Protected word-picture marks, algorithms, calculations and indices, the composition of which is known only to the institute. Is this kind of demarcation still in keeping with the times? Or isn't there a lot to be said for looking at one's cards? Bonsai-In his column on marktforschung.de, CEO Jens Krüger argues for more openness and transparency and explains why the methodical back room in market research has had its day.

"In market research, it's less and less about the one algorithm that has to be guarded like a treasure and kept locked away," says Jens Krüger: "Differentiation is no longer a question of the safest black box and the best algorithm - but increasingly a question of how well an institute or the people there fit the customer. Where products differentiate less and less, the human factor is decisive. The image, the fit, the speed, the prevailing pragmatism and the quality of advice. And also transparency." More at marktforschung.de: