David S. Pearson

Background

About David S. Pearson

Experienced Consumer Insights professional and leader privileged to work with some of the most dynamic and well-known brands in the world. Earning that experience through numerous custom research engagements (primary qual & quant) across a variety of industries (B2C and B2B) – all with the ultimate goal of solving some problem and driving business action with improved market intelligence. I enjoy slotting details into a bigger picture. With defined objectives I love to work backward and frame the potential research approaches and steps needed to get to actionable outcomes. Long-term collaboration with industry experts combined with a front row seat to the rapid evolution within Consumer Insights (and marketing in general) continues to excite me as we progress and innovate how to best connect brands and consumers. Consumer Insights requires a duality of science and art. That yin & yang aspect has been key to maintaining my fascination and momentum in the field. With an innate grasp/trust in the precision offered by numbers (aka ‘the science'), I’ve come to recognize that those dots/bars/charts only become meaningful when connected to a hypothesis, enhancing our understanding of consumers/their needs, and then clearly communicated in a way that informs decision-making and drives action (the “art”). I am Methodologist at heart. But also strive to tell a captivating story by creatively visualizing the contents and nuance of relevant data. A process nerd with an entrepreneurial bent saw me work on and help design primary research projects before moving on to business development and client Account Management. This phase of my journey honed client communication and rapport building skills while still being heavily involved in the work (seller/doer model); combining sales with team development and P&L responsibility (as a stand-alone business unit) allowed me to create a ~$8M revenue group within our overall umbrella company. While still having a “custom” insights origin story (B2C and B2B), I have developed a specialization in Global Brand Equity Measurement programs and saw that practice develop into a meaningful growth driver for the business. I specifically managed one of the core founding programs (grew to $6M) and supported many others as the collective business division grew from $5M to ~$50M over 10 years. While it’s true that “you can’t manage what you don’t measure”…… brand measurement alone is meaningless if not linked to actions and outcomes. Experienced enough to know there is always so much more to learn!