Getting to know Logica Research’s Senior Research Manager, Blake Roberts

Blake is a self-described “data nerd” who is committed to delivering high-quality and actionable insights to his clients. He has worked on a wide variety of research over the span of his career, including international tracking studies, Conjoint and TURF analysis, and one-on-one interviews. His expertise lies in finding the unexpected story within data, to help his clients uncover new ways of thinking and working.

How did you first enter the market research and insights field? 

BLAKE: I was a month away from receiving my undergraduate degree in political science and international studies, and I didn’t have a clear idea of what life would be like post-college. I had a friend who had graduated two years ahead of me and moved to Los Angeles for work, so I gave him a call to see how he was doing. He said he was working in market research, which was the first time I had ever heard that term—he explained it to me, and it sounded like a good fit for my skill set. So I packed up my car, made the move from South Carolina to Los Angeles, and have been working in market research ever since.

What’s your favorite part of working in market research and insights, what has surprised you, what has delighted you?

BLAKE: Market research is great because every day is different—new projects, new clients, new ideas. You get to work with some of the most recognizable brands in the world and see what new ideas they’re cooking up. Plus, some of the smartest and kindest people I’ve ever met have been through market research—so it’s a great field to be working in.

What’s your favorite research approach, or combination of approaches? 

BLAKE: Anytime there’s the opportunity to run both qualitative and qualitative research together, I take it. The qual work allows you to explore and uncover findings you and your client didn’t anticipate, and the quant work allows you to validate those findings at scale. So whenever I can, I always advocate running focus groups or shop-alongs and following them up with an A&U or concept test.

What has been your favorite research project during your career so far, and why did you like it?

BLAKE: My favorite project was probably also the toughest project I’ve ever worked on. It was the height of COVID, and I was working with a large home cleaning brand on a monthly sentiment tracker fielded in seven countries. We wanted to understand how people were feeling and how to best communicate that the client’s cleaning supplies were effective against the COVID virus. But beyond that, we also collected specific information on what cleaning supplies were out of stock in their area so our client could restock accordingly. Helping to alleviate people’s concerns and increase their access to the tools they needed to be safe during an unprecedented health crisis was a career highlight.

If someone outside the market research field asks what you do, what do you tell them?

What do you see going on in the field of market research that is highly innovative today and how do you see it impacting the future of insights?

BLAKE: It feels like AI is being touted as the solution to every possible business problem under the sun. However, its ability to quickly analyze and summarize thousands of qualitative, open-end responses is a game-changer. It takes a task that normally requires hours and cuts it down to minutes. It’s going to make collecting and analyzing qualitative data at scale much, much easier.

Reach out to Blake here.