If you’re a geek like me, you don’t watch the movie Big because it’s a Tom Hanks classic — you watch it because it’s a movie all about market research (with a heartwarming story thrown in).

Market research is becoming more necessary as the speed needed to beat the competition continues to accelerate. I had an opportunity to speak with Brandon Hall Group Chairman and CEO Mike Cooke about market research, the mistakes companies make, and where businesses really need to focus their research dollars.

We think it’s pretty important that companies use market research when making decisions. If you don’t have some kind of contextual information, you’re just shooting in the dark. That can lead to lots of problems.