Making a Meaningful Impact with Insights: Key Takeaways from Industry Leaders 

By Natasha Weith 

As someone who’s passionate about the power of insights to drive business growth, I was thrilled to host our recent SIVO Insights Forum, “Bridging the Gap: Translating Insights Into Meaningful Business Results.” It was an inspiring conversation with some of the best minds in the insights industry, and I’m excited to share the experience with you. 

At SIVO, we believe consumer and marketplace insights are the foundation for business growth. But let’s be honest, while all insights professionals understand this, turning those insights into actionable business strategies can be a real challenge. That’s exactly why we brought together this incredible panel of leaders to share their expertise and experiences. 

I had the honor of facilitating this discussion with: 
• Eliana Wahnon (VP of Consumer & Market Insights, General Mills) 
• Khary Campbell (VP of Consumer Research & Insights, Comcast) 
• Elizabeth Oates (Book Author, Former VP of Consumer Insights, Ulta Beauty) 

Together, we explored how to bridge the gap between data and meaningful outcomes. Whether you watch the session on-demand (linked here) or continue reading for some highlights, I think you’ll find this forum both interesting and actionable. 

Aligning Market Research with Business Priorities  

In a world filled with data, the ability to convert that data into actionable insights sets successful businesses apart from the rest. Insights professionals must not only translate data into insights, but also deliver those insights in a way that inspires ideas and guides business strategies. 

Insights teams need to be strategic about where they focus their time and resources. More specifically, it is vital to align research projects with business priorities. Elizabeth Oates posed these questions to consider during The SIVO Insights Forum: 

• How do potential research projects drive the priorities of the business? 
• Which projects are going to drive future success for the business? 
• Are there any projects that serve multiple business partners? 

Navigating through the business questions and issues that arise and honing in on those with the highest business priority offers the greatest chance of making a meaningful impact with your research findings. 

Navigating Leadership Reluctance 

One common challenge that Insights teams face is leadership reluctance to act on the research findings. This hesitation may stem from personal biases or not understanding the potential benefits. Forming alliances with key stakeholders and truly understanding the business from their perspectives will help insights teams address real business needs and inspire colleagues to act. This can take the form of getting early buy-in on research objectives and designs or previewing the findings and recommendations with colleagues to ensure alignment with broader organizational goals. 

To this point, Khary Campbell advised insights teams to “be consumer first, but not consumer only,” during our panel discussion. “Consider the research implications to all the functions. After all, every function is working in an orchestra to drive business growth.”  

Making a Bigger Impact 

Insights teams can expand their influence by highlighting the strategic value of their work. Sharing success stories, aligning insights with organizational goals, and fostering a culture of consumer-driven decision making are crucial steps toward amplifying the impact of insights. 

Great storytelling with a clear narrative, executive summary, intuitive visual aids and consumer quotes can simplify complex data and enhance understanding. These tactics ensure that research results will grab attention, persuade, and motivate key stakeholders and drive action. 

Eliana Wahnon shared a 3C’s framework for driving impact when reporting research results:   

• Context: What matters around this particular topic, issue, or question? 
• Clarity: Be brief and straight forward. Share the Insight in a cohesive story. 
• Conviction: Create evidence to support and inspire action from your audience. 

The Evolving Role of Insights 

The SIVO Insights Forum also gathered perspectives on the rapidly evolving role of insights professionals, inspired by the advancements in AI and the increasing complexity of consumer behavior. Despite suggestions that automation may replace traditional roles, the leaders in the panel believe insights professionals will remain indispensable for managing AI, distinguishing truth, and uncovering the “why” behind consumer actions. As Eliana Wahnon emphasized, “While AI offers tools to streamline tasks like drafting questionnaires and analyzing unstructured data, it cannot replicate the nuanced understanding of human behavior, or the creative spark needed to inspire ideas.” 

Elizabeth Oates underscored the importance of balancing historical insights (the rearview mirror) with a forward-looking perspective (the windshield) to navigate future challenges. The discussion highlighted “scenario thinking” as a vital skill for anticipating multiple possibilities in an uncertain world.  

Ultimately, AI is a tool to enhance efficiency and free up time for strategic thinking, but the human role in connecting dots, navigating contradictions, and driving innovation remains irreplaceable. As Khary Campbell noted, “Insights professionals must stay curious and adaptable, leveraging technology while preserving the core skills that drive business impact.”  

This balance ensures the field of insights not only survives but thrives, enabling businesses to navigate an ever-changing future with clarity and purpose. 

Conclusion & The SIVO Insights Forum 

As I reflect on the conversations we had during the SIVO Insights Forum, one thing is clear: insights professionals play such a critical role in shaping decisions that drive growth, via consumer insights, but our real challenge lies in ensuring those insights are acted upon. 

The panelists shared so many practical strategies and thought-provoking ideas that I believe can truly help us build trust, credibility, and impact within our organizations. From navigating leadership reluctance to making a bigger organizational impact, these insights resonated with me—and I hope they will with you too.

If you want to dive deeper into these topics, I highly recommend watching The SIVO Insights Forum “Bridging The Gap: Translating Insights Into Meaningful Business Results”. You’ll hear directly from our incredible panelists about: 

• The evolving role of insights in shaping strategic decisions 
• Tactics for ensuring insights translate into action 
• Building trust and credibility with senior leaders 
• And so much more. 

Let’s keep pushing forward, bridging the gap, and making an even bigger impact together. 

About SIVO Insights 

SIVO, Inc. is a market research and strategy firm specializing in helping businesses understand people. We partner with world-class brands to answer key questions and identify opportunities that unlock business growth. Our team of insights market research professionals are masters at designing custom research plans, executing with excellence, identifying strategic insights and then helping client teams translate those insights into action. Our On Demand Talent solution places fractional insights experts into client companies to temporarily fill open roles, complete projects or expand team capabilities. 

Contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or visit SIVOInsights.com to schedule a Research or On Demand Talent discovery call so we can help you make an impact!