The Insights & Innovators podcast from MRII has reached an exciting milestone—20 episodes featuring the voices of industry pioneers, disruptors, and changemakers. Since the first episode, our mission has been to shed new light on the evolving world of market research, the people shaping its future, and its implications for everyone who works in and with our industry.
Over the course of these conversations, we’ve explored topics ranging from AI’s impact on insights to business savvy and financial literacy for researchers, from entrepreneurial journeys to the transformation of talent and tools. Each guest has brought a unique perspective, offering not just stories, but actionable wisdom.
To mark this milestone, we’re sharing nine themes that have emerged from these discussions covering the big ideas, practical challenges, and forward-thinking mindsets that are driving the next era of research.
Whether you’re an industry veteran or an up-and-coming insights professional, these takeaways offer inspiration and guidance for your own journey.
1. Business Impact Over Insights for Insight’s Sake
Insights professionals must increasingly prove their value, not just by their research knowledge and expertise, but also by linking their work directly to business outcomes.
Pam Forbus, SVP, Global Chief of Insights & Analytics at Mondelēz International, summarized it well:
“You’ve got to start with what’s the problem I’m trying to solve? What’s the business problem? What’s the opportunity? What’s the ambition? And then you build your insight journey from there.”
Christian Niederauer, Vice President, Global Insights & Consumer Affairs at Colgate, adds:
“Put some points on the board… presenting clear and insights-driven recommendations that solve business problems, not just insight for the sake of insight.”
He stresses the importance of speaking the language of business:
“The more we speak the language of the business or business acumen, super important also in our insights competency, the more indispensable we become.”
Marcus Cunha, Robert O. Arnold Professor of Business at University of Georgia – Terry College of Business, on linking research to ROI:
“If we’re doing a lot of excellent research that goes into the proverbial drawer… that’s not being used to influence decision-making linked to ROI, we will become a cost center.”
2. Leadership and Influence Through Storytelling
The ability to communicate insights effectively remains a core leadership trait.
Ben Page, CEO at Ipsos, underscores the value of clarity:
“A great leader is a great simplifier. The ability to tell a clear story that inspires action makes all the difference”.
Pam Forbus reminds researchers that influence starts with understanding their audience:
“Insights without action are pointless. Your job is to inspire leaders and connect data to decisions that drive growth”.
Storytelling is not just about presenting findings—it’s about creating a vision that compels action and delivers impact.
3. The Power of Integration and Synthesis
Breaking silos and integrating diverse sources of data is a recurring message.
Leaders like Simon Chadwick, Managing Partner at Cambiar, stress the importance of pulling together disparate insights:
“The integration of data, analytics, and consultative insights under one roof will have a huge impact on organizations”.
Similarly, Pam Forbus urges researchers to focus on the broader business perspective:
“If you’re not speaking the language of the CFO, you risk a disconnect with decision-makers”.
Bringing clarity and synthesis to the table positions insights teams as strategic advisors.
4. Bridging Insights to Business Strategy
Market researchers must connect insights to actionable business outcomes to drive strategic decisions.
As Brett Townsend, SVP at Quester, and coauthor of Insights on the Brink, explains: “Insights people should be leading with recommendations, not just presenting findings. We have to show executives what the data is saying and how it ties to the strategy.”
Lisa Courtade, Associate VP, Global Business Insights & Analytics at Organon, adds: “It’s actually the approach that delivers the greatest value for the business that is the best one to go with.”
By influencing business strategy, insights teams can move beyond reporting and become indispensable growth drivers.
5. AI is Here and Now—And It’s Changing Everything
We can’t focus on the present and future of insights without talking about AI. It wasn’t too long ago that there were agencies and restech companies building AI solutions while brands were taking a cautious, wait and see approach. That’s no longer the case. AI is rapidly redefining how insights are generated and applied. Industry leaders are grappling with how to integrate AI while retaining the human element that gives research its nuance.
Elaine Rodrigo, Chief Insights & Analytics Office at Reckitt, emphasized the pivotal role of AI in decision-making:
“Where in all of this can AI somehow enable the human being? In which areas is it human-led, AI-assisted, but in some cases, AI-led, but human-taught.”
She continued, “Synthetic data is going to be the next interesting piece. One year ago all the agencies were talking about how you can’t use that. One year later so many presentations were about synthetic data.”
Christian Niederauer echoed the sentiment about AI’s potential:
“AI-driven insights… can significantly enhance our ability to forecast trends and predict consumer behavior much faster and potentially even better than before.”
6. Speed vs. Depth: The Balancing Act
Technology enables speed, but true value lies in balancing quick insights with depth and business relevance.
Diane Hessan, Founder of Communispace (now CSpace), offered a compelling analogy:
“We have to balance three things: speed of insights, depth of insights, and relevance to the business… Speed, especially with AI, is breathtaking these days… But depth is that sometimes we get very fast information, but it doesn’t really tell us much more than we already know.”
She concluded, “Getting all three… is the holy grail.”
Steve Schlesinger, CEO at Schlesinger Associates and Executive Chairman at Sago, on the pace of evolution:
“Change is the theme of how I think about the industry… it’s happening much faster than it did 20 or 30 years ago. We have to evolve our business constantly just to keep up with what clients need and how fast those needs are changing.”
7. Innovation and Agility in a Disrupted World
Agility in research methodologies enables faster and more effective decision-making.
Pam Forbus shares how foresight and agility created a competitive edge:
“Insights aren’t just about trends; they can transform how we produce, market, and sell, which is exactly what happened with small bag production.”
Jeff Krentz, Founder of Sky Isle Ventures, adds his perspective on innovation:
“The best opportunities come when you’re ready to move quickly and integrate different approaches to meet new challenges.”
To thrive, researchers must combine strategic foresight with agile delivery to meet evolving business needs.
8. Cultivating a Growth Mindset and Adaptability
Success in today’s market research landscape requires adaptability and continuous learning.
Dan Coates, President at YPulse, reflects:
“Pick a lane and dominate it. You can do anything, but you can’t do everything. Focus is what separates successful companies from stagnant ones.”
Ryan Barry, ex- President at Zappi, highlights the importance of a learning mindset:
“It’s about learning and unlearning—being willing to embrace the curiosity of a seven-year-old as you adapt to the market’s evolution.”
A willingness to grow and adapt ensures long-term success in an ever-changing industry.
9. Entrepreneurship: Passion, Persistence, and Purpose
Many podcast guests have charted their own entrepreneurial paths, driven by a desire to innovate and shape the industry. Their stories highlight that successful entrepreneurship is less about a traditional plan and more about seizing opportunity, adapting, and staying passionately committed.
Andrew Reid, Founder of Rival Technologies, explained his untraditional start and mindset:
“You got so passionate about something, you go out and, you know, try and get over that first hump of, do I have something that maybe has legs?”
He emphasized the personal nature of entrepreneurship:
“It would end up being something that really fits my style of learning and an incredible experience.”
Diane Hessan recalled her motivation for starting her company:
“We talked about what the internet was going to be, and it was the three Cs: content, commerce, community. And honestly, I fell in love with the community. We believed that online community could be used not just to share what you love—but to transform how companies listen and learn from their consumers.”
Kristin Luck, Managing Director at Oberon Securities, emphasized the value of building and scaling:
“What I really loved wasn’t really the starting of companies so much—it was really the growing and scaling, all the challenges that come with building a company.”
She also advised:
“You have to understand how the business makes money so you can be the most instrumental employee in terms of growing that company.”
We’re grateful to our podcast guests for sharing their wisdom, and to our listeners for being part of this journey. Stay curious, stay inspired, and stay with us as we continue to explore what’s next in the world of insights. Visit MRII.org to catch every one of these episodes or find the MRII Insights & Innovators podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe so you can join us each week for the next chapter.
