LAURENCE PARISOT, PRESIDENT OF IFOP, OPENS THE ESOMAR CONGRESS IN CANNES

Last September 19, Laurence Parisot, President of the Ifop Group, opened the Esomar Congress, the largest research exhibition in Europe, which was taking place in Cannes on the topic of ""Making a difference. The impact of powerful research". A summary of her speech to delegates from 74 countries

"Market researchers are daring and audacious," she said. "During the French presidential election campaign a few years ago, I was bold enough to say that the second round would very likely be a confrontation between Chirac and Le Pen. The radio journalist interviewing me gestured to me that I should be quiet. As if I were saying something unacceptable. Soon after, my analysis turned out to be accurate. This incident confirmed why we can truly be bold and daring: because we base our statements on hard facts," Parisot pointed out. She added that the empirical approach of market research is of particular significance in France. "Since the 18th century people in this country tend to assume that ideas typically spring from the mind, not from reality. Market research provides a useful and welcome empirical counterbalance in this context," she said.

Parisot was elected President of MEDEF, the first woman in this influential position, in July this year. The most critical task she faces as leader of the French employers organisation, Parisot pointed out, is to set the stage for economic reform. Reconciling the market economy with the deep-rooted French desire for social protection and welfare will be a prerequisite to enhance stronger economic growth and employment.

While campaigning for the presidency of MEDEF, Parisot thought her fellow employers would consider her research background to be an asset. More than any one else, she would be able to understand how the French feel about their social system and provide clues as to how to influence their attitudes. To her surprise though, many employers held her market research background against her.

"My critics implied that I might use market research insights for manipulation. You have to understand that the issue of sincerity and manipulation are foremost on people's mind in France. I had to explain that market research is not magic and abides by strong ethical codes. I also had to point out that assessing people's opinion doesn't mean pollsters can't have an opinion of their own." She was able to convince MEDEF members and was elected.

Reflecting on the potential contribution of French tradition to market research, Parisot said she believes the international market research profession could gain from mixing French and Anglo-Saxon academic traditions. "France is the intermediary between the Latin and Anglo-Saxon world. Market research should once again build on this tradition and learn from anthropologists, such as Margaret Mead and Claude Levi Strauss, or the founding scholars of mass psychology, and take inspiration from Dewey. We need a theoretical corpus."

In addition to building on its academic roots, market research should ensure it sees the bigger, strategic picture of the problems it is asked to solve. "Market research is at its best," she claimed, "when our discipline functions as a dynamic strategic platform, supporting strategic decision making, and being continually responsive to changes in society and business. If we don't take a strategic stance, we run the risk of missing the point, even if our research is great from a technical perspective."

For more information about the event click on www.esomar.org