the burtch works study...founded by linda burtch, who has 30+ years’ experience in quantitative...

The Burtch Works Study

Salaries of Marketing Research Professionals December 2018

Linda Burtch

Managing Director

Karla Ahern & Kit Nordmark

Executive Recruiters

© 2018 Burtch Works LLC THE BURTCH WORKS STUDY 2

Section 1: Introduction 3

Marketing Research in 2018: Key Trends & Implications 4

This Year’s Compensation Insights 6

About Burtch Works 7

Section 2: Compensation Changes 8

The Sample 9

How Changes in Compensation Were Measured 9

Changes in Base Salaries 10

Section 3: Demographic Profile & Current Compensation 13

Job Category 14

Education 16

Region 18

Industry 20

Gender 22

Years of Experience 23

Section 4: Appendix A/Study Objective & Design 24

Study Objective 25

Why The Burtch Works Studies Are Unique 25

The Sample 25

How Changes in Compensation Were Measured 26

Identifying Marketing ResearchProfessionals 26

Completeness & Age of Data 26

Segmentations of Marketing Research Professionals 27

Section 5: Appendix B/Glossary 29

Glossary of Terms 30

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Table of

Contents

http://www.burtchworks.com/

mailto:[email protected]

© 2018 Burtch Works LLC THE BURTCH WORKS STUDY | MARKETING RESEARCH 3

SECTION 1

Introduction


Marketing Research in 2018: Key Trends & Implications

This marks our sixth-annual Burtch Works Study reporting on marketing research salaries across the

field. After a few years of holding steady, this year’s analysis shows salary increases at all levels,

which also supports other trends we’ve been tracking recently that suggest the market is heating

up again.

Before diving into the data, we wanted to examine some of the signs we’ve observed that

indicate a robust market, as well as other key hiring market trends that we anticipate will be major

factors in 2019.

Key Trends & Implications

1. Research & Insights Salaries Are Increasing

After several years of salary levels remaining fairly steady, we are pleased to see increases over

last year for research and insights professionals at all job levels on both the client- and supplier-

side. There are also several other indications that the marketing research field is experiencing

growth.

What this means for researchers: Even with a marked increase in salaries, we always advise

researchers to prioritize long-term growth and consider all aspects of a new opportunity

when evaluating career moves. These increases are not so high that you need to consider

jumping ship immediately in order to get more money. If you do decide to make a change,

it should support your long-term plans and fall along the trajectory of your career goals, not

just a short-term salary bump.

What this means for employers: Now more than ever, it may be time to reevaluate your

internal salary bands, especially if they haven’t been adjusted in a few years. Realistically,

you can’t expect to land the best talent if your salary bands don’t keep pace with the

market. If you truly cannot adjust them, then consider sign-on bonuses or spot bonuses

throughout the year, but understand that most candidates tend to favor the certainty of a

stronger base salary over a potential bonus.

2. The Research & Insights Market is Healthy

Our research from early 2018 found that companies on both the client- and supplier-side

were planning to hire in the first half of the year, and we were happy to see this trend

continue throughout the year. In particular, there seems to be the most activity for mid-level

positions requiring a range of 5-15 years of research experience.

Notably, many of the companies we worked with over the past year have had multiple

research and insights roles open concurrently. The bulk of these openings were brand new

positions born out of organic growth instead of replacement positions or roles to backfill,

which is a good sign of a strong market.

What this means for researchers: While the outlook for the research and insights industry

is healthy, it is still important for researchers to take a proactive approach to managing

their careers and keep a pulse on developments taking place in the broader market.

If you’re starting to consider kicking off a search, one of the first things to think about

updating is your LinkedIn profile, which is the first place recruiters (like Burtch Works)

and internal human resources teams will review when looking into your candidacy.

Also, work to keep your resume current. Even if you’re not actively looking now, you’ll

be happy that you have a resume ready to go should you hear about an exciting

opportunity that you’d like to pursue.


What this means for employers: With a healthy research and insights landscape and salaries

on the rise, companies should be aware that the market is becoming even more

competitive for strong talent. Candidates often need to make decisions quickly and may

find themselves fielding multiple offers when in an active search. Look for ways to streamline

the interview process and ensure candidates have smooth interactions with HR along the

way. And, keep in mind that personal touches during the hiring process (such as a personal

reach-out or even gear with your company logo) can help differentiate your company and

close the deal.

Other Hiring Market Trends

1. Innovation seems to be a strong focus for many companies across industries, and we’ve seen

many organizations (both research suppliers and corporations with internal research teams)

building and expanding upon their new product development and innovation capabilities.

2. Voice of the Customer (VOC) and customer experience continue to be sought-after skills in the

current market. We’ve seen an uptick in the request for strong researchers with experience in

VOC, and according to our flash survey from earlier in the year, these two areas are also of high

interest to many researchers.

3. Tech companies continue to expand their teams, and we’re starting to see user experience (UX)

incorporated into more research and analytics groups. As more companies seek to improve the

usability and accessibility of their products, UX is an area that gives researchers the opportunity to

make a direct impact on interactions with customers.

4. Mergers, acquisitions, and reorganizations within some of the most prominent research suppliers

have left many researchers on the supplier-side open to or actively looking for new roles. For client-

side employers on the hunt for experienced talent, this could be an opportunity to add

researchers with strong hands-on skills to the internal team.

Closing Thoughts

In closing, the strong salary increases and team expansion we’ve observed over the past year are

key indicators that the research market is healthy. As areas such as innovation, VOC, and UX

continue to expand, we’re excited to see how their growth will impact the research space and

what new practices may surface in the years to come.

Over the past six years, our reports on the compensation and trends in this space have aimed to

shed light on salaries, demographics, and trends as they emerge and evolve, and we look forward

to another year of contributing our insights to the field!


This Year’s Compensation Insights

Compensation and demographic data for 879 marketing researchers is shared in this 6th edition

report, an update to our November 2017 release of The Burtch Works Study: Salaries of Marketing

Research Professionals. This data was collected during the months ending September 2018.

Our salary studies report:

Base salary variations of marketing researchers, working for both supplier- and client-side

organizations.

The proportions eligible for a bonus, and the median and mean bonus targets.

How base salaries have changed since last year’s study.

How salaries of marketing researchers vary based on several characteristics including job

level, industry, region, and education.

Supplier-side: The median base salary of supplier-side researchers at level 1 is $65,000 and

increases, based on job level, up to $125,500 for those at level 3. Over 59% of all professionals on

the supplier side are bonus eligible, and the median bonus target varies from $5,000 to $18,000

depending on specific job level.

Client-side: Marketing researchers on the client-side earn higher base salaries, are more likely to

be bonus eligible, and have larger bonus targets than those on the supplier-side. Client-side

researchers at level 1 earn a median base salary of $78,240, which increases to $140,000 for those

at level 3, and $197,500 at level 5. More than 70% of all client side researchers are eligible to

receive bonus pay. Those at level 1 have a median bonus target of $8,200 increasing to $48,750

for those at level 5.

A year of growth: When compared to 2017 data, median base salaries at all job levels showed

some increase. For supplier-side researchers, salaries increased at levels 1 and 2 and showed a

marginal bump at level 3. For client-side researchers, salaries increased at all levels with levels 1

and 4 showing double-digit percentage point growth. At level 5, the median base salary increase

was nominal, indicating that salaries at the highest level are holding steady. The general trend

toward increasing salaries is likely due to an active market with many companies competing for

the best talent.

For additional details about how salaries vary compared to last year, see Section 2.

For complete information about how salaries vary by demographic characteristics, see Section 3.


About Burtch Works

Founded by Linda Burtch, who has 30+ years’ experience in quantitative recruiting, Burtch Works

is the leading resource for difficult-to-find, highly qualified marketing research and analytics talent.

Burtch Works has built a strong and diverse network of thousands of professionals in these areas,

and our specific focus and deep industry knowledge allow us to understand the nuanced aspects

of the specialties we serve, and to continually evaluate the ever-changing talent marketplace.

Because of our strong relationships with both professionals and companies, we have the

opportunity to examine hiring and compensation trends from a unique vantage point, and so

Burtch Works publishes several landmark studies each year that investigate demographic and

compensation data for marketing research, predictive analytics, and data science professionals.

The Burtch Works Studies provide a comprehensive view of compensation and demographic data

for these professionals, and contain critical information for individuals mapping their career

strategy and for hiring managers hoping to recruit and retain qualified additions to their teams.

Burtch Works has established itself as an industry expert through features in The New York Times,

The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNBC, Mashable, the American Marketing Association’s Marketing

News magazine, and more, as well as joint industry surveys with Forrester Research,

DataScience.com, and a collaboration with the International Institute for Analytics (IIA). This year

Burtch Works is proud to have been recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Recruiting

Firms.

Karla Ahern and Kit Nordmark lead the marketing research recruiting team at Burtch Works and

both started their careers within marketing research. Ms. Ahern first worked on-site at PepsiCo for

IRI, before moving to Knowledge Networks where she focused on custom research initiatives in

media, CPG, and pharmaceuticals. Before joining Burtch Works, she led business development

and digital media effectiveness programs for Dimestore Media now a part of GfK

Ms. Nordmark worked in the marketing research field with a focus in qualitative research, most

recently at The Futures Company (now operating as Kantar Consulting). Prior to that, she was a

research director at TRU, a boutique insights firm specializing in the youth demographic.


SECTION 2

Marketing Research

Professionals:

Compensation Changes


The Sample

This sample contains 879 of the nearly 13,000 marketing researchers with whom Burtch Works

maintains contact. Burtch Works collected the data for this study during interviews conducted

over the months ending September 2018, which is the period immediately following the period of

interviews for the 2017 study. Professionals were included in the sample only if (1) they satisfied

Burtch Works’ criteria for marketing researchers, and (2) Burtch Works obtained complete

information about that individual’s compensation, demographic, and job characteristics.

How Changes in Compensation Were Measured

While some of the 879 researchers in this sample were also in the samples for our previous studies

(published in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017), others were not. Therefore, changes in

compensation were not measured by differencing current compensation and compensation

reported for the previous study and then taking medians (and other percentiles) of the

differences. Instead, changes were measured by comparing medians (and other percentiles) of

current compensation to those reported in last year’s study.


Changes in Base Salaries

At all job levels, median base salaries increased.

For supplier-side researchers, salaries increased at levels 1 and 2. Median base salaries

at level 3 increased slightly.

For client-side researchers, salaries increased at all levels though the increase for the

most senior professionals (level 5) was nominal.

The largest percentage increase in base salary was seen among level 1 client-side

researchers (12%), followed closely by level 4 client-side professionals (10%).

Client-side professionals at level 5 and supplier-side professionals at level 3 both saw

minor increases in median base salary (1%) and (<1%) indicating salaries at the more

experienced level are holding steady across the board.


$0 $50,000 $100,000 $150,000 $200,000

C-5

C-4

C-3

C-2

C-1

S-3

S-2

S-1Supplier

Level 1

Client

Level 2

Client

Level 3

Client

Level 4

Supplier

Level 2

Client

Level 1

Figure 1 Comparison of Marketing Research Professionals’ Median Base Salaries by Job Category

2018

2017

+8%

+12%

+7%

+8%

+1%

*See page 27 for job category definitions.

Supplier

Level 3

Client

Level 5

+<1%

+6%

+10%


Job Level Year 25% Median 75%

Supplier

Level 1

2018 $57,500 $65,000 $76,000

2017 54,000 60,000 65,000

Change +6% +8% +17%

Supplier

Level 2

2018 75,000 84,500 100,000

2017 72,375 80,000 90,000

Change +4% +6% +11%

Supplier

Level 3

2018 100,000 125,500 165,000

2017 100,000 125,000 157,000

Change 0% +<1% +5%

Job Level Year 25% Median 75%

Client Side

Level 1

2018 $70,000 $78,240 $90,000

2017 65,000 70,000 78,000

Change +8% +12% +15%

Client Side

Level 2

2018 100,000 110,000 123,000

2017 91,625 102,500 115,000

Change +9% +7% +7%

Client Side

Level 3

2018 130,000 140,000 154,000

2017 120,000 130,000 143,000

Change +8% +8% +8%

Client Side

Level 4

2018 158,000 170,000 182,000

2017 140,200 155,000 170,000

Change +13% +10% +7%

Client Side

Level 5

2018 173,875 197,500 223,750

2017 180,000 195,000 235,000

Change -3% +1% -5%

Figure 2 Change in Base Salaries of Supplier Side Research Professionals by Job Level

Figure 3 Change in Base Salaries of Client Side Research Professionals by Job Level



SECTION 3

Marketing Research

Professionals:

Demographic Profile &

Current Compensation


Compensation | Job Category

As the level within each job category increases, the median base salaries of marketing

researchers increases along with their experience. Supplier-side researchers at level 1

earn a median base salary of $65,000, which increases to $84,500 and $125,500 at

levels 2 and 3, respectively. On the client-side, level 1 professionals have a median

base salary of $78,240, $110,000 for those at level 2, $140,000 at level 3, and $170,000

and $197,500 at levels 4 and 5 respectively.

Over 59% of all marketing researchers are eligible to receive bonuses. Among

researchers on the client-side, more than 70% are bonus eligible and median bonus

targets range from $8,200 at level 1 to $48,750 at level 5. Median bonus targets among

supplier-side researchers varies from $5,000 at level 1 up to $18,000 at level 3.


Supplier Side

Job Level Base Salary Bonus Target

N 25% Median Mean 75% Eligible Median Mean

Level 1 75 $57,500 $65,000 $66,213 $76,000 59.7% $5,000 $6,383

Level 2 106 $75,000 $84,500 $88,520 $100,000 82.4% $7,800 $10,662

Level 3 188 $100,000 $125,500 $136,534 $165,000 83.1% $18,000 $24,357

Client Side

Job Level Base Salary Bonus Target

N 25% Median Mean 75% Eligible Median Mean

Level 1 123 $70,000 $78,240 $80,271 $90,000 70.7% $8,200 $9,894

Level 2 135 $100,000 $110,000 $111,319 $123,000 88.9% $14,800 $16,108

Level 3 121 $130,000 $140,000 $141,921 $154,000 95.7% $23,400 $26,090

Level 4 97 $158,000 $170,000 $172,270 $182,000 98.9% $38,640 $40,392

Level 5 34 $173,875 $197,500 $204,676 $223,750 96.9% $48,750 $58,888

Figure 4 Compensation of Supplier-Side Research Professionals by Job Level

Figure 5 Compensation of Client-Side Research Professionals by Job Level

$0

$20,000

$40,000

$60,000

$80,000

$100,000

$120,000

$140,000

$160,000

$180,000

$200,000

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5

$80K

$120K

$160K

$200K

Figure 6 Median and Mean Base Salaries of Marketing Researchers by Job Category

Supplier Side

Client Side

Median Mean


$40K


Demographics & Compensation | Education

All marketing researchers in this year’s sample hold a college degree, and 57% hold

an advanced degree; 25% hold a Master’s degree, 26% hold an M.B.A, and another

6% hold a Ph.D.

At nearly every job level, marketing researchers with an advanced degree (Master’s,

MBA, or PhD) earn higher base salaries.

Bachelor's

43%

Master's

25%

MBA

26%

Ph.D.

6%

Figure 7 Distribution of Marketing Research Professionals by Education


Job Level Education Base Salary

25% Median Mean 75%

Supplier Side

Level 1

Bachelor’s $57,750 $62,000 $64,591 $73,250

Master’s $57,000 $65,000 $66,333 $75,000

MBA - - - -

Supplier Side

Level 2

Bachelor’s $71,250 $80,000 $85,236 $99,000

Master's $75,000 $82,000 $90,708 $100,000

MBA $85,000 $90,000 $92,559 $97,000

Supplier Side

Level 3

Bachelor’s $93,500 $115,000 $123,331 $148,750

Master’s $111,000 $135,000 $152,988 $178,500

MBA $110,000 $148,000 $145,694 $171,850

Job Level Education Base Salary

25% Median Mean 75%

Client Side

Level 1

Bachelor’s $70,000 $75,000 $77,042 $87,000

Master's $71,250 $80,000 $82,408 $88,750

MBA $70,000 $80,000 $81,478 $92,000

Client Side

Level 2

Bachelor’s $95,000 $106,000 $108,168 $123,500

Master’s $100,000 $110,000 $110,439 $120,000

MBA $100,000 $109,000 $110,564 $117,750

Client Side

Level 3

Bachelor’s $120,000 $136,000 $135,579 $154,500

Master's $130,000 $140,000 $140,112 $153,000

MBA $130,000 $140,000 $142,074 $150,000

Client Side

Level 4

Bachelor’s $162,500 $172,000 $173,185 $200,000

Master's $155,000 $165,000 $171,800 $185,000

MBA $161,000 $170,000 $172,658 $180,000

Client Side

Level 5

Bachelor’s $155,000 $182,500 $188,923 $200,000

MBA $175,750 $195,000 $211,286 $240,000

Figure 8 Distribution of Base Salaries of Supplier-Side Researchers by Job Level & Education

Figure 9 Distribution of Base Salaries of Client-Side Researchers by Job Level & Education


Demographics & Compensation | Region

Salaries vary by geographic region. At many job levels, marketing researchers

employed in the West Coast region are paid higher median base salaries when

compared to other regions in the U.S. This difference was more pronounced for

client-side researchers.

Compared to previous years, the difference among salaries in the Northeast and

Middle U.S. regions has narrowed so that median base salaries in both regions are

similar at most levels.

Job Level Region Base Salary

25% Median Mean 75%

Supplier Side

Level 1

Northeast $60,000 $66,500 $68,250 $80,000

Middle U.S. $54,000 $65,000 $62,621 $70,000

West Coast $60,000 $65,500 $68,727 $80,000

Supplier Side

Level 2

Northeast $75,000 $80,000 $88,441 $93,250

Middle U.S. $73,250 $82,000 $86,027 $98,000

West Coast $77,500 $100,000 $95,868 $107,500

Supplier Side

Level 3

Northeast $98,000 $120,000 $142,718 $177,500

Middle U.S. $100,000 $125,500 $134,620 $153,500

West Coast $115,000 $128,500 $136,380 $160,000

Figure 10 Distribution of Base Salaries of Supplier-Side Researchers by Job Level & Region


*Client-side level 5 omitted due to small sample size in some regions.

Job Level Region Base Salary

25% Median Mean 75%

Client Side

Level 1

Northeast $75,000 $77,000 $76,790 $80,000

Middle U.S. $70,000 $78,000 $79,560 $90,000

West Coast $82,500 $98,000 $93,800 $100,000

Client Side

Level 2

Northeast $95,000 $110,000 $112,669 $124,500

Middle U.S. $100,000 $107,500 $108,766 $120,000

West Coast $120,000 $124,000 $123,629 $128,750

Client Side

Level 3

Northeast $130,000 $138500 $140,729 $153,750

Middle U.S. $125,000 $136,500 $138,144 $150,000

West Coast $130,000 $148,688 $153,324 $161,000

Client Side

Level 4

Northeast $157,500 $170,000 $174,393 $200,000

Middle U.S. $155,000 $165,000 $170,759 $180,000

West Coast $165,000 $175,000 $173,000 $182,750

Figure 11 Distribution of Base Salaries of Client-side Researchers by Job Level & Region


Demographics & Compensation | Industry

On the supplier-side, gaps in median base salary between industries have narrowed

compared to previous years, showing some consistency across firms.

On the client-side, CPG continues to be one of the highest paying industries at many

job levels, with the Technology/Telecom industry also paying strong base salaries.

Job Level Industry Base Salary

25% Median Mean 75%

Supplier Side

Level 1

Advertising/Marketing $58,500 $65,000 $64,406 $76,000

Consulting - - - -

MR Supplier $58,000 $65,000 $66,545 $72,000

Supplier Side

Level 2


Consulting - - - -

MR Supplier $75,000 $85,000 $87,717 $100,000

Supplier Side

Level 3


Consulting $104,000 $135,000 $139,103 $165,500

MR Supplier $100,000 $127,500 $132,684 $153,000

Figure 12 Distribution of Base Salaries of Supplier Side Researchers by Job Level & Industry


Job Level Industry Base Salary

25% Median Mean 75%

Client Side

Level 1

CPG $73,000 $82,000 $83,245 $92,000

Retail - - - -

Tech/Telecom $69,000 $75,000 $78,667 $89,250

Other Corporate $70,000 $77,625 $79,615 $90,000

Client Side

Level 2

CPG $102,500 $110,000 $113,753 $125,000

Retail $100,000 $109,000 $109,800 $118,500

Tech/Telecom $95,000 $120,000 $111,846 $123,000

Other Corporate $95,000 $106,000 $109,347 $120,000

Client Side

Level 3

CPG $130,000 $139,000 $136,326 $150,000

Retail $119,000 $133,000 $136,263 $150,000

Tech/Telecom $130,000 $136,000 $149,307 $154,000

Other Corporate $130,000 $150,000 $145,394 $157,000

Client Side

Level 4

CPG $165,000 $172,000 $179,737 $182,000

Retail - - - -

Tech/Telecom $152,500 $170,000 $172,513 $203,500

Other Corporate $152,500 $166,500 $168,259 $179,000

Figure 13 Distribution of Base Salaries of Client Side Researchers by Job Level & Industry

*Due to small cell sizes, individuals in Other Corporations, Healthcare/Pharma, and Financial Services were

combined into “Other Corporate” category. Level 5 professionals are not reported due to small sample size.


Demographics | Gender

Similar to previous years, women account for slightly more than half of marketing

researchers (54%), while men account for a little less than half (46%).

Male

46%

Female

54%

Figure 14 Distribution of Marketing Research Professionals by Gender


Demographics | Years of Experience

Nearly 44% of marketing researchers have 10 or fewer years of experience.

The median years of experience this year is 12, and the mean is 10.7 years in the

industry.

Note: The recruiters at Burtch Works do not ask the age of the professionals with whom they work.

However, they do ask them for their years of work experience, which is highly correlated with age, and

shown above is the distribution of marketing researchers by years of experience. Salary information is not

shown here, however, because salaries are indirectly related to years of experience through job category.

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

0-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 31-35

Nu

mb

er

of P

rofe

ssio

na

ls

Years of Experience

Figure 15 Distribution of Marketing Research Professionals by Years of Experience

Median: 12.0 years

Mean: 10.7 years


SECTION 4

Appendix A:

Study Objective & Design


Study Objective

This study is a follow-up to our prior reports, The Burtch Works Study: Salaries of Marketing

Research Professionals, published each year since 2013. The purpose is to show (1) current

compensation of marketing researchers and how it varies by demographic variables, and (2)

how their compensation has changed since last year’s report. By continuing to interview and

gather information from marketing researchers annually, Burtch Works can show short- and long-

term compensation trends for the marketing research industry.

Why The Burtch Works Studies Are Unique

As experts in recruiting marketing researchers, and as a result of our long-term relationships with

both companies hiring research professionals and the professionals themselves, we have unique

access to salary and bonus information within the industry. Our research is distinct in several

ways:

It focuses exclusively on marketing research professionals and is not confounded

with or derived from compensation data of other industries.

It comes from direct conversations with marketing research professionals about their

current and former jobs. Traditional salary surveys often obtain their data from human

resources departments, which is typically based on structural salary bands and does

not reflect the variation and granularity that our first-hand data represents.

The Burtch Works Studies show compensation trends by a number of variables. While

traditional salary surveys may also show salary data by years of experience and job

level, Burtch Works goes further to show compensation variations by region, industry,

and education for individual job levels on the client and supplier side.

Marketing researchers are assigned to well-defined and segmented categories. We

carefully separate the sample into well-defined categories that allow our data to be

thoroughly analyzed. For instance, understanding that a research manager on the

client-side often will have different responsibilities than a research professional with

the same title on the supplier-side allows us to group researchers into appropriate

categories and analyze them accordingly. Our knowledge of the nuances of the

industry allows us to create these well-defined and mutually exclusive categories.

The Sample

This sample contains demographic and compensation information for 879 marketing research

professionals. Burtch Works collected the data for this study in interviews conducted over the

months ending September 2018, immediately following the period of interviews for the 2017 study.

Professionals were included in the sample only if (1) they satisfied Burtch Works’ criteria for

marketing research professionals, and (2) Burtch Works obtained complete information about that

individual’s compensation, demographic, and job characteristics.


How Changes in Compensation Were Measured

Some of the 879 marketing researchers in this sample were also included in the samples for our

previous studies (published each year since 2013), but, since others were not, changes in

compensation were not measured by differencing current compensation and compensation

reported for the previous study and taking medians (and other percentiles) of the differences.

Instead, changes were measured by comparing medians (and other percentiles) of current

compensation to those reported in the previous study.

Identifying Marketing Research Professionals

Burtch Works held direct conversations with professionals to explore these individuals’

backgrounds, job responsibilities, education, and areas of expertise to determine those who can

be categorized as marketing research professionals. To be included in the study, an individual

must have experience engaging in primary or secondary consumer or market research. Primary

research includes consumer- and/or shopper-centric studies to understand consumer behaviors

and needs – ranging from exploratory work or segmentations, concept testing or communication

development, innovation or white space analysis, and more. Alternatively, secondary research

entails leveraging existing or syndicated data sources to glean insights.

Marketing researchers typically have an educational background that affords them the skills

needed to be successful conducting research, such as quantitative skills to understand data,

qualitative skills to interpret and present results, and business skills to effectively work in

interdisciplinary teams. As a result, the bulk of marketing research professionals hold at least a

Bachelor’s degree. Additionally, many also hold an advanced degree such as an M.B.A., M.A.,

M.M.R. (Master of Marketing Research), or, less frequently, a Ph.D. (oftentimes in the social

sciences).

Burtch Works’ analysis covers a mix of various specialties within marketing research including

quantitative and qualitative disciplines: consumer insights, shopper insights, Voice of the

Consumer (VoC), category management, syndicated/secondary research, competitive/market

intelligence, and media/audience research.

This study does not cover individuals with specific expertise within predictive analytics, analytics

management, data science, or business intelligence; professionals with predictive analytics and

data science skillsets are separately covered in additional Burtch Works Studies.

Completeness & Age of Data

For this study, Burtch Works included a marketing research professional in the sample only if we

had complete compensation data (salary and bonus eligibility) and up-to-date information of an

individual’s years of experience, geographic region, industry, education, and gender. Each of the

879 individuals in the sample spoke with a Burtch Works recruiter during the period following the

2017 study and ending September 2018.


Segmentations of Marketing Research Professionals

Burtch Works segmented marketing research professionals by demographic and job

characteristics to more fully analyze compensation trends. Marketing researchers are first classified

into two categories depending on whether they are currently employed at a research supplier or

at a client side organization. Within those categories, marketing researchers are then divided into

job levels depending on their years of experience and job title. Additional breakdowns by

geographic region, gender, industry, and education are shown as well.

Supplier-Side Marketing Researchers

Level Typical Job Title* Typical Years

of Experience

Level 1 Research Analyst

Research or Project Manager

Project Director

0-4 years

Level 2 Senior Research Manager

Senior Research or Project Director

Account Manager or Executive

5-9 years

Level 3 Senior Director

Associate Vice President

Vice President

Group Director

10+ years

Client-Side Marketing Researchers

Level Typical Job Title Typical Years

of Experience

Level 1 Analyst

Senior Analyst

0-4 years

Level 2 Associate Manager

Manager

Consultant

5-8 years

Level 3 Senior Manager

Senior Consultant

9-14 years

Level 4 Associate Director

Director

15-24 years

Level 5 Senior Director

Vice President

25+ years

*Job titles are examples of common titles and can vary greatly by organization.


Burtch Works divided the U.S. into these five regions:

Northeast

Southeast

Midwest

Mountain

West Coast *In Figures 10 and 11 on pages 18 & 19, the “Middle U.S.” region refers to a combined area of the

Mountain, Midwest, and Southeast regions shown below.

The firms for which marketing researchers work were separated into these industries, divided by

client vs. supplier side:

Client Side Supplier Side

Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Advertising/Marketing Services

Financial Services Consulting

Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals Marketing Research Supplier

Media/Entertainment

Retail

Technology/Telecommunications

Other Corporate (e.g. hospitality, industrial)

Finally, each marketing researcher was assigned to one of these education categories:

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

M.B.A.

PhD

WEST COAST

MOUNTAIN

MIDWEST

SOUTHEAST

NORTHEAST

Figure 16 U.S. Geographic Regions


SECTION 5

Appendix B:

Glossary


Glossary of Terms

This section provides definitions of terms used in this report.

Average. See Mean.

Base Salary. An individual’s gross annual wages, excluding variable or one-time compensation such as

relocation assistance, sign-on bonuses, bonuses, and long-term incentive plan compensation.

Bonus. Short-term variable compensation, usually awarded annually, such as individual or company

performance-based bonuses. This does not include long-term incentive plan compensation or awards of

stock or stock options.

Client-Side. Designation for a professional who works for a firm in the consumer packaged goods, financial

services, healthcare/pharmaceutical, retail, technology/telecom, or “other” industries (see glossary entry for

“industry”). Client-side marketing research professionals in the Burtch Works sample have all been assigned

to one of five levels:

Level 1: Typically 0-4 years of relevant experience.




Level 5: Typically 25 or more years of relevant experience.

*See page 27 for common job titles for each client-side job level.

Geographic Region. One of five groups of states that together comprise the entire United States. These five

groups of states – Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Mountain, and West Coast – are shown in Figure 16 on page

28.

Industry. One of ten groups of firms employing marketing research professionals. These ten industries are:

Advertising/Marketing Services, Consulting, Consumer Packaged Goods, Financial Services,

Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals, Marketing Research Supplier, Media/Entertainment, Retail, Tech/Telecom,

and Other.

Advertising/Marketing Services: Firms that provide advertising, media planning and buying, and

marketing analysis services to other firms.

Consulting: Firms that include both large corporations and small “boutiques” that provide

professional advice to the managers of other firms.

Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG): Companies whose products are used up and replaced

frequently, such as food and beverages, cleaning products, and toiletries.

Financial Services: Banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, credit card issuers, securities

brokerages, investment advisors, and insurance companies.

Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals: Hospitals, clinics, physicians groups, and other healthcare providers,

and medical device, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Marketing Research Supplier: Firms executing survey research (“primary” marketing research) for

other firms or collecting and syndicating data (“secondary” marketing research).

Media/Entertainment: Traditional publishing firms and television, or other media producers.

Retail: Organizations that purchase goods from manufacturers for resale to consumers.

Tech/Telecom: Telecommunications providers, such as phone companies, and firms providing

technology products and services, such as manufacturers of computers, tablets, phones, and game

players, and also software publishers.


Other: Companies not in the nine industries defined above, such as airline companies, distribution

firms, and hospitality.

*In Figure 13 on page 21 the data for professionals working for Other Corporations, Healthcare/Pharma,

and Financial Services was combined due to small cell sizes, in order to report the most data possible.

Marketing Research Professionals. Individuals who conduct either primary or secondary research to better

understand consumer and/or business needs.

Master’s. A Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Marketing Research or other Master’s degree other

than a Master of Business Administration degree.

M.B.A. Master of Business Administration degree.

Mean. Also known as the average, it is the sum of a set of values divided by the number of values. For

example, the mean of N salaries is the sum of the salaries divided by N.

Median. The value obtained by ordering a set of values from smallest to largest and then taking the value in

the middle, or, if there are an even number of values, by taking the mean of the two values in the middle.

For example, the median of N salaries is the salary for which there are as many salaries that are smaller as

there are salaries that are larger.

M.M.R. Master of Marketing Research degree.

N. The number of observations in a sample, sub-sample, or table cell.

Salary Study. A study conducted to measure the distributions by salary of those in specific occupations.

Traditionally, these studies have been executed by obtaining salary data from the human resources

departments of firms employing professionals in those occupations rather than by interviewing those

employees themselves. However, as noted on page 23, The Burtch Works Studies are conducted through

interviews.

Supplier-Side. Designation for a professional who works for an organization in the advertising/ marketing

services, consulting, or marketing research supplier industries (see glossary entry for “industry”). Supplier-side

marketing research professionals in the Burtch Works sample have all been assigned to one of three levels:



Level 3: Typically 10 or more years of relevant experience.

*See page 27 for common job titles for each supplier side job level.


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