Should Marketing Research be taken seriously?

I'm sometimes accused of trying to work a joke into everything.

 

I respond that I'm working in marketing research, which is an inherently frivolous exercise. I'm using scientific method to help sell the world more Pepsi and Doritos. Should such a business be taken as seriously as, say, research on the AIDS vaccine?

 

But, they respond, our clients are a vital part of the American economy.

 

Which, I respond, is totally irrelevant. There are many endeavors which can be made fun of while they advance capitalism. In fact, there are endeavors which require humor as part of their existence. I would cite "The Jay Leno Show" as an example of an enterprise which would fail without a steady infusion of bad jokes.