30Under30 Honouree: Sam Salama

Great to hear from Significant Insights Global 30 under 30 honouree Sam Salama, an Associate Director at Basis, who is passionate about using creative thinking to understand people.

So, how did you get into the industry, and take us through how you got to this point?

Market research wasn’t the obvious choice after studying French for four years, but I’ve always been interested in people and it ended up being a great fit. I started my career at an agency that focuses on consumer psychology and marketing science, before moving to a traditional market research agency where I currently work. The more time I spend in the industry the more I realise how varied it is – in terms of tools and techniques – and how much more there is to learn. I’ve also realised it’s a tough job to explain at a dinner party because very few people know what it is!

Why should anyone consider a career in market research, data and insights?

It combines a huge variety of skills – analytics, communication, storytelling etc – and it sits in the sweet spot of people, businesses, and society. Basically, market research is a lot more interesting than the name suggests.

Career paths are rarely without challenges. Can you share an honest moment from your career when things didn’t go quite according to plan, but the lessons remain with you to this day?

I’ve definitely made lots of mistakes, but one that stands out is responding to a question in a client debrief – quite bluntly – by saying we didn’t have the data they needed. While that was technically true, their slightly awkward reaction taught me to always respond to questions in a proactive way. You might not be able to answer every client question, but you can say you will investigate, draw on other data as a proxy, or explain how you’ve answered a similar question on a different project. A little willingness to help goes a long way.

What two things should junior researchers focus on as they progress in their careers?

My two recommendations are slightly contradictory but so is a lot of market research!

Firstly, look beyond the data. The best work I’ve done has used inspiration from other brands, other sectors and even other industries rather than relying solely on the available data. Clients are always looking for strategic thinking to give them the edge, so the broader your knowledge the better you will be.

Secondly, know the data inside out. As a junior, scrutinising the numbers is the best way of earning trust from both colleagues and clients. And the more you know, the more valuable you become. It’s not your job to have an answer to every question, but knowing the numbers gives you the best chance of doing so.

Do you have any advice for our sector?

Consider creativity as one of your biggest assets – look for it when hiring, promote it within your company, and use it to understand people in new ways. Without creativity you end up doing the same work as everyone else.

And do you have anyone who has helped your career so far that you’d like to acknowledge and say thanks or give a shout out to?

I’ve been lucky enough to work at two companies with two different specialisms. So I’ve learnt a lot from the team at MountainView about marketing science, and from the team at Basis about quant research.

Aside from that I will shout out my brother Raffi for always supporting me and keeping my engaged with all things marketing.