There will be times when you run across marketing research data in an article or an advertisement that could be very useful to your organization. Start asking questions.
Research can be accidentally or intentionally biased when it is conducted.
More commonly, even if the study itself is entirely trustworthy, the media generally report only the most surprising and interesting findings. This can lead to an incomplete understanding of the data, or even total inaccuracies. Before you rely on a figure you read in an article or see quoted in a book, do some research of your own. The most important step is to be willing to ask questions. When you're putting together a proposal, strategic plan, or advertisement, and you find a piece of data that supports your case, it's mighty tempting to plug it in without first questioning its accuracy.