Observations without meaning

A lot of consumer research is commissioned by marketers to find out what consumers are really thinking, feeling, and desiring. Too often it is forgotten that research does not tell you anything new or original. It can only verify or falsify an existing theory. Research without a concept, without a clear question or theory is nothing than a compilation of experimental facts, devoid of meaning. The French thinker Auguste Comte prefers to call it “empiricism emptied of meaning”.

Any market research needs a theory that guides its work. Too often marketers expect that research projects provide answers. But theories and concepts provide answers while research can only assess their level of correctness and truthfulness. Observations are important but they only gain meaning within the boundaries of a theory. Einstein summarizes it well when he says “It is theory, and only theory, that decides what must be observed.” More marketers should study the basics of sociology and social theory to make marketing research truly productive and meaningful.