Todd Hoskins, Co-Founder of My-Take, joins host Sima Vasa to make the case that research only changes outcomes when it’s built into everyday decisions, not bolted on as validation after the budget is spent. Todd also covers why AI is raising stakeholder expectations faster than research budgets grow, where synthetic data fits alongside real respondents and why data integrity is the foundation of the industry’s next phase.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

00:00 Introduction.

02:41 Validation research that arrives after resources are committed can’t shape the decisions that matter.

10:07 Strategy works best as a constantly updated model, not a rigid annual planning ritual.

12:22 AI raises stakeholder expectations, and the research partners that win will deliver automation and consulting.

16:24 Time saved through automation should be reinvested in discovery, storytelling and better client deliverables.

19:11 Synthetic data has a role in the mix, but real people remain the layer of truth.

22:15 Insight demand is at an all-time high, and data integrity is the foundation for meeting it.

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RESOURCES MENTIONED

My-Take, Todd’s insight technology company, which builds and runs insight communities for brands

Insight Community+, My-Take’s all-in-one insight community platform for qualitative, quantitative, CX and UX research

DQM (Data Quality Management), My-Take’s new data quality layer that flags fraudulent and low-quality responses with a human in the loop

MyAI Assistant, My-Take’s AI agent that draws on a client’s historical community data to inform new reports and analysis

GreenBook GRIT Top 50, the industry’s most innovative suppliers list, which Todd notes My-Take has made six years running

Principles of Market Research, the University of Georgia certification My-Take uses to train newer employees

#MRX #Data #Restech

Steven Snell, EVP, Head of Research of Rep Data, joins host Sima Vasa to discuss why data quality starts with the questionnaire, not the fraud filter. Steven also covers where synthetic panels fall short for niche audiences, why higher incentives attract professional fraudsters and the case for shorter, more frequent research.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

00:00 Introduction.

08:53 DIY research swings like a pendulum, and a pullback means fewer bad surveys in the field.

12:04 The golden rule of surveys is to write the one you’d want to take.

16:44 Low-quality respondents in training data contaminate synthetic panels and perpetuate bias at scale.

22:27 Paying respondents more doesn’t improve answers, and high incentives attract professionalized fraudsters.

24:34 Online qual at scale needs panels recruited for cameras and microphones, not surveys.

30:15 Two-minute, TikTok-friendly pulses are a better future for research than 20-minute surveys.

Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Rep Data, Steven’s market research and data quality company, which completed three acquisitions in four months to build an end-to-end research workflow

Research Defender, Rep Data’s pre-survey fraud prevention tool that blocks bots, fraudsters and high-risk traffic before respondents enter a survey

ReDem, the in-survey and post-survey data cleaning platform Rep Data acquired to pair with Research Defender

SightX, the end-to-end consumer research platform Rep Data acquired, with its data quality tools built in natively

Market Research Council, the nearly 100-year-old membership organization of market research executives that Steven has led as president for the last two years

AAPOR, the American Association for Public Opinion Research, whose annual conference Steven references in the discussion on respondent incentives

#MRX #Data #Restech

Rob Wengel, Chief Executive Officer and Board Director of Radius, joins us to discuss how a 30-year-old research firm is embracing an AI-first approach. He explains why Radius acquired One Strategy Studio, how its five AI models work alongside human strategists to cut research timelines from months to days, and why none of it changes what the business is really selling: trust.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

00:00 Introduction to Rob Wengel and Radius.
06:57 How five boutique agencies became one without losing what made them work.
12:49 What it takes to build one firm without one prescribed way of working.
17:58 What changes when sixteen weeks becomes a matter of days.
24:23 Meet the five AI models behind Radius’s virtual research team.
27:46 Why Radius is rethinking decades of supply-side thinking.
28:20 What Gen Z gets right about brand trust.

Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Radius, Rob Wengel’s research and insights firm, built from five acquisitions including One Strategy Studio

One Strategy Studio, the AI-first strategy agency Radius acquired, built around a five-model virtual research team (Sammy, Hayden, Skyler, Ollie, and Finn)

The New Gen Z Loyalty Economy report, Radius and One Strategy Studio’s study on Gen Z buying behavior, referenced in the discussion on brand loyalty and trust

#Analytics #Data #MRX