The Warm-Up - Meet the Moderators, Serendipity, and the People Who Shaped Us

Elvia de la Garza: Hello and welcome to Moderating Life, DLG’s 20th Anniversary podcast. I’m Elvia de la Garza, 

Edgardo de la Garza: and I am Edgardo de la Garza. And just every good focus group starts with a warmup. So does this podcast. We are doing the series to celebrate the 20th anniversary of DLG Research, A milestone that is very important to us.

And along the way, we’re gonna talk about stories about the people that help us and shaped who we are today and projects that left a mark. And of course we’ll start moderator style with a warmup. Elvia, why don’t you kick us off? 

Elvia de la Garza: Absolutely. Well, I’m Elvia and I am the youngest sibling, obviously. Um, let me start from the beginning.

I was born and raised in Mexico, uh, in Leon Guanajuato. Uh, and I came to the, uh, the US when I was 17 to go to college. I attended the University of Texas at Austin, hook ’em horns and hook ’em horns. And graduated with a bachelor degree in advertising. Mm-hmm. After UT I went to work for one of the top Hispanic agencies in Miami, uh, Zubi advertising.

Um, I spent five years with them and after that I moved to Houston to start my own market research firm with, you know who my brother. 

Edgardo de la Garza: That’s right. And that was the best decision we could have done. 

Elvia de la Garza: Yes, yes. 

Edgardo de la Garza: Elvia, you studied advertising. How did you end up in consumer research? 

Elvia de la Garza: It’s funny because it is almost by mistake.

You know, when I graduated my intention was to work in account services, but when I interviewed with Zubi they said, uh, you know, they told me that the only position that they had opened at the time was in research and, but they offered to. Uh, switch me to account services after six months and I said, okay, let’s do it.

But, you know, six months passed and I of course did not want to move. You know, the, those first months I really fell in love with market research, um, talking to consumers analyzing data, connecting the points, building stories, building strategies. Mm-hmm. It was just not interesting. It was. Honestly magical And, It sure is. Yes. And to be able to work with. All of the categories and all of the brands and made different, uh, clients. I mean, it is priceless. I was hooked from the very beginning, so obviously I never left. 

Edgardo de la Garza: That’s awesome. That’s awesome.

Elvia de la Garza: Yes, yes, yes. So tell us about you. How did you end up here? 

Edgardo de la Garza: Well, my story with market research started way earlier when I was about, 16, 17 years old, still back in Leon, where we grew up.

I was actually in high school and we had skipped class that day. We were just hanging out with our friends up to no good. And then this, this guy just approached us and said, Hey, you guys wanna do our focus groups? It’s about alcohol. So, of course, you know, being a teenager and we were like, oh, of course, let’s do it.

But we have to go back. To class eventually. So this guy went and talked to the principal and somehow convinced him to let us attend the sessions and skip the rest of the day. So we went across the street. There was a very reputable, nice hotel I 

Elvia de la Garza: remember, 

Edgardo de la Garza: and, uh, across from the high school. And we sat around the room and the guy said.

Open bar, whatever you want. Let’s talk about, you know, what you like to drink and everything. 

Elvia de la Garza: Weren’t you 16 at the time?

Edgardo de la Garza: Exactly. Completely irresponsible. It was crazy, but you know, that was the nineties. It was the nineties. What whatcha gonna do about it? You know, we order things that. I’ve only heard adults ordering before we had no idea what we were doing, but after the third round of drinks, he said, okay, let’s order beer and let’s talk about the difference between liquor and beer and the moments for beer.

And we, of course, were 16. We had no idea we were talking about, but we left quite happy that day. With a nice buzz and a cheap wristwatch as an incentive for that. So that’s, that was my first interaction with marketing research. 

Elvia de la Garza: That is so wild. 

Edgardo de la Garza: It’s super wild. Then, in college. I worked for 7-11 for like a year or so my, my freshman year.

But then I made the jump to the office of the survey research and I started there because, you know, I heard that they were paying a little bit more for bilingual people Now. Our first language is Spanish and I needed to practice my English, so I thought, okay, that make, that makes sense for me to be on the phone because it was a data collection center.

Uh, and practice my, my English, you know, do conducting interviews and calling people on the phone. So we did that and it was a old school data collection center. A bunch of rows of phones, not cell phones, of course, not of. Traditional phones and they would give us individual sheet of sheets of paper with the name and the number and areas for notes, and we would dial for hours.

They give us about 75 to a hundred every shift. So, you know, I mean, it was, it was brutal because we would call people during dinner time and when they were busy and we got hung up on and,

Elvia de la Garza: yeah. 

Edgardo de la Garza: Uh, but it really helped. It really helped. With my confidence, with my language, of course. So I was very, very happy that I got that job, and I did that for a couple of years now. My very first professional job was at Bromley, Aguilar and Associates Agency in San Antonio as part of Adrian Palido’s very first strategic planning team dedicated for the Hispanic consumer. It was a great, great team and we had elite clients. We had Coca-Cola and Proctor and Gamble and the Home Depot, and it was great to work with that team.

Account planning was very new. It was fantastic. And of course, I, I fell in love with, with that. I manage all of the secondary data sources, Siemens, Vic, all of those studies that you can purchase and you can, play with the data. Um, uh. So I earned the nickname Data Boy. So they needed to find out something.

They asked Data Boy, and I would go into my little systems and, and get the answers.

Elvia de la Garza: Data Boy was going to end up in research full-time for probably the rest of, of the, of his life. That, that is amazing. Uh, while you’re starting already mentioning some names and I, I. Actually, it’s a great transition to talk about the people that have impacted us mm-hmm.

And the, and the professionals that we are right now. Um, I wanna do that. And, I’ve been 25 years at, at this, uh, 20 with DLG five, with Zubi. Um, and I can still remember quotes or advice that people have told me on the way. And if I. Was to think about mentors like who has really made an impact in my professional life.

I, I mean, two people come to my mind immediately. Um, Raul Alfonso, and Pam McGrath. 

Raul was your first boss, right? 

Yes. Yes. He was my first and only because it as UT, Zubi, and then DLG Research, Uhhuh, he was my only job, uh, my only boss. But he was amazing. I mean, he literally took me under his wing and taught me pretty much all research fundamentals.

I, I must start with saying who he was. Uh, eh, Raul was the research director mm-hmm. At Zubi and obviously me coming. Fresh out of college, I knew nothing. And remember, research wasn’t even in my plan. So I really didn’t know nothing. But he taught me all the fundamentals. But more importantly, he told me how to do it right.

Mm, how to do it ethically, how to not cut corners, how to deliver maybe not so good findings to clients or to the creative team, and do it. Gracefully and, but also clearly and firmly. It was amazing to work with him because he had this integrity, um, unmatched. Really. So That’s awesome. It was wonderful.

And when it was my time to leave, you know, my five years at Zubi, I worked for him and when it was time for leave, he was genuinely happy for me. That’s great. And you know, that’s it. That’s the type of boss, the type of mentor that, that really make an impact. Absolutely. So that was Raul and then there was Pam.

And Pam McGrath. Yeah. Pam McGrath was the group account director for SC Johnson at Zubi. And. From day one, again, I was fresh out of college and, and I was actually working with the SEA team and from day one she truly saw me. Um, she talked to me about the business, like if I was some, like if I had more time in Zubi.

Like, I, I dunno, she made me feel that I knew, that I knew what I was doing and she started. Teaching me and I actually have a funny story. Okay. Which might sound silly, but at the moment it, made an impact on me. 

Edgardo de la Garza: Let’s hear it. 

Elvia de la Garza: Um, the first time ever that I flew business class was with Pam Magrath.

Oh, cool. And because of Pam McGrath uhhuh, um, we were on our way to Racine, Wisconsin, uh, for a message, a meeting, and it was a, I don’t know, a team of five or six of us going and. She had the highest flying status that there could possibly be.

Edgardo de la Garza: Super. Oh man. Yes. Yes. And you know, those are, you can always, those were the days that we would fly everywhere.

Elvia de la Garza: Yes, yes, yes, yes. 

So anyways, she could always operate one person and that was my first trip to, to, uh, to Racine. Uh, I think the first, or maybe one of the first anyways, but she chose me. Mm-hmm. Um,

Edgardo de la Garza: chose you for

Elvia de la Garza: for, to go to first class. Okay. She chose me to, to be upgraded 

and,

Edgardo de la Garza: okay. You were her travel companion.

Elvia de la Garza: Yes. 

Edgardo de la Garza: Yes, with upgrade first place. That’s nice.

Elvia de la Garza: Itself was amazing because it was my first time flying business and, you know, it was pretty cool. That’s a big deal. The comfy seat. It is comfy. Uh, but more than that, um, again she chose me not just to sit there. She. Talked to me, she told me who the clients were.

She said, well, we’re gonna meet this, and so and so. And they are, you know, she just gave me all the insights. Insights. And at the moment it made me feel so important. It made me feel seen. Mm-hmm. It made me feel, felt, taken care of. It was amazing. And one thing I must say about Pam is that she always spoke to the winner in me.

Mm. Even before I started winning, uh, I had not won. Nothing. And, and that was amazing. That is, that is, that gives you wings and that is priceless. 

Edgardo de la Garza: Yeah. She was a great person. She’s no longer with us, right?

Elvia de la Garza: No, no, no.

Edgardo de la Garza: Yeah. Makes she rest in peace. Absolutely. 

Mm-hmm. Um, I gotta tell you about a, a, a guy that also is no longer with us, Ed Cantu.

He taught me a very good lesson, very early in my career. Again, he was part of that account. Planning team at Bromley, Aguilar and Associates in San Antonio. And it was the very first time that I attended as the, as part of the agency to focus groups. And I was taking it all in. I was enjoying the M’n’Ms. I was fascinated with the conversation and how the moderator was handling the conversation and the insights that we drew, and I enjoy it.

A lot. So the next day in our debrief, he says, Edgardo, how was your first groups. Excellent. How did you go pull out your notes? I didn’t take any notes.

Elvia de la Garza: No way

Edgardo de la Garza: At all. At rookie mistake at all. Rookie mistake. I was just there eating M’n’Ms enjoying the sessions and I did not take a single note.

So he called me out, but he called me out. In a funny, respectful way, but also sending a very clear message and he, he reminded me always take notes that you don’t go this for entertainment, you go this to learn, take notes. 

Elvia de la Garza: That was good mentoring there. You know, it’s not necessarily sort, but it’s real.

Edgardo de la Garza: It’s very real and need help me. And guess what? I took notes from that day going forward. I bet you did in every meeting. Absolutely. Yes. Now as business owner, the, the person that even perhaps without even knowing, but that taught me a lot, was Alex Lopez-Negrete, from Lopez Negrete Communications here in Houston.

Uh, I was his director of research for about three years or so, and I saw him interact with clients and the way he speaks, the way he makes eye contacts and gives a little smile and, oh, it’s this old swag and of course a lot of knowledge and he speaks with authority. I was just amazed at the way he connects with the client and I am.

I learned a lot and I’m taking those learnings and we are, we’ve been applying them for the past 20 years now that we have our business here. But man, that guy is, is fantastic. It’s truly a masterclass to see him work. 

Elvia de la Garza: That’s, that is amazing. I mean, if, and if you really think about it, we’ve been so lucky to, you know, not only work with companies, uh, world known companies, but also with people that not only know the cultural or multicultural piece, but also care to do it. And, and if you think about it, every project, every single project is a classroom where. Always learning. 

Edgardo de la Garza: Absolutely. We are learning from the consumers.

We’re learning from the clients, and sometimes we also do the teaching, let’s be honest, because we have clients that approach us that they’re new to market research or not as familiar or they’re not familiar with the multicultural piece of it. And now we’re becoming the mentors. 

Elvia de la Garza: That’s right. 

Edgardo de la Garza: 20 years in the business, we’re not the youngest ones in the room anymore. So, uh, many times we, you know, we need to talk to our clients and explain them and show them the ropes of marketing research, and then it’s an interesting dynamic to see that change. 

Elvia de la Garza: Yes, it’s really humbling when people come to us with guidance and I think it’s an honor to be able to provide them. And I, I hope I am. Someone’s Raul. Someone’s Pam. That would be awesome. 

Edgardo de la Garza: Yeah, exactly. We’re guiding teaching, sometimes gently challenging. And that’s the heart of research, asking questions and listening and helping others listen too. 

It really is the 

Elvia de la Garza: magic of what we do, and that is exactly what we’re gonna be exploring in this podcast.

Not just our story, but the stories behind insights the people, and the passion that built DLG over the last 20 years. 

Edgardo de la Garza: So this episode really is a love letter, a love letter to those mentors who shaped us, who challenge us and the people that believed in us. 

Elvia de la Garza: And of course, it is a reminder to pay it forward.

Client, a colleague, a friend, a fellow researcher. Welcome. Let’s warm up and get into it 

Edgardo de la Garza: That’s it for episode one. Thank you. From Elvia and I at DLG Research. 

Elvia de la Garza: Insightful research. 

Edgardo de la Garza: Actionable results. 

Elvia de la Garza: See you next time.