Turning evidence into empowerment – IA23, the producer’s blog

Insight Alchemy 2023 is less than three weeks away, and the roster of practitioners and industry thinkers is now deeply engaged prepping their debates on key areas to help delegates navigate a tricky year, find new ways to enthuse the users of insight, and make sure they leave chock full of ideas for both their next project and their long-term future.

Here’s our second weekly update on what’s happening in the world that helps make IA23 a must-attend.

Turning evidence into empowerment 

Just last month, members of the aristocratic Trevelyan family issued a letter of apology for its enslavement of captive Africans on a plantation in Grenada. BBC correspondent Laura Trevelyan has donated a £100,000 fund, launched formally this month, to support local communities on the island – a step they hope will kick-start a trend for both private families, the Crown, and the state to apologise for their crimes against humanity.

It’s a powerful reminder that acknowledgement of the past – of the facts, unspun by those who write the history books to suit the dominant narratives – is a crucial step in shaping our current decision-making. Substitute ‘the past’ for ‘research’ and the parallels with the way the insight industry operates are obvious.

We’re incredibly lucky to have as our closing keynote historian David Olusoga, whose work on empire, slavery and the lives of black people in Britain’s often inglorious past has been hugely influential in shaping the debate around our contemporary responses to historic injustices. His work has undoubtedly shifted the dial on reparations from pie-in-the-sky just a few years ago to a reality in 2023.

He’ll be helping us understand the crucial alchemy of turning evidence into empowerment – and why those charged with divining insight from data have a duty to be fair, fearless, and fight for better decisions from those in power.

 Qual as an early warning system

We were delighted to be joined on the Insight Alchemy team by Rhea Fox, MRS stalwart, Delphi Group member, and until recently chief digital officer of Paperchase. Rhea’s long track record in client-side insight teams is informing her session – on the importance of defending qual research in an era of tight budgets, passive methodologies and big data.

“Understanding the emotional connection that people have with brands and the services they provide is a crucial component of real insight,” she explains. “Qual projects are often an early warning system, they can throw out signals you wouldn’t get anywhere else and guide your other research.”

Rhea has assembled a terrific panel to explore these issues – including Ed Nash (whose six-strong in-house qually team is helping Sky understand viewers facing challenging times); Chris Molloy (who advises investors on brand and will be explaining the qual rationales that resonate with the most commercially demanding private equity clients); and Bridget Dalton – whose work at agency Discover.ai is showing the industry how it can make qual a crucial part of a blended approach that includes cutting edge technology and agile research methodologies.

If you want a clutch of compelling reasons why qual needs to be part of your organisation’s or project’s toolkit – now and in the future – you won’t want to miss Rhea’s session.

Stay close to your leaders

At last! We finally got to hear Liz Truss’s side of the story. The 44-day Prime Minister has been keeping a low profile until now, but took to the pages of the Sunday Telegraph to explain how the left-wing establishment torpedoed her strategy to turn Britain around. (The Financial Times has the counter-take here).

We can’t help thinking that her argument makes for a great advert for Insight Alchemy 2023. First, it’s a reminder that insight is an essential component of great decision making. Had she taken the time to research market views on the tax-cutting policies, she might have headed off the collapse in the pound.

The lesson for the research profession? Get as close to the top table as possible to understand what they’re thinking, and craft your insights accordingly. Get along to Viki Cooke’s debate where the co-founder to BritainThinks will be helping her high-end panel from business and government explain how to keep your friends close, but your leaders closer.

But even Liz Truss can’t be in two places at once, and she might also have benefited from the parallel session to Viki’s. Truth director Mark Thorpe and his high-powered panel (including insight directors from some of the biggest brands in the world) will be debating the best ways to stay true to strategy – and not get deflected by tactical panics or short-term crises.

We’d love to see Liz at Insight Alchemy 2023 – but the choice between these two sessions might just break her!

See the full programme for Insight Alchemy 2023 – MRS Annual Conference.