Live issue/market research society: the latest MRS conference saw researchers attacking agencies. (Close-Up).

Before I launch into this, a bit of context is required. Each year the Market Research Society holds a conference with keynote speakers from the research community discussing new ideas and techniques. Tradition has it that the Account Planning Group hosts a debate at the conference -- a sort of cross between sport (planner baiting), light entertainment and an attempt at seriousness. This year was no exception. Having spent the past few debates attacking the research industry, we decided to turn the spotlight on ourselves with the motion: "Ad agencies are always accusing researchers of lacking originality, but haven't they been doing the same thing in the same way for years?"

Vincent Nolan of 2CV Research proposed the motion and vividly demonstrated his point by showing an SR Gibbs commercial from 1956 with rushing mountain streams, snow and ice drawing an analogy between oral freshness and ice. This was followed by a 2001 version -- a current McLeans ad -- with two youngsters kissing in an icy cavern to the tune of As Cold as Ice. So that was content dealt with. "I have been through more than 100 ad agency lobbies and boardrooms in the past 15 years," he claimed. "And sometimes you have to pinch yourself to remember which one you are in." There goes style. And finally he accused us of being obsessed with the 30-second commercial and pressad.

This was a good opening for Louise Jones of PHD to mount her defence. She cited many examples of original campaigns -- from the now institutionalised Tango to the never-ending originality of The Economist executions. She contended that the impetus for much of this originality stems from media fragmentation, with the average person exposed to thousands of commercial messages in thousands of places, from the side of the Houses of Parliament to the bald heads of consumers. Her counter-attack was that "no research I have ever seen adequately measures the effect of the media idea or its ...