The Consumer Insights Podcast

In a world where change is the only constant, adapting to a new normal falls short. Companies must anticipate the next normal to thrive, and insights are essential to achieve this. In this episode, Michael Nevski, Director, Global Insights at Visa, offers tangible strategies for insights leaders to help consumers navigate through economic stressors stemming from our dynamic world. He emphasizes the importance of communication, trust, community, and adaptation in facing next-normal scenarios from both the consumer and company perspectives. We also discuss: What early adopters can teach us about GenAI's impacts on consumer behavior

To work with insights is to drive change. And while driving change is always easier said than done, it’s far from impossible. In this episode, Deepa Iyer, Sr. Director of Market Research and Data Science at Fossil Group, shares how her rich career working both agency-side and brand-side has taught her how to drive insightful action through empathy, humility, and technical expertise. Join us as we also discuss:

Join us for this Quarterly Review episode as host Thor Olof Philogène revisits some of the highlights from recent episodes, exploring the varied and rich perspectives of the brilliant insights leaders who’ve joined the podcast this quarter.

A commitment to learning—whether through formal education or experience—opens doors to diverse opportunities and fresh perspectives. It fills gaps in understanding, fosters adaptability to emerging technologies, and is fundamental to uncovering transformative insights. In this episode, Victoria Ng, Director, Consumer Insights at Sodexo, shares how her journey of continuous learning has shaped her ability to conduct thorough research and derive meaningful insights. We also discuss:

“Insights without actions are just fun facts.” But how do you ensure your insights translate into real-world impact? Generating insights without a practical application often limits their ability to leverage tangible results and meet business objectives. In this episode, Matt Thell, Global Strategy and Innovation Leader at General Mills, shares the key steps to turn insights into action through a structured process that involves analysis, communal knowledge, hierarchization and empathy. We also discuss:

Who exactly is your customer? More importantly, how do you know? A solid insights strategy powers better decisions, sharpens targeting, fuels innovation, and sets your organization up for success. But too often, insights are sidelined as a 'nice-to-have' function, stripping organizations of their competitive edge. Leveraging her extensive experience in building insights functions from the ground up, Deborah Walker, Director — Consumer Insights at The Michaels Companies, Inc., helps move the insights function to where it truly belongs — the ‘must-have’ category. She joins us to delve into her successful five-step program for establishing and enhancing this critical function. We also discuss:

“There’s never been a better time to be an insights professional.” The variety of innovations in the insights world, from tech to methodologies, are creating unique opportunities for insights professionals – but also new challenges. In this episode, Lorin Drake, Consumer Insights Strategist at Publix Super Markets, shares wisdom and learnings from his tenured career to illustrate how insights professionals can make the most of this new era. We also discuss:

Innovation can stem from any member of your organization, and accessible insights can expedite your team's journey toward it. The democratization of insights leads to the integration of customer needs into all decision-making levels, paving the way for groundbreaking innovation. In today’s episode, Shivani Shah, National Category and Shopper Insights Senior Manager at Church & Dwight Co., Inc. discusses overcoming the obstacles of insights democratization and how it can contribute to elevating the insights function. Join us as we discuss:

In Part 2 of our 2023 Year in Review, host Thor Olof Philogène delves into more captivating moments and insights from this year's guests. Join us for our last 2023 episode as we wrap up an incredible year on The Consumer Insights Podcast.

2023 has been another year filled with valuable, thought-provoking, and insightful conversations on The Consumer Insights Podcast. Each guest brought their own unique perspective, sharing some of their best stories, advice, and experiences. In this special edition Year in Review episode, host Thor Olof Philogène, revisits some of the brightest gems from the podcast this year. Join us as we recall some of the invaluable insights shared on the podcast this year, and stay tuned for Part 2!

A successful advertising campaign is determined by its impact on consumer behavior. But how can you best measure that impact? Dr. Jonathan Stringfield, VP, Global Business Research and Marketing at Activision Blizzard, explores this question through innovations in attention measurement. With deep insights experience from the worlds of tech, media, and entertainment, he also highlights how the gaming ecosystem —with over 3.5 billion users— is a key space for insights professionals to learn from. We discuss: Check out Dr. Jonathan Stringfield’s book, ‘Get In The Game: How to Level Up Your Business with Gaming, Esports, and Emerging Technologies', and join our community of brilliant insights professionals!

Building brand loyalty is a team effort. But how do you get the whole team on board? And how do you make sure that everyone is rowing in the right direction? To achieve this, it’s necessary to ask the right questions, dig deeper into the true meaning of loyalty, and pay attention to the post-purchase experience. In this episode, Uzma Rauf, Founder and CEO at Khatanalytics shares her expertise on how to engineer brand loyalty for long-term success. Join us as we discuss: Join our community of brilliant insights professionals!

Quantitative data alone is not sufficient for informing successful business decisions. Dr. Daron Sharps, Researcher at Pinterest, says the best research she’s seen involves the rigorous integration of multiple methodologies and that great qualitative research can be the catalyst that takes quantitative data to its highest, most useful form. Pulling from her expertise in psychology and human behavior, Daron shares how embracing multi-methodology can be what separates a short-lived insight from an enduring one. Join us as we discuss:

If insights don’t translate to action and impact, do they really matter? On this episode, we speak with Rachel Pruitt, Director of Enterprise Insights Capabilities at Target about her passion for transforming data in a way that empowers people and business alike. You probably already have a lot of the skills you need to drive more impact; it’s just about applying them in new ways. Join us as we discuss:

Personalization is the key to business success in digital and physical realms across B2B and B2C. But not all types of personalization are useful. Jennie Lewis, Senior Manager, Customer Insights at Airship specializes in mobile experience and personalization. She shares why insights need to be translatable to stakeholders, actionable, and in the marketing realm, personalized and segmented. Jennie also illustrates how to take the sea of data available and put it to work for your company and customers. Join us as we discuss:

What could you do with live, actionable insights directly from your audience at the very moment they see your content? Technology today makes it possible to gather, analyze and implement viewer feedback in real time, and these methodologies have the potential to bring greater depth and granularity to audience insights. We spoke with Steve Mushkin, Founder of Latitude about his decades of experience in audience and content research to learn more about how brands can use cutting-edge technology to deepen customer understanding and increase business impact. Join us as we discuss:

We’re surrounded by insights, both in and outside of work — it’s just a matter of knowing where to look for them. But once identified, how do you turn those insights into concrete action? And how can you ensure that those actions fuel growth? In this episode of the Consumer Insights Podcast, Thor is joined by Humayun Rashid, Consumer Insights Director at Microsoft. They cover: If you’re interested in learning more about how insights can fuel commercial, professional, and personal growth, tune into this episode of the Consumer Insights Podcast. Rate & Review The Consumer Insights Podcast: https://apple.co/3tX0VX1https://spoti.fi/3QhkNNUhttps://consumerinsightspodcast.comhttps://bit.ly/3NToIPf And connect with Humayun here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/humayunr/Website: https://www.microsoft.com/

Organizations exist because they solve problems for people. And solving those problems requires a deep understanding of the underlying needs, as well as the ability to translate them into business impact. Achieving this outcome requires a multitude of factors working together in harmony – and insights are the bridge that connects everything together. In this episode of The Consumer Insights Podcast, Thor is joined by Märta Eriksson, Senior Manager of Consumer Insights and Analytics at Marshall Group.

True consumer insights are rare. To uncover them, you need a combination of logic, intuition, and expertise, as well as the determination to separate bias from truth. Leveraging multiple techniques and new technologies can help you triangulate to true insights that will lead to better decisions and propel the business forward.

Research is a creative art, but inefficiency can prevent that creativity from blossoming. In order to make time for the brainpower that leads to business impact, it’s essential to prioritize efficiency in your approach to insights work. In this first-ever live episode of The Consumer Insights Podcast recorded at IIeX North America 2023, Thor is joined by Miranda Patton, Director of Strategic Insights at AT&T.