The question about making an impact is not necessarily just for entry-level associates starting out in their careers. But it can also apply to any insights professional, as the community faces a transforming business model and more of an emphasis on being a strategy change agent and trusted business advisor/consultant.
Special thanks to the TMRE speakers who participated in our survey. We would also like to thank all the speakers attending TMRE 2026 this year. See you in October!
Driving Better Business Decision-Making
What advice do you have for market researchers who want to make an impact within their organizations?
“Market researchers make the most impact when they move beyond ‘delivering findings’ and become the people who help the organization make better decisions. That means connecting research directly to budget allocation, campaign design, planning choices, performance evaluation and business tradeoffs—not just reporting what consumers said.
Second, be the person who improves trust in evidence. The ARF work shows that measurement can look standardized on the surface while definitions, attribution methods, incrementality, disclosure and validation vary underneath. Researchers who can ask better questions about what is actually being measured—and what cannot be verified—become more valuable inside the organization.
Third, learn to communicate uncertainty without weakening the recommendation. The ARF attention work is a good model: it does not just say whether attention ‘works’ or not. It explains where the evidence is stronger, where methods diverge, and why attention should be interpreted alongside media weight, reach, frequency and platform context. That kind of disciplined interpretation is what makes researchers trusted advisors.
Finally, make research useful. Bring stakeholders practical guidance: what questions to ask vendors, what metrics to trust, where comparisons are fair, when incrementality matters, and how findings should change action. The researchers who have the most impact are not just methodological experts. They are translators between evidence, business decisions and organizational confidence.” —Tracy Adams, Sr. Director, Research & Insights, The ARF (Advertising Research Foundation)
“Hard work won’t promote itself. Be brave, share whenever you can, and make sure you get the credit you deserve every time your work appears in a boardroom and on a presentation.” —Sofia Vazquez-Barrios, Director of Consumer Insights, North America, Fine Fragrance Experience, DSM-Firmenich
“My advice is to stop thinking of yourself as someone who delivers research and start thinking of yourself as someone who improves decisions.
The researchers who have the greatest impact aren’t necessarily the ones with the most sophisticated methods. They’re the ones who understand the business context, frame the right questions, and help leaders navigate uncertainty with confidence.
That also means communicating differently. Executives don’t just want findings. They want to understand what the evidence supports, where the risks are, and why a recommendation is defensible. As AI makes analysis faster and more accessible, the ability to provide judgment and context becomes even more valuable.
Through MSI, we’re seeing that the role of market research is evolving from producing insights to helping organizations make better decisions. Researchers who embrace that shift will have the greatest influence.” —Keith Smith, Managing Director, Marketing Science Institute
“Find interesting and engaging ways to socialize your research. It’s too easy to run studies and then find them collecting dust on a shelf. Get the right information in front of decision makers and seek ways to ensure the information sticks with your audience.” —Raina Rusnak, Head of Consumer Insights, StarKist
“Start with the decision, not the research request. Too often, researchers focus on delivering a strong study but do not spend enough time understanding the choice the business is trying to make. Ask what decision is on the table, who needs to be convinced, what is at risk and what needs to happen differently as a result of the work.
Next, involve stakeholders early. Do not wait until the final presentation to bring them into the process. Let them hear from consumers, engage with Twin Communities, join co-creation sessions or experience the cultural context firsthand. People are far more likely to act on insight they helped build.
Be clear about what the insight means. Avoid presenting a long list of findings without a point of view. Explain what matters most, why it matters and what the organization should do next. The strongest researchers are willing to make a recommendation, even when the answer is not perfect.
Finally, stay involved after the presentation. Help teams translate the insight into concepts, campaigns, products or experiences. Pressure-test ideas, refine them and track whether the work changed the decision.
Impact happens when research becomes part of how the organization works, not when it ends in a deck.” —Niels Neudecker, Managing Director, North America, Human8
“Make friends, and keep your detractors close. We all have the same goal, and when you have a noisy stakeholder, there’s probably a reason for that. I’ve found that taking time to listen to them and find the right ways to support them will often turn a detractor, or a noisy stakeholder, into a close partner and advocate for your work.” —Emily Neville, Director, CX Research, Rocket
“Impact the business, first and foremost. Research needs to be more than just interesting (Hat tip: Elizabeth Oates!). Involve teams throughout the business in your research function, not just projects. Be partners with key decision-makers. Include in your research plan follow-through 3,6,9,12 months after your initial presentation. Generate accountability. Follow up with ongoing presentations.” —Bart Borkosky, CRO, OvationMR
“Think big. Challenge how things have always been done.” —Jacob Beniflah, Executive Director, Center for Multicultural Science
“You must stop operating as an internal order-taker and transform into a ‘Strategic Growth Expert.’
The most common trap in market research is treating the department like a passive library where business units drop off requests and you return a polished data deck weeks later. This creates zero organizational leverage. To become indispensable, you must proactively inject your insights directly into the company’s capital-allocation engines—specifically, the product and finance roadmaps.
You achieve this by shifting from reporting data to calculating the ‘Cost of Strategic Inaction.’ When presenting insights, never just show consumer sentiment or market trends. Instead, map those findings directly to your company’s core financial levers. Frame your research around how a specific consumer friction point will accelerate customer churn by a precise percentage, or how a competitor’s product gap opens an immediate, quantifiable revenue opportunity.
To execute this, adopt a ‘Narrative Arbitrage’ strategy: before launching any research project, mandate an alignment meeting with the requesting stakeholder. Force them to state exactly what operational decision will change based on the data you uncover. If they cannot name a specific action, do not run the project. This forced discipline ensures your team’s capacity is focused exclusively on high-leverage business pivots. By anchoring your work in business velocity rather than interesting yet unrelated tidbits, you elevate market research from a lagging cost center into a high-impact, proactive steering mechanism for the entire enterprise.” —Patrick Ward, Director, Institutional Marketing, Vanguard
TMRE Session Spotlight: Moving the Business Forward
TMRE 2026 will be held in Denver on October 5-7, and will highlight the session, “How to Make Insights Move the Business,” presented by Elizabeth Oates, Vice President, Consumer Insights, Molson Coors.
This session will inspire insights leaders to build an operating system that pushes the function into the future. It should feel practical, clear, and immediately useful. Learn how to structure the approach to drive impact; how to make your function more influential and more effective; and how to build organizational momentum.
Click here for more TMRE 2026 registration information and the show agenda.
Video: “Market Research Career Paths: 6 Specialties You Should Know,” courtesy of Nikki Quast.
