This time, our columnist Jörg Munkes looks at a key principle of CX and UX: ease of use. But absolute effortlessness carries a risk: brands lose their profile. Successful examples such as IKEA show that deliberately applied effort can not only be part of brand identity—it can even strengthen loyalty to the product.

Since Simon Sinek's “Start with Why” (2009) and the social upheaval around 2020, marketing has changed: Companies no longer want to just sell, they want to take a stand and assume social responsibility. Consumers are asking themselves: Is this still advertising or is it already activism? Hannes Fernow from GIM is also exploring this question.

In marketing, it's almost always all about Generation Z. But as Sebastian Klein and Benjamin Dennig from the market and social research company GIM show, real brand loyalty often begins a generation earlier.

Machines that break down during daily use on construction sites cost time and cause frustration. B2B market researcher Sebastian Gräfe explains how construction companies and tradespeople can ensure that manufacturers develop practical and robust solutions by providing early feedback.

Whether it's Instagram, Pinterest, or LinkedIn: AI-generated images, texts, videos – and the crucial question: Where does valuable content end and digital junk begin? Sebastian Klein from GIM reflects on how so-called AI slops could be used to produce more content with substance and impact – in order to truly reach target groups.

Taking a political stance is a double-edged sword for brands. Futurologist Dr. Hannes Fernow from market and social research company GIM identifies typical pitfalls and explains the opportunities offered by political brand communication.

AI applications are fundamentally changing market research, but they are not replacing it. The purpose remains the same: To understand people and support companies in making decisions - only faster, more diverse and more efficient than before. And not every technological option is effective: synthetic respondents are not a realistic alternative because AI cannot map the complexity of human behavior. 

Jörg Munkes (GIM), Andrea Wielpütz (Congstar) and Chris Prox (Chris Prox Brand Building GmbH) on the marketing perennial favorite Category Entry Points (CEPs): How to use them strategically and in a sales-relevant way, even in existing strategies and processes. Three perspectives, one common goal: finally making CEPs suitable for everyday use.

Gen Z is unfaithful to the brand? Only at first glance. Instead of talking about attention deficits or exaggerated expectations, Jörg Munkes shows two alternative perspectives: Young people are increasingly choosing brands based on context - and are reacting to the lack of long-term brand building by many companies. In this column on marktforschung.de, you can read why brand loyalty works differently today and what this means for brand management. 

Why do shoppers really choose my product and how can I use this knowledge profitably?” The answer to this question is the key to success - in every industry. But purchasing decision processes are anything but simple. Rebecca Stark de Pellecer, Stefanie Gelbicke and Myriel Mohra from the Gesellschaft für innovative Marktforschung (GIM) shed light on the thicket with a further development of the classic purchase decision tree (PDT). 

Category Entry Points (CEPs) from Byron Sharp and the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute (EBI) are currently en vogue at many companies. But how new are they really? What are their benefits? Which weaknesses need to be considered? GIM Managing Director Dr. Jörg Munkes was one of the participants in the virtual panel discussion on this topic, which took place as part of Market Research Week 2025.

The popularity of personas as a categorization aid for segmentation has also led to the approach being used arbitrarily in recent years. GIM believes in the fundamental potential of the approach, but has developed the concept of “mindsonas” to improve the use of personas. Sebastian Klein and Mark Lammers explain the background at marktforschung.de.

GIM relies on the Media Entry Points system when placing content: Advertising content is not only tailored to a target group, but also to the program in the environment and the media usage context. Brigitte Bayer, Senior Research Director at GIM, explains the advantages in her webinar at the Deeper Insight Days of planung&analyse.

In his monthly column at marktforschung.de, Dr. Jörg Munkes looks at a true classic of market research: ethnography. It makes it possible to recognize and describe people holistically and not just in terms of numbers and clicks. A clear advantage in times of increasing research technologization. 

Spring has arrived and the classic cold season is over. However, some people are better able to escape the virus than others. Julia Eymann from GIM has investigated why this is the case in a study - and explains it in her article in planung&analyse. 

AI-based tools promise efficiency, speed and more precise predictions. But how reliable are these forecasts really - for market researchers and clients alike? In a two-part series for planung&analyse, Managing Director of GIM, Dr. Stephan Telschow, sheds light on the opportunities and limitations of predictive AI from a methodological, qualitative and strategic perspective. 

What will the concerts of the future look like? Nobody can say for sure, of course, but a study commissioned by Heidelberger Frühling gives us an idea. The study was carried out by Senior Research Director Sebastian Klein from the Gesellschaft für innovative Marktforschung. In an interview with SWR Kultur, he talks about the approach and results of the study.

Without making a big fuss about it, the Gesellschaft für innovative Marktforschung GIM revised its brand identity at the start of 2025. planung&analyse asked what was behind it. Johannes Zenner, Senior Director Marketing & Communications at GIM, answered. 

In the second part of the GIM experts' reflections on AI-based tools for market research, Sebastian Klein appeals to market researchers not to focus blindly on the results, but also to include what may not be measurable.

In a two-part series, GIM experts shed light on the opportunities and limitations of predictive AI from a methodological, qualitative and strategic perspective.  In part 1: AI-based tools promise efficiency, speed and more precise predictions. But how reliable are these predictions - for market researchers and clients alike? Author: Stephan Telschow 

With a clear strategy that focuses on authenticity, consistency and adaptability, brands can survive even in uncertain times, says Jörg Munkes, GIM. The trade magazine Markenartikel spoke to him about the trends facing brands.

In his latest column on marktforschung.de, Jörg Munkes addresses the question of whether Santa Claus exists and what the Santa Claus case teaches us about truth, perspective and the role of technology in market research. 

The Gesellschaft für innovative Marktforschung (GIM) has identified the biggest challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany in its study KMU Challenges: Challenges and Strategies in SMEs. Markenartikel Magazin spoke to GIM Managing Director Dr. Stephan Telschow about the emotional situation in companies, the impression that they are hardly listened to and are often bullied, the willingness to make sacrifices and the hope that more optimism will return to Germany. 

On 28 November, the webinar with GIM will focus on the UX optimization of the website of the well-known cultural festival Enjoy Jazz. Marktforschung.de spoke to Sarah Kristin Lippold and Benjamin Dennig about this in advance. In the interview, our researchers also give tips on how you too can succeed in optimizing your website.

We live in a time characterized by rapid change. markenartikel Magazin spoke to trend and future researchers Prof. Peter Wippermann, Dr. Hannes Fernow (GIM) and Kim Haußer (Bonsai) about how brands can deal with this. Published in the print edition (10/2024).

Gen Z is conquering the labor market, Gen Y the executive floors. At the same time, it is always critical to speak of a generation in this way, as people are very diverse at all times. As a researcher and psychologist, I am currently observing more and more how clichés, myths and misunderstandings are shaping the picture and creating artificial tensions... Time for a reality check. A guest article by Dr. Jörg Munkes at Business Punk.

The former head of Infratest Dimap, Dr. Nico A. Siegel, is returning to social and political research. As Executive Director at GIM, he will be responsible for public affairs and social research. An interview with Dr. Nico Siegel and Dr. Stephan Telschow, Managing Director of GIM.   

In the run-up to their webinar on September 11 at marktforschung.de, our tech experts Marc Arnold and Ben Dennig explained how important the “analog” experience is for product improvement and which target groups are still better reached offline.

Jörg Munkes enjoys working with the Category Entry Point of the Ehrenberg Bass Institute (EBI) and Byron Sharp - and in the current issue of his column on marktforschung.de he answers the question of whether the approach serves as a complete meal that satisfies all round, or is just an important ingredient in the preparation of a complete "brand research meal". 

Artificial intelligence is a topic that is on everyone's lips. It is also likely to find its way into more and more cars. Microsoft is working with Bosch on technology for automated driving. A cross-national representative study by GIM provides data on expectations of AI. An article on rp-online.de

 If a brand wants to anchor itself in people's hearts in the long term, people and brands must share common values. Dr. Jörg Munkes, Managing Director of the Gesellschaft für innovative Marktforschung, spoke to markenartikel magazine about mental availability.

Since corona, it has become clear that much more is possible online than was previously the case. In terms of feel, taste and smell, the classics still dominate: group discussions or one-to-one conversations in a studio setting. However, there are also exciting hybrid forms. For example, home use tests followed by online groups to try out new products as realistically as possible. At GIM, the method is chosen according to the situation and the question. Marc Arnold and Sebastian Klein explain how they proceed in an interview with Horizont.

Brand loyalty is more than superficial ‘brand love’ - and buying a product requires more than just ‘liking’ a brand. At the Deeper Insights Day organised by Planung & Analyse on 16 May, our Managing Director and psychologist Dr Jörg Munkes showed how researchers experience, track and grow brands with their heads, context and hearts. He already offered exciting insights in the pre-interview.

More and more data, ever cheaper... Are we experiencing a Gold Rush where the suppliers of shovels earn more than the gold seekers? Dr. Jörg Munkes philosophizes about disruption in market research and the future importance of the research craft in his column MunkesMind on marktforschung.de

When is a convenience sample sufficient, and when must it be a population-representative sample? And what must be paid special attention to? Senior Research Director Alexandra Wachenfeld-Schell explains in an interview with marktforschung.de what matters, why certain biases in the sample cannot be corrected, and what will be the focus of her webinar on March 19th.

With the rise of the AfD, the discussion about fake news and how to handle it has also grown. Studies suggest that the susceptibility to misinformation has not increased over the past decades. However, the AfD – and other extremist parties – manage to use it as a propaganda tool in a targeted and successful manner, explain Dr. Hannes Fernow and Michael Mletzko from GIM Foresight in the series 'Who votes for the AfD and why?' on marktforschung.de. 

As easily as generational models seem to be monetized, so quickly does one lose their way in advertising communication. In the end, what really matters are the commonalities. An opinion piece by Johannes Zenner (GIM) on marktforschung.de.

GIM primarily bases its sampling on the research question – according to the working time and life concepts of the target groups to be reached. Simone Renner, Research Director at GIM, explains what else matters, especially in terms of representativeness and bias.
 

At the beginning of the year in his column, Jörg Munkes from GIM explains what the destruction of machines, naked emperors, and artificial intelligence have in common.
 

In the new edition of his column, Dr. Jörg Munkes talks about traveling by train. He doesn't always arrive on time, but sometimes gains new insights.
 

Interview with Natalia Seibert about CX research, the difference to traditional market research, the limitations of rapid research projects and strengthening customer relationships.
 

Interview with Thomas Hobrock on the importance of accompanying consultancy in the course of goal-oriented market research. 
 

Article by Sebastian Klein and Mark Lammers on Marktforschung.de about the advantages of the correct processing and editing of market research results.
 

In the new edition of his column, Dr Jörg Munkes talks about insights gained during his son's internship at GIM.
 

Interview with Patricia Blau about employer identity in recruiting at GIM on planung&analyse.
 

Interview with Alexandra Wachenfeld-Schell about the offline recruited online panel GIMpulse on planung&analyse.
 

Opinion piece by Johannes Zenner on economy in new times at marktforschung.de.
 

Interview with Dr. Jörg Munkes on generational research and Gen Z in the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung.

In the new issue of his column, Dr. Jörg Munkes talks about process acceleration and cost reduction in the market research industry. Marktforschungsbranche.
 

Interview with GIM foresight Senior Director Dr. Hannes Fernow on the topic of selfcare at marktforschung.de. 
 

Interview with Silke Moser and Annika Mollenkopf in planung&analyse on Digital Media Types (DMT).
 

Interview by Dr. Hannes Fernow and Michael Mletzko on horizont.net on the update of the Values & Visions 2030 study.
 

Article by Julia Eymann and Mark Lammers in Finanzierung Leasing Factory (05/2023) on investment financing in difficult times.
 

Interview with Corporate Director Patricia Blau about women in market research and what it means to create with joy.
 

 Interview with Dr. Jörg Munkes and other exclusive sponsors of this year's Market Research Week about current challenges and crises in the industry.
 

Interview with GIM Managing Director Dr. Stephan Telschow about the 6th Start up Online Pitch by marktforschung.de, at which he is Judge.
 

Interview with GIM Senior Research Director Dr. Hannes Fernow about the brand management of the future. Published in markenartikel 04/2023.

In the new edition of his column, Dr. Jörg Munkes talks about the use of AI like ChatGPT in general.

Article from horizont.net about the results of the revised GIM foresight future study "Values and Visions 2030". 

Interview with GIM Managing Director, Dr. Stephan Teuber about the company and research history of GIM. Published on marktforschung.de.

In the second issue of his new column, Dr. Jörg Munkes discusses the use of AI as the new "promise of salvation" in market research.

Interview with GIM Managing Director, Dr. Stephan Telschow on consumer response to current challenges and crises in Germany. Published in Markenartikel 1-2/2023.

Interview with Patricia Blau and Dr. Jörg Munkes about quantitative and qualitative research at GIM. Published in planning&analysis.

Sebastian Klein and Mark Lammers from GIM Customer Insights consultancy GIM consult explain in their article why many start-ups do not survive the first five years of business. Published on consulting.de