Intellicast

Welcome back to Intellicast! On today’s episode, Brian is joined by market research’s favorite lobbyist, the Senior Vice President of Advocacy for the Insights Association, Howard Fienberg. He makes his return to Intellicast to discuss the latest developments in privacy legislation and more.

Kicking off the episode, Brian and Howard discuss the current state of privacy legislation in the United States. Howard gives an update on his efforts to help the industry navigate new state privacy legislation in 2025, on where we stand on new state privacy legislation that may be coming down the pipe.  

The conversation changes its focus to a potential federal version of privacy legislation. Howard discusses the various efforts that have taken place in the past and why he believes the current efforts are distinct. He is cautiously optimistic that we could see a serious proposal introduced in 2026.

Brian and Howard then discuss the LiveRamp lawsuit and its current and future impact on the market research industry. Howard mentions how this lawsuit has spotlighted how trial lawyers are twisting old surveillance laws, initially written for phone wiretaps, to sue companies over tracking cookies. Even if most cases aren’t held up in court, they’re expensive and distracting.

In the final segment, Brian and Howard discuss the recent decision in the EU to uphold the Data Privacy Framework, the current agreement that allows U.S. companies to transfer data from the EU. This may have flown

Want to stay up to date on Howard’s advocacy work for our industry? Log into you IA account and head to the Advocacy section: https://www.insightsassociation.org/Advocacy/Protecting-the-Profession

You can connect with Howard on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/howardfienberg/), or by email at [email protected].

Thanks for tuning in!

Want to download your copy of The Sample Landscape: 2025 Edition? Get it here: https://content.emi-rs.com/sample-landscape-report-2025

Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here.

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Welcome back to Intellicast! Brian Peterson is freshly back from the 2025 Corporate Researchers Conference (CRC) in Chicago and is ready to break it all down. Joining him is his presenting partner at CRC and Vice President of The Link Group, Andrew Hunt.

Andrew and Brian jump right in and discuss the overall trends from the conference, including:

The guys then discuss some of their favorite sessions from the conference. Andrew talks about the first keynote session, Dare to Connect, which was the talk of the conference. Brian mentioned the C Space and McDonald’s video that humanized the insights that were gathered.

The guys then both touch on the session with Andrew’s colleague, Parks, who presented with Chick-fil-A, as well as the data quality session that kicked off day 3.

Finally, Brian and Andrew talk about some of their favorite activities

If you want to relive CRC, or have FOMO from not being there, this episode can’t be missed!

Learn more about The Link Group by visiting their website: https://www.tlg.com/

You can connect with Andrew by email at [email protected] or on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewhunt7/)

Want to download your copy of The Sample Landscape: 2025

Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our

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Intellicast is back with a brand-new episode covering the latest news from around the market research industry. Join Brian Peterson and Aron Wilson as they break down the latest headlines, including:

Brian and Aron also spend time announcing the conferences they will be attending this fall!

If you're hoping to stay informed on the big names and changes in market research, then this episode is for you!

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The research world is never short on headlines, and this week’s Intellicast is proof.

Brian and Gabby return to break down the latest headlines from around the market research industry. Topping the list is a deep dive into the new whitepaper from Strat7, which compares synthetic data providers using real-world testing methods. The whitepaper finds that while synthetic data performs well on individual questions, it falls apart when you examine the full respondent experience — consistency, internal logic, and key drivers simply don’t align with real human behavior.

Meanwhile, ESOMAR has updated its Code of Standards in partnership with the International Chamber of Commerce. The revised code introduces major new guidance on:

Other major topics in the episode include:

This episode is perfect for anyone trying to stay informed on sample trends, ethics in AI, and what the future holds for insights professionals.

Thanks for listening!

You can get your free copy of the Strat7 whitepaper here: https://strat7.com/ebooks/putting-synthetic-data-to-the-test/

Miss our webinar, The Sample Landscape: The 2025 State of Sample? Check out the on-demand version here.

Want to download your copy of The Sample Landscape: 2025 Edition? Get it here: https://content.emi-rs.com/sample-landscape-report-2025

Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here.

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What do car dealership surveys, goldfish, and chatbots have in common? They all come up in this episode of Intellicast, where Brian and Mary sit down with Lorin Drake, a Consumer Insights Strategist at Publix, to discuss all things respondent experience. It is a refreshingly honest discussion about what’s broken in the world of survey design—and how to potentially fix it.

The episode begins with Lorin delving into his background, explaining how he got into market research and ultimately ended up at Publix. Lorin then shares highlights from his IIeX presentation, “Surveys are Dead, Long Live Surveys.”

This leads into a larger conversation about how improving the respondent experience can improve data quality. Lorin lays out a path forward, including short LOIs, gamified surveys, more engaging question types, and additional features – all of which contribute to a more human-centric approach to data collection.

A few key takeaways:

Don’t miss this one if you care about data quality, respondent fatigue, or fixing bloated, boring surveys.

You can connect with Lorin on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorindrake/

Thanks for listening!

Miss our webinar, The Sample Landscape: The 2025 State of

Want to download your copy of The Sample Landscape: 2025

Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our

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In this news-packed episode, Brian and Gabby break down the biggest happenings shaking up the market research space. Ipsos is expanding its European footprint with the proposed acquisition of the BVA Group, and AckWest continues its M&A spree, this time adding healthcare research firm Reckner to its growing roster. The industry is also seeing a wave of rebrands—Toluna is consolidating under one name, and Sympler now goes by “Okay, Humans” in a nod to human-focused research amid rising AI tension.

Speaking of AI, the hosts dig into Pulsar’s launch of Narratives AI—a public opinion search engine with promise (and bot-related pitfalls). Meanwhile, Numerator introduces a Tariff Risk Index to monitor price volatility, and EMI’s new Sample Landscape report tests synthetic data against real respondents, explores AI prompting tools, and dives deep into high-frequency survey takers.

It’s a can’t-miss conversation for anyone watching the balance between innovation and insight.

Thanks for listening!

Want to download your copy of The Sample Landscape: 2025 Edition? Get it here: https://content.emi-rs.com/sample-landscape-report-2025

Did you miss one of our webinars, or would you like to access some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here.

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Were you in Washington, DC, last week for IIeX? If not, our latest episode of Intellect has you covered! Brian Peterson and Matthew Alexander were in the nation’s capital for this year’s event and sat down to recap all the trends and topics.

Let’s dive into what the guys discussed:

Data Quality Takes Center Stage

One of the most talked-about issues this year was data quality, spurred on by the recent industry indictment. Sessions addressing fraud detection, transparent sampling practices, and respondent experience were standing room only. It’s clear that researchers are demanding more transparency and layered approaches to improving data quality, from better survey design, better tools, and even improved respondent experience.

AI and Synthetic Data: More Practical Applications and Progress

AI continued to dominate the conversation, but the tone has shifted. This year, discussions focused on practical applications of how AI can assist in the research process, with a variety of presenters showing how they had integrated AI into their tools.

Synthetic data was also a large topic of conversation, with several presenters showing their latest strides in synthetic data and how they are validating it. Brian and Matthew both agreed that the applications are gaining traction in qualitative research, but based on the presentations, were still cautious about its readiness for quantitative applications.

What Worked (and What Didn’t) From a Format Perspective

Both Brian and Matthew felt Washington, D.C. was a fantastic host city—clean, easy to navigate, and close to the airport. They were also happy that the Greenbook team abandoned the headphone concept that was used in

Give it a listen and let us know what you think. And hey, if IIeX comes to Cincinnati next year like Brian and Matthew suggested, we’ll see you there!

Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here.

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In this episode of Intellicast, host Brian Peterson is joined by Mary Draper and Aron Wilson for a timely and candid discussion about the state of data quality in market research. The team unpacks the recent indictment involving OP4G and Slice MR, accused of orchestrating a $10 million fraud scheme using fabricated survey data. They explore how this scandal highlights long-standing challenges around fraud detection, insider manipulation, and the limitations of current quality safeguards.

The conversation also recaps key insights from the recent Insights Association Ignite Data Quality Conference, including the growing push for sample transparency, the nuanced role of ISO certifications, and the critical need for a respondent-first approach to survey design. With perspectives from both supplier and full-service backgrounds, this episode explores how the industry can work together to raise the bar for quality, combat fraud, and ultimately rebuild trust.

Whether you’re a panel provider, research buyer, or full-service agency, this episode is packed with insights you don’t want to miss.

Want a better understanding of EMI data quality processes? Click Here

Heading to Washington D.C. for IIeX – be sure to connect with Matthew and Brian!

Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here.

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Welcome back to Intellicast! Joining Brian Peterson on today’s episode to give a recap of Quirks Chicago are Gabby Blados and, for the first time, Abby Snyder.

The three jump right in with Gabby, who had attended four different Quirks Events, and Abby, who attended her first Quirks Event, giving their overall impression of Quirks. Gabby felt this one was the best one she had attended.

Next, Gabby and Abby discuss the overall trend and themes from Quirks. In addition to AI (which was a given), Gabby discusses the focus on data quality, from new tools to help ensure it to how we as researchers can do things differently to help improve quality.

Abby then discussed a few of her key takeaways from the conference, including how she felt it was important to connect with colleagues she normally communicates with on a daily basis but never met face-to-face. Gabby talked about her favorite session, which featured Hills Science, which she and her family used for their pets growing up.

In the wrap-up, Abby and Gabby discuss some of their non-conference-related adventures while in Chicago, like visiting a Wicked pop-up bar.

Thanks for listening!

If you have headed to New York for IA Ignite Data Quality, be sure to say hello to Mary Draper and Aron Wilson.

If you heading the the nation’s capital for IIeX, be sure to connect with Matthew Alexander or Mary Draper.

Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here.

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Welcome back to Intellicast! Joining Brian Peterson on this jam-packed episode is Gabby Blados. They talk about conferences, data quality, as well as discuss some recent headlines from around the research world.

Kicking off the episode, Brian and Gabby talk about the upcoming conferences, including SampleCon and Quirks Chicago. With Gabby attending Quirks, she gives Brian a preview of some of the topics, sessions, and activities she most looks forward to while in Chicago in early April.

Next, Brian and Gabby turn their sights to the latest market research news, starting with the launch of the Global Data Quality Initiative updated Data Quality Pledge. Brian and Gabby discuss how they feel this is a step in the right direction to improve overall data quality. They are hesitant, though, since it is a pledge, and there is no one to hold people accountable to its

standard other than self-regulation. They both agree that the pledge is probably a step toward some sort of regulation around data quality.

In the second data quality story, they discuss the results and key takeaways from the new Data Quality Benchmarking Study released by the Insight Association. Brian and Gabby discuss some of the stats, including some that were somewhat surprising to both of them.

You can get your free copy of the Insights Association Data Quality Benchmarking Report here.

Next, Brian and Gabby talk about some of the recent headlines from around the market research industry, including ComScore’s 2024 results, Glimpse’s rebrand to Panoplai, and Disney shutting down FiveThirtyEight.

In our final story, they touch on the reports about Kantar potentially looking to sell their Worldpanel/Numerator division.

Thanks for listening!

If you have headed to Pasadena for SampleCon, be sure to say hello to Kathleen Hock.

If you will be in Chicago for Quirk, be sure to connect with Gabby or Abby Synder.

Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here.

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