Up until recently, I figured “modern” research began in the 1950s. As a post-war exploitation of a booming consumer populace. Or something like that.

I was wrong. Modern market research arguably dates back to the 1820’s. Long before electricity or telegraphs. A time long ago when fountain pens and matches made “tech” headlines.

According to historians, it started with a straw vote at Wilmington, Delaware. Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay and William Crawford all received votes. The results revealed actionable data to drive decisions.

This behavior caught on and led to the 1929 Census. In the 1930’s, sampling, as we know it today, began.

In the 1990’s market research went online. It became more powerful and cost-effective by several magnitudes. Online survey companies help marketers get their hands on data. Survey Monkey (1999), Qualtrics (2002), Google Consumer Survey (2012) and Survata (2012).

History lesson adjourned. Let’s look at the present day. Companies have migrated market research to the mobile space.

Pay Your Selfie is a singularly compelling example of this. They collect and analyze qualitative research generated by user interaction with selfies. Let that sink in: they’re tapping into ENORMOUS amounts of consumer data contained in selfies.

Brilliant. By “partnering” with a selfie-generating public, this company may very well be changing the game. They create targeted selfie “tasks” with compensation incentives. It’s fascinating, and we wanted to find out more, so we had a conversation with Megan Miller, Director of Content at Pay Your Selfie.

They’re making market research history. Watch the video now to learn more.

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Zora Digital is a digital marketing consulting firm based in Chicago. We help healthy lifestyle brands with a spirit of innovation navigate the digital landscape and create significant ROI.