Ponderings from the Perch

Reality is reality and finances are finances. There’s a cost and a loss for not finding the right company or the right candidate at the right time. While there is a pendulum swing between when it is a company’s market or a candidate’s market, the pendulum's rate is accelerating— faster than it ever has oscillated before and if you’re not careful it can give you whiplash! Bob Ferro, Founder of the executive recruiting firm Trusted Talent, joins Priscilla McKinney, Little Bird Marketing’s CEO,...

Uncomfortable, squirmy and guilty? Those are the common side effects when thinking about fundraising. But, fundraising isn’t a dirty word. Like any other business or entity right now, non-profits are facing a dilemma: How do you break through the noise? How do you keep up your own resilience around messaging when it feels like it’s falling on deaf ears? We’re in an attention economy and translating your mission and message into bite-sized pieces is more important than ever. That being said,...

So you want to be the top dog, or rather the top bird? How do you do that? It starts with breaking down the journey from Point A to Point B. Join Little Bird Marketing CEO, Priscilla McKinney as she guides you through organizing your marketing, proactive planning and mindset shifting needed to put your goals together T Since organized marketers are 674% more likely to report success and proactive planners are 3x more likely to report success, the proof is in the pudding. Success means...

At PFTP we’re always pulling back the curtain to reveal the wizards behind the wizardry. To that end, I’m always looking for industry leaders who are willing to share their expertise openly. They are willing to say, “it’s just us behind the curtain and this is how we make the magic.” Today we’re going to talk about all things at the crossroads of shopper insights, marketing and behavioral science. Anne Stephenson has been a guest on PFTP before and when I heard their team at Explorer...

We've looked at it from all market research from all the different sides on the Ponderings from the Perch Podcast. Why is private equity interested? Why are people looking more to research technology to solve problems? How are people developing their teams in order to deal with technology? Join Little Bird Momma and CEO, Priscilla McKinney, as she chats with CEO and Founder of Hatch Tank, and VP of Qualitative Research at Numerator, Shamsu Bhaidani about the value of human support when it...

Do not get on the train to “I suck.” When fear rears its head, especially in regards to public speaking, it’s too easy to get lost in the mental story of, “I have nothing to say, and I'm not good at this and nobody wants to hear what I have to say.” That is the train to “I suck,” and it doesn’t go anywhere else. Enter: Johanna Walker. As a speaking coach and storytelling expert, Johanna joins Little Bird Momma and CEO, Priscilla McKinney, on the Ponderings from the Perch podcast to discuss...

Be forewarned: This episode is probably a gateway drug to a Little Bird Book Club. If you keep up with Priscilla, you probably already know some of her thoughts on competition (yuck!), and how collaboration (yay!) is a better strategy. But even collaboration can be a perilous landscape. It goes all the way back to fifth-grade group projects where one kid does all the work and the others just coast. In the professional realm, there are many examples of things that *look* like collaboration on...

No matter what Little Bird Momma and CEO, Priscilla McKinney, and Executive VP, Ashley Le Blanc do, they somehow end up writing. If you’re working on writing posts on LinkedIn, blogs or books, get ready for four applicable tips from these seasoned veterans to make writing that much easier for you. You know Priscilla is a straight shooter who doesn't shy away from tackling the big issues. In this episode, she delves into the world of ChatGPT, OpenAI, and the impact of NLP and NLG on business...

To succeed, brands can’t just go around selling products anymore. Brands have to create transformative experiences and positively impact people’s lives and the world as a whole. Join Little Bird Momma and CEO, Priscilla McKinney and the Global Lead: Brand Thought-Leadership at Ipsos, Emmanuel Probst, as they discuss Emmanuel’s new book, Assemblage: The Art and Science of Brand Transformation and how brands can transform today to be truly successful. So just what is assemblage? Emmanuel draws...

It’s here! It’s here! It’s the 7th Annual Holiday Spectacular! Spectacular! Get ready for holiday fun, a movie quote quiz, musical merriment and the Great Birdish Bake Off! The Peeps are baking holiday treats and the judge is none other than our CEO and Little Bird Momma, Priscilla McKinney! Follow the trials and tribulations of our passionate holiday bakers whose goal is to be named the best Little Bird baker and the champion of the Great Birdish Bake Off! The bakers each tackle a different...

Do you want to bring a box of chocolate chip cookies to the party, or do you want to bring a box of gluten-free, Himalayan sea salt, fair-trade dark chocolate cookies to the party? Are we really talking about cookies? Nope. This is our segue into the differences between generalists and specialists. Generalists are generally suited for everyone whereas specialists serve a niche market. CEO and Little Bird Momma, Priscilla McKinney, and Co-CEO of Ag Access and Co-CEO of Communications for...

This show certainly gave us lots to ponder! Join CEO and Little Bird Momma, Priscilla McKinney, and the Former President of ESOMAR and Chair of the Board at Zappi, Dan Foreman, as they unpack a laundry list of questions about WTF is going on with market research right now? They start by pondering the big questions: Why are market researchers, albeit jokingly, bad at business? Are they really bad at business or are they just focused on their work? Do they simply lack the vernacular to have...

What is the difference between marketing and storytelling? While marketing is promoting your business, storytelling is a method for engaging your audience that takes longer, is more honest, and asks people to pause, take a minute and connect with your brand. Is there storytelling in marketing? Absolutely. It takes time. It takes effort. It takes vulnerability. Join Little Bird Momma and CEO, Priscilla McKinney, and VP of Marketing and Communications at Fluent Research, Stefanie Cousins, as...

Chaos isn’t a word that usually makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside. It’s a word that maybe you flinch when you hear, or your stomach does a little flip. Who wants life to be filled with chaos and uncertainty anyways? Well, chaos is inevitable. It’s part of growth and change. Personally and professionally. CEO and Little Bird Momma, Priscilla McKinney, and Executive VP Ashley Le Blanc know a thing or two about navigating chaotic situations with grace and strategic planning. Join us on the...

Digital transformation is more than a buzzword. It’s a real, valid, and necessary concept and change necessary to be a part of the market today. Nobody uses a phonebook to find a business phone number, and your employees likely aren’t carrying around heavy three-ring binders anymore. To play ball— you’re going to have to step up to the plate: the digital transformation plate. In this episode of the Ponderings from the Perch podcast, CEO and Little Bird Momma Priscilla McKinney pulls back the...

Want a standing invitation to every party? Your wish is our command. Actually, it’s at the generous command of Paul Gaudette, CEO and co-founder of Dig Insights. Priscilla McKinney, CEO and Momma Bird, talks shop with Paul about tech-enabled consumer insights. As Dig Insights is one of the fastest growing consumer insights companies in Canada and is often listed as one of the most innovative research companies globally— Paul is definitely someone who talks the talk and walks the walk. He...

No one wants a bag of crap on their doorstep. If you’re thinking about email marketing in the wrong ways, you’re essentially delivering bags of crap to people’s virtual doorsteps. No bueno. Luckily, we have the Senior Manager of Client Solutions at iContact, Hank Hoffmeier, on the podcast to talk shop with CEO and Little Bird Momma, Priscilla McKinney about the top things people are doing wrong with email marketing. Your hazard lights will be flashing. Your red flags will go up left and...

With Esomar Council elections in full swing until October 25th, host Priscilla McKinney and Lisa Wilding-Brown meet to unpack all the reasons why leaders in the insights space would take this much time and effort to volunteer for this gig. While both our CEO and Momma Bird and InnovateMR CEO are on the ballot this episode is about pulling the curtain back and showing those curious about this effort what it really takes, how you can contribute and why it is important to get more people...

Work faster. Work smarter. Work harder. Work more. These things are no longer the answer. Work has fundamentally changed, especially for knowledge workers, and the answer lies in working differently. Collaboration in the workplace is key. Are you the kind of person who needs some data? Employees working for companies with effective internal and external collaboration initiatives are about 22% more likely to believe that their employer cares about their morale, thus making collaborative...

Oh, Canada. Priscilla and Ashley are back from the 2022 ESOMAR Congress in Toronto. In between attending sessions and networking events, the duo connected with colleagues to record their takeaways from the conference. Tune in to the episode to hear from thought leaders in the market research industry. This episode features: Pravin Shekar of ESOMAR Aryn O'Donnell of Fieldwork Anne Stephenson of Explorer Research Crispin Beale of Behaviorally, Insight250 and mTab Horst Feldhaeuser of Infotools...