Unlike most B2C marketers, many B2B companies invest little or no resources (both time and money) in understanding brand awareness, but Harvard Business School Marketing Professor John Quelch challenges this position. His reasons:

• Most B2B marketers cannot economically address thousands of small businesses using the traditional direct sales force.
• If left unattended, individual managers will each do their own ad hoc marketing.
• B2B marketers are realizing that developing brand awareness among their customers' customers can capture a larger share of channel margins and build loyalty that can protect them against lower-priced competitors.

To provide direction and guidance for market research initiatives for the coming year, Unity Marketing recently conducted a year-end user needs survey across its client base. With over 100 respondents, primarily C-suite and marketing executives, as well as entrepreneurs, the survey included a number of questions that weren’t specific to Unity Marketing. Rather, the results reveal the most pressing concerns for businesses of all types, especially those aiming at the affluent consumer segment — the top 20 percent based upon income. Here is what we discovered.

The mobile health market could reach an astounding $86.6 billion by 2020, a yearly increase of 20.8 percent over a five-year period, according to Kalorama Information. In the race to re-imagine patient care, a number of innovative companies are creating new, breakthrough solutions that allow patients to access medical care from the comfort of their homes.

Whether you’d like to to text a therapist, or video conference with a doctor, a variety of services and mobile apps are being released to accommodate different needs and preferences. This dynamic field is quickly becoming crowded with competitors, and we can expect to see big shifts in the coming years as companies jostle for position and test new business models.

Lucinda Lawson, a one-time university professor, was 48 when she became the owner of the Clifton Wine Shop & Tasting Room in Clifton, Virginia, three years ago. She’s among the many baby boomers and gen Xers who are switching gears and turning to entrepreneurship in the second halves of their lives.

The percentage of entrepreneurs ages 55 to 64 grew from 14 percent in 1996 to 23 percent in 2013, according to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The savviest of these late-blooming entrepreneurs know better than to rely on hunches when evaluating whether to move forward with a prospective business.

Profound is committed to delivering an exceptional user experience — one that is simple and intuitive — so that you can access the information you need instantly. From the moment you log on to our platform, we want you to feel confident that you have the all right tools to find what you are looking for quickly and easily.

In 2015, the market experienced a stampede of wearable devices. Consumers had access to some of the newest tech devices that were able to track movement, heartbeats, location, and more. However, many consumers found that these wearables came up short. Costs were high, and expectations for accuracy were not always met. Wearable devices held a 30 percent return rate and high product abandonment after six months.

This doesn’t mean consumers should give up hope. Although our main introduction to wearables has consisted of watches and wristbands, the future is looking even bigger, and is more focused on smart textiles and clothing.

In this series, we highlight specific research companies on MarketResearch.com so users can learn more about the resources that are available on our website. Through question-and-answer interviews, we delve into each research company's unique expertise and how they help businesses develop winning strategies. Today, we’re interviewing Occams Business Research, a global provider of information services that spans multiple industry verticals and geographies. Learn more about this market research provider in the interview below.

What trends should market researchers expect in 2016? To find out, we asked a variety of executives and thought leaders to share their predictions for the coming year. Our sources include industry veterans at established firms, as well as a number of innovative entrepreneurs.

These respondents cited a range of influential factors including the role of mobile devices, big data, and social analytics in understanding consumer behavior. New technological developments could help market researchers unlock real-time data and answer strategic business questions more quickly and accurately. To find out more about these trends, check out the series of quotes below. 

In 2015, the manufacturing and construction industries experienced high growth in profits and innovation. A number of trends gained momentum including the Internet of Things, next-shoring, and an increase in commercial buildings, single-family homes, and manufacturing plant construction.

To sustain and even surpass this year’s growth, companies will need to understand the trends that are expected to impact these industries in 2016. A range of factors such as e-commerce, robotics, security concerns, and green initiatives will influence these industries in the year to come. Read on to learn more.  

In this series, we spotlight specific publishers on Profound and MarketResearch.com. Through Q&A discussions, we highlight each publisher's unique expertise and how they help businesses get the insights they need to achieve mission-critical objectives. Today, we’re interviewing the Freedonia Group, a leading international market research company that publishes more than 400 studies annually. Learn more about them in the post below.