Introduction
When thinking about the future of any industry, it is important to not lose sight of the challenges you might be facing today. Whether you’re a media analyst, medic, or market researcher, it’s essential to understand how today will impact tomorrow.
Honestly assessing problems and pain points often plays a critical role in developing solutions that make life easier for both your organization and your customers alike.
Wanting to understand more about how market research and insights professionals attempt to remain clearheaded when it comes to accepting current challenges and devising, and deploying, strategies for change, Cint spoke with a panel of industry experts, each of whom outlined problems they were facing throughout 2024 — and what needs to change in 2025.
Quality remains key
High quality data is at the heart of market research. Fredrik Augustsson, Head of Analytics and Data Quality at Odyssey, a Swedish brand tech company that is working to digitalize and automate the traditional market research industry, sourcing that data is of the utmost importance.
“One challenge for the industry is getting your hands on high-quality data that tells you what the market looks like and what clients want and what the future will look like tomorrow,” Augustsson says. “When it comes to that, the business needs high-quality panel providers.”
Costs remain a worry
As any market researcher will tell you, accessing high-quality data and high-quality panel providers costs money. With budgets remaining tight, this can prove a challenge.
Nik Samoylov, founder of Conjointly, a platform for conjoint analysis, a technique of discrete choice experimentation that helps brands and researchers understand the trade-offs people make between options when people buy products, is open about the challenging impacts that budgetary constraints can have on organizations looking for high quality insights.

“People are talking about budgets, if they’re increasing or decreasing. Mostly they talk about decreasing budgets.”
Mike Conte, Director for Survey Solutions at Marist Poll, an academic organization run by Marist College that’s best known for comprehensive public opinion and media partnership polling, also raises concerns about potential fiscal limitations.
“It’s no longer the early 2000s where people had six figure research budgets. People have a fraction of that, and Cint has allowed us to offer lower price point research,” says Conte. “We now have product offerings that fit most budgets rather than just looking for people who have over six figures to spend.”
“People are talking about budgets, if they’re increasing or decreasing. Mostly they talk about decreasing budgets.“

Nik Samoylov
Founder of Conjointly
Reality bites
Market research doesn’t exist in a bubble. “Consumers live in an increasingly fragmented and less predictable world, and the overall impact of stressful national and global events is just adding fuel to that fire,” says Mark Wiser, Managing Partner of Wiser Insights Group.
“We found it’s more of a challenge to get to the truth about a consumer than it might’ve been five years ago.”

Despite those challenges, Wiser remains optimistic. “We have to continue to evolve the way we glean information about consumers, understanding what seems to be a motivator that’s topical and short-term versus something that’s inextricably linked to their DNA so we can provide information that’s more timeless for our clients, who are, in many cases, making decisions that need to bear fruit for five to 10 years.”
Conclusion
Any and all industries have their own challenges and difficulties. What’s important is recognizing them and understanding how best to work through them for both your organization and your customers.
Want to keep abreast of how challenges in market research and media measurement will be tackled head-on throughout 2025 and beyond? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn page.