Key themes from the Insights Best Practice track at TMRE 2024.
The overarching theme of the Insights Best Practices track at TMRE 2024 was the evolving landscape of insights, driven by technological advancements, economic shifts, and a deeper understanding of human behavior. The sessions explored the growing importance of DIY research methodologies, the integration of AI in qualitative research, and the need for marketers to act as the voice of the customer. A key focus was on bridging the gap between customer expectations and actual experiences, leveraging behavioral data to uncover hidden insights, and developing a clear customer promise that aligns the entire organization. The track emphasized the importance of human-centric approaches, even in the face of increasing automation, and the need for continuous improvement and adaptation in the insights field. Overall, the track provided a roadmap for insights professionals to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the evolving insights landscape and drive greater impact for their organizations.
Overall takeaways from the track follow, but click the below links to dive into each session:
- DIY Research Panel: Promises, Pitfalls and Proof of Concept – Moderator: Carly Shira, Highlight; Panelists: Tim Hall, Simporter, Cory Lommel, Cargill, Gabriel Dorosz, New York Times Advertising
- Unfiltered Truth: Mixing AI with Social, Behavioral, and Data Sciences – Jim Whaley, OvationMR; Jennifer Avery, Universal Destinations & Experiences
- Failure to Launch: Fostering Open Communication Throughout the Research Process – Veronica Gotto, Panera Bread; Mike Linck, Prodege
- How Human Truth Builds Better Brands: Empathy & Exchange Might Just Save The World! – Chris Hoel & Alex Millet, Brandtrust, Inc.
- Predicting Alienation: A Whole Consumer Perspective – Michael Nestrud, Curion; Mike Coffel, Nestlé
- How AI is Redefining Qualitative Research: Smart Conversations – Susan Stacey, Prodege; Charlie Rader, Procter & Gamble
- Marketing’s 2025 Insight Agenda: Highlights from WARC’s Annual Marketer’s Toolkit Report – Paul Coxhill, LIONS Insight/WARC
Key Quotes:
- “The most potent insights exist, are waiting to be uncovered in that gap between aspiration and reality.”
- “Human truth is the hidden engine behind our decision making. It’s powered by emotion and past experience, not by the rational interpretation of clear sensory data that we often believe drives us.”
- “I fully understand your business strategy. You need to fully understand the level of risk you’re walking into making this decision.”
Key Takeaways
- DIY research is gaining traction: Driven by the need for speed, agility, and cost-effectiveness, DIY research methodologies are becoming increasingly popular.
- AI is transforming qualitative research: AI-powered tools are automating tasks, enhancing efficiency, and enabling new approaches to qualitative research.
- Human-centric approaches are essential: Despite technological advancements, the human element remains crucial for gathering rich insights and building meaningful connections with consumers.
- Understanding human truth is key: Delving into the emotional and experiential drivers of consumer behavior unlocks deeper insights and informs more effective brand strategies.
- Bridging gaps is critical for success: Marketers must bridge the gap between CEO expectations and customer experience, as well as the gap between consumer aspirations and reality.
- Behavioral data provides a deeper understanding: Analyzing how consumers spend their attention, time, and money reveals valuable insights into their true priorities and motivations.
- Emotional mapping enhances customer journey analysis: Identifying emotional touchpoints alongside transactional moments provides a richer view of the customer experience.
- A clear customer promise unifies the organization: A compelling and deliverable promise, driven by customer insights, aligns all departments and drives brand impact.
- Collaboration is essential: Strong partnerships between insights teams, business partners, and research vendors are crucial for driving effective decision-making.
- Continuous improvement is necessary: The insights field is constantly evolving, requiring ongoing learning, adaptation, and refinement of research methodologies.
1. DIY research is gaining traction
The increasing adoption of DIY research methodologies reflects a broader shift in the insights landscape towards greater agility, speed, and cost-effectiveness. Driven by the need to respond quickly to market changes and gather consumer feedback in a timely manner, organizations are embracing DIY approaches that allow them to conduct research more efficiently and with greater control. This trend is supported by the availability of user-friendly research platforms, automation tools, and the growing expertise of internal insights teams. While DIY research may not be suitable for all projects, particularly those requiring complex methodologies or specialized expertise, it offers a valuable option for addressing a wide range of research questions, especially those requiring rapid turnaround and cost-efficiency. The growing popularity of DIY research highlights the democratization of insights, empowering organizations to take ownership of the research process and generate actionable insights that drive business decisions.
2. AI is transforming qualitative research
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the landscape of qualitative research, automating tasks, enhancing efficiency, and enabling new approaches to gathering and analyzing data. AI-powered tools can transcribe interviews, analyze text and video data, identify patterns and themes, and even generate summaries and reports. This automation frees up researchers to focus on more strategic aspects of the research process, such as developing research questions, designing studies, and interpreting findings. AI is also enabling new forms of qualitative research, such as conversational bots that engage participants in natural conversations and gather rich insights at scale. While AI is not intended to replace human researchers, it is transforming the way qualitative research is conducted, making it more efficient, scalable, and insightful.
3. Human-centric approaches are essential
Despite the increasing digitalization and automation of research processes, the human element remains crucial for gathering rich insights and building meaningful connections with consumers. Human researchers bring empathy, intuition, and critical thinking skills to the table, allowing them to interpret data in context, identify nuances, and uncover hidden motivations. They can build rapport with participants, create a safe space for sharing experiences, and elicit deeper insights that may not be captured through automated analysis. The human touch is also essential for communicating research findings effectively, tailoring messages to different audiences, and inspiring action. In an increasingly automated world, the human element in research becomes even more valuable, ensuring that insights are grounded in empathy, understanding, and a genuine connection with the consumer.
4. Understanding human truth is key
The concept of “human truth” emphasizes the importance of delving into the emotional and experiential drivers of consumer behavior. It recognizes that consumers’ decisions are not solely based on rational factors but are also influenced by their past experiences, emotions, and subconscious biases. Uncovering these hidden motivations requires research methodologies that go beyond simply asking consumers what they want or prefer. It involves eliciting stories, exploring past experiences, and tapping into the emotional landscape of the consumer. By understanding the “why” behind consumer behavior, brands can develop more effective marketing strategies, design more appealing products, and create more meaningful customer experiences. Human truth research provides a deeper understanding of the consumer, allowing brands to connect on a more authentic level and build stronger relationships.
5. Bridging gaps is critical for success
The insights function plays a crucial role in bridging gaps within organizations and between brands and consumers. One critical gap is the disconnect between CEO expectations and actual customer experience. Insights teams can bridge this gap by gathering and analyzing customer feedback, identifying pain points, and advocating for customer-centric solutions. Another important gap is the discrepancy between consumer aspirations and reality, which can be revealed through behavioral data analysis. By understanding these gaps and developing strategies to address them, organizations can create more aligned and effective customer experiences, drive innovation, and enhance brand performance.
6. Behavioral data provides a deeper understanding
Behavioral data, which captures how consumers spend their attention, time, and money, provides a valuable complement to traditional attitudinal data. While attitudinal data reveals what consumers say they want or intend to do, behavioral data reflects their actual actions and choices. Analyzing behavioral data can uncover hidden motivations, reveal discrepancies between aspirations and reality, and inform more effective marketing strategies. By understanding how consumers truly behave, brands can tailor their messages, products, and experiences to better meet their needs and preferences.
7. Emotional mapping enhances customer journey analysis
Incorporating emotional mapping into customer journey analysis provides a richer and more nuanced understanding of the customer experience. By identifying the emotional highs and lows experienced by customers throughout their journey, brands can pinpoint opportunities to create more positive and memorable interactions. This approach recognizes that emotions play a significant role in shaping customer perceptions and behaviors. By understanding how customers feel at each stage of their journey, brands can design experiences that foster positive emotions, build stronger connections, and drive loyalty.
8. A clear customer promise unifies the organization
A clear and compelling customer promise serves as a unifying force within an organization, aligning all departments around a shared goal and driving brand impact. When all employees understand and embrace the brand’s promise to its customers, it ensures that every touchpoint reinforces that commitment. This creates a consistent and customer-centric experience, fostering trust and loyalty. A strong customer promise should be valuable to the customer, deliverable by the company, and memorably expressed. It should be grounded in customer insights and reflect the brand’s core values.
9. Collaboration is essential
Collaboration is a recurring theme throughout the Insights Best Practices track, highlighting its importance in driving effective research and informed decision-making. Strong partnerships between insights teams, business partners, and research vendors are crucial for navigating the complexities of the insights landscape. Open communication, shared understanding, and a willingness to collaborate ensure that research projects are aligned with business objectives, findings are effectively communicated, and insights are translated into action. Collaboration also fosters trust and credibility for the insights function, demonstrating its value as a strategic partner within the organization.
10. Continuous improvement is necessary
The insights field is constantly evolving, driven by technological advancements, changing consumer behaviors, and new research methodologies. This necessitates a commitment to continuous improvement and adaptation. Insights professionals must stay abreast of new trends, evaluate and refine existing methods, and embrace new technologies and approaches. This ongoing learning and development ensures that insights teams remain at the forefront of the field and continue to provide their organizations with the most relevant and impactful information possible. By embracing a culture of continuous improvement, insights professionals can drive innovation, enhance their expertise, and contribute to the ongoing success of their organizations.
Contributor
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Seth Adler heads up All Things Insights & All Things Innovation. He has spent his career bringing people together around content. He has a dynamic background producing events, podcasts, video, and the written word.
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