Dr. Joel Vaslow, chief operating officer, MSR Group, gave his lecture titled "Best Practices: ADPR Research" to students and faculty last Thursday, Nov. 10. Senior advertising and public relations student Rachel Quint was among the 30 plus in attendance and came because of her interest to learn more about research as it affects advertising an public relations professionals.
“The speaker was really exciting,” she said. “It is cool to see that the college is actively investing resources in improving the topic of research. I think that one of the big takeaways is that market research is key in making good decisions.”
Vaslow analyzed case studies of brands like GAP and Tropicana, which failed to conduct market research. Vaslow described the background of each case, the measures that were taken and explained the impact that resulted.
“By presenting the case studies, he showed that it is important to do research as a first step in the decision-making process,” Quint said. “And that as a researcher, it is important to do your job by listening to make sure that your research is relevant and yields something of value.”
Vaslow also talked about market research examples from the MSR Group’s direct clients. Specifically, Vaslow explained the step-by-step qualitative and quantitative research process for a current Texas client, Corsicana Bedding. Vaslow’s expertise and enthusiasm about research and the client was clear throughout his entire presentation.
“Dr. Vaslow was great…(and) his passion was great,” said Reece Barnes, senior advertising and public relations student. “(It) was very motivational to see his excitement grow as his presentation unfolded.”
The presentation was live-streamed and can now be found on the CoJMC's YouTube channel for viewing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDF9NA-veXU&app=desktop
***
Vaslow is involved in all aspects of The MSR Group’s operations, including client service, new business development, internal staff development and strategic long-term planning. Vaslow has over 15 years’ experience in market research, customer experience consulting and the integration of consumer feedback and business metrics. He received both his doctorate and master’s degrees from Tulane University and a BA from Washington University in St. Louis. He has presented at numerous conferences and has co-authored articles in several organizational research publications.