Once upon a time, there was only one anonymous market research Twitter address.
Way back in January of 2009, someone, who to my knowledge remains anonymous, created a Twitter address called @MRHeretic and posted this tweet:
Not everyone believes in the value of the net. http://tinyurl.com/cmkv8r
— mr heretic (@mrheretic) January 24, 2009
MRHeretic also posted fairly regularly to the Market Research Deathwatch blog.
He or she enjoyed a certain amount of fame within the market research community, culminating in 2011 with a notable interview by Tom Anderson and a cover story that promised investigative journalism in the MRGA online magazine.
However, this person seems to have lost their passion for heresy, as the most recent post to that blog was posted on April 8, 2011.
However, MRHeretic’s legacy lives on. He or she may have truly been the inspiration for the wackiness that’s been taking place in September 2012.
The urge to create anonymous market research Twitter addresses laid dormant for a long time. But then on September 3, 2012, someone created a Twitter address called @Angry_MR_Client and posted the following clarion call:
Don’t give me problems, give me solutions!
— Angry_MR_Client (@Angry_MR_Client) September 3, 2012
Let me tell you, that was like red meat to the market research Twitter community.
A mere 9 days later, @Angry_MR_Client had an exclusive interview with Lenny Murphy at GreenBook Blog.
What is it about anonymity that gives our words more credibility?
In any event, the gauntlet had been laid down.
On September 13, 2012, someone created @Angry_MR_Agency, clearly in response to @Angry_MR_Client.
Then on September 20, it entered the realm of the absurd, when @Angry_MR_Bird appeared:
Time and again I send out a brief saying “Your methodology must not involve stealing eggs.” And what happens? NO DAMN EGGS. #mrx
— Angry MR Bird (@Angry_MR_Bird) September 20, 2012
Let me issue a call for sanity. We cannot let this go down the path of mutually assured destruction. People, please, STOP CREATING FAKE MARKET RESEARCH TWITTER ADDRESSES!
Full disclosure – I DMed @Angry_MR_Client) and invited them to contribute to Research Access but someone else had already snapped them up.
About Dana Stanley
