By Julie Rose

"If you wish to influence an individual or a group… tell them a compelling story"  

– Annette Simmons 

Market Researchers cannot just be number-crunching analysts; they must be storytelling experts. We all must master the art of translating raw data into compelling narratives that instill confidence in company leaders, inform decisions, drive strategies, and shape the future. Yet, transforming vast amounts of data into illuminating narratives is time-consuming, complex, and unwieldy.  

Artificial Intelligence or AI-powered tools offer immense potential to revolutionize the storytelling process, making it faster, more precise, and more impactful. However, while AI is an exceptional co-pilot, the human touch is the navigator. At SIVO, we combine cutting-edge AI with the nuanced understanding and creativity of human researchers to craft stories that resonate deeply and drive real impact.

The Power of Storytelling  

Every great story follows a familiar arc. Whether it’s Toy Story, a pitch on Shark Tank, or your next big presentation to the Leadership Team, the best narratives unfold through exposition, rising action, climax, and resolution. These elements build anticipation, deepen engagement, and ultimately, deliver a satisfying conclusion.  

In business, these arcs guide decision-makers from uncertainty to clarity. The most powerful, action-inducing stories lead audiences from the business context to compelling insights to clear recommendations. Yet, creating a cohesive and captivating story often requires more than just technical precision—it demands emotional intelligence, contextual awareness, and strategic thinking. This is where the human element plays a vital role. 

When paired with AI’s capabilities, insights professionals can more quickly create stories that are deeply meaningful and impactful. It’s important to note that SIVO always prioritizes data privacy by using secure, closed AI systems. This ensures we harness AI’s power while safeguarding our clients' sensitive information. 

AI + Human Expertise at Every Stage of the Storytelling Process

Phase 1: Conducting Initial (or Supplemental) Research for a Topic 
AI is an excellent tool for quickly gathering relevant data on a specific topic, whether you’re preparing for a project or looking to supplement your research. 

AI co-pilot quickly gathers relevant data, scans vast sources, and identifies new insights or gaps. Example prompt: “Identify top consumer behavior trends influencing [topic] in 2024.” 

Human navigator brings context and intuition to guide AI queries, ensuring the focus aligns with the client’s unique challenges and goals. Researchers combine trends with firsthand knowledge of industry dynamics to refine the research direction. 

Phase 2: Summarizing & Simplifying the Long & Complex
Synthesizing data into a digestible format can be daunting. AI excels at summarizing lengthy reports or simplifying complex findings.  

AI co-pilot synthesizes data into digestible formats, tailoring content for different audiences. Example prompt: “Condense this 50-page report into a 1-page executive summary.” 

Human navigator applies judgment to ensure the summaries reflect nuance, tone, and the specific needs of stakeholders. Researchers review the summary to enhance clarity, add context, and emphasize key strategic points. 

Phase 3: (Re)Analyzing Raw Data to Identify Incremental Insights
AI can offer valuable guidance in outlining the structure of a story. 

AI co-pilot processes large datasets, uncovering hidden correlations and trends. Example prompt: “Analyze this survey data and identify the top three themes for [a specific audience segment].” 

Human navigator interprets findings through the lens of cultural and business factors, translating raw data into actionable insights. Insights professionals validates themes against observed behaviors and industry expertise. 

Phase 4: Providing Story Structure and Design Guidance
Even experienced storytellers face moments of writer’s block or struggle to find the right story flow.  

AI co-pilot outlines story structures, identifies key takeaways, and suggests visuals. Example prompt: “Create a story outline for this research report with key takeaways and best supporting data.” 

Human navigator refines the narrative flow, ensuring the narrative concisely covers the business teams’ priorities. Insights professionals enhance the outline with compelling metaphors, anecdotes, and watching for thematic cohesion.

Phase 5: Generating Story Content
Transitioning from analysis to storytelling can be a daunting process for some, to ensure the right information is included to support in the research and business objectives. 

AI co-pilot drafts initial versions, refines the narrative, and speeds up iterations. Example prompt: “Draft a report summarizing the key insights aligned to the learning objectives.” 

Human navigator injects tone, cultural relevance and business relevance into the content, making it truly focused on the business context, key questions and objectives. Insights professionals edit the draft to ensure the voice aligns with the brand and the audience’s expectations. 

Phase 6: Preparing for “Presentation Day”
Storytelling doesn’t end with the final report—it extends into how insights are presented to stakeholders.  

AI co-pilot anticipates audience questions, highlights potential gaps, and suggests alternative views. Example prompt: “Anticipate five critical questions a CMO might ask after reviewing this report.”  

Human navigator uses empathy and presentation skills to adapt delivery, read the room, and build a connection with the audience. Insights professionals prepare nuanced responses that tie insights back to overarching business goals. 

SIVO: Insights, Stories & Impact That Matter 

At SIVO, we continue to explore AI’s potential to help our clients unearth and articulate insights that propel businesses forward. With AI, we’re enhancing our storytelling capabilities, turning data into insights faster, more accurately, and with greater depth (alongside a brilliant team of creative humans) to create stories that illuminate opportunity and inspire meaningful action. 

If you’re ready to tell data-backed, insight-rich stories that spring your business forward, contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or visit SIVOInsights.com today to schedule a discovery call. 

Through the SIVO, Inc. “Modern Ways of Working” Mini Chat series, we spoke with a strategic consumer insights leader, Helen Kurtz, Chief Marketing Officer. In this conversation with Marilyn Weiss, Helen discusses her experience with SIVO’s On Demand Talent solution.  She has hired SIVO’s fractional Insights talent in two different companies that she has led, with the intention of introducing consumer insights to the organization, working with the marketing team to prove out the value of insights.  Watch this insightful video or read through the transcript below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDTSN-vB8jA

Video Transcript: 

DOING MORE WITH FEWER PEOPLE:

I mean, for sure, budgets are getting squeezed and I think it's more and more the case that headcount is getting squeezed and there's a desire to do more with fewer people and to be really smart about what choices we're making on staffing.

BRING IT IN AND PROVE IT OUT:

I left General Mills and went to a sort of billion dollar company, Foster Farms and it was clear to me as I came in as CMO that we needed to absolutely elevate our sort of consumer touch points and I needed to get that consumer insight function established at the company but I didn't have the headcount to do that and so that's where I reached out to you Marilyn and we dreamed up this idea of this fractional support. 

I left the company, I'm now CMO at another company, and very quickly brought Sevo in with me again for the same reason. It wasn't a function that was established in the company, again about a billion dollars in revenue.  And so it was a real opportunity to bring in and prove out the capabilities of consumer insights at the same time knowing I was going to get a fantastic,  no questions asked, I was going to get the best talent at the right time. 

CONCENTRATED EFFORT & TEAM INTEGRATION:

I think what you're getting with this fractional talent, because SIVO is the best at weeding it out. You guys are the experts themselves. It's like you’re going to a great college. You've already been filtered through.  You're picking out the best talent. 

I think there's also a little bit of a mindset of a fractional talent that's really important that who we've brought in doesn't need to be pitching in front of the C -suite.

They can, but they don't need that recognition. They they're not gunning for promotions within. They're really just there to do a job. They integrate really well with my team. But again, there I can have them sort of play in the background or bring them to the forefront. It's just a much lower lift for me and my team.  I would say they're really there to do the job. And in many cases to educate my team on what consumer insights excellence looks like because that was not a function that was in either of the two companies.

So I guess, again, to be more succinct, this combination of excellence and expertise in their field, as well as this ability to work very seamlessly with the team and again, not being in it to win it for promotions. They're really there to do the job. So it's just sort of very concentrated effort. 

CONSUMER-CENTRIC THOUGHT LEADERSHIP:  

I think it's just thought leadership first and foremost.  I think most companies are, if not there already, are wising up to consumer-first and consumer-led and that's sort of like in their DNA.  So if you have a declaration like that happening in your company, it's like well, what do I do with that? and who helps me execute that? So I think you know both of the individuals I've worked with have really brought that to the fore helping educate on what that looks like.  How to get close to the consumer, driving education, training, and facilitating.   

Again, it's not just like executing the research, but interrogating:

• Does that research need to be done even?  
• Do we know this?  
• What do we already have on hand?
• How can we be creative or scrappy about thinking differently about getting to the consumer and getting to insight?

THE ECONOMICS ARE FANTASTIC:  

Like just the economics have been really fantastic. I didn't hire a full -time person. I use a fractional person at 30 hours a week.   So like, that's worked out really well. I have no turnover because this person is here and they're very committed to us. I don't have to worry about them leaving.  I've got a great backup from SIVO in that, you know, the resources are there. The thought leadership is there behind my individual. I know that she consults with SIVO on questions that are beyond her scope.

Then, just this sort of seamlessness of having someone who works well with a team. You filter out for people who are really exceptional at what they do and are used to an experience with working on a team.   When you're out there interviewing, you don't really know what you're gonna get. So it's just like, it's almost like a stamp of approval, I think, coming from SIVO.  I have found that through and through.

TALENT CURATION & INSIGHTS EXPERTISE:

I think the biggest compliment to SIVO is that my team doesn't really know about SIVO. Like they just know Jill. They know the person with whom they work. I am the behind the scenes working with SIVO and I've found that to be extraordinarily easy.  I think that the team at SIVO like really listens to what I need. When I start a project or when I moved companies, they were quick to sort of like curate who would be a good match. They get to know me as a client and what my demands are. 

My team would say it's a godsend.  I think my team loves in both places, loves working with this talent, and would sacrifice a lot of other things before they would give up this talent, which happily we didn't have to do.

To Make Your Workload Manageable

By Marilyn Weiss

In these inflationary times, companies are cutting operational costs, including their workforce budgets. In 2022, there were at least 154,000 layoffs from more than 1,000 tech companies and so far in 2023, the trend continues with 55,000 layoffs to date. (USAToday.com & Layoffs.fyi, Jan. 2023)

Not only is this devastating for employees that have been laid off, but it is also difficult for those who remain. Post layoffs, organizations become leaner and the scope of work for each employee gets stretched wider. Employees are asked to stabilize the organization and drive future growth with fewer resources.

On the bright side, this increase in individual scope of work can create opportunities to gain new experiences and demonstrate leadership. However, the broader scope can also leave employees feeling overworked, stressed, and unable to manage the expanded workload.  When it feels like there is just too much work and not enough hours in the day to get it done, the best way to manage through it, is to adopt a “Fractional Mindset.”

What is a Fractional Mindset?

A fractional mindset is a new way of thinking. It’s breaking down a system into smaller fractional pieces.  When you are faced with a problem, adopting a fractional mindset makes the problem smaller.  A fractional mindset, when applied to your assigned workload, allows you to approach your role and responsibilities by dividing them up into smaller, fractional tasks. This gives you freedom to take a step back to strategize and prioritize the best way to complete them.  

Prioritize the Workload

The first step requires some analysis. You will need to prioritize your list of tasks and/or objectives based on what will add the most value or make the most positive impact on the business. A best practice is to sort the completed list by those items that make the most positive impact on the business or drive business growth.

Delegate the Workload

The next step requires some self-reflection. You will need to consider which tasks/objectives YOU should personally complete and which ones are best to delegate to ANOTHER to complete for you. Ask yourself some questions to determine if YOU or a delegated resource under your direction is best:

• Which tasks require me to apply my specific business knowledge or leverage my internal relationships?   
• Do my passion, skills and abilities make these best for me to complete? 

If the answer to these questions is, “No”, consider the possibility of others doing these tasks on your behalf, under your supervision. This allows you to manageably “stretch your bandwidth” across your workload, without becoming overwhelmed and stressed by trying to do it all yourself.

Delegation Resources to Consider:

• Internal peers or direct reports: Can you divide your workload up among your team members?  
• External Agencies: Can you assign agency partners to manage and execute stand-alone, finite projects or parts of projects, on your behalf?
• Fractional Staff: Can you hire temporary staff in the form of experienced specialists that have the skillset you need to step in and complete tasks that you don’t have the time, energy, or skillset for?

The pros and cons of each resource are captured below:  

When to Utilize your Resources

Internal peers or direct reports are a great option when the team has capacity to take on your assigned workload. If your teammates do not have capacity, delegating to your external agency partners to manage finite projects is a great option.

Sometimes, however, you just need to essentially “clone yourself” or bring in an expert with a skillset that differs from your own. In these instances, you can bring in fractional professionals that, with a little onboarding, can hit the ground running. Delegating to your fractional resources can help you work through your increased workload and objectives in a manageable way.

How SIVO can Help

For insights teams, SIVO offers full-service custom research design, management, and execution to help you with custom market research projects. SIVO On Demand Talent solution also has 100+ fractional Consumer Insights Professionals with a range of skillsets to help you meet your business objectives on your timeline, reducing your stress while allowing you to make a positive impact on your business.

Adopting a fractional mindset will help you approach your role and your workload with confidence, efficiency, and effectiveness. And when the time comes, let SIVO be the agency that you delegate to!  Contact@SIVOInsights.com

By Natasha Weith 

Innovation is often seen as a creative pursuit—a way for businesses to stay ahead, differentiate, and drive growth. But for many companies, the innovation process feels uncertain. How do you know if an idea will resonate in the market? Will consumers adopt a new product, behavior, or service? How do you distinguish between a promising concept and a costly misstep? 

Most innovation initiatives are guided by internal vision, expert intuition, and trend analysis—all valuable inputs. But in a rapidly shifting consumer landscape, these elements alone aren’t enough. 

Too many innovations fail—not because they weren’t good ideas, but because they weren’t validated in the real world before launch. The key to success? Embedding consumer input via market research into every stage of innovation instead of treating it as a final checkpoint.

The Risks of Relying on Internal Assumptions 

Companies often assume they “know” their market. Here’s where innovation efforts commonly go wrong: 

• Overconfidence in Industry Knowledge – Even the most experienced teams can miss shifting consumer attitudes and behaviors. 
• Speed-to-Market Pressure – Rushing a launch without real-world validation leads to costly post-launch pivots. 
• Relying on Trends Instead of Market Reality – Trends reveal what’s happening now, not what drives long-term adoption. 
• Internal R&D Without External Input – What works in the lab doesn’t always work in-market. 

The result? Companies invest millions in ideas that sound good internally but fail to gain traction.

How Market Forces Shape Innovation Success 

Consumers don’t just react to new offerings—they make trade-offs based on convenience, price, and habit. A product might be superior on paper, but that doesn’t mean consumers will switch. 

To succeed, businesses must: 

• Understand behavioral drivers – Why do consumers choose one product over another? 
• Assess competitive response – How will existing players react? 
• Brand fit?  Do consumers believe this brand should offer a certain product? 
• Time the market correctly – Is the category ready for this innovation? 

Without these insights, even a groundbreaking innovation can flop.

The Missing Link: Embedding Consumer Insights into Innovation Strategy 

The most successful companies don’t just test ideas—they build them alongside the target consumer using agile, iterative research. However, even companies that invest in research get it wrong when they: 

✖︎ Use Research as a One-Time final checkpoint – Instead of a continuous input, insights are only used for last-minute validation. 

✖︎ Seek Confirmation Instead of Challenge – Teams look for data to support their pre-existing beliefs instead of stress-testing their assumptions. 

✖︎ Over-Rely on Stated Consumer Intent – What consumers say they’ll do and what they actually do aren’t always the same. 

✖︎ Fail to Connect Insights to Execution – Research reports sit in PowerPoints instead of shaping strategy and launch plans in real-time.

That’s where agile market research comes in. And let’s be clear: Agile research isn’t just about speed – it’s about making sure insights are integrated into the development process and at every decision point. Here’s how:

Build a Research System That Moves at the Speed of Business 

• Shift from slow, long-cycle studies to fast, iterative research cycles that provide continuous feedback. 
• Use rolling consumer feedback instead of one-off surveys.
  

Bridge the Gap Between Insights and Execution 

• Ensure research teams sit alongside decision-makers so insights aren’t siloed. 
• Use real-time testing & iteration to refine ideas in-market, not just pre-launch.
   

Scale Research Without Scaling Costs 

• Right-size your research based on business risk, not just volume. 
• Use On-Demand Talent to provide insights support on smaller-scale DIY product development processes.
  

By embedding agile insights, companies create faster, more successful go-to-market strategies—without unnecessary spend.

Final Thoughts 

It’s easy to get excited about a breakthrough idea. But without rigorous, real-time consumer input, even the most promising innovations can fail. 

The best companies don’t just test innovations—they co-develop them with their consumer target. They ensure research isn’t a last-minute formality but a continuous input that sharpens ideas and launch plans and accelerates success. 

As you think about your next big move—whether launching a new product, repositioning a brand, or identifying a growth opportunity—ask yourself: 

• Are we making assumptions, or do we have real consumer intelligence? 
• Is our research shaping decisions, or just confirming them? 
• Are insights integrated throughout the process, or just at the end? 

If you’re not fully confident in the answers, it’s time to rethink how market research fits into your innovation strategy.

About SIVO 

At SIVO, we help businesses turn market research into a competitive advantage. Whether you're validating early-stage concepts, refining go-to-market strategies, or optimizing post-launch success, we ensure that insights fuel smarter, faster decision-making at every stage of the process. 

Our senior insights professionals specialize in agile, in-context research that goes beyond validation to actively shape breakthrough innovations. And with On-Demand Talent, we provide fractional research experts to scale your capabilities—without long-term hiring commitments. 

Want to sharpen your innovation strategy? Contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or visit SIVOInsights.com to learn more.