Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII

When research tools all start to look the same, the real differentiator becomes the operating model that connects them and guides decisions. Charlie Butler, Co-Founder & C0-CEO at Bounce Insights, joins host Niels Schillewaert, Head of Research at Conveo.ai, to unpack why software alone hasn’t transformed insights as much as expected, even with generative AI. They discuss research as an emotional, high-stakes practice that requires confidence, context, and accountability, plus the limits of templated approaches for complex business questions. Charlie explains the idea of an “insights operating system” that unifies knowledge management and quant/qual workflows from business question to decision, improving speed and attribution. Real-world examples highlight how under-resourced insights teams are shifting away from self-serve tools toward integrated tech, expertise, and change management.

00:00 Sea of Sameness

00:26 Show Intro

00:55 Why Software Falls Short

03:08 Failing Upward Lessons

05:43 Custom Work and Accountability

08:01 Insights Operating System

10:22 Diet Coke Pricing Example

12:11 From Utopia to Bounce Approach

13:17 OS vs Dashboards

16:13 Client Case Studies

20:33 Next Gen Insights Company

24:37 Preparing for 2030

27:02 Career Advice and AI

28:59 AI and Critical Thinking

29:57 One Big Prediction

31:33 Closing Thanks

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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High-quality B2B data is the make-or-break factor in building synthetic personas that can be trusted. Sascha Eder, CEO & Co-Founder, NewtonX, joins host Jon Last, President, Sports and Leisure Research Group, to discuss why synthetic research is uniquely challenging in B2B, where buyer decisions are made by committees and online data is limited. They clarify key approaches including synthetic boosting, synthetic modeling, digital twins, and B2B-trained synthetic personas, and outline where synthetic can add value today, such as pre-testing questionnaires, message testing, and concept refinement. The conversation also covers validation through A/B testing against independent real-buyer samples, transparency around data sources, and why synthetic should often complement, not replace, primary research to support more continuous,

always-on insights.

00:00 Building Synthetic Personas

00:34 Podcast Intro and Topic

02:33 Why B2B Is Different

05:10 Data Scarcity in B2B

07:04 Four Synthetic Methods

11:05 Best Use Cases and Limits

13:33 How to Build Personas Right

15:18 Validation and Trust Tests

18:35 Always On Insights Workflow

20:13 NewtonX Approach and Moat

23:25 Market Adoption and Hype Cycle

26:43 Future Outlook and Wrap Up

28:29 Closing Thanks and Subscribe

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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AI may automate research execution, but the bigger opportunity is refocusing insights on its core job: shaping better business decisions through deeper consumer and market understanding. In this episode, Nick Graham, Founder, Vertemis, speaks with Mary Beth Jowers, VP, Consumer & Market Insights, Americas, The HEINEKEN Company, about how insights teams can “bring their own chair” by aligning work to how leaders make decisions, tailoring outputs to stakeholder needs, and learning from why insights don’t get used. They discuss partnering beyond marketing with finance and other functions, translating insights into decision-ready and financially relevant deliverables, and stepping into process, organizational, and technology stewardship roles. Mary Beth also outlines practical steps like auditing work products, mapping use cases, and building feasibility and viability fluency alongside desirability.

00:00 Bring Your Own Chair

00:42 AI And Insights Purpose

01:39 Meet Mary Beth Jowers

04:04 Right Business New Focus

06:21 Earning The Seat

10:38 Why Insights Get Ignored

13:08 Cheat Sheets And Influence

14:40 Friends With Finance

18:18 Insights As Change Agents

21:18 Tech Stewardship And Governance

23:37 Redrawing Boundaries

28:26 Accountability For Outcomes

30:15 Skills To Build Tomorrow

33:51 Closing Thanks And Subscribe

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The opportunity has never been better for insights teams to earn a meaningful seat at the strategy table by reducing busy work and focusing on the key data that drives decisions. In this episode, Daniel Graff-Radford, CEO, Discuss, joins host Pavi Gupta, Founder, The Insights Exchange, to discuss how researchers can shift from being “traffic cops” to building librarian-like systems that make organizational knowledge accessible and reusable. They explore the risks of partners uploading research into off-the-shelf LLMs, the need for traceability and repeatability, and how to avoid “insight slop” from either excessive questions or generic outputs. Daniel frames AI interviewing as a fast in-between method bridging surveys and live moderated qual, stressing guardrails and using the right tool for the decision’s risk and complexity.

00:00 Why Insights Matter Now

00:36 Meet the Host and Guest

01:44 Cutting Busy Work

03:11 From Traffic Cop to Enabler

04:57 The Librarian Mindset

07:36 Humans Plus AI Guardrails

11:26 Avoiding Insight Slop

14:16 Traceability and Trust

18:23 AI Interviews as the Middle

21:40 Choosing Methods by Risk

23:22 Key Takeaways and Wrap Up

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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The insights industry isn’t in decline, it’s being redesigned, and AI is accelerating that shift. In this episode, Jim Whaley, CEO OvationMR, joins host Jon Last, President, Sports and Leisure Research Group, to reframe what AI is really disrupting in market research: tasks like fast fielding, charting, and basic summaries, not the core purpose of insight. They explore why organizations confuse activity with value, how the “kindergarten” moment of AI creates excitement and anxiety, and why fluent answers aren’t always true answers. Jim outlines the risks of “synthetic certainty,” the need for inclusive leadership when adopting AI, and why younger researchers should focus less on producing outputs and more on helping people learn and make better decisions.

00:00 Define Yourself by Impact

00:26 Podcast Intro and AI Redesign

02:10 Decline Versus Redesign

03:54 Tasks Disrupted Not Insight

05:33 Kindergarten AI Metaphor

08:32 We Have Been Here Before

12:53 Loud Voices and Governance

15:46 Insights as Learning Systems

18:39 Fluency Versus Truth

22:43 Synthetic Certainty Tradeoffs

25:31 Leadership Skills for Researchers

29:08 Optimism and Domain Expertise

33:06 Closing Thanks and Subscribe

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When AI agents can research products in depth and make tailored recommendations, the traditional role of brand as a trust shortcut may shrink. In this episode, Steve Phillips, Founder, Chair and Chief Innovation Officer at Zappi, joins host Niels Schillewaert, Head of Research, Conveo.ai, to unpack “agentic shopping” and how AI-mediated decisions could reshape marketing and insights. Steve shares a real example of using Claude to choose a car, frames agent-driven choice as “system three” (system two on steroids), and explains why agents may prioritize specifics like ingredients, reviews, and scientific evidence over symbolism and advertising. They discuss category differences, how research may shift toward deeper human understanding and human-agent interaction, early experiments like surveying agents, and why insights leaders should lean into AI and lead organizational change.

00:00 Brand Collapses With Agents

00:42 Podcast Intro And Guest

01:44 What Is Agentic Shopping

02:32 Car Buying With Claude

05:12 System Three Decision Making

07:04 Why Brands Lose Power

09:42 Category Differences And Grocery

11:35 What Researchers Study Now

12:44 Agent Behavior And Discoverability

15:22 How To Experiment And Innovate

18:41 New Service Line For Insights

21:09 Skills And Industry Opportunity

24:31 One Thing To Do Tomorrow

25:05 Closing And Subscribe

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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Four out of five US adults don’t trust an AI-generated ad, AI-driven product, or service, and that gap between business adoption and consumer acceptance is growing. In this episode, Idil Cakim, Founder & CEO, Iris Flex, joins host Jon Last, President, Sports and Leisure Research Group, to unpack what brands often miss about consumer attitudes toward AI. They discuss why AI usage doesn’t always equal trust, how gender and age shape adoption, and Idil’s AI Proximity framework (exposure, control, delegation, and context) for measuring readiness. The conversation covers audience segments from avoiders to power users, where power users convert more in categories like financial services, auto, and wearable health. They also explore common rollout mistakes, the need for pre-testing and longitudinal tracking, and why human support still matters in sensitive decisions.

00:00 Power Users Payoff

00:52 AI Adoption Trust Gap

02:28 Why Study Consumers

04:09 Gender and Age Nuance

07:44 Usage Doesnt Mean Trust

08:59 AI Proximity Framework

12:32 Segments From Avoiders

14:13 Brand Mistakes and Fixes

18:40 Measuring Trust Over Time

22:34 Future Attitudes and Governance

24:55 Human Touch Still Matters

27:35 Wrap Up and Book Info

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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The old “commission research, present findings, move on” model is breaking as growth fragments, media splinters, and AI accelerate decisions. Ricardo Dalmas, Global VP of Insights & Analytics at Kimberly-Clark, joins host Nick Graham, Founder of Vertemis, to explain why insights must shift from calibration and testing toward defining strategic growth choices: where to play and how to win. They discuss balancing scale with precision, listening and observing behavior before asking survey questions, and prioritizing timely 70% answers over perfection. Ricardo outlines how AI can automate tasks, spot patterns and early trends, and free insights teams to iterate faster, experiment more, and partner closely with decision-makers. He also shares why emotionally resonant storytelling matters in intimate categories and offers career advice on industry passion, following up on impact, and mentorship.

00:00 Why Insights Must Evolve

01:34 Meet Ricardo Dalmas

03:52 Fragmented Growth Reality

07:54 Speed Over Perfection

09:23 From Research to Strategy

13:50 Will Insights Still Exist

18:07 Data Precision and Experimentation

20:46 AI Changes and Human Empathy

25:19 Emotional Storytelling Wins

28:19 Mentorship and Leadership Growth

31:35 Future Proof Career Advice

34:56 Closing and Subscribe

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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The organizations that will lead with AI are those that balance privacy and utility through transparency about methods, limitations, and responsibilities across the data cycle. In this episode, Arundati Dandapani, Founder & CEO, Generation1.ca, joins host Zontziry “Z” Johnson, Founder, MRXplorer, to discuss how fast-changing global AI regulation is reshaping governance for insights teams. They explore why global policy matters even for local organizations, including cross-border privacy, sector-specific rules, and the growing expectation for explainable, monitored AI decisions. The conversation covers risk-based and rights-based approaches, frameworks like OECD and NIST, and the shift from regulation to coordination and interoperability. They also examine de-identification, anonymization, synthetic data, client confidentiality, contracts, and digital responsibility, emphasizing that responsible innovation requires judgment, human oversight, and continual reassessment of harms and value.

00:00 Privacy Meets Innovation

00:12 Show Intro and Topic

01:31 Global AI Policy Radar

05:18 Risk and Rights Frameworks

08:15 Who Sets the Pace

11:03 From Compliance to Proactive

12:47 Anonymization and Reidentification

16:44 Contracts and Data Ownership

18:22 Digital Responsibility in Insights

20:26 Final Takeaway and Wrap

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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Why do people often open up more to an AI moderator than to a human researcher? In this episode, Nick Graham (Founder, Vertemis) speaks with Alfred Wahlforss, CEO and Co-Founder of Listen Labs, about how AI is reshaping qualitative research from analysis into moderation and digital twins. Alfred shares how Listen Labs uses AI to conduct, moderate, and synthesize interviews in hours, what’s driving faster adoption inside insights teams, and why “research slop” makes responsible deployment critical. They explore when real human respondents are essential versus when digital twins can help with quick message or concept iteration, how Jevons Paradox may increase demand for researchers, and why anonymity can reduce social desirability bias in sensitive studies.

00:00 AI Moderator Hook

00:21 Show Intro and Topic

01:14 Guest and Listen Labs

02:25 AI Adoption Curve

04:20 Why Adoption Accelerates

07:01 Real People vs Synthetic

10:40 Digital Twins Use Cases

13:29 Humans vs AI Roles

18:39 Speed Versus Rigor

23:49 Honesty With AI

29:36 Skills for Researchers

32:56 Closing Thanks and Outro

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A human connection may build more rapport, but it may not change what people disclose. In this episode, host Zontziry “Z” Johnson, Founder of MRXplorer, talks with Matteo Cera, CEO, Glaut, about independent studies testing AI-moderated interviews against human-moderated interviews and traditional surveys. They unpack biometric findings from Curtin University on comfort, stress, and disclosure, plus controlled experiments from the University of Mannheim and Human Highway showing longer, more varied responses and more themes than static surveys. They also discuss when humans still matter most, the role of voice vs text, built-in detection of uncooperative respondents during fieldwork, and why AMIs may be better framed as an evolution of survey methodology rather than “qual at scale.”

00:00 Big Question Setup

00:36 Meet the Guest

01:14 Rapport vs Disclosure

02:20 Anxiety and Biometrics

03:29 When Humans Matter

04:26 Independent Study Design

07:31 Why Not Qual at Scale

10:47 Richer Data KPIs

12:23 Voice vs Text Findings

13:33 Honesty and Openness

15:03 Data Quality and Cleaning

17:14 Respondent Experience Wins

20:23 Industry Impact and ROI

22:02 Researchers Role and Myths

24:36 Wrap Up and Subscribe

#MarketResearch #MarketResearchTrends #InsightsForBusiness

#AIMarketResearch #MarketResearchSkills

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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If everything becomes perfectly optimized, it all starts to look the same, and that’s where brand building dies. In this episode, Nick Graham, Founder of Vertemis, speaks with Stacy Taffet, Chief Growth Officer at The Hershey Company, about keeping marketing and insights deeply human in an AI-shaped world. They discuss why true consumer centricity is about understanding the “why,” not just dashboards; how insights teams can shift from reporting to shaping decisions through synthesis and conviction; and how to build an embedded foresight muscle that connects short-term performance with long-term signals. Stacy shares where AI helps with precision and scale, where it falls short on emotion and cultural resonance, and what leaders can do to create clarity, calm, and focus under pressure.

00:00 Curiosity And Conviction

00:22 Podcast Intro And Guest

03:16 Consumer Centricity Beyond Data

05:36 Future Of Insights Teams

08:19 Building A Foresight Muscle

11:34 Trends Redefining Food Needs

14:12 AI Versus Creativity

18:22 Human Connection Wins

20:33 Leading With Clarity

23:44 Career Advice For Insights

26:34 Wrap Up And Subscribe

#MarketResearch #MarketResearchTrends #InsightsForBusiness

#AIMarketResearch #MarketResearchSkills

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Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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In this Insights and Innovators Podcast episode, host Niels Schillewaert (Head of Research, Conveo.ai) speaks with Christopher Barnes, President of Escalent, about how market research organizations are approaching AI, why many fail to rigorously validate AI outputs, and how persuasive, energy-efficient model changes can increase risk. Barnes argues insights teams must become “insights and action” professionals, tighten the distance between findings and business impact, and adopt strong validation practices using human data and human-in-the-loop review. He shares examples of risky AI misuse, explains how to separate valuable tools from hype through piloting and showing work, and highlights near-term value in persona bots and research process agents. Barnes also describes Escalent’s mandatory AI certification and the need to prove measurable growth impact for clients.

00:00 AI Training Mandate

00:34 Podcast Welcome

01:04 Three AI Adoption Camps

03:03 Ahead Versus Risky

04:19 Why Validation Lags

07:07 Validation Best Practices

09:44 Persuasive AI Pitfalls

10:47 Who Owns Validation

13:00 Hype Versus Value

14:32 High Value Use Cases

16:46 Upskilling The Team

20:24 From Research To Advice

21:50 Skills For The Shift

24:21 Pollster Mindset Advice

26:15 Proving Business Impact

26:51 Closing And Subscribe

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Most AI projects fail when teams treat AI like a plug-in tool instead of a fully integrated system embedded in real workflows. In this episode, Nick Graham, Founder of Vertemis, speaks with Pankaj Chopra, VP & head of Data, Analytics & AI at Edgewell Personal Care, about the biggest myths in AI for insights and why pilots often never scale. They unpack what it takes to move from ad hoc experimentation to measurable business impact, including starting with clear business questions, building a robust proof of concept tied to ROI, making smart build-versus-buy tech decisions, and assembling the right mix of talent to support governance and translation. Pankaj also explains why adoption is the real marker of success and how insights teams can stay valuable through technical fluency, curiosity, and stronger storytelling.

00:00 Why AI Tools Fail

00:20 Podcast Intro and Guest

02:48 AI Myths in Insights

06:44 Tools vs Systems

09:53 Roadmaps and Value Chain

13:38 From Pilots to Scale

14:50 Three Enablers to Scale

21:54 AI as Teammate

24:47 Future Skills for Insights

30:21 Closing Takeaways

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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“If we can’t demonstrate our value, we may not deserve to exist.” Paul Griffiths, Founder, Client Advocates, joins host Nick Graham, Founder, Vertemis, to unpack what insights agencies must do to grow in a disrupted market. They discuss why agencies often sell process over commercial outcomes, and how competitors like consultancies win by linking research to decision confidence and business impact. Paul argues the biggest growth opportunity is in the gaps between projects through consistent, value-driven communication, stakeholder mapping, and better packaging of insights (exec summaries, short videos, quarterly syntheses). He outlines making everyone accountable for relationship building via account activation, being less bashful about proactive outreach, using AI to test hypotheses about client pressures, and developing “what, so what, now what” storytelling that drives action.

00:00 Stakeholders First Mindset

00:26 Podcast Intro and Guest

01:45 Why Value Matters Now

02:57 Process vs Commercial Impact

05:18 Grow by Deepening Clients

07:55 Account Activation for All

10:13 Be Bold in Outreach

11:48 From Supplier to Partner

14:17 Personal Rapport Skills

16:31 AI for Proactive Ideas

18:22 Build Brand Salience

20:46 Tell Better Insight Stories

22:42 Leadership Advice and Wrap

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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Some of the biggest barriers to great marketing aren’t in consumers’ minds, but in marketers’ own blind spots and biases. In this episode, Nick Graham, Founder, Vertemis, speaks with Roger Jackson, CEO, Shopper Intelligence and Dr. Tim Holmes, Neuroscientist, Researcher, and Author, about their book The Nursery Rhyme Conundrum and why we routinely overestimate how clearly we communicate. They explore why teams default to safe, forgettable work, how “being nice” and groupthink weaken feedback, and why leaders should separate the idea from the person to protect risk-taking. The conversation also looks at how AI can amplify authority bias, shrink the client–agency challenge gap, and even create biased “artificial participants,” making human judgment and evidence-driven insights roles more critical.

00:00 Separate Ideas From People

00:33 Podcast Intro And Guests

02:36 Why Marketers Misjudge Themselves

06:31 Nursery Rhyme Conundrum Explained

10:13 Feedback Loops And Being Nice

16:42 Risk Aversion Makes Marketing Forgettable

19:50 Insights Role Evidence And Groupthink

25:01 AI Authority Bias And Bubble Risks

32:02 Advice For Next Gen Insights Leaders

37:12 Closing Takeaways And Outro

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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Culture won’t move at the speed of strategy, so leaders have to back up the message with consistent actions. In this episode, Jon Last, President, Sports and Leisure Research Group, talks with Tara Marotti, President & CEO, Burke Inc., about leading a 95-year legacy organization through rapid change as it evolves into a global, data-driven consultancy. Tara shares how AI, client budget pressure, and faster decision cycles are reshaping the insights industry, and why leadership alignment and a steady communication cadence matter. They discuss transparency and the “why” behind change, creating psychological safety, and leaning into tough conversations. Tara also covers hybrid culture-building, training teams to experiment with AI, and how employee ownership influences trust, stability, and long-term transformation.

00:00 Consistency Through Communication

00:15 Podcast Welcome and Theme

01:02 Meet Tara and the Challenge

01:42 Industry Shifts and AI Pressure

02:49 Holding Vision and Priorities

04:02 Legacy Meets Innovation

04:50 One Voice Leadership

06:14 Team Alignment Tactics

09:21 Cadence and Transparency

12:36 Authenticity and Explaining Why

14:29 Bringing People Along Daily

16:03 AI Training and Employee Agency

17:24 Reading the Room on Change

19:36 Culture in a Hybrid World

20:55 Intentional Culture and Values

22:27 ESOP Ownership and Transformation

24:20 Closing Advice for Leaders

25:46 Wrap Up and Subscribe

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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Energy is “oxygen for leadership,” and it’s a choice you make in every interaction. Jing Mertoglu, Global VP Insights and Analytics, Suntory Global Spirits, joins host Nick Graham, Founder, Vertemis, to talk about burning bright without burning out. They explore heliotropic leadership and why teams naturally gravitate toward leaders who bring light rather than drain it, even during tough conversations. Jing shares practical ways to deliver difficult feedback with empathy and preparation, build trust and psychological safety, and protect your energy through boundaries, perspective, and self-kindness. They also discuss using passion points to guide career decisions, staying honest about what motivates you, and feeding curiosity through thought leaders, books, and podcasts while keeping a healthy life outside of work.

00:00 Energy Beyond Work

00:25 Podcast Intro Burnout Theme

01:06 Meet Jing Urtulu

02:06 Energy Is Leadership Oxygen

04:21 Heliotropic Leadership Light

08:40 Kind Yet Accountable

09:37 Difficult Feedback With Empathy

12:41 Protecting And Resetting Energy

17:28 Passion As Career Filter

22:00 Learning Curiosity Sources

25:17 Advice For Emerging Leaders

28:39 Closing Takeaways And Wrap

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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“Don’t let AI make you stupid” is the warning at the center of this conversation about how research is changing. Carol Haney, Head of Data Science, Statistics & Research at Qualtrics, joins host Niels Schillewaert, Head of Research at Conveo.ai, to discuss whether declining survey response rates signal a temporary dip or a structural shift in market research and CX. They cover practical survey fundamentals (shorter surveys, fewer “kitchen sink” questions, and consistent follow-up on open ends), the rise of ambient listening from call and chat transcripts, and how organizations are blending surveys, social data, and AI into composite metrics. Carol also explains how AI can speed questionnaire design, fielding, and analytics while still requiring strong methodology and critical thinking.

00:00 Stats Meets Agentic AI

00:18 Podcast Intro and Big Question

02:55 Are Surveys Still Relevant

06:29 Fixing Survey Fundamentals

08:15 How Companies Are Adapting

10:28 Business Impact and ROI

14:14 Ambient Listening Explained

16:23 Composite Metrics and Indexing

18:55 Researcher Skills in the AI Era

22:00 Using AI Without Losing Rigor

26:35 Future of Insights Teams

27:55 Key Takeaways and Closing

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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If your insights are only “interesting,” they can easily get ignored, so start with the business choice you’re trying to influence. In this episode, Nick Graham, Founder, Vertemis, talks with Elizabeth Oates, VP Consumer Insights, Molson Coors Beverage Company, about turning research into action and building insights functions that drive decisions. Elizabeth shares the moment that led her to write More Than Just Interesting and explains how to reframe requests by asking: what action is being considered, why it isn’t happening yet, and what success looks like. They discuss measuring impact by whether insights has a seat at key decision tables, planning ahead for business cycles, and strengthening communication and partnership skills. Elizabeth also frames AI as an incremental way to extend reach when time and budget are constrained.

00:00 Why Communication Matters

00:26 Podcast Welcome and Guest Intro

02:29 Why She Wrote the Book

05:28 Never Be Interesting

06:41 From Insight to Action

08:25 Start With the Decision

13:37 Measuring Insights Impact

19:07 Proactive Partnership Skills

22:12 AI and the Real Threat

25:42 New Role at Molson Coors

27:10 Advice for Rising Leaders

28:11 Key Takeaways and Wrap Up

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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