I’m honored to be participating in a debate this week in Atlanta at IIeX (www.iiex-na.org) on which new market research methodology is best: Text Analytics, Social Media Monitoring, MROC or Mobile.

First of all, there really is no choice of which is best as it depends on what kind of info is needed to answer the business objectives. Secondly, since mobile is ubiquitous, it is a channel for data collection and participation to support the “competing” methodologies.

The unique things about mobile compared to the other new MR methodologies are the ability to be with the customer at the point of purchase or consumption. With mobile, we are always within 2 meters of the customer.

One more quick point about mobile, and that it is more than our phones and tablets. It’s the internet of things and the ability to connect with people wherever they may be, It’s about connecting with refrigerators, cars, tv’s and wearable devices. The real key to using mobile successfully is deciding what kind of data is needed, and what decisions can be supported with these data.