Who is the MR Heretic?

If you’re a Next Gen market researcher who’s on Twitter or reads blogs, chances are you’ve heard of The Market Research Heretic. @MRHeretic, maintains a blog called Market Research Death Watch which is now being quoted by mainstream research pundits.

For his no pulled punches, often scorching commentary on the market research industry, the MR Heretic is loved by many and probably also hated by a few. I’ve long been a fan, and find that we usually agree.

I think some of the allure of the MR Heretic has to do with anonymity. While we’ve gained so much from the connected and open nature of social networks, I feel we’ve also lost the power to comment on things freely. MR Heretic fills this important need for many market researchers.

All we know about the MR Heretic is the brief self description available on his blog which reads, “I am the growing multitude of people in the Market Research industry who have realized that the status quo is obsolete, and we face a choice between evolution and extinction”.

About a week ago I learned the Heretic was looking for me online. We caught up and chatted for nearly two hours about research innovation and technology. While he wouldn’t tell me exactly who he was I did ask a few innocuous fun questions to get a sense of the man (I asked) behind the mask.

My hunches seemed fairly close. Though he is a Blade Runner fan, it’s just one of many movies he likes, “V for Vandetta is also up there ;)”. I had pegged him as a gamer, and he admitted to social/casual play, and if musical tastes tell you anything, he’s somewhat eclectic enjoying everything from Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, and Classical, to Rap (Tupac & Biggie).

I decided to invite him to an interview, to which he agreed. So check back sometime next week if you’re interested in learning a bit more about the MR Heretic in his first ever Interview!