As the doors close on another incredible @QuirksMedia Event, we’re back at the office - with notebooks full of ideas, renewed energy for the future of our industry, and lots of gratitude for everyone who stopped by our booth!
It was a privilege for the Advanis team to be part of the speaker lineup this year. A huge shoutout to our very own Anu Bhalla and Patrick Kyba (and our amazing client Glen Franklin from Jackson National LIfe Distributors) for their stellar session on turning emotional insights into business growth! Getting to share our own perspective while listening to so many brilliant peers highlighted just how fast the world of consumer insights is evolving.
Here are our top four takeaways from the overarching themes of the sessions:
🤖 1. The New Equation: AI + HI (Human Intelligence)
AI is no longer just a buzzword; it’s firmly embedded in our day-to-day lives. But the conversation has matured. We’re no longer just marveling at AI—we are actively defending the need for human intuition, empathy, and oversight. The winning formula relies on combining massive computational speed with irreplaceable human context. As Patrick & Glen highlighted in their session, consumers are rarely purely logical, yet we often treat them as if they are. Empathy and human-centricity remain our most powerful tools.
🧠 2. To AI or Not To AI (And what will be allowed)
Organizations are taking two very different approaches to the use of AI - and insights teams are often dependent on organizational wide decisions. Some organizations are proceeding with a great deal of caution - disallowing it entirely, or offering heavily guardrailed access. Other organizations have embraced the tools more rapidly, and have begun to embed AI across their workflow. Insights teams need to clearly define the use cases and benefits of AI to compliance teams, or risk falling behind on their ability to deliver at speed.
📉 3. Death to the "Deck": Elevating Insights into Action
A recurring theme across multiple sessions was the frustration of brilliant insights getting trapped in a 100-slide deck. The focus has shifted heavily toward strategic storytelling. Researchers are stepping up as business partners, finding innovative ways to ensure findings are easily understood, remembered, and activated within their client;s commercial leadership teams to drive tangible growth.
🛠️ 4. Defending Data Quality
The methodologies we rely on to ensure data quality are getting a serious upgrade. Even more importantly, as research fraud becomes more sophisticated, our industry is fighting back with new mixed-mode approaches to protect the integrity of our data.
🌟 A Final Thank You!
To everyone who participated in our "Give a Gold Star" event—thank you! It was incredibly inspiring to see so many of you stop by the Advanis booth to champion the great ideas you heard this week. Congratulations to the most nominated speeches: Chuck E. Cheese & MAVRIX (nominated by Sawtooth and Sample Ninja LLC among others). We hope you all enjoy the little pieces of Canadiana.
It’s an exciting time to be in market research. What was your biggest takeaway from Quirk's Dallas this year?
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