ESOMAR 2018 round up

ESOMAR Congress finished just last week, and it was such a great event.

I had an amazing time seeing everyone, hearing the stories they had to tell and the journeys they’ve been on. And even though I heard and saw a lot, a few things stuck out:

1 / Organisations are now working more fluidly; long gone are the days where the role of the insight function ended with a PowerPoint presentation. Departments are no longer working in silos, but rather are moving towards a ‘one team’ model, where they work together, iteratively, towards solving a business question.

2 / Insights have a much stronger role to play – and “must demand a seat on the table” as Holly Rozelle of Nature’s Way explained. Insights teams hold the knowledge that connects customers to brands, and they play a decisive role in the organisation by delivering actionable strategies.

3 / Organisations are becoming customer centric (or even customer obsessed). Having a strategy that puts the costumer at the centre is key not only for competitive advantage, but for basic survival. And this shift is forcing us to think differently and is already changing organisational cultures.

4 / AI, voice and tech are changing the game and are here to stay – although a lot of what we do is still considered traditional research, new methods, devices and technology are bringing in new behaviours and tools for both consumers and researchers. But even as we see such rapid change, one thing is certain…

5 / Humanity is key, today more than ever. The great technological changes we are experiencing also call for more humanity and more brain power to make sense of it all.

6 / The most powerful stories are those told from the heart. Vanessa Oshima, from Starbucks Japan, taught us how brand health is driven by purpose and through understanding about what their brand brings to the world. And even though we aren’t jumping with glee about our work 100% of the time, it is important to find meaning and passion in what we do.

I’ve left Congress very excited about what’s to come for the MRX industry. We have big challenges to tackle but also many opportunities to adapt and improve.

Thanks ESOMAR for an inspiring event, and see you soon.