Emotional intelligence

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In reviewing the many reports on large surveys from research agencies that fed into these companies’ strategies, he felt that the area was ripe for disruption.

“There are a number of challenges with surveys, ” Johnston says. “They’re retrospective, timely and costly to undertake – and sometimes they’re just giving you the answers you want to hear, to questions that aren’t always appropriate. Like a bank asking people to rate them on how innovative they are. Do people actually wake up in the morning and think about that? They’re more interested in: ‘how quickly can I get money from the ATM? Is my mobile banking performing well?’”

In 2011 Johnston — alongside the School of Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast — launched Adoreboard, which measures online sentiment around brands, and which was named as Best Technology Start-up 2014 by the Silicon Valley Global Leadership Forum. The platform scours thousands of online news and blog sources, as well as social media, for information ...