Hot Topics
Read the stories describing what's the current burning issues impacting insights and analytics.
Research in advertising has shown that share-of-voice (buzz), or more specifically excess share-of-voice, correlates to market share growth.
The insights industry has significantly improved its business impact over the past 15 years, according to GRBN’s Insights Maturity Study. This fourth article explores key drivers and strategies to strengthen consumer insights functions.
Fifteen years working across UX, CX, product, and market research teaches you something that no methodology course covers: the biggest threat to an insight leader's relevance is not a new tool. It is staying excellent at the wrong things.
Q&A-gency with Heidi Kim
14 min readIt’s the third edition of Q&A-gency where Shape Insight’s Alex Holmes speaks with a leader within creative development and planning.
Researchers face heavy data workloads but are slowed by manual analysis. AI could help, but concerns around privacy, bias, and integration make adoption challenging—so the focus is on where it can be used effectively and safely.
Insights from the 2024 Global Winners of Esomar's Research Got Talent
Disconnected tools are creating avoidable drag in modern research workflows
This three-part series breaks down the shift toward a four-day workweek. We track its history from Henry Ford to Nixon, analyze successful UK trial data, and go behind the scenes with The Mix to see how they made the transition a reality.
Six graduate hires, six new AI roles and the new way of building insight
This three-part series breaks down the shift toward a four-day workweek. We track its history from Henry Ford to Nixon, analyze successful UK trial data, and go behind the scenes with The Mix to see how they made the transition a reality.
Despite Henry Ford’s century-old standard, the five-day workweek is finally facing a serious challenge. While most of society still adheres to the traditional model, successful UK trials have proven the 4-day workweek is viable without pay cuts.
Building Behavioral Panels That Work
12 min readThis article is based on a talk delivered at the AEDEMOTV Media Research Conference held in Spain in March 2026.
After close to 30 years in market research, I have seen just about everything. The good, the bad and the “why are we even doing this” moments.
Reconstructing Growth Insights: Why Strategic Irreplaceability Requires More Than Aspiration
7 min readThe UK insights sector alone generates £18.7 billion annually. Yet 83% of insights functions face budget pressures, and teams are being downsized at an accelerating rate. This paradox signals something structural, not cyclical.
The Point Where More Becomes Less
6 min readWhen volume outpaces interpretation
The growing need for transparency, documentation, and human oversight in AI-assisted research
GLP-1 treatments are significantly impacting culture, transforming our views on food, wellness, socialising, and beauty. CMOs in this sector are likely discussing this daily, especially in the US.
In a world flooded with data and AI content, genuine cultural insight is harder to find. The article suggests researchers should explore the fringes of culture, where overlooked behaviors and niches can signal future growth.
Why I Deleted [name] App – A Loyal Customer’s Breaking Point
A new archetype is emerging: the Performative Male — a man who appears emotionally aware, spiritually curious, and refined. He embraces wellness culture, flirt with feminist ideas, and displays personal growth, blending sensitivity with a curated image.






















