Some people dabble in different disciplines before discovering their passion. Not Wendy Price. She fell for marketing research while in high school, conducting door-to-door and telephone interviews, and recruiting for and overseeing focus groups. After starting her career in Chicago at Elrick & Lavidge, she shifted to client-side qualitative and quantitative research, first in Minneapolis and then D.C., before opening her own firm in 2002. An AMA member for over 30 years, Wendy is also a longtime mentor, dedicated to imbuing up-and-comers with an appreciation for her field while also learning from them.

Wendy Price
President
WHP Research, Inc.

Some people dabble in different disciplines before discovering their passion. Not Wendy Price. She fell for marketing research while in high school, conducting door-to-door and telephone interviews, and recruiting for and overseeing focus groups. After starting her career in Chicago at Elrick & Lavidge, she shifted to client-side qualitative and quantitative research, first in Minneapolis and then D.C., before opening her own firm in 2002. An AMA member for over 30 years, Wendy is also a longtime mentor, dedicated to imbuing up-and-comers with an appreciation for her field while also learning from them.

You are a devotee not only of marketing research, but also of the AMA! Please tell us how you got involved in the AMA and why you’ve stayed.

Elrick & Lavidge (now part of Kantar TNS), my first research employer after undergrad, was a supporter of the AMA. Participating in AMA was part of E&L’s culture. I joined then, and continued as an AMA member throughout graduate school and when I moved to Minneapolis to work for General Mills. At that point I started mentoring, by helping new graduates with interviewing skills and job searches. I continued as an AMA member when I moved to the D.C. area for a new research position at Marriott International. I’ve remained a member of AMA for several decades to stay connected to other marketers and to keep abreast of marketing trends.

What is mentoring’s draw for you? Early on, I began mentoring as a way to get involved in the community. Later on, it also was the opportunity to build my network and give back, by helping others with professional development. Now it is simply a part of what I do—not only with the AMA, but also with my alma mater, University of Georgia’s Master of Marketing Research (MMR) program. I find it a truly rewarding activity, because while I’m helping others, I’m also quite honestly helping myself, too. I’m developing connections, and I’m learning new information, both practical via other AMA mentors, and academic, thanks to UGA.

Interesting! Would you share with us an example of a trend that you became aware of, thanks to mentoring?

Well, the topic of archetypes related to brand building—whether a personal brand or a client brand—has come up several times in the past six months. The AMADC Mentor Program hosted an expert who spoke about developing one’s personal brand using archetypes, and this fall, the use of archetypes in marketing research was a discussion topic at the University of Georgia’s MMR Summit. My engagement helps me stay current and helps me better envision the future of my field.

Any advice for protégés in your field?

Ask questions, listen attentively, ask more questions. Be present, be open to new ideas, and look for the insights. Get to know other marketing researchers. It is an industry with about two-degrees of separation.

One word – verb, noun, adjective, adverb – that describes a Mentor’s role? Guide