As the dust finally settles on the Federal Election, and Abbott the Dark Knight was slain by the Snow-White Princess, I’ve reached one conclusion from ScoMo’s fairytale charge to victory. That learning is that you can’t trust anyone.

Whoa! I’m not talking about not trusting politicians. That’s a fact as old as democracy itself. In fact, if you went around saying you trusted politicians, you’d probably be locked up in one of our imaginary mental health facilities.

No, the people I don’t trust are the very people marketers put their faith in for advice and vision for their brands. I’m talking about the researchers, the pollsters and the sage strategists.

How could so many have gotten it so wrong? These are the same guys who guide the future of our brands when the elections are over. These are the guys who drain millions away from marketing budgets and dazzle with powerpoint charts that may as well be written in Latin.

I’ve sat in plenty of research presentations where the academia of marketing provides dire predictions for brands – but rarely provide a hint of a solution. Now post-election I find I trust them just a little bit less because if they are the best of the best in predicting national outcomes, what hope have the little brands got in their hands?

All the media networks had serious egg on their collective faces on election night as the mood swung from red to blue. So embarrassed was the Nine network, they’ve summarily sacked their research advisers, IPSOS.

So, who can you trust these days?

Sometimes, rather than rely on researchers it’s better to go and ask the target yourself. For the price of a beer in the pub, or a chat with your Uber driver you may just unearth more truth about your brand than any panel of experts ever will. It’s coalface research. But we can’t talk about coal.

Is this discussion something you’re fired up about too? Is it impacting your business? Do you have reservations with Powerpoint charts or ‘misplaced’ marketing budgets? Why don’t we dive deeper into some ‘real-life’ understanding? Click here for our help or for a chat.