In a recent episode of the MRII Insights and Innovators podcast, hosted by Stan Stanunathan, Elaine Rodrigo, Chief Insights and Analytics Officer at Reckitt, shares her journey of transforming the insights function in a multinational corporation and what it takes to have real impact. Below is a summarized version of her responses, edited for brevity and clarity, to highlight the key takeaways from the conversation.
Q: What are the biggest challenges facing insights professionals today?
I think it is an extremely exciting challenge. It’s about how we harness AI, data, and technology to drive what we’ve been trying to do all these years—consumer-centricity and data-driven thinking. At the same time, as the world gets more complex and fragmented, we have an opportunity to create more integration within an organization by connecting the dots and rallying the whole company around one consumer truth in a simple way.
Q: Can you share a bit about your career journey?
It’s been nearly 30 years in the research, insights, and analytics industry. I started with research agencies and then led teams across three consumer goods companies: Reckitt, Mondelēz, and Danone, working in four countries—Singapore, Australia, France, and the UK. I began in academic research while working on my PhD, but when I joined Reckitt in 2001 as a young market research manager, I set my sights on becoming the global head of insights. That dream came full circle when I returned to Reckitt years later to take on this role.
Q: What advice would you give to agencies aiming to be more strategic?
Always start with the business question—not the research project, research objective, or methodology. Think about the insights and data you need to answer the question, and sometimes that might mean not doing any new research but using existing data instead. This mindset is essential for both agencies and internal teams.
Q: Can you share highlights from the transformation journey at Reckitt?
We’ve been on this journey for about four years now, really kicking it off in 2021. I’d summarize it as consistent capability building in three areas: growth, brand building, and data-driven decisions for spend optimization and performance measurement. For each area, we created signature capabilities. For example, we developed a demand-centric growth framework, which has become a consistent consumer-centric language across 12 categories and 17 markets. It’s now backed by a proprietary database of half a billion consumer data points, which is a gold mine for training AI models. Another highlight was centralizing our global marketing mix modeling program, making it an integral part of productivity initiatives.
“I believe having a seat at the table is important, but I don’t wait around for someone to invite me. If I don’t have one, I make my own table. I focus on creating something so interesting, impactful, and valuable that everyone wants to join me. It’s about showing the material impact of what we do—helping people find growth or make money—because when you bring that kind of value, people naturally flock to you.”
– Elaine Rodrigo, Chief Insights and Analytics Officer at Reckitt
Q: What are the barriers for agencies or the industry to overcome?
The biggest barrier is ourselves. We sometimes hold on too tightly to traditional methodologies and processes instead of focusing on what truly matters—ensuring everything we do is consumer-centric. For example, people still debate spending on traditional research methods versus analytics and data, which I think is an outdated conversation. The goal should be to use all available tools to deliver consumer insights that make a material business impact.
Q: How do you ensure your work gains recognition and drives influence within the organization?
I believe having a seat at the table is important, but I don’t wait around for someone to invite me. If I don’t have one, I make my own table. I focus on creating something so interesting, impactful, and valuable that everyone wants to join me. It’s about showing the material impact of what we do—helping people find growth or make money—because when you bring that kind of value, people naturally flock to you.
Q: What is your perspective on the future of the insights function?
I think the future is already here, and AI is playing a key role, especially in innovation. In a typical organizational workflow, there are stages where we need insights and data for creation, testing for optimization, and measurement before a launch. AI has the potential to enable and enhance each of these steps. For example, we’re looking at how AI can assist in identifying insights during the creation phase, improve efficiency during testing, and provide better measurement tools post-launch. By embedding AI into these workflows, we can drive innovation in a way that’s faster, smarter, and more impactful. And we’re looking across the whole place and saying, where in all of this can AI somehow enable the human being?
For more insights from Elaine Rodrigo, listen to the full episode of the MRII Insights and Innovators podcast.