Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII

High-quality B2B data is the make-or-break factor in building synthetic personas that can be trusted. Sascha Eder, CEO & Co-Founder, NewtonX, joins host Jon Last, President, Sports and Leisure Research Group, to discuss why synthetic research is uniquely challenging in B2B, where buyer decisions are made by committees and online data is limited. They clarify key approaches including synthetic boosting, synthetic modeling, digital twins, and B2B-trained synthetic personas, and outline where synthetic can add value today, such as pre-testing questionnaires, message testing, and concept refinement. The conversation also covers validation through A/B testing against independent real-buyer samples, transparency around data sources, and why synthetic should often complement, not replace, primary research to support more continuous,

always-on insights.

00:00 Building Synthetic Personas

00:34 Podcast Intro and Topic

02:33 Why B2B Is Different

05:10 Data Scarcity in B2B

07:04 Four Synthetic Methods

11:05 Best Use Cases and Limits

13:33 How to Build Personas Right

15:18 Validation and Trust Tests

18:35 Always On Insights Workflow

20:13 NewtonX Approach and Moat

23:25 Market Adoption and Hype Cycle

26:43 Future Outlook and Wrap Up

28:29 Closing Thanks and Subscribe

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

Explore more episodes and resources → https://www.greenbook.org/podcast-network

Learn more about MRII → https://mrii.org/

AI may automate research execution, but the bigger opportunity is refocusing insights on its core job: shaping better business decisions through deeper consumer and market understanding. In this episode, Nick Graham, Founder, Vertemis, speaks with Mary Beth Jowers, VP, Consumer & Market Insights, Americas, The HEINEKEN Company, about how insights teams can “bring their own chair” by aligning work to how leaders make decisions, tailoring outputs to stakeholder needs, and learning from why insights don’t get used. They discuss partnering beyond marketing with finance and other functions, translating insights into decision-ready and financially relevant deliverables, and stepping into process, organizational, and technology stewardship roles. Mary Beth also outlines practical steps like auditing work products, mapping use cases, and building feasibility and viability fluency alongside desirability.

00:00 Bring Your Own Chair

00:42 AI And Insights Purpose

01:39 Meet Mary Beth Jowers

04:04 Right Business New Focus

06:21 Earning The Seat

10:38 Why Insights Get Ignored

13:08 Cheat Sheets And Influence

14:40 Friends With Finance

18:18 Insights As Change Agents

21:18 Tech Stewardship And Governance

23:37 Redrawing Boundaries

28:26 Accountability For Outcomes

30:15 Skills To Build Tomorrow

33:51 Closing Thanks And Subscribe

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

Explore more episodes and resources → https://www.greenbook.org/podcast-network

Learn more about MRII → https://mrii.org/

The opportunity has never been better for insights teams to earn a meaningful seat at the strategy table by reducing busy work and focusing on the key data that drives decisions. In this episode, Daniel Graff-Radford, CEO, Discuss, joins host Pavi Gupta, Founder, The Insights Exchange, to discuss how researchers can shift from being “traffic cops” to building librarian-like systems that make organizational knowledge accessible and reusable. They explore the risks of partners uploading research into off-the-shelf LLMs, the need for traceability and repeatability, and how to avoid “insight slop” from either excessive questions or generic outputs. Daniel frames AI interviewing as a fast in-between method bridging surveys and live moderated qual, stressing guardrails and using the right tool for the decision’s risk and complexity.

00:00 Why Insights Matter Now

00:36 Meet the Host and Guest

01:44 Cutting Busy Work

03:11 From Traffic Cop to Enabler

04:57 The Librarian Mindset

07:36 Humans Plus AI Guardrails

11:26 Avoiding Insight Slop

14:16 Traceability and Trust

18:23 AI Interviews as the Middle

21:40 Choosing Methods by Risk

23:22 Key Takeaways and Wrap Up

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

Explore more episodes and resources → https://www.greenbook.org/podcast-network

Learn more about MRII → https://mrii.org/

The insights industry isn’t in decline, it’s being redesigned, and AI is accelerating that shift. In this episode, Jim Whaley, CEO OvationMR, joins host Jon Last, President, Sports and Leisure Research Group, to reframe what AI is really disrupting in market research: tasks like fast fielding, charting, and basic summaries, not the core purpose of insight. They explore why organizations confuse activity with value, how the “kindergarten” moment of AI creates excitement and anxiety, and why fluent answers aren’t always true answers. Jim outlines the risks of “synthetic certainty,” the need for inclusive leadership when adopting AI, and why younger researchers should focus less on producing outputs and more on helping people learn and make better decisions.

00:00 Define Yourself by Impact

00:26 Podcast Intro and AI Redesign

02:10 Decline Versus Redesign

03:54 Tasks Disrupted Not Insight

05:33 Kindergarten AI Metaphor

08:32 We Have Been Here Before

12:53 Loud Voices and Governance

15:46 Insights as Learning Systems

18:39 Fluency Versus Truth

22:43 Synthetic Certainty Tradeoffs

25:31 Leadership Skills for Researchers

29:08 Optimism and Domain Expertise

33:06 Closing Thanks and Subscribe

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

Explore more episodes and resources → https://www.greenbook.org/podcast-network

Learn more about MRII → https://mrii.org/

When AI agents can research products in depth and make tailored recommendations, the traditional role of brand as a trust shortcut may shrink. In this episode, Steve Phillips, Founder, Chair and Chief Innovation Officer at Zappi, joins host Niels Schillewaert, Head of Research, Conveo.ai, to unpack “agentic shopping” and how AI-mediated decisions could reshape marketing and insights. Steve shares a real example of using Claude to choose a car, frames agent-driven choice as “system three” (system two on steroids), and explains why agents may prioritize specifics like ingredients, reviews, and scientific evidence over symbolism and advertising. They discuss category differences, how research may shift toward deeper human understanding and human-agent interaction, early experiments like surveying agents, and why insights leaders should lean into AI and lead organizational change.

00:00 Brand Collapses With Agents

00:42 Podcast Intro And Guest

01:44 What Is Agentic Shopping

02:32 Car Buying With Claude

05:12 System Three Decision Making

07:04 Why Brands Lose Power

09:42 Category Differences And Grocery

11:35 What Researchers Study Now

12:44 Agent Behavior And Discoverability

15:22 How To Experiment And Innovate

18:41 New Service Line For Insights

21:09 Skills And Industry Opportunity

24:31 One Thing To Do Tomorrow

25:05 Closing And Subscribe

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

Explore more episodes and resources → https://www.greenbook.org/podcast-network

Learn more about MRII → https://mrii.org/

Four out of five US adults don’t trust an AI-generated ad, AI-driven product, or service, and that gap between business adoption and consumer acceptance is growing. In this episode, Idil Cakim, Founder & CEO, Iris Flex, joins host Jon Last, President, Sports and Leisure Research Group, to unpack what brands often miss about consumer attitudes toward AI. They discuss why AI usage doesn’t always equal trust, how gender and age shape adoption, and Idil’s AI Proximity framework (exposure, control, delegation, and context) for measuring readiness. The conversation covers audience segments from avoiders to power users, where power users convert more in categories like financial services, auto, and wearable health. They also explore common rollout mistakes, the need for pre-testing and longitudinal tracking, and why human support still matters in sensitive decisions.

00:00 Power Users Payoff

00:52 AI Adoption Trust Gap

02:28 Why Study Consumers

04:09 Gender and Age Nuance

07:44 Usage Doesnt Mean Trust

08:59 AI Proximity Framework

12:32 Segments From Avoiders

14:13 Brand Mistakes and Fixes

18:40 Measuring Trust Over Time

22:34 Future Attitudes and Governance

24:55 Human Touch Still Matters

27:35 Wrap Up and Book Info

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

Explore more episodes and resources → https://www.greenbook.org/podcast-network

Learn more about MRII → https://mrii.org/

The old “commission research, present findings, move on” model is breaking as growth fragments, media splinters, and AI accelerate decisions. Ricardo Dalmas, Global VP of Insights & Analytics at Kimberly-Clark, joins host Nick Graham, Founder of Vertemis, to explain why insights must shift from calibration and testing toward defining strategic growth choices: where to play and how to win. They discuss balancing scale with precision, listening and observing behavior before asking survey questions, and prioritizing timely 70% answers over perfection. Ricardo outlines how AI can automate tasks, spot patterns and early trends, and free insights teams to iterate faster, experiment more, and partner closely with decision-makers. He also shares why emotionally resonant storytelling matters in intimate categories and offers career advice on industry passion, following up on impact, and mentorship.

00:00 Why Insights Must Evolve

01:34 Meet Ricardo Dalmas

03:52 Fragmented Growth Reality

07:54 Speed Over Perfection

09:23 From Research to Strategy

13:50 Will Insights Still Exist

18:07 Data Precision and Experimentation

20:46 AI Changes and Human Empathy

25:19 Emotional Storytelling Wins

28:19 Mentorship and Leadership Growth

31:35 Future Proof Career Advice

34:56 Closing and Subscribe

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

Explore more episodes and resources → https://www.greenbook.org/podcast-network

Learn more about MRII → https://mrii.org/

The organizations that will lead with AI are those that balance privacy and utility through transparency about methods, limitations, and responsibilities across the data cycle. In this episode, Arundati Dandapani, Founder & CEO, Generation1.ca, joins host Zontziry “Z” Johnson, Founder, MRXplorer, to discuss how fast-changing global AI regulation is reshaping governance for insights teams. They explore why global policy matters even for local organizations, including cross-border privacy, sector-specific rules, and the growing expectation for explainable, monitored AI decisions. The conversation covers risk-based and rights-based approaches, frameworks like OECD and NIST, and the shift from regulation to coordination and interoperability. They also examine de-identification, anonymization, synthetic data, client confidentiality, contracts, and digital responsibility, emphasizing that responsible innovation requires judgment, human oversight, and continual reassessment of harms and value.

00:00 Privacy Meets Innovation

00:12 Show Intro and Topic

01:31 Global AI Policy Radar

05:18 Risk and Rights Frameworks

08:15 Who Sets the Pace

11:03 From Compliance to Proactive

12:47 Anonymization and Reidentification

16:44 Contracts and Data Ownership

18:22 Digital Responsibility in Insights

20:26 Final Takeaway and Wrap

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

Explore more episodes and resources → https://www.greenbook.org/podcast-network

Learn more about MRII → https://mrii.org/

Why do people often open up more to an AI moderator than to a human researcher? In this episode, Nick Graham (Founder, Vertemis) speaks with Alfred Wahlforss, CEO and Co-Founder of Listen Labs, about how AI is reshaping qualitative research from analysis into moderation and digital twins. Alfred shares how Listen Labs uses AI to conduct, moderate, and synthesize interviews in hours, what’s driving faster adoption inside insights teams, and why “research slop” makes responsible deployment critical. They explore when real human respondents are essential versus when digital twins can help with quick message or concept iteration, how Jevons Paradox may increase demand for researchers, and why anonymity can reduce social desirability bias in sensitive studies.

00:00 AI Moderator Hook

00:21 Show Intro and Topic

01:14 Guest and Listen Labs

02:25 AI Adoption Curve

04:20 Why Adoption Accelerates

07:01 Real People vs Synthetic

10:40 Digital Twins Use Cases

13:29 Humans vs AI Roles

18:39 Speed Versus Rigor

23:49 Honesty With AI

29:36 Skills for Researchers

32:56 Closing Thanks and Outro

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

Explore more episodes and resources → https://www.greenbook.org/podcast-network

Learn more about MRII → https://mrii.org/

A human connection may build more rapport, but it may not change what people disclose. In this episode, host Zontziry “Z” Johnson, Founder of MRXplorer, talks with Matteo Cera, CEO, Glaut, about independent studies testing AI-moderated interviews against human-moderated interviews and traditional surveys. They unpack biometric findings from Curtin University on comfort, stress, and disclosure, plus controlled experiments from the University of Mannheim and Human Highway showing longer, more varied responses and more themes than static surveys. They also discuss when humans still matter most, the role of voice vs text, built-in detection of uncooperative respondents during fieldwork, and why AMIs may be better framed as an evolution of survey methodology rather than “qual at scale.”

00:00 Big Question Setup

00:36 Meet the Guest

01:14 Rapport vs Disclosure

02:20 Anxiety and Biometrics

03:29 When Humans Matter

04:26 Independent Study Design

07:31 Why Not Qual at Scale

10:47 Richer Data KPIs

12:23 Voice vs Text Findings

13:33 Honesty and Openness

15:03 Data Quality and Cleaning

17:14 Respondent Experience Wins

20:23 Industry Impact and ROI

22:02 Researchers Role and Myths

24:36 Wrap Up and Subscribe

#MarketResearch #MarketResearchTrends #InsightsForBusiness

#AIMarketResearch #MarketResearchSkills

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

Explore more episodes and resources → https://www.greenbook.org/podcast-network

Learn more about MRII → https://mrii.org/