Programme
Main Stage
Welcome
Jane Frost CBE, Chief Executive Officer, MRS
Strategy & Analysis
The Delphi interview
Dr. Camilla Pang, author of Explaining Humans
MRS Delphi Group chair Colin Strong talks to Dr Camilla Pang, neurodivergent author of Explaining Humans, winner of the Royal Society science book prize in 2020. Having been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at the age of eight, Pang describes her book as a ‘love letter to science’ that ‘provides insights into different ways of thinking and the challenges of being neurodiverse in a normal world’. What can we learn from Pang to ensure research is conducted inclusively, and also that it reflects the perspectives of all types of human behaviour, for the betterment of business and society?
Interviewer:
Colin Strong, Head of Behavioural Science, Ipsos and MRS Delphi Group Chair
Debate:
Diversity and inclusion: A roadmap for better representation
Recent events across the globe have put diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the top of the corporate agenda. Brands are evaluating their internal and external policies, investing in senior D&I executives and making sure diversity of thought is applied across all business practices. The need to reflect the views of all groups in society has never been greater - and so insight agencies have a critical role to play. What are the challenges and tactics for reinventing the way we engage with consumers, citizens and respondents?
Chair:
Babita Earle, Chair of MRS D&I Council and EVP Strategic Partnerships, Zappi
Panel:
Participants: Zappi, Foresight, Innovation and Growth Insights, Mars Wrigley, Reckitt Benckiser, Verizon, Deliveroo,
Provocation
Qual researchers have an empathy problem: We need to manage our political biases if we want a seat at the table
Qualitative researcher were seekers of ‘lived experience’ before it was fashionable to be so, empathy and subjectivity are our defining traits. ‘We’ also tend to be left-leaning politically, often attracted to the job to give ‘a voice to the voiceless’. But as our political culture polarises, isn’t objectivity what are our respondents, clients and our profession, really need and deserve?
Peter Totman, Head of Qualitative , Jigsaw Research
Participants: Jigsaw Research,
Debate
How can UX and MRX work together to deliver better CX?
Are we heading to a place where user research and market research converges into something much more powerful than its separate parts? Where are the strengths and weaknesses of each approach; where can they combine to build more growth for the business? And where do they contradict each other, possibly giving the business different versions of the truth? This session will explore how two very different brands are bringing the best of both worlds together: iterative and strategic, product and market, user and customer.
Chair:
Christian Walsh, Content and Digital Director, MRS
Panel:
Participants: MRS, BBC, Cxpartners,
The CMO Agenda
Andréa Mallard, Chief Marketing Officer, Pinterest
What does it mean to be a social brand in 2021? This interview will tackle the importance of personal alignment and purpose, how to build and manage trust with your audience, how to measure the non-tangible factors of a brand’s success and what she has learned about the world in 2020/21 through the Pinterest lens.
Andréa Mallard, Chief Marketing Officer, Pinterest
Interviewer:
Participants: Pinterest, Vela,
Lunch
Provocation
Worth less, or worthless: Why it's time to reframe value for real growth
Current world events are fuelling a more conscious consumption mindset. Consumers are renegotiating value to fit their wallet, lifestyle, and beliefs – and brands need to create imaginative propositions that resonate with these new needs, to build long-term brand value and growth. We will explore global shifts in consumer priorities, and where innovation throughout the value chain can help brands create meaning in a new world.
Participants: Qualitative, Kantar, Insights Division,
Debate
Brands in a Polarized World: The Stateside view and what it means for the rest of us
November’s election showed the divides in the U.S. are cultural as well as socioeconomic. Business has come increasing pressure to speak out on social issues – but many Americans are uneasy with corporate activism. How then does business and insight world navigate a disunited America? And what lessons are there for British business in the wake of Brexit?
Chair:
Graeme Trayner, Managing Director, The Glover Park Group
Panel:
Participants: The Glover Park Group, Metonym, Marissa Shorenstein Consulting,
Break
Debate
Rewriting His-Story: Do we need to invent a new language to speak to male consumers in 2021?
It has never been a stranger time to be a man. Conflicting messages abound; be a good man, be masculine, reject masculinity, redefine masculinity. For brands speak to men, it’s not just about navigating this mess, it’s about cutting through it. This debate will draw insights from some of the most taboo-breaking categories to ask: how should we really be talking to male consumers in 2021?
Chair:
Hannah Marcus, Strategist, Discover.ai
Panel:
Participants: Discover.ai, MEND, Durex, RB, Make Love not Porn,
Keynote interview
Kathryn Jacob OBE and Sue Unerman, co-authors of ‘Belonging: The Key to Transforming and Maintaining Diversity, Inclusion and Equality at Work’
Interviewer:
Jan Gooding, President, MRS
Participants: MRS, MediaCom, Pearl& Dean,
Close
Skills & Practice
Skills Zone
Putting the art into upstart: How to establish your brand in a crowded market
It turns out that markets have had dominant players and disruptors for at least 500 years. Learn the eternal rules of how markets work, and therefore how to allow your brand to thrive, in this thought-provoking contrast between current consumer markets and the art market in Venice in the Rensaissance.
Martin Lee, Co-founder, Acacia Avenue
Participants: Acacia Avenue,
Case Study
All you need is love: How brand love is defining success for Pizza Hut Delivery
More and more, the term ‘brand love’ is being identified as a defining factor in a brand’s success. The connections we make with brands can be especially powerful and brand love is increasingly identified as providing a greater understanding of a brand’s relationship with its customers. We uncover the business impact of being loved, highlighting the drivers of true brand love at a granular level, as well as the levers Pizza Hut Delivery are pulling to create and deepen brand love for their brand.
Participants: Pizza Hut Europe, Savanta,
Skills Zone
Challenged to raise your media profile? How to be famous
Doing effective PR means we encourage people to take part in our studies, join our profession and trust us with their data, as well as support growth. ‘How to be famous’ equips attendees with the tools to communicate with the media. Stand in the shoes of a journalist and learn how to elevate the perception of insights.
Lucy Davison, Founder and Managing Director, Keen as Mustard Marketing
Participants: Keen as Mustard Marketing,
Case Study
Closing the empathy gap: How watching the watchers revealed the social power of ITV’s programmes
How do you create empathy with your customers? This case study will reveal how ITV used a 360-video ethnographic study to feel real empathy with its audience. By studying how ITV programmes made them laugh, talk and interact reveal not only how showed how not only ITV was integrated into everyday life, but also how VR was able to make ITV feel closer to its audience.
Participants: ITV, Gorilla In The Room,
Skills Zone
Motivation 101: How to use human motivations as a foundation for brand growth
Learn how to leverage consumer motivations, using a blend of psychology and behavioural science, to explore different roles your brand can play, across multiple situations and scenarios. This session will take you through a set of four practical exercises, with real examples of how brands used this approach, to fuel brand growth.
Mindy Cultra, VP & Head of Creative Analytics, The Sound
Participants: The Sound,
Case study
Keeping it real: delivering data in a human-centric way
How can you deliver human centricity at a global scale? It’s one of the key challenges facing the insight industry. We'll explore the challenges in activating change with data in a global organisation and share a human-centric approach to addressing this.
Participants: Shell, Incite,
Case study
No news is good news: Why do consumers avoid processing information, even when it’s in their interests?
A third, 33% of UK adults do not want to know how much they currently have in their pension pot. 10% of these would actually pay not to find out! After years of observing consumers at best skim and more commonly avoid seeking or processing information that could be used to directly benefit them. This study will show that as least as much as rational outcomes, it is perceived emotional outcomes that are likely to drive active consumption of information. What does this mean for providers’ positioning and headlining of their communications.
Participants: Saga, The Big Window,
Lunch
Debate
The future can’t wait: The next generation on entrepreneurship, diversity and a new recipe for data
What is necessary in research right now? Young researchers are the leaders of the future and are often asked what they think the future of research will be. But the views and opinions of younger researchers on what’s happening in research right now are just as important. They shouldn’t have to wait until the future to be heard, and the industry can’t afford to wait to listen to them. Hear from MRS &more members on what’s at the top of their wish-list.
Chair:
Jennifer Roberton, Managing Director, respondi. MRS Board Member and MRBA Trustee
Panel:
Participants: respondi. MRS Board Member and MRBA Trustee, GuineaPig Fieldwork & Co-founder & Director at Colour Of Research (CORe), Razor Research, ITV,
Case Study
Successful automation depends on cultural change: Five lessons from the frontline of PepsiCo's digital transformation
Many corporate organisations are engaged in digital transformation; insights departments are deeply involved in that process. We’ll show that the real challenge in automating and digitizing the insight function is less in the technology than in cultural change management: bringing the people along with you. Our case study presents five lessons, based on the experiences of working together over a two year period.
Participants: PepsiCo, Zappi,
Debate
75 years: Survived, thriving and will flourish
The organised insight industry is around 100 years old and MRS is celebrating its 75th anniversary. The industry has survived many recessions, wars, pandemics, and political upheavals. Having spent collectively over 75 years in the industry, Eric and Stan have seen most upheavals, if not all. The insights industry is incredibly resilient and has played a significant role in resilience of businesses and society. What can we learn from our roots and heritage that has enabled us to survive all these years? Why is the industry thriving today? What are the transformations going on in the world and how that is impacting the industry? What would it take to ensure that the industry flourishes going forward?
Chair:
Jane Frost, CEO, MRS
Participants:
Participants: MRS, Unilever, ComicRelief / MorningConsult,
Debate
New insights from old research: mining the past for a richer future
The Archive of Market and Social Research (AMSR) now has over 150,000 pages of material covering the last 50 years. It’s a storehouse of intelligence, experience and expertise. Patrick and Adam will discuss how historians and others are starting to use it to provide new insights into long-term trends in British markets and society. Listen in as the past casts a valuable light on where we are, and where we’re heading.
Participants: London Business School, AMSR and Chair of the Research Network,
