By Crispin Beale, CEO, Insight 250
As summer approaches the home stretch and we approach the back-to-school period, we wanted to get a look at some market research and insight lessons from experts who hail from across the globe. So, they were asked:
"It's back-to-school season, and as students prepare to return to the classroom, we wanted to hear about the insight, marketing, and research lessons or tips you have learned from the first part of this year. These can be focused on technology advancements, methodology improvements, or efficiency enhancements - any aspects that are elevating the world of customer understanding and engagement."
Josie Gaeckle, Senior Vice President, SMG, USA
"Earlier this year, many in the research community were still wary of artificial intelligence (AI), concerned about quality, transparency, and what it might replace. But that mindset is shifting. We’re now seeing AI embraced as a force multiplier: streamlining open-ended coding, accelerating thematic analysis, and even generating first-draft reports that give teams a head start. These efficiency gains are allowing insight teams to spend more time on interpretation, storytelling, and strategy. It’s not about replacing human insight—it’s about removing friction from the process so we can focus on what matters most: turning data into action."
Roland Abold, Managing Director, infratest dimap, Germany
“One key lesson from the first half of the year is the growing power of hybrid research methods. Combining traditional survey expertise with real-time digital analytics has significantly enhanced our ability to capture nuanced consumer and public sentiment. Hybrid research is now standard practice—merging qualitative and quantitative methods, offline and online modes, primary and synthetic data, and both AI and human intelligence. This integrated approach delivers comprehensive, representative insights, even amid declining response rates and limited digital reach. The intelligent mix of methods not only reduces bias but also strengthens the validity and reliability of today’s market research outcomes.”
Justine Clements, Insights, Samsung, Australia
“As if it isn’t already inherent in who we are as professionals, my top tip is to stay endlessly curious about technology, people and everything in between. Discovering new ways to make research better, not just faster, makes outcomes more personalised and storytelling more compelling. Staying open to learning means evolving with the tools, not resisting them. It's how we stay relevant, impactful and inspired.”
Seyi Adeoye, CEO, Pierrine Consulting, Nigeria
“Looking back on the first half of the year, one thing keeps coming up in conversations with clients: the need for better storytelling. Not more data, but more meaning. We live in an insight-rich, attention-poor world. Clients are overwhelmed with information, but what they’re really asking is: “Help us make sense of this. Show us what matters.” And that’s where the real power of storytelling comes in. The best research doesn’t just report findings, it connects the dots, brings different sources together, and tells a story that helps teams make confident, strategic decisions. It’s the shift from “what happened” to “what it means and what to do next.
“Again and again, I hear: “Don’t just show us the data. Show us the journey.” That’s our challenge and our opportunity. Because great research doesn’t stop at charts. It ends with clarity. And that clarity comes from telling the story well.”
James Fergusson, Founder & CCO, MDI Pty Ltd, Spain
“Like it or lump it, AI is now very much a core element of the insights industry, whether it be as an analytical tool, a data collection mechanism, a human moderator replacement, or as a source of artificial respondents.
“My key learning and piece of advice is please ‘embrace the machine,’ do not fight it. I do not see AI as a threat to our industry but as an enabler to driving greater depth and actionability of insights at a more economical price point.
“AI enables researchers to derive greater value by alleviating more mundane and vanilla tasks, thus enabling human researchers to focus on the so-what implications of the great work we do, thereby delivering better client deliverables more economically. If anything, AI is driving up reliance on our industry as opposed to reducing it.”
Mark Langsfeld, CEO, mTab, USA
“The biggest lesson we’re seeing clients across the automotive, media & entertainment and food & beverage industries learn this year is to embrace the advanced advantages of AI. The speed, efficiency and impact of instantly turning splintered enterprise data into prescriptive recommendations are delivering smarter decisions and faster actions to Marketing, Product, Innovation, Sales and Quality teams. This is reducing costs, increasing revenues and creating happier customers.”
Danny Russell, OwnerDRC, UK
“It feels as if I am no longer alone. There now appears to be a growing momentum behind the fact (fact as far as I am concerned at least) that we, as a sector, need to start proving our value. Not to ourselves, as we do that very well whenever we crowd together at our many conferences and awards nights. No, I mean that there appears to now be a realisation that, unless we prove our value to other business stakeholders, things will get tough. We need to be louder, prouder, more commercial and get ourselves noticed across organisations.”
Urpi Torrado, CEO, Datum Internacional, Peru
“In the age of AI, one key learning is that the risk of being wrong has never been higher. Deeper customer understanding doesn’t come from more data, but from better questions. As researchers, we reduce that risk by grounding AI in factual knowledge and human insight. Despite rapid advancements, AI is still in its infancy, and every tool developed needs a strong human component to truly work. This fusion of technology and human intelligence elevates engagement strategies, helping brands connect not with segments, but with real people—understood in context, with their needs and emotions at the center.”
Herbert Höckel, Managing Director, moweb GmbH, Germany
“As we enter the second half of 2025, one of the most energising insights I have taken from the year so far is how quickly the insights industry is moving towards the 'Plateau of Productivity' on the Gartner Hype Cycle for ResTech AI. Having navigated the phases of inflated expectations, disillusionment and enlightenment, we are now witnessing the emergence of AI applications that deliver tangible, quantifiable results.
“From automated insights to hyper-personalised communication, AI is reshaping the very foundations of our work, bringing unprecedented efficiency, scale and precision to research. The first half of the year was all about thoughtful integration. Now, I believe we’re on the cusp of something transformative. The second half of the year promises a wave of groundbreaking innovations that will expand our capabilities beyond anything we have imagined so far.
“The groundwork is in place. The momentum is building. And the best part? The most exciting breakthroughs are still to come. I promise, it's going to be wild!“
Alex Hunt, CEO, Behaviorally, USA
“Never be on the wrong side of digital disruption. It’s like the casino: it always wins in the end.”
Arundati Dandapani, Founder and CEO, Generation1.ca, Canada
“As students return to class, employers are redefining what it means to be “future ready.” Generation1.ca’s 2025 Global Industry Skills Study shows a rising demand for cross-functional skills—critical thinking, project management, analytics, and communication—blended with leadership and digital fluency. Yet external training investment dropped to 34%, while internal training rose to 54%. In response, Generation1.ca launched the Future Ready Innovators Credential—an open-access six-dimensional, tech-integrated, culturally grounded framework to empower international talent with AI literacy, professional and personal development, critical thinking, social responsibility, and real-world application. Designed to bridge the gap between employer needs and skilled potential, it prepares diverse talent to lead with impact. “
Isabelle Fabry - Associate, ACTFUTURE, ESOMAR and WIRe Representative, France
“In H1 2025, one key learning has been the growing value of hybrid empathy: blending human-driven qualitative insights with tech-enabled efficiencies. AI tools can accelerate pre-analysis and reveal patterns, but the magic still lies in human interpretation, cultural decoding, and emotional resonance. We’ve also seen that clients crave actionable simplicity: they want fewer charts, clearer stories, and insights that travel across silos. Less noise, more impact. Lastly, co-creation with consumers is gaining traction again, especially in early-stage innovation, making research not just informative, but transformative.”
Mariela Mociulsky, CEO, Trendsity, Argentina
“In Latin America, we face the challenge of leading with foresight in an increasingly dynamic landscape. As automation accelerates, our industry must integrate new tech and programming capabilities, bringing in skill sets not traditionally part of the insights space. At the same time, this evolution highlights the rising value of experienced professionals with strategic thinking, who are becoming harder to find. Agility is critical: adapting swiftly, leveraging the right tools, interpreting context, and taking meaningful action. At Trendsity, we believe the most powerful insights emerge when technology, culture, and human sensitivity converge to turn data into decisions and realities into opportunities.”
Caroline Frankum, Global CEO, Profiles Division, Kantar, UK
“As we gear up for the new school year, it's important to reflect on our invaluable lessons learned so far:
1. Technology is revolutionising real-world and synthetic connections with panellists.
2. Our deliberate focus on always getting better on research methodologies and data quality is setting new, improved standards.
3. Embracing AI as a productivity enhancement tool is meaningfully maximising resources and human-centric skills.
“This relentless focus on purposeful machine and human collaboration to drive innovation and inspiration amid such challenging macro-economic conditions is not just lessons but stepping stones towards elevating client understanding and engagement in impactful ways.”
Jean-Marc Léger, President & CEO, Leger, Canada
“Frankly, the big lesson of 2025 is that our industry is very good at using AI to boost the performance of our organizations, good enough to reduce our operating costs, but actually incapable of generating new revenues through it. Let's leave that to the real IT experts, and in two or three years, we will adopt their innovations to strengthen our core business. To each his own area of expertise!”
So, as you can clearly see, there are a lot of insight lessons to learn already this year as technology drives the industry towards increased speed and efficiency. It will be exciting to see what we all learn as we look to close out 2025. Have a great back-to-school season.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Crispin Beale - Chief Executive, Insight250, Senior Strategic Advisor, mTab; Worldwide CEO, IDX
Crispin Beale is a marketing, data, and customer experience expert. Crispin spent over a decade on the Executive Management Board of Chime Communications as CEO of leading brands such as Opinion Leader, Brand Democracy, Facts International, and Watermelon. Before this, Crispin held senior marketing and insight roles at BT, Royal Mail Group, and Dixons. Crispin originally qualified as a chartered accountant and moved into management consultancy with Coopers & Lybrand (PwC). Crispin has been a Fellow, Board Director (and Chairman) of the MRS for nearly 20 years and UK ESOMAR Representative for over 10 years. Crispin is currently a Senior Strategic Advisor at mTab as well as worldwide CEO at IDX.