The panel featured Antoinette Staples, Senior Director, Customer Insights & Success, McKesson, as moderator; Aarti Bhaskaran, Global Head, Research & Insights, Snap Inc.; Ling Cui, Head of Marketing Analytics, Research and Technology, MassMutual; and Julia Cavalieri, Market Director of Marketing, Marriott International.
They explored what true collaboration looks like across insights and marketing, and how strong cross-functional partnerships drive smarter strategies and measurable impact.
Building Critical Mass
Antoinette Staples kicked off the conversation centered around the word “impact” and what it means to them, in terms of collaboration. How do they drive impact in their roles?
For Julia Cavalieri, it means bringing and creating an emotional connection but also having commercial impact. Aarti Bhaskaran tied impact to outcomes and revenue growth but also about making people think differently. For Ling Cui, impact is about building critical mass—that build may take time but the influence you are building moves toward that goal.
Insights have certainly evolved over time, with the panelists pointing out how analytics and insights are being brought together in organizations. For Cui, analytics brings discipline to the data while insights uncovers needs and wants that lead to better decisions. Cui also noted how bringing marketing closer together with insights, ultimately, is like forming an orchestra, with a central conductor aiming to harmonize the music.
Insights As Opportunity
For the marketer in the panel, Cavalieri says she aims to leverage insights to shape consumer experiences in real time. This is key to consumer loyalty and creates a clear picture for marketing to influence products and services, applying the insights back to strategies, marketing, and operations and strengthening the customer bond.
“Turning data into moments, and acting on those insights consistently and swiftly,” notes Cavalieri.
For Bhaskaran, strong collaboration between teams is crucial to driving impact. So what does that look like? Bhaskaran likened research partners to being on the same sheet of music. She also pointed out that it’s about understanding the voice of the consumer but also understanding the marketing team, and from being reactive to strategic. Ultimately, research and insights still must measure outcomes, assess impact, and prove value.
Cui also pointed to leadership in this impactful process between insights and marketing. It’s about effective communication, active listening, data storytelling, influencing and building credibility and building trust by understanding the marketing team’s priorities.
The panelists also agreed that the insights partnership process might entail marketing responsiveness, identifying what’s driving the business forward, and even developing a continuous feedback loop about the consumer experience.
Sharing Frameworks
As each panelist expressed being inspired by what they do, despite common challenges, they were also asked to provide advice to the group on more impactful partnerships between insights and marketing.
For Snap’s Bhaskaran, making sure you have a seat at the table comes with being outspoken and abreast of change. Make sure that you are relevant. Build internal advocates. And advocacy for peers—Bhaskaran notes how significant it is for women to support women via networking and building a system of advocacy.
Marriott’s Cavalieri advises, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Stay curious, trust your inner voice and be real and authentic. Use your influence and let women shine for their efforts, ideas, mentorship and support. Creating a safe space for feedback and support is also important.
For Cui of MassMutual, there are different drivers of growth. This also comes over time with experience. Tripping and stumbling can be uncomfortable but it’s also a signal that you are growing.
“Failures do not define who you are,” says Cui.
Even as the future of insights evolves with AI, Cui points to women making an impact, finding patterns, and conducting more agile research to build their competitive advantage as a human. Key skills include storytelling, critical thinking, and logical reasoning as we learn AI-enabled skills.
For Cavalieri, having great human taste, judgement, and intuition is what makes women leaders stand out beyond AI’s reach.
“No algorithm can decide who you are,” she says.
Video: All Things Insights interviewed Antoinette Staples, Senior Director, Customer Insights & Success, McKesson, at TMRE 2025.
