Happy Holidays!
In this final 2007 edition of our newsletter, we would like to address a "global" topic that will continue to shape and challenge the industry in 2008 and beyond: offshoring of services.

The impact of offshoring extends beyond market research and impacts our clients directly--our colleagues in the marketing function.

Marketing Professionals: Offshoring Intentions
A recent study released on November 29, 2007 by the Marketing Executives Networking Group reveals that 77% of marketing professionals currently do not offshore any part of the marketing process. Attitudinally:

• Half of all senior marketers are not in favor of offshoring the marketing process
• 1 out of 4 are in favor
• The balance remains undecided

Market Research Professionals: Offshoring Intentions
As indicated in the graphics below, only 1 out of 7 market research professionals plan to offshore MR services as of mid 2007. This is approximately half the rate of our marketing colleagues.

As research professionals, are we being too conservative? Are marketers being too aggressive? Or have we both missed the mark--either too high or too low? We believe it depends on the expected benefits and the needs of the ultimate end-client.

Attitudes Toward Offshoring Market Research Services
When offshoring (as with manufacturing, customer service, information technology or other functional areas), the general business objective is to obtain lower cost, faster turnaround, or greater/24x7 availability with comparable or superior quality.

Through MarketResearchCareers’ 2007 Survey of Market Research Professionals, it is clear that MR professionals (including MR suppliers) believe offshoring portions of the MR function help to manage expenses. But it also erodes quality without significantly improving turnaround time.

Based upon our discussions with clients and industry veterans, we do not foresee a substantial increase in the amount of client-facing marketing or market research activities offshored in the coming years.

Whatever your position, we hope the above attitudes will be helpful when discussing or planning your company's market research strategy--and how to best meet the needs of your clients.

Next Steps
Early next year, we will be conducting our 2008 Annual Survey of Market Research Professionals. We will revisit the topic of offshoring and explore other emerging topics of importance to the Market Research industry. We hope you will take a few minutes to participate and share your opinions.

Until then, have a wonderful holiday season!

About the Survey: N=237 Market Research Professionals conducted in March, 2007. Please contact us for additional information regarding this survey, 2007 Annual Survey of Market Research Professionals.

Mike Carroll
800-872-5401
mcarroll@marketresearchcareers.com
www.marketresearchcareers.com