Overall takeaways from the track follow, but click the below links to dive into each session:
- Reimagining Community: How Warner Bros. Discovery is Embracing an Agile, Mobile-First Approach to get High-Quality Insights, Fast: Jennifer Reid, Co-CEO and Chief Methodologist, Rival Technologies & Sofia Gomez Garcia, Executive Director in Innovation, Special Projects & Global Community Management, Warner Bros. Discovery
- Panel: The Whys that Lead You to the Now Whats: Leveraging Behavioral Science for Agile Insights: Jesse Itzkowitz, Chief Behavioral Scientist, Ipsos, Heiko Schäfer, Global Head of Insights Excellence, Kimberly-Clark, Daniel Blatt, Sr. Director CX Insights Lead, Pfizer & Lara Manuel, Director, Consumer Insights, Prudential Financial
- Shift Retail Lab: A Vision for the Future of Customer Insights and Product Innovation: Garret Westlake, Associate Vice Provost for Innovation, Virginia Commonwealth University & Llyod Young, Director of Innovation and Design, VCU Shift Retail Lab
- How Generative AI is Helping Transform Insights Teams into Strategic Powerhouses: Dr. Naira Musallam, PhD, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, SightX
- Exploring the Human Factor: Harnessing Psychological Principles to Interpret Primary Research: Jessica Golson, Director, Consumer Insights, Universal Destinations & Experiences
- How to Keep Humanity at the Core of Market Research: Casey Mohan, VP, Qualitative Insights & Strategy, CMB, Jessica Lilie, Vice President, Research, Insights and Analytics, Sutter Health, Alan Moskowitz, Vice President of Consumer Insights, C Space & Teresa Correa-Pavlat, Consumer, Business, Insights & Analytics Lead, Brand & Incubator, Haleon
- From Ideation to Impact: AI Solutions for Ad Concept Testing: Phillip Lomax, Executive Vice President of Business Development, MediaScience
- Applying Behavioral Science: From Insight to Impact: Sabrina Lakhani, Former Director, Behavioral Science, Research, & Insights, Formerly Frontier Communications
Key Takeaways
- Human-Centered Insights Remain Critical: While AI can enhance research, human empathy, intuition, and context are irreplaceable in understanding consumer behavior.
- AI Is a Powerful Ally, Not a Replacement: Generative AI is streamlining data analysis, content creation, and customer feedback processing, but it works best when paired with human insight.
- Engaged Communities Drive Real Impact: Direct consumer interaction through dedicated platforms and real-world experiments provides valuable, actionable insights that fuel innovation.
The Human Touch: Why Empathy Is Still King
At TMRE 2024, it became abundantly clear that despite the increasing use of technology, human-centered research is still at the heart of understanding consumer behavior. In a world where AI promises speed and scale, researchers are constantly reminded that behind every data point is a person with emotions, needs, and a story to tell. Sessions like “Keeping it Human” showcased how blending human intuition with technological tools is not only possible but essential for capturing the nuanced stories behind raw data.
In the fast-paced world of tech-driven insights, it’s easy to get lost in the algorithms and forget the people driving them. But as the panel of experts in the “Keeping it Human” session noted, AI and data-driven insights only go so far. It’s human understanding, empathy, and contextual thinking that really unlock the value. When researchers take the time to look beyond the numbers, they can unearth the deeper motivations, values, and emotions that truly influence behavior. This focus on human connection was echoed across various sessions, highlighting how crucial it is to maintain empathy and intuition in the ever-evolving landscape of market research.
AI in Market Research: A Tool for Enhancement, Not Replacement
The day wasn’t just about humans and their emotional intelligence—technology, especially AI, played a starring role in transforming market research. In the session led by Dr. Naira Musalam on the impact of generative AI, attendees learned how AI is revolutionizing research, from content creation to predictive modeling. By automating repetitive tasks, AI allows researchers to focus on interpreting results and making strategic decisions.
But AI is not the enemy of human researchers—it’s a powerful ally. The key takeaway? AI works best when paired with human insights. For instance, AI can quickly analyze massive amounts of qualitative and quantitative data, generate summaries, and even predict trends. However, it’s still humans who need to interpret these insights in a meaningful way. This idea was echoed during the discussion on AI’s role in improving accuracy, reducing costs, and increasing efficiency across the industry.
Yet, the use of AI wasn’t limited to speeding up processes. Some sessions highlighted the role of generative AI in creative areas like content creation and fraud detection, which are usually time-consuming but necessary tasks in market research. As AI continues to evolve, it’s clear that these tools will only become more sophisticated, allowing market researchers to get deeper insights and faster results without sacrificing quality.
Building Stronger Customer Connections
One standout trend from TMRE 2024 was the emphasis on building engaged, active communities to drive insights. Warner Bros.’ A-List community platform is a prime example of how brands can create spaces where customers not only consume content but actively participate in shaping it. This session emphasized how the A-List goes beyond traditional focus groups—it’s a space where passionate fans can share their feedback, engage with the brand, and influence the direction of future products and campaigns.
The importance of creating an authentic, two-way dialogue with consumers became a central theme. Community-building platforms like A-List bring customers closer to the brand, fostering a sense of shared purpose and ownership. This approach to research is more dynamic than the passive feedback loops of the past. Consumers feel valued, leading to better participation rates, more meaningful feedback, and ultimately, stronger brand loyalty.
The “Shift Retail Lab” at Virginia Commonwealth University also mirrored this approach. The lab serves as a learning space where students collaborate with businesses to develop real-world products and test them with actual customers. By involving consumers directly in the process, these programs create a feedback loop that’s not just about gathering data but actively improving products in real-time. This blend of education, innovation, and consumer interaction highlights the growing importance of communities in shaping the future of market research.
Experiential Learning: The Next Frontier
The Shift Retail Lab isn’t just a place for students to learn about product development; it’s a place for them to live it. Sessions like this spotlight the growing trend of experiential learning in market research, where students, researchers, and businesses collaborate in hands-on, real-world environments. This setup allows for rapid iteration of product ideas based on customer feedback, giving businesses a direct line to what consumers want and need.
Such programs offer students more than just classroom knowledge—they provide the skills and experience needed to tackle the real-world challenges businesses face today. By testing products, gathering feedback, and tweaking their ideas on the fly, students gain invaluable insights that translate into better job readiness. For companies, these lab environments serve as a testing ground for innovative concepts and a way to tap into emerging talent in the field of market research.
Whether it’s through the lens of AI tools or community-driven insights, experiential learning offers an exciting way to bridge the gap between theory and practice. It’s clear that universities and companies are starting to realize the power of combining academic rigor with practical, hands-on experience in shaping the future of consumer research.
The Future Is Human-Driven, Tech-Enhanced
TMRE 2024 demonstrated that while the future of market research will undoubtedly be shaped by AI and new technologies, the human element remains irreplaceable. From building close-knit communities to integrating generative AI tools into research workflows, the industry is evolving to meet the demands of a faster, more complex world. But throughout all of this, the core message is clear: understanding people—emotionally, contextually, and experientially—is what will continue to drive meaningful insights in the years to come. Technology is there to enhance our capabilities, but it’s the human touch that will always make the difference in market research.
10 KEY ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS
- Human-Centered Insights:
- Action: Discuss the human context behind the data in your next team meeting.
- AI as an Ally:
- Action: Explore AI tools for automating one repetitive research task.
- Engaged Communities:
- Action: Propose creating a dedicated online community for your brand.
- Empathy is Key:
- Action: Focus on emotional drivers in your next customer interaction.
- AI Enhances Content:
- Action: Use generative AI to draft and refine a piece of content.
- AI Improves Efficiency:
- Action: Compare manual vs. AI data analysis on the same dataset.
- Community Dialogue:
- Action: Identify one area for a more interactive customer approach.
- Experiential Learning:
- Action: Partner with a university for a student market research project.
- Bridges Theory & Practice:
- Action: Organize a pilot test group for product feedback.
- Human-Driven, Tech-Enhanced:
- Action: Create a team training program on human and tech skills.
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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