Significant Insights

🎉 A huge thank you to EVERYONE who joined us last night for our #MRS Conference After Party—we truly appreciate your support. We are especially grateful to Norstat, our Platinum Sponsor, whose generous support plays a key role in making events like this possible. A big thank you as well to the Market Research Society (MRS) for hosting the conference and collaborating with us on such a fantastic event. If you attended last night, thank you for being part of our industry and for making it the vibrant community that it is. We hope you had as great a time as we did! We also want to recognize our incredible team of volunteers and Brand Ambassadors, who welcomed guests, worked the door, and ensured no one was left on their own. As a small team, their support is absolutely vital on nights like this: ✨ Brand Ambassadors: Izzy Nurdin, SCR (Smart Connect Research) Sia Najumi, ekas Graham Idehen, Dscout Julie Tebeka, The Research Club Monica Kaur, InnovateMR Megan Finlay, Global Lingo Event Volunteers: Eshani M. | Michael Gebara | Bertie Wanless And last, but by no means least, a heartfelt thank you to our Bronze Sponsors—your support is deeply valued, and we appreciate your commitment to making our events a success. zoulloo | Recollective | TestSet | Catalyse Research | Empower Translate | SCR (Smart Connect Research) | Significant Insights | XYZ Field | i-view Studios | Prevision Research | If you haven't already, take a moment to check out our sponsors – they're fantastic partners who are passionate about helping your business thrive. See you at the next event! (visit the website for more info!) www.theresearchclub.com

Why is the insights sector important? Do you know and can you explain it to a key budget holder during a 30 second elevator ride? Off the back of the inspiring Market Research Society (MRS) Conference yesterday, especially after Dex Hunter-Torricke's words "The market research industry is in a critical position to guide us through the future”, it got me thinking - so given our importance, why do researchers tend to be pretty average at selling our selves, and what if we ALL worked harder, client-side and agency, to collectively become better at selling our huge value? Like our friends over in advertising, PR and marketing teams. As Katie M. said in the Big Read in Research Live earlier this year, we are at a turning point – or at least an evolution - and we’re going to have to do things differently! This is an industry that is worth £9bn in the UK – and growing YOY. In a world where facts are hard to pin down, we bring the truth and the rigour, the voice of the consumer and the citizen. When Katie interviewed me for that article, one of the key skills that I identified as important for the researcher of the future (now, actually) is communications. And one specific aspect of communication that I think we’re not great at as a sector, as mentioned, is communicating the value of insights. Now you might say, “Surely the value of the work speaks for itself?” to which I would say, “We are no longer in that world, if we ever were.” Today, we have to fight for budget, for our insights to be heard, to drive action and to be included in decision making. And I think we still suffer from an image problem – many outside the industry still see market researchers as standing around on street corners with a clipboard. Perhaps not a problem if that is what your Uncle Bert thinks you do. But if the Global CMO thinks that? So my question to the industry is this: do you know how to explain the value of insights? Can you explain it in five minutes? In 30 seconds? On trend, I asked ChatGPT, “Imagine you are the CEO of a traditional full-service market research agency meeting the CEO of a large FMCG brand in an elevator. What would you say to convince them of the importance of the insights sector before the lift gets to the ground floor?” This is what it said… "If you want to know what your customers really want—what drives their choices, their loyalty, and their spending—market insights are the key. We help you go beyond guesswork, giving you the evidence to launch products that hit the mark, create campaigns that connect, and stay ahead of competitors. Simply put, insights turn uncertainty into opportunity. Imagine knowing the next big trend before it happens—that’s the power of what we do." Not bad for a starter for ten – but I think we can do better – show me what you have got! [Bravo Jane Frost CBE Debrah Harding and your team for the best conference I've been to in years!]

London: MRS Annual Conference After Party! Date: Tuesday 11th March 2025 Time: 6:00 PM - 00:00 AM The MRS Annual Conference is TOMORROW and we're excited to see you all there! Our team will be exploring the conference in the morning before we head off in the late afternoon to get the after-party ready for you! Our dedicated brand ambassador team will be ready to welcome you at the event, making networking and introductions a breeze. Be sure to keep an eye out for them at the conference and during our networking event—thank you to our fantastic team! Izzy Nurdin, SCR (Smart Connect Research) Sia Najumi, ekas Graham Idehen, Dscout Julie Tebeka, The Research Club Monica Kaur, InnovateMR Megan Finlay, Global Lingo We look forward to seeing you all there! Tara & Sarah, The Research Club This event is proudly supported by our Platinum Sponsor: Norstat 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵: 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩-𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. With thanks to our Bronze Sponsors: zoulloo | Recollective | TestSet | Catalyse Research | Empower Translate | SCR (Smart Connect Research) | Significant Insights | XYZ Field | i-view Studios | Prevision Research | #theresearchclub #networking #marketresearch #networkingevent #networkingeventlondon #londonnetworking

19 of the 30 Significant Insights Global 30 Under 30 2024 are women, and so to mark International Women’s Day 2025 we thought we’d re-share and highlight the inspiring advice they gave us when we asked them if they had any advice for our sector. With huge thanks to all of you incredibly inspiring women! #IWD2025 #AccelerateAction Alexis Sacino Cheryl Kwok Aminat I. Dolphine Mongina Hiba Arshad Emma Levin Erin McQuitty Jolia ThadalLily N. Juli Pham Kiran Auti Mayke Harkema Melanie O’Meara Rachel Julius Rania B. Natasha Girling Precious K. Rebecca Strangio Adaeze Sophia Ukoni https://lnkd.in/edXhNKSh

My latest "The Edge" column written for Significant Insights Are Panel Discussions the World's Worst Focus Group? Read on and I will tell you why I think they are. Whilst the fightback has started (ably assisted by the dynamism of Chris Martin, Paul Hudson and Lucy Davison) we can surely do more to rid ourselves of these bland agreement sessions where little is debated and even less is learnt. H/T to Andrew Tindall and Dhananjay (DJ) Khanna for the use of my favourite marketing cartoon of all time. Co-incidentally, Mark Ritson posted on this very subject yesterday so I must be right! Thanks to James Endersby (Opinium) for the opportunity #insight #conference #marketresearch

On The Edge, with Danny Russell: "The World’s Worst Focus Group?" Significant Insights Columnist Danny Russell questions why the 'Panel Discussion' is so ubiquitous with events and conferences in our sector, suggesting that there has to be a better way, and of course, as always, he's not holding back! https://lnkd.in/eYxjPtt7

A fascinating insight into how our Chair, Ruth Hinton, got started on her career path and why she still gets a buzz out of working in clientside research. Of course, she also talks about her passion for the aims of the Working Well Together Charter and shares this advice for all of us working in the sector... "There are times when we need to be more intentional and empathetic in how we collaborate, as this allows people to do their best work and leads to better outcomes. No one intends to be difficult, but when we’re under pressure or if we lack appreciation for what it’s like on the other side, there is a risk of causing unnecessary stress or inefficiency." Link to the full article below ⬇️ #mrx #marketresearch #insights #WorkingWellTogether

Huge thanks to everyone who made it to our pre-Quirks networking mixer at Urban Press Winery last night! It was truly a pleasure connecting with so many of you. We hope you enjoyed the wine, the company, and the relaxed atmosphere. Wishing everyone a productive and insightful day at Quirks! Our team will be on the conference floor, so please don't hesitate to say hello. We're excited to share how you can become part of the Research Club community and benefit from collaborative learning and shared expertise. Let's connect! This event was supported by our Platinum Sponsor: Torfac Torfac: 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩-𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. With thanks to: Gold Sponsor: Walr Bronze Sponsors: Fieldwork | eMazing-retailing | i-view Studios | Significant Insights | Prevision Research | XYZ Field| Quirk's Media

“Walk a mile in their boots”: It’s rather challenging on the client side right now. In my role at Opinium, Chair of the MRS, and interviewing them for Significant Insights, I talk to client-side insight teams all the time, and what I’m hearing right now is that, as well as it being a generally difficult time economically, they are wrestling with quite a few other challenges that are more specific to the role. FYI fellow agencies. Clients say - direct quotes: - "We need new skills but there’s no time or support to develop them. The job has changed so much in recent years – arguably more so than on the agency side." Insight leaders now need to be strategic advisors and communications experts, to manage data and make meaning from multiple sources and to navigate internal politics whilst optimising tech stacks and evaluating new tools. It’s exhausting – and there’s typically no training for much of this because until comparatively recently the role was focused on managing budgets and working with agencies to conduct projects. "And there’s also no time to inspire junior team members and help them grow and develop these new skills either, so the challenge compounds." - "We’re fighting for budget and having to defend the team to the rest of the organisation. Despite everything we do, the wider organisation doesn’t always see our value." "They see us as gatekeepers, standing in the way of creativity and innovation" [actual quote!]. Either "we are overly rigorous and concerned with method or we are insufficiently scientific and predictive, with no proven ROI. Some even think we are both." Our budgets are modest when compared to those for marketing and comms, but we’re still not seen as value for money, and we’re always having to do more with less. And now the business thinks that we can do everything for free with AI. - It can feel lonely in insights – especially if you don’t have a big team. "Always having to justify our existence and defend our research when it conflicts with the gut instinct of the CMO can be isolating. We’re trying to build relationships across the company, but we’ve traditionally been siloed so it can be a slog." Sometimes I’m having these conversations in my role as Chair of the MRS; there is a lot that we and other industry bodies such as MRS, AURA and ESOMAR can do to help, such as providing resources and training, as well as just offering the support that comes with being part of a network of other professional researchers. But sometimes I’m having these conversations as CEO of Opinium, and I’m sure that there is a lot more that agencies like ours can do to help our clients too. I’d love to start a debate about all of this. If you are on the client side – does this resonate with you? What else is causing you stress at the moment? And what can agency partners do to support you?

Ongoing support: We're excited to share that OvationMR have renewed their commitment and support for Significant Insights, and the Global 30 Under 30. OvationMR has thrown their full weight behind helping make our sector a destination career and championing the next generation of insight leaders. Thank you Team OvationMR! And a big thanks to James Whaley for his enthusiasm and generous spirit. Ovation and Significant Insights will be holding events in New York and London this year to champion our sector, thanks to his energy and vision! Global 30 Under 30 Important 2025 Dates: Nominations open: 1st May 2025 Nominations close: 30th September 2025 30-Under-30 2025 announced: 28th November 2025 The Entry Requirements for 2025: We’ll want to find the insight leaders, innovators, creators and thinkers, under 30 years of age, who are making big strides in the world of insights. This could be reflected in their day-to-day work for clients and/or stakeholders, or the influence and impact they have made at their organisation, and/or the wider research and insights industry, or through their use of data and insights to help accelerate positive change in the world. And they/you have to be a member of the global research and insights community and 29 or younger on November 28th, 2025. Who made the 2024 #MRX30u30 List: https://lnkd.in/gzMJ_Bsu