Michael Sosnowski

I went to college to study Art History – the perfect training regimen for a career in market research. Seriously – spend enough time in a dark room, breaking down slides of 14th century Proto-Renaissance masters, and you acquire more than scary-good night vision. You become comfortable with analysis, and writing (lots of writing).

What’s more, you come to find out that art is about more than brushstroke skill or color sense – it’s about solving problems and communicating those solutions to your audience.

My eyesight has sadly degraded since my days at Rutgers, but the lessons from those classrooms have remained with me throughout my 16 years of helping clients conduct effective research. I know that a good study design should help solve a problem – whether that’s optimizing a new product or service, figuring out what truly drives customer loyalty, or identifying market segments that matter. I understand that muddled reporting can squash good execution in a business environment where stakeholders have very little time to give, and a lot riding on the choices they make. In short, I see a “good” research study as one that can be used to drive business decisions.

I was born and raised in New Jersey, and suppose I’ll forever be in the process (with my kids’ help) of becoming a proper Philadelphian – rooting for the Mets, the Knicks, and the Jets will not help me in this endeavor. Outside of the office I love cooking and reading and traveling when I can, and I work hard trying not to hurt myself coaching Little League or playing pick-up basketball.

Education: Rutgers College, Art History and Communication

TRC Clock: Since 1997

Check out Michael’s contributions to TRC.Blog.