Get Data

1.WCAI (Wharton Customer Analytics): If available aplly!

2.Marketing Science Institute: Support research initiatives, sometimes may advertise data providers

3. AiMark: Great possibility to get data that can be unique to the research setting

4.GFK Global: look for “data” and research opportunities

5.Be on a lookout for other initiatives (the space is constantly changing)

a)Financial Databases: WRDS COMPUSTAT (needs an account), FactSet, Bloomberg terminal, I/B/E/S, Refinitiv

b)Newspaper databases: Factiva, Lexis Nexis

c)ESG data: Asset4 Refinitiv, CSR Hub

d)Other data that is out there in our library. Be sure to talk to the library staff and ask them questions. You should become the guru of library resources. 

a)Google it!

b)Twitter: Learn how to scrape (optional: Firehose access which requires a paid subscription)

c)Any other social media platform with API access (check recent trends, be first to get good data as it then becomes more expensive and outdated)

d)Amazon Reviews/Yelp/IMBD (depending on your topic)

e)American Customer Satisfaction Index

f)Fortune most admired companies list (and other lists)

g)Brand Value (Interbrand, Brand Finance etc) 

a)Young and Rubicam (also free dataset till 2010)

b)Kantar Media Intelligence (advertising)

c)AC Nielsen Data (advertising, panels etc.)

d)ComScore Data (consumer browsing behavior)

e)WRDS extra datasets (expensive, link)

•Company data can mean gaining access to their historical customer and financial data, interviewing managers, observing team meetings (quali research), or running a field experiment. 

•This is the hardest but most exciting way of getting data. 

•Contacting companies and selling your idea can be difficult.

•The company can perceive this as “charity” work at first.

•However, you need to sell the value of your insights and convince them such “free” insights are important (or at least not harmful) for them. 

•A senior colleague or your PhD supervisor can help drafting an email.

•Need to scout multiple companies at once.

•Market research companies sell the data they collect to other companies. 

•This data can mean access to exclusive insights into advertising, marketing research, perceptions or social media

•This is a bit easier as the business model of these companies is “selling data” so they can be accustomed to such requests. 

•Examples include ComScore, Kantar and Young and Rubicam 

•Thus, they might have ready datasets for research purposes and might have collaborated with academics in the past 

•To get a discount, again need to sell the value of your insights and a senior colleague or your PhD supervisor can establish first contact