

How OHIO students meet growing demand for consumer analytics
Now in its 10th year, the Center for Consumer Research and Analytics supports business needs through experiential learning for students.
Emma Frankart Henterly, BSJ 鈥10 | March 17, 2025
Share:
鈥淭he world鈥檚 most valuable resource is no longer oil,鈥 declared a in The Economist. Rather, its writer argued, the 鈥渙il of the digital era鈥 is data, and its tycoons鈥擥oogle parent company Alphabet, along with Amazon, Apple, Facebook (now Meta) and Microsoft鈥攚ere at the time the world鈥檚 five most valuable listed firms. Less than a decade later, those behemoths, along with artificial intelligence company NVIDIA, remain the largest companies in the world by market cap, according to .
帝王会所 foresaw this shift to data as a commodity, which is why in 2014 College of Business Dean Hugh Sherman and marketing department chair Raj Agnihotri hired Dan Dahlen (BSJ 鈥76, MSA 鈥16) to help launch a new center of excellence within the college that 鈥渨ould provide our undergraduate students with the ability to actually conduct real research projects for real companies,鈥 Dahlen explained. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 normally a graduate level-type activity.鈥
In Sherman and Agnihotri鈥檚 view, Dahlen鈥檚 35-year career in advertising and marketing research, and his most recent employment with research firm Nielsen, made him 鈥渢he perfect guy 鈥 to be the founding director of what we were calling the Consumer Research Center, the CRC,鈥 Dahlen said.

this semester's CRA clients. Photo
courtesy Jacob Hiler.
Now known as the Center for Consumer Research and Analytics, the CRA is celebrating its 10th anniversary. What started with just six student fellows and two clients has exploded, rising along with business鈥 insatiable demand for data-driven consumer insight to comprise 40 to 50 student fellows and a portfolio of more than 100 past and current clients ranging from Athens-based to like and .
鈥淚 never dreamt, when I first started the center, that it would be this large,鈥 Dahlen said. 鈥淚 remember [Dean Sherman] saying, 鈥楽omeday, this center will have 50 fellows!鈥 I'm thinking to myself, I don't know about that. But he was right. Here we are.鈥
But raw data, like crude oil, requires refining to be of use.
鈥淚 think 10 to 20 years ago, a lot of people treated big data as this holy tome, this magic database containing all the answers they need,鈥 said Jacob Hiler, current CRA director and Fox Associate Professor in Marketing in the College of Business. 鈥淓verybody rushed to it, because it was the new buzzword of the day and they didn鈥檛 really know what the limitations were, how to use it.鈥
Big Data's Big Problem
Like an oil rush, the explosion of access to consumer data fueled a frenzy of business activity.
鈥淭here was a massive rush to have businesses incorporate analytics without developing the institutional knowledge to really understand the complexities of dealing with data,鈥 Hiler explained. 鈥淭hey just hired people for the sake of hiring people.鈥
But, as Hiler noted, raw consumer data has inherent flaws, such as inconsistencies, errors, or lack of context. Hard metrics like ticket sales and viewership numbers are generally reliable, but more nuanced analysis of consumer sentiment is more difficult to both get and verify. As social media use exploded in the new millennium, companies began drilling into the digital marketplace of ideas for data on their customers鈥 preferences and habits.
鈥淏ig data is just a reflection of human beings, and we are messy, we lie, we have biases,鈥 Hiler said. 鈥淏ut all of that is hidden because we鈥檝e boiled it down into an unfeeling, numeric data set.鈥 The problem is compounded by algorithms that intentionally suppress or magnify certain voices and the rise of AI bots, which according to cybersecurity firm .
鈥淚n today鈥檚 world, combining this aspect of big data鈥攖his human messiness that looks dispassionate, but really isn鈥檛鈥攚ith the increased amount of 鈥榃e don鈥檛 even know if it is human anymore,鈥 means that usage of data analytics and big data is going to continue go up because it鈥檚 more accessible, but trust in it is going to go down,鈥 Hiler explained. 鈥淭he trust goes back to listening to what a real human being thinks about your product or service. That鈥檚 the value the CRA offers in this space.鈥

CRA fellows are recognized for the impact of their work for local and national brands. Photo courtesy Jacob Hiler.
Finding data solutions for well-known brands
Each semester, small teams of CRA student fellows (guided by a faculty advisor) are assigned a project with a real-world client. The projects can range from researching and analyzing consumer sentiment to developing talent recruitment strategy and beyond, but they all represent a business problem in need of a solution. And while teams may perform traditional sentiment research online, they almost always incorporate an element of live human feedback.
鈥淭he most impactful work in my career usually happens inside of a focus group or an interview,鈥 said Hiler, who worked with some of the nation鈥檚 biggest brands at Parker Marketing Research before coming to OHIO. He cited as an example the single-serve ketchup packets, which developed after focus group participants suggested a potential polymer and design. The CRA has similar success stories, including research for Kellogg鈥檚 that informed decision-making behind .
鈥淭o hear the senior director of Global Intelligence at Kellogg鈥攚ho went to 帝王会所 State, by the way鈥攃all our students鈥 work the most powerful research presentation that he's ever seen from a college, it was an amazing experience,鈥 Dahlen said. 鈥淎nd then he paused and said, 鈥榊ou know, this is probably one of the best research presentations I've ever seen, period.鈥欌
Of course, student-run projects have their limitations, most notably in terms of access to a diverse population of real-world people to query.
鈥淥ur samples are the student body,鈥 Dahlen said. 鈥淚 always thought that would be a negative 鈥 but it鈥檚 turned out to be an asset, because Gen Z research is difficult to do.鈥
It鈥檚 such an asset, in fact, that Adam Hepworth, associate director of client relations for the CRA, pitches it as the center鈥檚 鈥渦nique value proposition鈥 when he and his team of students reach out to potential clients. 鈥淲e can give insight into what is often an elusive consumer,鈥 Hepworth said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to pin down 18-to-24-year-old customers, but we have special access to them. That usually gets the conversation going.鈥

CRA fellows at Dick's Sporting Goods
headquarters. Photo courtesy Jacob Hiler.
The benefit is clear for Tim Poellmann, senior manager of marketing insights at . 鈥淭he CRA provides a way for us to stay up-to-date with a university group on the academic side of consumer insights, work with students on real-world examples, and even gives us access to a hard-to-reach, but desirable, audience,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e see it as a true partnership, where we work with driven students on projects that matter, and where we get the fulfillment of watching students grown and learn a passion for consumer insights.鈥
Moreover, Dahlen pointed out, research on the college-age demographic can be expensive, and the CRA offers a budget-friendly route. Rather than charging for services, companies are invited to make an optional donation to the center, which supports stipends for student leadership positions, travel to in-person final presentations when possible, and other operating expenses.
A win-win-win for all, especially OHIO students
And the CRA鈥檚 value goes far beyond direct access to a key and ever-changing demographic.
鈥淸The CRA鈥檚] ability to transform complex data into actionable insights has empowered us to make informed decisions and strategize effectively,鈥 said Anna Shields, CEO of past CRA client . 鈥淭heir expertise in delivering well-researched customer insights has proven invaluable to our decision-making process. 鈥 Collaborating with them has significantly enhanced our understanding of our customers and strengthened our position in the market.鈥
Supporting smaller, local brands like Snowville is built into the mission of the CRA, Hepworth said.
鈥淚n our outreach strategy, we want to make sure that we have one or two clients that are local or nonprofit [each year] so we can demonstrate that impact on community and focus on that social component of sustainability,鈥 he explained. 鈥淭hey don't have the resources to have a consumer insights team in-house. So the work that we're doing for them, it can truly make quite a big difference.鈥
The CRA is an advantage for the University, too, attracting faculty interested in its unique model鈥攊ncluding Hiler, Hepworth and Jessica Weeks, the center鈥檚 associate director of academics, who all cited the center as a significant selling point in their decision to come to OHIO.
鈥淭he other places I was talking to didn鈥檛 have anything like this [when I was searching in 2019], and there are still very, very few centers out there like the CRA,鈥 Hepworth noted. 鈥淲hen I learned about students鈥 experiences and working directly with brands鈥攁nd not the simulated projects, but hands-on experience as an extension of the brand鈥攊nitially I was kind of jealous. I would have loved to have that in my undergrad, my masters, heck, my doctoral program! It's pretty impressive that we have it at an undergraduate level.鈥
Hiler was quick to reinforce the value that the center鈥檚 faculty advisors bring for students, both for their professional experience and the mentorship they provide.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very blessed to have such great faculty that are willing to devote their time to mentoring these students and getting our students to have these experiences,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 could pretty confidently say that every one of our fellows has found a mentor in one of their faculty advisors. And that mentorship permeates to our student leadership, too.鈥

Wendy's headquarters in Columbus, 帝王会所.
Photo courtesy Dahlen.
But perhaps the CRA鈥檚 biggest beneficiaries are the student fellows behind it.
鈥淭he CRA was hands-down the [student organization] that I felt like the advisors cared the most. It was personal for them to see their students succeed,鈥 said Taylor Bradshaw (B.B.A. 鈥21). 鈥淚t was single-handedly the most influential thing that got me my first internship, which then got me my second one, which then got me the job that I have now.鈥
Now working for as a brand manager for , Bradshaw joined the CRA in her freshman year and stayed for the remainder of her college experience, serving as a team lead before graduating in December 2020.
鈥淚 decided to stay on campus for that spring semester [in 2021],鈥 she recalled. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 a student anymore, but I still wanted to be involved with the program. So Dr. Hiler hired me on as an advisor for a team 鈥 that was the first time I ever took a manager position.鈥 During that time, she also did freelance consumer research and relied on Hiler and Weeks as mentors in her burgeoning career. Today, she pays it forward through her involvement the CRA鈥檚 alumni board.
鈥淭here were so many people who mentored me when I was a student,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a perfect opportunity to come back and be able to do the same for other students.鈥
Mentorship and hands-on experience have been transformative for Lindsey Oberg, too. A senior co-majoring in marketing and business analytics, she credits the CRA with facilitating personal growth.
鈥淚鈥檝e learned how to be a better communicator鈥 among peers, faculty, professional clients and executives, she noted. 鈥淚鈥檝e developed so many leadership skills. 鈥 I just love to guide a team and take in those new fellows and help nurture their skills.鈥
Oberg now has a full-time job lined up post-graduation and said the CRA helped set the foundation for her career.
鈥淚n every single interview I鈥檝e been in, the main thing that I get asked about 鈥 is my experience in the CRA,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been so transformative, my time here.鈥

The intentionally small scale of the CRA fosters close relationships, including mentorship with faculty advisors and more senior students. Photo courtesy Jacob Hiler.
How students can get involved in consumer research at OHIO
The CRA recruits new fellows each semester, though the intentionally small scale of the center makes the process highly competitive. Weeks, who manages recruitment efforts with the help of a team of student outreach coordinators, noted that more than 150 people requested an application for the spring 2025 semester.
鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 mean they鈥檒l all go through with completing it,鈥 she added. 鈥淢aybe we鈥檒l have 30 or so complete an application, and depending on the semester, we鈥檒l have five to 15 spots available.鈥 Interested students submit a video response with their application; a select few are advanced to the interview stage, where they meet with Weeks and a student outreach coordinator.
The center comprises mostly undergraduate students in the College of Business, but it鈥檚 open to all and students from other disciplines鈥攊ncluding graduate students鈥攁re encouraged to apply.
鈥淭he main thing that I look for [in applicants] is a curiosity about consumers,鈥 Weeks said. 鈥淓verything else鈥攕kills in completing qualitative interviews, quantitative data analysis, writing surveys鈥攚e can teach them how to do all of that. They learn as they鈥檙e doing.鈥
Oberg is a prime example of the CRA鈥檚 learn-on-the-job model, having joined before declaring her co-majors.
鈥淚 felt really nurtured from the second I got in,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t sounds very scary and daunting, but I promise it鈥檚 not. You will learn more than you could ever imagine.鈥
Oberg is also earning the Consumer Research Certificate through the College of Business鈥攁n option exclusive to CRA fellows that includes course credit for participating in the center.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got about 15 to 18 students completing the certificate at any given time,鈥 Weeks said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really neat thing for them to be able to add to their resume, because it's not something that's offered at a lot of universities. This focus on consumer research, marketing research, is kind of niche in that way.鈥
And while a CRA fellowship does not fulfill internship requirements for the College of Business, in many ways it goes beyond the traditional intern experience.
鈥淭he impact that our students have on the clients that we work with is far beyond what a typical internship would be,鈥 Hiler said. 鈥淥ur students have presented to VPs of marketing, VPs of consumer insights, in some cases, CEOs. Interns don鈥檛 typically get to do that.鈥
Hepworth agreed.
鈥淪ome of our students are working hands-on to inform Red Bull's connection strategy across campuses across the nation. So that work is happening here in Athens, 帝王会所, which is pretty impressive,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 think you'd be hard-pressed to find a student organization or experience that does a better job of offering students this immersive experiential learning opportunity than the CRA.鈥

CRA fellows pose at Hershey's headquarters in Pennslyvania.

Photos courtesy Jacob Hiler.
Feature photo courtesy Jacob Hiler.