Frank and Welter awarded National Reps Award
Read the acknowledgement from your ESOMAR national representatives from Germany and discover how they spread ESOMARs mission in a “saturated” environment
Chris and I felt very happy and honoured receiving the news about being awarded with the 2021 ESOMAR rep award for creating awareness in an established market.
As you, the reader, might be aware the German market research situation is truly complex: We have no less than three professional associations vying for the community's attention. With around 1,300 members, BVM (Berufsverband Deutscher Markt- und Sozialforscher e.V.) is the most important lobby group for market and social researchers in Germany and the ADM (Arbeitskreis Deutscher Markt- und Sozialforschungsinstitute e.V.) is the home of research agencies representing around 80% of the national turnover in the industry. Last not least the DGOF, the German Society for Online Research, being a kind of link between commercial research and academia and committed to the establishment and further development of online research and to the interests of online researchers in Germany.
Not surprisingly, market researchers in Germany have an abundance of possibilities to interact with each other, attend seminars and webinars, annual congresses, and workshops to stay up to date. In addition to activities from the professional associations, there are publishing houses and companies offering online touchpoints (www.marktforschung.de), journals like “Planung & Analyse”, events, and annual gatherings like a trade fair (“Succeet”) or online conferences like “Woche der Marktforschung”. A researcher embarking on an event tour could well spend several days per week all year long socialising, learning and improving their skills. We all know that reality is different.
All in all, a big challenge for ESOMAR's voice to be heard properly. Yes, for sure also a big opportunity, but you need to be creative to find a space in this universe of information overload.
So, we decided to focus on smaller, but continuous steps to promote ESOMAR in our community. As we say in Germany, constant dripping wears the stone.
Sabine Hedewig-Mohr, editor of “Planung & Analyse” and organizer of conferences such as DAIS (Data Analytics and Insights Salon), is a great supporter here. From bringing in our president Kristin Luck for a keynote, across awarding us with primetime conference slots that we could use for 2 panel discussions on the future of insights, right down to regular features in her magazine. In this context, we found that bringing in the global expertise of the Council and the ESOMAR community (thank you Michelle Gansle, Nikki Lavoie, David Smith and the many others that supported us) to Germany has been a viable way to deliver value to the local community.
Cooperation is the name of the game in our remaining activities as well – from joint local community events with BVM, across ESOMAR showcases at the annual Munich fair (formerly Research & Results, now Succeet), to our annual Careers event hosted in collaboration with the Pforzheim University.
The latter event is now scheduled to go into its 5th instalment in 2022 – we hope to celebrate it live at the university, and yet continue to connect university’s as far apart as Luzern and Cologne through a hybrid setup.
So, all in all we work continuously, Rome was also not built in a day. In 2022 we are planning to look closely at the opportunities of hybrid events – hopefully going back to face to face networking, but continuing to bring in our amazing global community, our renowned global senior practitioners and most importantly the Young Researchers / YES community. Speaking of the latter – if we can impart one piece of good advice, then it is this: get in touch with the annual YES Award Contestants, promote their work, feature them in your countries and bring them into your sessions… it’s not just great inspiration, but the best investment we can make into the continued success of ESOMAR as an industry beacon.
Read more about your representatives in Germany
Christoph Welter
ESOMAR Representative, Managing Director at Point-BlankChristoph is Managing Director at Point Blank in Berlin. Connecting the dots between sociology, consumer psychology and marketing, Christoph polished his strategic approach to research for several years before becoming Point Blanks Head of Consumer Research and resident Black Hole.
In the context of the latter, Christoph has made it his personal responsibility to foster complete and utter befuddlement as to the apparent non-relation between his food intake and body weight. When Christoph is not eating or furthering innovation at Point Blank, he also likes to nerd out about fashion, gaming, lifestyle gadgets and music. (His best-of lists are legendary!)
Dirk Frank
ESOMAR Representative, Managing Director at ISM Global DynamicsA graduate psychologist wandering between two worlds for over 20 years: with one foot in (applied) psychology, first as a lecturer in Psychological Methods at the University of Frankfurt and as a Guest/Honorary Professor at the Hochschule Pforzheim on the Market Research BA programme since 2001.
An insights and analytics professional with heart and soul, with the Institute since 1993, always on the lookout for both new and tried-and-tested, highly-integrated research designs and evaluation methods which can make the difference for our customers.
His motto: even when the budget is tight, you don’t have to get involved in every sort crap. Dirk also enjoys being on a “mission for research” work at conferences, workshops and seminars, improving the (market research) world. Dirk has been collaborating with Christoph Welter from Point Blank International since 2017 as a National Representative for ESOMAR in Germany.
Read about the other recipients of the 2021 National Representatives Awards
Dirk Frank
ESOMAR Representative, Managing Director at ISM Global DynamicsA graduate psychologist wandering between two worlds for over 20 years: with one foot in (applied) psychology, first as a lecturer in Psychological Methods at the University of Frankfurt and as a Guest/Honorary Professor at the Hochschule Pforzheim on the Market Research BA programme since 2001.
An insights and analytics professional with heart and soul, with the Institute since 1993, always on the lookout for both new and tried-and-tested, highly-integrated research designs and evaluation methods which can make the difference for our customers.
His motto: even when the budget is tight, you don’t have to get involved in every sort crap. Dirk also enjoys being on a “mission for research” work at conferences, workshops and seminars, improving the (market research) world. Dirk has been collaborating with Christoph Welter from Point Blank International since 2017 as a National Representative for ESOMAR in Germany.