On this episode of Now that's Significant, a market research podcast, hosted by Michael Howard, Wes Chaar, a former aerospace engineer turned analytics expert, discusses transforming data ownership from agencies and corporations back to individuals, promoting a paradigm shift in data management. The discussion posed some challenging considerations, which included benefits and incentives.

Key points of discussion include:

1. Personal Data Ownership: Wes introduces a revolutionary idea to transition personal data control from corporations to individuals, where data can be consented, controlled, and potentially monetized by individuals themselves.

2. Economic Impact of Personal Data: The conversation unveils the significant contribution of personal data to the economy, emphasizing the need for individuals to have control over their data, akin to managing financial assets.

3. Technological Enablement: Mike and Wes delve into how technology, such as blockchain, can facilitate new models of data ownership that ensure data authenticity and traceability, empowering individuals to control their data.

4. Ethical Considerations in AI and Analytics: Wes shares his concerns about the ethical implications encountered during his career in analytics and AI, particularly around emotion prediction and its potential for manipulation.

5. Future of Market Research: The discussion covers the opportunity for market researchers to lead this change by creating open, consumer-centric data management platforms that respect privacy and democratize data usage.

A question to consider...

How can market researchers facilitate the shift towards personal data ownership, ensuring ethical practices and empowering consumers?

Thank you for tuning into this episode of Now that's Significant. If you found this discussion valuable, please subscribe, share it with others, and consider leaving a review. Listen to our other episodes for more insights into market research.

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Infotools Harmoni is a fit-for-purpose market research analysis, visualization, and reporting platform that gives the world’s leading brands the tools they need to better understand their consumers, customers, organization, and market.

www.infotools.com

Established in 1990, we work with some of the world’s top brands around the world, including Coca-Cola, Orange, Samsung, and Mondelēz.

Our powerful cloud-based platform, Harmoni, is purpose-built for market research. From data processing to investigation, dashboards to collaboration, Harmoni is a true "data-to-decision-making" solution for in-house corporate insights teams and agencies.

While we don't facilitate market research surveys, provide sample, or collect data, we make it easy for market researchers to find and share compelling insights that go over-and-above what stakeholders want, inspiring them to act decisively.

One of the most powerful features of Harmoni is Discover, a time-tested, time-saving, and investigative approach to data analysis. Using automated analyses to reveal patterns and trends, Discover minimizes potential research bias by removing the need for requesting and manually analyzing scores of cumbersome crosstabs – often seeing what you can’t.

Discover helps you easily find what differentiates groups that matter to you, uncover what makes them unique, and deliver data points that are interesting, relevant, and statistically significant, plus see things others can’t. Add to all this an impending GenAI feature, and you have an extremely powerful, future-proofed tool.

Welcome to Now that's Significant, a market research podcast hosted by Keri Vermaak. In this episode, Keri engages with Tikica Benjamin, a seasoned market researcher, to discuss her latest initiative, the VIBE Black Market Research Professionals Conference, aimed at empowering Black professionals in the industry.

The key points of discussion:

1. Inspiration for VIBE Conference: Tikica shares the inspiration behind launching the VIBE conference, highlighting the need for a dedicated space for Black market researchers to connect, grow professionally, and build a community.

2. Conference Objectives and Structure: The discussion covers the unique aspects of the VIBE conference, which focuses on networking, immersive experiences, and addressing topics relevant to Black researchers and the industry at large.

3. Challenges in Launching the Conference: Tikica discusses the challenges faced in organizing the conference, including overcoming fear and managing the logistics of planning such an event.

4. Support and Sponsorship: The conversation highlights the importance of sponsorship for the conference, with Tikica acknowledging the support received from various organizations and inviting further sponsorship opportunities.

5. Impact on Attendees: Tikica expresses her hopes for the conference to empower attendees, increase visibility of Black talent in the industry, and inspire action towards career advancement and advocacy.

A question to consider

How can industry events like the VIBE conference contribute to greater representation and empowerment of underrepresented groups in market research?

Thanks for tuning into this episode of Now that's Significant. If you found this discussion valuable, please subscribe, share it with others, and consider leaving a review. Feel free to listen to our other episodes for more insights into market research.

***

Infotools Harmoni is a fit-for-purpose market research analysis, visualization, and reporting platform that gives the world’s leading brands the tools they need to better understand their consumers, customers, organization, and market.

www.infotools.com

Established in 1990, we work with some of the world’s top brands around the world, including Coca-Cola, Orange, Samsung, and Mondelēz.

Our powerful cloud-based platform, Harmoni, is purpose-built for market research. From data processing to investigation, dashboards to collaboration, Harmoni is a true "data-to-decision-making" solution for in-house corporate insights teams and agencies.

While we don't facilitate market research surveys, provide sample, or collect data, we make it easy for market researchers to find and share compelling insights that go over-and-above what stakeholders want, inspiring them to act decisively.

One of the most powerful features of Harmoni is Discover, a time-tested, time-saving, and investigative approach to data analysis. Using automated analyses to reveal patterns and trends, Discover minimizes potential research bias by removing the need for requesting and manually analyzing scores of cumbersome crosstabs – often seeing what you can’t.

Discover helps you easily find what differentiates groups that matter to you, uncover what makes them unique, and deliver data points that are interesting, relevant, and statistically significant, plus see things others can’t. Add to all this an impending GenAI feature, and you have an extremely powerful, future-proofed tool.

Welcome to the 150th episode of Now that's Significant, a market research podcast hosted by Michael Howard. In this special episode, Keith Rinzler, a seasoned marketing and media entrepreneur, joins to discuss the pressing issue of data fraud in the market research industry and the necessary steps to combat it.

Key points of discussion include...

1. Open Letter to the Consumer Insights Industry: Keith discusses his open letter aimed at addressing the prevailing data fraud crisis in the market research industry, emphasizing the urgency for reform to restore the industry's credibility.

2. Impact of Fraudulent Responses: The conversation highlights how fraudulent responses are a result of systemic issues within the sample industry, including the commoditization and mistreatment of respondents, which have led to a decline in data quality.

3. Role of Synthetic Data: Keith explores the potential shift towards synthetic data as a cost-effective alternative, while cautioning that it cannot fully replace human responses due to its reliance on historical data.

4. Push vs. Pull Model: The push model, as advocated by Keith, is presented as a solution to reduce fraud by eliminating the incentive for respondents to take multiple surveys, contrasting with the pull model that contributes to fraudulent activities.

5. Steps for Industry Improvement: Keith outlines actionable steps for customers, market researchers, and sample providers, including the importance of forming 100% guaranteed human panels and reducing reliance on marketplaces to ensure data integrity.

A question to consider...

How can your organization contribute to the integrity of market research data and what measures can be taken to ensure respondents are valued and incentivized appropriately?

Thank you for tuning into this milestone 150th episode of Now that's Significant. If you found this discussion valuable, please subscribe, share it with others, and consider leaving a review. Listen to our other episodes for more insights into market research.

Welcome to Now that's Significant, a market research podcast hosted by Michael Howard. In this episode, Febronia Ruocco, a global insights and analytics director, returns to discuss the importance of insights, influence, and impact in the market research industry, particularly as we look at 2025 and beyond.

Key points of this episode's discussion...

1. The Role of Insights: Febronia discusses the need to focus on delivering insights that drive commercial agendas, emphasizing the importance of moving beyond just data and research rigor to uncover hidden truths about customer behavior.

2. Influence in the C-Suite: The discussion highlights the importance of understanding the objectives of different C-suite members, like the CFO and CMO, to effectively communicate and influence business strategies.

3. Impact and Commercial Language: Febronia stresses the significance of using fiscal language to convey the potential commercial impact of insights, including ROI and risk mitigation, to ensure insights lead to actionable business decisions.

4. The Integration of AI: The conversation explores how AI can be leveraged to streamline tasks, allowing insights professionals to focus more on strategic thinking and influence, while maintaining human oversight and critical thinking.

5. Building a Collaborative Environment: Febronia shares the benefits of working collaboratively with agencies and stakeholders to integrate various data sets, enhancing the value and impact of insights across the organization.

A question to consider...

How can your organization better integrate insights into strategic decision-making processes to ensure they lead to impactful and commercially beneficial outcomes?

Thanks for tuning into this episode of Now that's Significant. If you found this discussion insightful, please subscribe, share it with others, and consider leaving a review. Listen to our other episodes for more insights into market research.

***

Infotools Harmoni is a fit-for-purpose market research analysis, visualization, and reporting platform that gives the world’s leading brands the tools they need to better understand their consumers, customers, organization, and market.

www.infotools.com

Established in 1990, we work with some of the world’s top brands around the world, including Coca-Cola, Orange, Samsung, and Mondelēz.

Our powerful cloud-based platform, Harmoni, is purpose-built for market research. From data processing to investigation, dashboards to collaboration, Harmoni is a true "data-to-decision-making" solution for in-house corporate insights teams and agencies.

While we don't facilitate market research surveys, provide sample, or collect data, we make it easy for market researchers to find and share compelling insights that go over-and-above what stakeholders want, inspiring them to act decisively.

One of the most powerful features of Harmoni is Discover, a time-tested, time-saving, and investigative approach to data analysis. Using automated analyses to reveal patterns and trends, Discover minimizes potential research bias by removing the need for requesting and manually analyzing scores of cumbersome crosstabs – often seeing what you can’t.

Discover helps you easily find what differentiates groups that matter to you, uncover what makes them unique, and deliver data points that are interesting, relevant, and statistically significant, plus see things others can’t. Add to all this an impending GenAI feature, and you have an extremely powerful, future-proofed tool.

On this episode of Now that's Significant, a market research podcast, host Michael Howard is joined by Sherri Dansby to discuss the crucial role of market research in addressing the needs of older adults, especially those facing social isolation or living with disabilities.

Key points discussed on this episode

1. Social Isolation Among Older Adults: Sherri highlights the prevalence of social isolation among older adults, citing statistics from the National Institute on Aging and AARP Foundation. She discusses factors contributing to isolation, such as loss of a spouse and health issues limiting mobility.

2. Health Impacts of Isolation: The conversation explores how social isolation can lead to mental health issues like depression and anxiety, as well as physical health problems, including increased risk for heart disease and cognitive decline.

3. Role of Market Research: Sherri emphasizes the potential of market research to uncover the needs and preferences of older adults, helping to develop products and services that cater to their specific requirements.

4. Technological Solutions: The discussion covers how technologies like virtual reality and wearables can help mitigate social isolation and health issues among seniors by providing immersive experiences and real-time health monitoring.

5. Inclusive Research Practices: Sherri discusses the importance of inclusive research practices to ensure representation of older adults with disabilities, advocating for accessible methodologies and collaboration with advocacy groups.

A question to consider:

How can market research methodologies be adapted to better include and address the needs of older adults, particularly those who are isolated or living with disabilities?

Thanks for tuning into this episode of Now that's Significant. If you found this discussion insightful, please subscribe, share it with others, and consider leaving a review. Listen to our other episodes for more insights into market research.

***

Infotools Harmoni is a fit-for-purpose market research analysis, visualization, and reporting platform that gives the world’s leading brands the tools they need to better understand their consumers, customers, organization, and market.

www.infotools.com

Established in 1990, we work with some of the world’s top brands around the world, including Coca-Cola, Orange, Samsung, and Mondelēz.

Our powerful cloud-based platform, Harmoni, is purpose-built for market research. From data processing to investigation, dashboards to collaboration, Harmoni is a true "data-to-decision-making" solution for in-house corporate insights teams and agencies.

While we don't facilitate market research surveys, provide sample, or collect data, we make it easy for market researchers to find and share compelling insights that go over-and-above what stakeholders want, inspiring them to act decisively.

One of the most powerful features of Harmoni is Discover, a time-tested, time-saving, and investigative approach to data analysis. Using automated analyses to reveal patterns and trends, Discover minimizes potential research bias by removing the need for requesting and manually analyzing scores of cumbersome crosstabs – often seeing what you can’t.

Discover helps you easily find what differentiates groups that matter to you, uncover what makes them unique, and deliver data points that are interesting, relevant, and statistically significant, plus see things others can’t. Add to all this an impending GenAI feature, and you have an extremely powerful, future-proofed tool.

In this episode of Now that’s Significant, hosted by Michael Howard, Head of Marketing at Infotools, the discussion features Todd Kirby, a seasoned marketing research and insights professional.

The episode explores the intersection of marketing research with AI, advanced research methodologies, and technology platforms, and how they can collectively transform the industry. Todd shares his insights on leveraging these tools to enhance advertising effectiveness and consumer connection.

Key takeaways from this episode

1. Integration of AI and Research: Todd emphasizes the transformative potential of AI when integrated with traditional and advanced market research methodologies. This integration can streamline processes, reduce costs, and enhance data quality, enabling more strategic decision-making.

2. Advanced Research Methods: The use of behavioral science, emotion-based measures, and implicit psychology at scale is now affordable and accessible. These methods provide deeper insights into consumer behavior, enhancing the impact of marketing strategies.

3. Importance of Platforms: The development of user-friendly technology platforms allows clients to access insights more efficiently. This technological advancement supports quicker decision-making and facilitates a closer connection between brands and consumers.

4. Bridging Silos for Success: Todd highlights the need for collaboration between creatives, marketers, and researchers to overcome biases and silos. By working together, the industry can achieve significant improvements in consumer insights and advertising effectiveness.

5. Future Opportunities in Market Research: Todd is optimistic about the future, predicting that consumer insights will become seamlessly integrated into strategic decision-making. Embracing new technologies and methodologies will be crucial for the industry's growth and success.

Don't miss out on more episodes of Now that’s Significant for further insights into market research and innovation. Tune in on major podcast platforms to stay informed about the latest trends and strategies in consumer insights.

***

Infotools Harmoni is a fit-for-purpose market research analysis, visualization, and reporting platform that gives the world’s leading brands the tools they need to better understand their consumers, customers, organization, and market.

www.infotools.com

Established in 1990, we work with some of the world’s top brands around the world, including Coca-Cola, Orange, Samsung, and Mondelēz.

Our powerful cloud-based platform, Harmoni, is purpose-built for market research. From data processing to investigation, dashboards to collaboration, Harmoni is a true "data-to-decision-making" solution for in-house corporate insights teams and agencies.

While we don't facilitate market research surveys, provide sample, or collect data, we make it easy for market researchers to find and share compelling insights that go over-and-above what stakeholders want, inspiring them to act decisively.

One of the most powerful features of Harmoni is Discover, a time-tested, time-saving, and investigative approach to data analysis. Using automated analyses to reveal patterns and trends, Discover minimizes potential research bias by removing the need for requesting and manually analyzing scores of cumbersome crosstabs – often seeing what you can’t.

Discover helps you easily find what differentiates groups that matter to you, uncover what makes them unique, and deliver data points that are interesting, relevant, and statistically significant, plus see things others can’t. Add to all this an impending GenAI feature, and you have an extremely powerful, future-proofed tool.

Welcome to 'Now that's Significant,' a market research podcast hosted by Michael Howard, Head of Marketing at Infotools.

In this episode, Steven Snell, PhD, head of research at Rep Data, shares insights on data quality, combating online fraud, and research strategy in market research.

Key points in this discussion

1. Fraud in Market Research: Steven discusses the challenges of detecting fraud in survey research, highlighting how sophisticated fraudsters have become, making traditional detection methods less effective.

2. Impact of Fraudulent Data: The conversation addresses how fraudulent data can skew insights by dragging results towards the middle, making it difficult to derive actionable insights.

3. Role of Technology in Combating Fraud: Steven emphasizes the importance of using technology to fight fraud, noting that while tech enables fraud, it is also essential in detecting and preventing it.

4. Ownership of Data Quality: The discussion covers who should be responsible for data quality, suggesting that researchers, panel providers, and tech solutions must collaborate to ensure high-quality data.

5. Future of Fraud Prevention: Steven shares his views on the evolving landscape of fraud prevention, advocating for a comprehensive approach that includes pre-survey, during-survey, and post-survey measures.

A question to consider:

How can your organization implement more robust fraud detection and prevention measures to ensure the integrity of your data insights?

If you found this discussion valuable, please share it with others, subscribe to the podcast, and leave a review. Listen to our other episodes for more insights into market research.

***

Infotools Harmoni is a fit-for-purpose market research analysis, visualization, and reporting platform that gives the world’s leading brands the tools they need to better understand their consumers, customers, organization, and market.

www.infotools.com

Established in 1990, we work with some of the world’s top brands around the world, including Coca-Cola, Orange, Samsung, and Mondelēz.

Our powerful cloud-based platform, Harmoni, is purpose-built for market research. From data processing to investigation, dashboards to collaboration, Harmoni is a true "data-to-decision-making" solution for in-house corporate insights teams and agencies.

While we don't facilitate market research surveys, provide sample, or collect data, we make it easy for market researchers to find and share compelling insights that go over-and-above what stakeholders want, inspiring them to act decisively.

One of the most powerful features of Harmoni is Discover, a time-tested, time-saving, and investigative approach to data analysis. Using automated analyses to reveal patterns and trends, Discover minimizes potential research bias by removing the need for requesting and manually analyzing scores of cumbersome crosstabs – often seeing what you can’t.

Discover helps you easily find what differentiates groups that matter to you, uncover what makes them unique, and deliver data points that are interesting, relevant, and statistically significant, plus see things others can’t. Add to all this an impending GenAI feature, and you have an extremely powerful, future-proofed tool.

In this episode of Now that's Significant, a market research podcast hosted by Michael Howard, Head of Marketing at Infotools,

we're joined by Elizabeth Oates, a seasoned insights leader and author of 'More Than Just Interesting'. Elizabeth shares her expertise on building impactful insights functions that drive business action.

Key points of discussion

1. The Role of Insights Leaders: Elizabeth emphasizes the responsibility insights leaders have to push businesses forward, advocating for actionable and impactful insights that shape business strategies.

2. From Insights to Action: She discusses the importance of starting with the intended action in mind to ensure insights are aligned with business objectives and lead to tangible outcomes.

3. Strategic Alignment: Elizabeth highlights the necessity for insights teams to align with organizational strategic goals, ensuring that insights are relevant and influential in decision-making processes.

4. Skills for Success: The conversation covers essential skills for insights professionals, including building partnerships and proactive planning, to enhance the impact of their work.

5. Future of Insights: Elizabeth shares her vision for the evolving role of insights in the age of AI and data analytics, stressing the continued importance of keeping the human element at the core of insights work.

Reflecting on Elizabeth's insights, how can your organization better align its insights function with strategic goals to ensure impactful decision-making?

If you found this discussion valuable, be sure to explore Elizabeth's book 'More Than Just Interesting' on Amazon, and listen to our other episodes for more expert insights into market research.

***

Infotools Harmoni is a specialist market research analysis, visualization, and reporting platform that gives the world’s leading brands the tools they need to better understand their consumers, customers, organization, and market.

www.infotools.com

Established in 1990, we work with some of the world’s top brands around the world, including Coca-Cola, Orange, Samsung, and Mondelēz.

Our powerful cloud-based platform, Harmoni, is purpose-built for market research. From data processing to investigation, dashboards to collaboration, Harmoni is a true "data-to-decision-making" solution for in-house corporate insights teams and agencies.

While we don't facilitate market research surveys, provide sample, or collect data, we make it easy for market researchers to find and share compelling insights that go over-and-above what stakeholders want, inspiring them to act decisively.

One of the most powerful features of Harmoni is Discover, a time-tested, time-saving, and investigative approach to data analysis. Using automated analyses to reveal patterns and trends, Discover minimizes potential research bias by removing the need for requesting and manually analyzing scores of cumbersome crosstabs – often seeing what you can’t.

Discover helps you easily find what differentiates groups that matter to you, uncover what makes them unique, and deliver data points that are interesting, relevant, and statistically significant, plus see things others can’t. Add to all this an impending GenAI feature, and you have an extremely powerful, future-proofed tool.