The campaign, called Power of Presence (POP), will seek to highlight the value of face-to-face research in an AI-led world.

POP argues that while AI and digital tools are transforming how the insight industry operates, there are some tasks that cannot be replicated by automation.

The campaign is led by a re-formed collective of UK viewing facilities, many of which first worked together during the Covid-19 pandemic under the Viewing Facilities Action Group (VFAG) umbrella.

The group said the new campaign was part of its evolution from a coordination role responding to the pandemic into long-term collaboration.

The POP campaign has three core principles: pro-people, pro-progress and pro-presence, with the campaign set to publish social media content, creative assets and seek a national conversation within the market research industry about what makes insight “truly meaningful”.

The POP campaign will also include a client sentiment survey, collective insights from studios across the country and digital content under the banner #PowerOfPresence.

A future newsletter – tentatively titled The POP Drop – is being readied to spotlight face-to-face insight stories from the field, highlight rising moderators and exploring how AI and in-room research can complement one another.

Sam Grey, managing director at I-view London and one of the campaign’s leads, said: “AI can enhance what we do, but it can’t replicate the spark that happens when people connect in a room.

“The nuance in someone’s body language, that moment of unspoken truth or the magic of an in-the-moment backroom brainstorm: that’s where the data becomes insight.”

Grey added: “This is not just a campaign, it’s a movement. We’re combining our voices to remind clients, researchers, and fieldwork teams that the room matters more now than ever.”

Liz Knibb, marketing lead for the campaign, commented: “This isn’t about going backwards. It’s about remembering the human heartbeat behind our best research and keeping it alive.”