy. But he also vaulted the market research industry into the modern world by creating Next Gen Market Research, enabling a network of tens of thousands of researchers to discuss important research topics with peers across the globe. He stimulated discussions, often passionate and contentious ones, and Tom has never been known to shy away from a good debate.Tom discusses how he got interested in analytics, his experience with NGMR and where analytics is taking him now. He also shares his take on missed opportunities for corporate researchers and the persistent research problem yet to be solved. I wish for nothing more than to be singing Karaoke at an industry conference with Tom, but a podcast is the next best thing!

Greg Park is in his third week as Director, Market Strategy and Understanding at Ipsos, the world’s foremost leader in understanding society, markets and people. Consumer Insights has been the focus of his entire career including 6+ years on the client side at Giant Food/Ahold.But in parallel to developing his research chops, Greg spent several years guitar-shredding for an East Coast prog/hardcore/punk/metal band called Pandas, performing regularly and putting out an album. I know these genres well and I have never heard anything quite like Pandas! Greg and I discuss the ins and outs of his research career and what he’s learned along the way. He also shares some great stories about his band and his (very metal!) music choices if stranded on a desert island.

Bianca Pryor is Vice President at BET leading their content optimization team and a Board Member of the Insights Association. Consumer Behavior is a long time passion but there is so much more to her than that. I am grateful to Bianca for bringing her whole self to the Rock n’ Roll Research Podcast.Bianca discusses her career, what she learned along the way from TNS Kantar and System 1/Brainjuicer and what the future of research and insights looks like. She generously shares her deeply personal story that has led to her taking action about black maternal health by co-founding Dr. Shalon’s Maternal Action Project. Finally, Bianca reveals the BET show she most recommends, the music that nurtures her soul and the record shop in the Bronx where she finds the best vinyl.

Ben Doepke never accepts the norms and standards of research as gospel. In his work as Principal of IX Strategy, he takes all the givens and the best practices, interrogates them and usually subverts them in the service of more meaningful, reverent, and human connections and insights. If you’ve worked closely with Ben, you’ve surely learned to see your work in ways you’ve never before thought of.In this episode, Ben shares his unique perspective on insights, consumer brands and our deep responsibility to the humans who volunteer their experiences under the auspices of research. He traces his unconventional upbringing growing up on a goat farm without a television, to years on the road as a musician/songwriter with the band Homunculus, to the present day with fascinating and formative stories along the way.