Happy Market Research Podcast

Measuring sports media isn't like measuring scripted television. When live trades, star injuries, and blowout games can shift viewership minute by minute, standard rating models fall short. In this episode, Dan Fleetwood sits down with sports executive leader and market research professional Michelle Auguste to explore the unique mechanics of sports insights.

Michelle pulls back the curtain on how sports leagues track out-of-home venue panels, why Nielsen's co-viewing metrics are heavily debated, and how leagues use deduplicated, multi-platform metrics to measure true global fandom.

Guest:

Michelle Auguste – Passionate leader and strategic thinker with 20+ years of experience in media analytics, insights, and strategy development. Former VP of Global Media Insights at the NBA, Michelle specializes in translating complex data into actionable recommendations that optimize content engagement, drive distribution, and support revenue-generating decisions across the media and sports landscapes.

Useful links:

Michelle Auguste on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-a-0696225/

Dan Fleetwood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfleetwood

Learn more about QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com

As AI speeds up data analysis and survey generation, what remains uniquely human in the research process? In this episode, Dan Fleetwood sits down with Jan Dawson, former Senior Director of Research and Insights at Vivint, to explore the intersection of AI capabilities, stakeholder management, and human-centered discovery.

Jan shares how he transformed months-long qualitative discovery projects into agile, 6-week "bite-sized" discovery sprints using online video platforms and Claude. He also candidly addresses the limits of AI, the risks of non-researchers generating "false insights," and why mastering stakeholder relationships is an essential human skill.

Guest:

Jan Dawson –  Senior Research & Insights leader with over 25 years of experience translating consumer research into business strategy. Most recently serving as Senior Director of Research & Insights at Vivint Smart Home, Jan has led multidisciplinary research teams since 2001 across both in-house corporate environments and external analyst/consulting firms. Hands-on across qualitative and quantitative methodologies, Jan specializes in advising executive leadership on product, marketing, and corporate strategy.

Useful links:

Jan Dawson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jandawson/

Jan Dawson's website: https://jndwsn.com/

Dan Fleetwood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfleetwood

Learn more about QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com

When trust in institutions, corporations, and technology plummets, how does consumer behavior adapt? In Episode 31, Dan Fleetwood is joined by Rebecca Brooks, Founder & CEO of Alter Agents, to unpack the shift from "promiscuous shopping" as an adventure to shopping as a stressful minefield.

Rebecca shares the origin story of Alter Agents and how putting employee happiness first fueled a tripling of agency size and an increase in industry awards. She then walks through her firm's multi-year research project tracking the collapse of brand trust, the emergence of the verification economy, and the shift in why modern consumers research products: to avoid getting duped rather than out of curiosity.

Guest:

Rebecca Brooks –  Founder & CEO of Alter Agents, an award-winning market research consultancy dedicated to helping brands navigate complex consumer paths. Driven by a 20+ year fascination with human behavior, Rebecca built a high-growth, employee-first agency—earning top industry accolades, Quirk’s awards, and a spot on Inc. Magazine’s Top Female Founders. Co-author of Influencing Shopper Decisions, she is a frequent speaker and writer on shopper decision-making and the consumer trust landscape. Outside of work, she enjoys life with her husband, two kids, two handsome cats, and a surprisingly resilient fish.

Useful links:

Read more about the trust recession: https://researchworld.com/hot-topics/the-trust-recession-why-today-s-survivalist-shoppers-are-yesterday-s-news

Rebecca Brooks on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccalbrooks/

Dan Fleetwood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfleetwood

Learn more about QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com

As AI puts research capabilities into the hands of non-researchers across organizations, how should insight teams adapt? In Episode 30, Dan Fleetwood is joined by Kelsy Saulsbury, Director of Client Insights at H&R Block.

Kelsy discusses her extensive background across CPG, MedTech, creative, and financial service industries, offering a grounded perspective on modern insights leadership. She breaks down why research teams can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines of tech adoption and dives deep into the realities of AI democratization.

Guest:

Kelsy Saulsbury –  Director of Client Insights at H&R Block, where she leads the consumer insights, market research, strategy partnerships, and Voice of Customer (CX) closed-loop platforms. With over 15 years of experience spanning insights, analytics, and pricing strategy, Kelsy has driven growth for major brands including Hallmark Cards, Johnson & Johnson MedTech, and frozen food CPGs. Known for her curious approach to problem-solving, she specializes in building customer-centric research systems that influence decision-making across matrixed organizations.

Useful links:

Kelsy Saulsbury on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelsy-saulsbury/

Dan Fleetwood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfleetwood

Learn more about QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com

AI is transforming how insights teams conduct pre-search, analyze market trends, and build buyer personas, but what are the true costs to critical thinking? In Episode 29, Dan Fleetwood is joined by Eugenia Archetti, Senior Manager of Customer & Market Insights at Owens & Minor.

Eugenia takes listeners behind the scenes of healthcare PPE and product innovation, discussing how her team utilizes closed-ended AI agents, Claude, and synthetic data to map out need states for both medical professionals and everyday consumers.

Guest:

Eugenia Archetti  –  Senior Manager of Customer & Market Insights at Owens & Minor. A Marketing Research Innovator with over 15 years of experience guiding Fortune 500 companies, she specializes in cross-cultural insights, new product development, and integrating UX with data analytics across healthcare, CPG, tech, and retail. Eugenia is known for leading exceptional cross-disciplinary teams and bridging the intersection of culture, identity, and brand strategy. Her academic background includes two master's degrees (MS in Market Research, MBA) and doctoral studies in anthropology.

Useful links:

Eugenia Archetti on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugenia-archetti-mba-msmr-01080a/

Dan Fleetwood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfleetwood

Learn more about QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com

In this episode, Dan Fleetwood and Alex Gardner explore what it takes for researchers to become more strategic inside complex organizations.

Alex explains that while many researchers are pulled across market research, UX, CX, product research, analytics, and data science, the goal should not be to master everything. Instead, researchers need to know their strengths, understand adjacent disciplines, and collaborate well with specialists.

A major theme of the episode is the idea of building a strategic consultancy inside an organization. Alex explains how her team at U.S. Bank began supporting vendor-led projects, identifying where internal researchers could deliver similar work, and showing ROI by reducing external research spend. She also talks about the importance of following the money, understanding where research budgets sit, and proving capabilities to teams that may not even know internal research resources exist.

Guest:

Alex Gardner  –  Former VP of Research, Payments Insights, CX, and Enterprise Analytics at U.S. Bank, with a background spanning design, UX, market research, product research, and customer experience analytics. She specializes in helping research teams operate more strategically by connecting insights across functions, building internal consulting capabilities, and translating complex research into clear business direction.

Useful links:

Alex Gardner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gardneralexandra/

Dan Fleetwood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfleetwood

Learn more about QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com

In this episode, Dan Fleetwood talks with Svetlana Gershman about the intersection of market research, PR, media coverage, and thought leadership.

Svetlana shares how she entered market research after initially planning to become a lawyer, eventually beginning her career as a data analyst at PSB working on messaging research for Microsoft. She explains how her current role at Method Communications blends research with PR strategy, helping brands create stories when there is no obvious news moment.

The conversation explores what makes research valuable for media coverage, including the importance of starting with objectives, thinking about headlines early, designing studies carefully, and collaborating with former journalists and PR strategists. Svetlana also discusses common mistakes brands make, such as rushing into fielding without a strong design or treating thought leadership research as a one-off project.

Guest:

Svetlana Gershman  –  Senior Vice President at Method Communications, with over 20 years of experience in insights generation. She specializes in turning broad business questions into research programs that combine primary and syndicated data to guide business growth, marketing strategy, and brand positioning. With deep experience in the technology sector, Svetlana brings a strong understanding of the industry’s nuances and challenges, helping organizations translate complex research into actionable answers.

Useful links:

Svetlana Gershman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/svetlanagershman/

Dan Fleetwood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfleetwood

Learn more about QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com

In this episode, Dan Fleetwood talks with Andy Garlikov about the changing role of qualitative researchers as AI becomes more common in research workflows.

Andy explains how he fell into market research after years in customer and executive engagement, discovering that the facilitation skills he developed in advisory boards and executive programs applied directly to qualitative research. He argues that the word “moderator” often undersells what great researchers actually do: create the conditions for deeper, more open, more useful conversations.

The conversation covers the rise of AI-moderated research, synthetic respondents, and democratized research tools. Andy shares where he sees AI adding value, especially as a thought partner, proofreader, summarizer, and red-teaming tool. But he also points out what AI still misses: empathy, nonverbal signals, pauses, tone, rapport, and the ability to notice what is not being said.

Guest:

Andy Garlikov  –  Director of Strategic Insights at HowSo. Andy brings a background in customer engagement, executive advisory programs, and qualitative research. His work focuses on helping organizations uncover deeper insights through strong facilitation, human-centered conversations, and thoughtful use of AI in the research process.

Useful links:

Andy Garlikov on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andygarlikov/

Dan Fleetwood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfleetwood

Learn more about QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com

In this special live episode of the Happy Market Research Podcast, Dan Fleetwood records from IIEX and speaks with three guests about the biggest conversations happening across the insights industry.

Stan Sthanunathan shares a candid perspective on AI, the urgent need for reskilling, and why data quality must return to the center of the conversation. Brian Madden talks about the continued value of human research, especially ethnography and jobs-to-be-done work, while Jen Plebani reflects on personal mission, extreme ownership, and how researchers can move from simply delivering insights to becoming architects of change.

Together, the conversations capture the mood of IIEX: excitement about AI, caution around synthetic data, renewed focus on data quality, and a strong reminder that human judgment still matters.

Guests:

Stan Sthanunathan – Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of iGenie. Stan previously served as Global Head of Insights at Unilever and Coca-Cola, bringing decades of leadership experience in insights and consumer understanding.

Brian Madden – Research and insights leader at Signature Product Group, a licensing firm that partners with brands such as Carhartt, Hurley, and Fox on category extensions. Brian brings a practical perspective on field research, product testing, and using insights to support business development.

Jen Plebani – Principal Researcher at BILL, focused on foundational and strategic research. Jen brings a thoughtful perspective on personal mission, ownership, AI adoption, and how research teams can create more meaningful business impact.

Useful links:

Stan Sthanunathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stan-sthanunathan-1ab4035/

Brian Madden on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-madden/

Jen Plebani on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenplebani/

Dan Fleetwood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfleetwood

Learn more about QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com

In this episode, Dan Fleetwood speaks with David Iudica, an experienced insights and analytics leader who has worked across major organizations including Meta, Citi, and now Uber Ads.

David shares his career journey from agency-side research to leading global measurement and analytics teams. He explains how his team supports advertisers by helping them understand what’s actually driving performance, using tools like incrementality testing, post-campaign analysis, and first-party data.

The conversation explores the growing importance of measurement in modern advertising, the evolution of platforms' analytics capabilities, and the challenges of helping clients move beyond surface-level metrics. David also reflects on how insights teams can better partner with marketing and business stakeholders to drive smarter decisions.

Guest:

David Iudica  –  Head of Global Measurement and Insights Analytics at Uber Ads, with extensive experience leading insights, marketing, and strategy teams across companies like Meta, Yahoo, MTV Networks, Turner, and Major League Baseball. He specializes in connecting data and strategy to drive measurable business impact and is known for building strong partnerships across organizations.

Useful links:

David Iudica on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidiudica/

Dan Fleetwood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfleetwood

Learn more about QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com