THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
The latest industry insights and trends.
Get a fresh perspective on your world as we continually experiment with new methods, innovate new tools and explore contemporary topics.
Feature story
How to Tell Consumer Stories that Break through the Noise
Do you see your consumers as a collection of stories or statistics? Listen as CEO Rob Volpe connects the dots between empathy and insights with stories from his new book Tell Me More about That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time.
How to innovate a product – and reduce risk
You’ve been tasked with innovating a new product or service. But before you reach for the same old approach, consider reaching for something new – a Design Sprint. Learn how innovation specialist, Claire Farber uses this efficient, effective, and empathy-forward tool to reduce risk and maximize results!
You Need to Be Where You Are Happy – 3 Lessons from 2021 and Hope for the Future
How would you describe 2021? What have you learned about yourself? We put these questions to the Navigating to a New Normal participants as well as their vision for the new year. The answers may surprise you.
Where Do Brands Go From Here? 5 New Considerations for Setting Brand Strategy
Every day we move closer and closer to the re-stabilization of society. Your consumers and customers are already exhibiting new behaviors for this next era. The challenge for your brand is to meet them where they will be, not where they’ve been. The key to success for 2022? Flexibility.
Studies Reveal Your Voice is More Powerful Than Your Powerpoint and a Case Study That Proves It
If you find yourself constantly re-working and fine-tuning your PowerPoint presentations in an effort to influence decision-makers and motivate your team, it may be time to mix it up with a new approach. Today we share the research-backed method that will captivate your audience and move your insights and ideas into action.
The Imperfect Journey of Online Shopping... And What Brick and Mortar Stores Must Do About It
Online shopping is projected to grow 27% of overall retail sales by 2023, and brick and mortar retailers are scrambling to figure out their next moves. But there is hope. CEO Lisa Osborne explains how these traditional merchants can get unstuck, be creative and find success by leveraging the flaws of online shopping to their own advantage.
Getting Customers to Spend More
In his book, Dollars and Sense, behavioral economist Dan Ariely talks about the irrational ways we spend money. As marketers, it can be useful to use those same “irrational” mechanisms to get customers to spend more. How do your customers make the decision to spend? Expert researcher and strategist, Jay Zaltzman, explains what you need to know plus 3 critical takeaways to get the most out of your consumer spending research!
10 Reasons You and Your Organization Should be Doing Accessibility Research
According to the CDC, one in 4 U.S. adults – 61 million Americans – have a disability that impacts major life activities. Accessibility research is an important and growing space. Today we break down exactly why understanding accessibility matters for you and your business - and how to make it happen.
How Consumer Insourcing is Impacting You and Your Business (and 3 Steps to Deal with It)
A funny thing happened as life started to open up in summer 2021. People weren’t finding the value and benefit they used to out of their away-from-home experiences. It was more satisfying and rewarding to “insource” and do it themselves. What’s behind this phenomenon and what can your business do about it? Navigating to a New Normal respondents share their experiences.
The Most Exciting, and Terrifying, Time to Be in Consumer Insights
We asked 3 of the brightest client-side insights leaders we know to participate in a roundtable discussion about a range of issues facing the industry today.
Elizabeth Oates, Sr. Director, Consumer Insights at Ulta Beauty, Humayun Rashid, Director, Microsoft 365 Research & Insights, and Marlene Straszewski, former Senior Director, Consumer Insights at General Mills each shared insight and perspective on the evolving role of the consumer, what research methods will be in demand in the future as society opens up again, the power and importance of listening as well as what’s needed from insights agency partners today.
Ignite 360 Promotes Tori Palmer-Kern to Associate Insights Director
We are happy to announce the promotion of Tori Palmer-Kern to Associate Insights Director. In her new role, Palmer-Kern will continue to lead projects across a range of clients and will be playing a strategic role in shaping the future of the firm.
Reboot Your Intuition for the Win
A strong intuition is essential to any business leader’s success. Call it what you like, a gut feeling, killer instincts, a sixth sense or intuition, this deeper sensibility has a seat at your mental table for your best decision making, collaborating with colleagues, and creating marketing programs for your consumers. You need your intuition to be strong and precise. What nourishes a healthy intuition? Empathy.
Our #1 system for creating successful stories
You are often swimming in data, reports, and information. You don’t have the time on your weekly priority list to think deeply, you only have time to think about what to get done NOW. But without that Big Idea and story, you won’t know what matters most, what is at stake, and what to do next. You need a system!
3 Easy Steps to Get People to Care about Environmental Efforts
In the past year of pandemic-induced reflection, trips to outdoor spaces grew in popularity. With that outdoor time, we have been more exposed to the effects of pollution and climate change and the impact of our actions. As part of Ignite 360’s Navigating to a New Normal study (and in celebration of Earth Day) we asked our respondents about challenges facing the environment and if they feel their efforts are having any meaningful impact. CEO Rob Volpe shares the story and reveals 3 Steps companies can use to remove barriers and motivate consumer behavior towards positive change.
Are You Delivering Couch Potato Insights? Activation Workshops Can Help
Whether woven into a project from beginning to end or a stand-alone project, Insights Activations have become a popular tool we utilize to help our clients move their Insights Agendas forward in their organizations. Senior VP, Marie Becker explains how the key to successfully activating on insights (and getting them “off the couch”) hinges largely on our ability to get key stakeholders immersed in the project early on.
Getting Our Groove Back – How the 4Bs are Changing American Celebrations
President Biden’s declaration that Americans could enjoy small barbecues and celebrations on July 4th was met with a dissonant mix of disbelief and relief. As part of our Navigating to a New Normal study, we asked our survey respondents what they thought the holidays would be like. What will that feel like, let alone look like? Are we ready to hug our loved ones again?
Life in Stasis: Portraits from the Pandemic
We asked our Navigating to a New Normal respondents to reflect back and collect photos that best represent the pandemic as well as their life during 2020. What emerged was a portrait of the early confusion, followed by adaptation and hope as they endured this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Design Forums: The Key to Post-Pandemic Success
Leading change can feel Sisyphean – it’s slow work, with a lot of undeveloped ideas, missing expertise, and lack of consensus. It requires you to have a clear understanding of your audience, the support of key teams, and a BIG creative idea around which to rally. Easy to say on paper, harder to accomplish in real life. Design forums make change a natural process by removing the hurdles.
Chapter 9: Renewing Our Sense of Faith in Troubled Times
Faith, no matter how you define it, has been challenged during this year of pandemic by the forces of nature, different points of view and outright acts of hatred. This disruption to ‘normal’ life has changed how Americans think about and connect with their faith in some surprising ways.
This chapter explores the ways Americans are reconnecting with their sense of faith and how it represents many of the changes approaching our society as we find our way to a new normal.
Juicing Empathy for Better Business Results
How do you turn a squishy skill like empathy into a tool to drive decision making and business results? You juice it, of course!