Will researchers learn to use their powers before it’s too late?

The ASC’s 8th International Conference, called The Power to Transform Research, was a two-day event held at the Royal Holloway, University of London. It gathered experts from across the insights industry to explore how technology, data, and adept researchers who use them are shaping the future of business growth.

Here are my top takeaways from the conference.

Connected data will fuel transformation
Data is like the fuel for insights. But right now, it’s scattered all over the place. With modelling tools getting better at handling data from all angles, it’s time to gather it all up. We can’t keep stumbling around in a world where our data is as disconnected as a set of Ikea instructions. With connected data, we can make decisions with all the pieces in place — because no one wants to build a business strategy with a missing screw.

The Archive of Market and Social Research (AMSR) is an example of how making a vast archive of market research data available to be harnessed can drive progress. Helping the AMSR on their mission to liberate rich data, Ovation MR has supercharged the archive through vector databasing and a large language model (LLM), which acts as a digital librarian. Now, we can all find out about cat ownership in the 1960s and 1970s by simply asking the question – thanks for that entertaining demonstration, Erik Larsen.

Another striking example of the power of integrated data comes from Nesta, a UK charity dedicated to societal transformation through data. Emily Bushby showed us how Nesta has combined healthcare, educational and other data on children for a UK local authority. This comprehensive view helps service providers identify critical intervention points in the children’s lives.

Data quality assurance is paramount
The MRS Global Data Quality (GDQ) initiative is tackling issues like survey fraud and data quality, as presented by Chris Stevens and Debrah Harding. Stevens elaborated on a recent audit the team had undertaken on a particularly problematic survey. His investigation found that the panel ecosystem involved multiple interlinked ‘sample exchanges’ that were opaque to the research buyers. Channelling his inner Sherlock Holmes, he meticulously analysed each data source, rating their quality to diagnose the root causes.

Eva Wittman, director of respondent quality at Ipsos, also discussed the topic of quality, revealing the downside of new technologies. While we aim to transform our industry with tech advancements, survey fraudsters are exploiting these innovations, adeptly bypassing filters and rapidly evolving to evade detection.

Rest assured, these investigations were not meant to just warn us of impending doom. The MRS GDQ initiative, along with research agencies and technology firms, are uniting forces with advanced tools to combat fraud. This underscores the importance of industry-wide efforts to build trust in market research data.

Researchers are topnotch users of AI
Researchers are partnering with AI to revolutionise insights, exemplified by Bilendi & Respondi. Using artificial intelligence (AI) moderators in qualitative discussions expanded research reach across markets, overcoming time zones and language barriers. After training the AI, researchers collaborated with it to explore insightful discussions and interpret findings — a dynamic duo in action.

Ronan Downling Cullen of Bounce Insights highlighted how researchers can use AI across all stages of quantitative research — from survey design and data collection to analysis and insights delivery — to achieve speed and accuracy. He emphasised the importance of adopting a human-centric approach when building effective AI models.

Alexandra Kuzmina at MMR and Jake Schneider at Gosh! Food presented the case for working with AI personas in product development. Their experiment compared an AI persona, trained on segmentation data, with feedback from respondents in an online survey. The results showed similar and actionable insights, facilitating more iterative and cost-effective concept development.

The insights industry’s sharp critical thinking and experimentation are boosting AI advancements. Jon Puleston of Kantar Profiles showed that generating reliable synthetic data is complex, with performance depending on the type and depth of data and the analytical method used.

People are changing with technology
Real business transformation happens when tech changes drive behavioural shifts. Steve Phillips of Zappi showcased how PepsiCo digitalised insights by collaborating with research and tech partners and local insights teams.

The MRS Advanced Insights and Analytics Council (AIA) conducted research among business leaders of insights and analytics teams to explore methods for aligning these teams. In her presentation on the findings, Bethan Blakeley of Boxclever offered practical advice, such as establishing a single point of contact and ensuring visibility of roadmaps across teams, as initial steps to unify these teams and integrate their complementary skills and data assets effectively.

Will researchers harness their powers in time? Absolutely. A tech-savvy, data-rich wave of professionals is already transforming businesses. Colin Strong of Ipsos reminds us: we’ve never been 100% human. Today’s researchers are using AI to amplify their capabilities to extraordinary levels.

To find out more about the topics presented and discussed at the ASC International Conference 2024, check out the highlights from Day 1 and Day 2.

Katie O’Connor is research and partnerships director at Bounce Insights