Heather Wade

This is a good news story, with a proviso! The insight function in client-side enterprises is more integrated and integral to commercial and corporate decision making than in the past - but there is still a way to go... I remember back in 2015 when the original study was conducted. I was unsurprised and pretty saddened by the fact that insight functions were not perceived as strategic or value-adding to their businesses. The situation has moved on, based on this latest study from GRBN (Global Research Business Network) but there is still opportunity and progress to be made - which I think we all know. As I see it, we need to faciliate and win a shift in the perception of insight and research, it from being treated as a cost in a business to an investment - with the accompanying recognition that if you don't invest in your business, you don't grow as effectively or expectation requires. Research and insight should be growth engines for organisations, and we are definitely making progress with this - but agencies and insight teams need to collaborate and work together to continue to move the investment positioning along... The fight goes on! #mrx #insights #marketresearch #marketingresearch

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Whilst I normally report on Worldpanel by Kantar UK market data, I thought it worthwhile to delve into the NielsenIQ Total Till data for the 12 weeks ending 7th September 2024, released earlier this week. The two sets of data differ slightly due to Kantar's data being driven from a consumer panel of 30,000, whilst Nielsen's is derived from a panel of 14,000 and includes sales from Marks and Spencer Food. From next month the Nielsen panel increases to 30,000. Key take-out's from this week's release are: 4 w/e sales are up by 4.0% - a lower level of increase in the previous 4-weeks (5.5%) due to the previous 4-weeks benefiting from some sunny weather. Volumes are up by only 0.9% - indicating that the majority of growth is driven by higher prices. Spend on promotion is static at 25% - likely to increase as we approach the key "golden quarter" when the supermarkets offer some great deals to try to secure customer loyalty for the Christmas period. Online sales are up by 6.1% whilst Bricks & Mortar are only up 1.8%. An increase in the number of online orders and delivery slots being widely available has helped online reach a 2024-high market share of 13%. #ocado are benefiting from this, seeing the highest sales growth of 15.4%, closely followed by #marksandspencer's 12.4% growth. The latter's relentless push on great quality new product launches, coupled with superb in-store execution, are driving factors behind their current success. Retailer performance, according to the NielsenIQ data, very much reflects the Kantar data. #tesco and #sainsburys are the stellar performers of the "big 4", whilst #morrisons appear to be stabilising (More Card prices will help this), and #asda continue to struggle with alarming sales decline. Of particular note is #aldi's share decline of 0.4% YoY compared to #lidl's share increase of 0.5%. The much reported success of Lidl's in-store bakery and loyalty app are two key reasons for this share shift between the discounters. #ukretail #supermarkets #competition #waitrose #iceland #privatelabel #brands International Private Label Consult (IPLC)

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My article in Research Live about how research & insights should inform the new government's growth agenda. Successful economic growth needs to bring several things together - infrastructure, investment, industrial policy and planning reform are the current hot topics - but it won't work if all this spending is not directed correctly. To know where to invest, you need to know what consumers really value. And once you know what they want, you can also give them better products - resulting in a free extra boost to growth, over and above any investment-driven GDP increases. If the government wants us all to share the benefits of growth, a bit of consumer research would be a valuable thing to spend some time on.

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5 lessons on attention to transform your creative. Earlier this year Kantar was part of the ARF’s ongoing Attention Validation Initiative where we assessed 40 TV and digital ads. In this article, Paul McClean shares what we learned in the process and how it can help you maximise attention effectiveness in your creative decisions. https://lnkd.in/gvfB-2A8 #Attention #CreativeEffectiveness

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If you didn't catch the Big Sustainability Debate at our #MakeSustainabilityReal conference, take a look at the summary article below. As one of our clients said, "you brought to life the big questions that we live through every day in our companies." #Kantar #SustainableTransformation

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Consumer sentiment is choppy globally, with central banks delaying interest rate cuts and recent inflation and GDP readings surprising in the wrong way (US, Australia). The UK is far from immune to what's happening across the world, and I've said before that the path to recovery has some significant barriers to overcome. UK consumer confidence has improved a little again, and consumers seem to think there is light at the end of the tunnel. It will be interesting to see if confidence in future finances translates to a positive impact on retail sales, and to what extent that may hold back any further declines in UK inflation... and central bank cuts. It feels like everyone has forgotten that the low interest rate environment post GFC was meant to be short term before getting back to historic averages. Now that we are back to the historic average, everyone is clamouring for cuts "back to the norm". Memories are short. We might find 4-5% is the norm for a while yet!

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Having attended this excellent conference last month, arranged by FlexMR, I wanted to share the write-up from Research Live, as I think it does a good job of summarising some important take-outs from the day... In my work with client-side insight teams, I've seen first-hand how high a priority it is for insights to be communicated with impact, if they’re going to drive real change and have commercial value. The article highlights how insight leaders are now more focused than ever on storytelling and building strong relationships internally. I've always believed that great insights should be shared in a way that inspires and provokes and facilitates actions - otherwise it's value is indeterminable. Market research and insight agencies should be helping, in this regard. The most impactful and valuable work is created when suppliers and buyers work in alignment on this. #MRX #MarketResearch #MarketingResearch #insights

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With the recent headline inflation numbers looking solid, and retail sales returning to growth in May after the April slump, you have to wonder whether the positive streak for confidence will continue next month, even with the Tory narrative of "see, you can trust us with the economy" feeling more than just a little out of touch (and unlikely to be enough to get them back in power). Consumers do like certainty, and this week's BoE hold reinforces that, with fears of worse mortgage pain to come undoubtedly quelled. But brands and retailers should be careful not to equate this result with people feeling positive overall - it is more like they are less negative. There remains a long way to go I suspect before consumers will be happy to spend more freely again, with the major purchase index barely changed from 12 months ago at minus 23. High interest rates makes savings an appealing place to put any spare money, so as long as interest rates remain high, consumers with debt and consumers without will respectively have barriers and motivating drivers to keep hold of their money.

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Latest Kantar British Grocery Market Share data shows market growth of only 1% over 4w/e 9 June 2024. FMCG inflation has come down again, but footfall is sluggish. Read the full story here https://lnkd.in/eEzXdb85

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The launch of our Blueprint for Brand Growth last week was the exciting culmination of much hard work, data crunching and thinking over the last year from a wide range of Kantar's experts. My colleague Dom Boyd talks in this article for Marketing Beat about the key principles and you can download your very own copy of the Blueprint here; https://lnkd.in/eb2wZzE6 #brands #marketing #growth https://lnkd.in/eprUz6iK

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“If a marketing company relies on the single dimension of current sales, if it believes that yesterday’s successful strategy is an infallible guide to tomorrow’s profit, then it’s heading for disillusionment of barometric severity.” Jeremy Bullmore We agree! Our Kantar data proves that the highest penetration today doesn’t guarantee future market share gains, it’s rather a favourable equity/size dynamic that does. Brands with more equity today than expected given their brand size are primed to grow…and grow faster. Penetration is an outcome, not the single route to growth. Salience is a requirement, but not the only one. Mental and physical availability are simply table stakes. Read our POV on why we should put brand perceptions back at the heart of our marketing effort. https://lnkd.in/gFbmCdBR Mary Kyriakidi

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Despite a decrease in crime in England and Wales, a majority of Britons, 6 out of 10, believe that crime in the UK has actually increased in the past year, according to new polling by Ipsos UK. The survey also revealed that a significant 79% of Britons view crime as a major issue in the country. When it comes to their local areas, people are a bit more hopeful, with 41% considering crime and anti-social behavior a big problem. However, 43% admit to personally worrying about becoming a victim of crime, especially among those aged 18-34 (56%) and ethnic minorities (61%). Interestingly, 62% of individuals aged 55-75 are not concerned about falling victim to crime. In order to further reduce crime, the public believes that having more police on the streets, improved parenting, and longer prison sentences with no early releases are key factors. Despite this, 67% of individuals rarely or never see uniformed police officers patrolling their local areas, even though a similar percentage believes that having more police officers present would help combat crime and anti-social behavior. The approach to reducing crime differs among Conservative and Labour voters. Conservative voters lean towards initiatives like more uniformed police presence, longer prison sentences, better parenting, improved discipline in schools, and even capital punishment for murder. On the other hand, Labour voters focus on preventative measures such as enhanced parenting, increased youth activities, greater investment in mental health services, behavior change programs, and better support for drug and alcohol addiction. Hannah Shrimpton, Head of Crime and Justice research at Ipsos UK, notes that the poll aligns with our election campaign tracker, indicating that crime and anti-social behavior are becoming more prominent concerns as the election draws nearer. #Crime #ASB #CrimeResearch #GE2024

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🎧🏆 New Future Proof Podcast: The secrets behind winning products with Product of the Year UK Over the past twenty years, Kantar has been working with Product of the Year to identify the innovations that consumers really love. In this podcast, Dr Nicki Morley celebrates our partnership and speaks with Mike Nolan, CEO and Founder of Product of the Year, to dive deeper into the top performers from the last five years. Learn more about why innovating your products isn't about novelty, but more about making a meaningful impact 👉https://lnkd.in/e7QmswUS

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Despite a downward trend in crime in England and Wales, 6 in 10 Britons believe that crime in the UK has risen over the past 12 months. New polling from Ipsos has found that a substantial majority of Britons (79%) believe that crime is a big problem in the UK. People are slightly more optimistic about crime and anti-social in their own area (41% think it is a big problem locally) compared to the UK as a whole. However, 43% say they are personally worried about a victim of crime. Concern is highest among those aged 18-34 (56%), and ethnic minorities (61%). 62% of those aged 55-75 are not worried about being a victim of crime How can crime be reduced further? The public cite more police on the beat, better parenting, and longer prison sentences/no early releases as the things that will do the most to reduce crime. Two thirds (67%) say they rarely or never see uniformed police officers patrolling their local area despite the same proportion believing more uniformed police officers in their area would be effective at tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally. Conservative voters are more likely to say more police, longer prison sentences, better parenting, better discipline in schools and capital punishment for murder are more likely to reduce crime. Along with longer prison sentences, Labour voters think preventative policies like better parenting, more constructive activities for young people, more investment in mental health services, more effective programmes for behaviour change and better drug and alcohol addiction support will do most to tackle crime in the UK. Hannah Shrimpton, Head of Crime and Justice research at Ipsos UK, says "This poll chimes with our campaign tracker showing that crime and anti-social behaviour is looming increasingly larger in people’s minds as the election approaches." #Crime #ASB #CrimeResearch #GE2024

The HFS Research predictions panel - "Predicting the Unpredictable" had us debating and laughing (and rethinking our footwear). This was the penultimate session of the day before our fab emcee Elena Christopher and our CEO Phil Fersht wrapped us up at #HFSReinvent Here's what's up for the future, according to us... David Cushman Thanks to Agentic AI, we will see the first one-person unicorn within the next two years—a $1B start-up with no employees. Sam Duncan We will experience the “Great Enterprise Divide,” as GenAI acts as a key growth catalyst. Josh Matthews The Greenlash will be unmasked as a Greenhush. Followed by panic. Me: The future of CX is Agentic. But the impact will vary wildly by industry. Saurabh Gupta The IT services industry is ripe for disruption and cracks will start appearing in 2025. Tony Filippone Software companies compel customers to stop DIY’ing their GenAI technology. Lucky to work with this fun and smart bunch... 😃

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One of the things that I am lucky enough to do is help insight functions to increase their impact and connection with their senior organisational stakeholders. Whisper it quietly, but I also used to sell and do quite a lot of research, back when I worked in insight agencies. It's not a set of muscles I use a lot, these days, but it's always good to know they are there, if I need them! And so this was a really exciting opportunity for me: to faciliate customer insight workshops for a leading brand in the white goods space, with the aim of helping senior directors better understand the purchase decisions of their loyal customers. The key research question: How do loyal customers decide to repurchase, and what influences their timing and method? The key strategic challenge that my client needed resolving: How do we get senior stakeholders to appreciate how the insight function can directly influence commercial strategy? The outcome? ✅ A refreshed customer experience strategy ✅ Adapted sales and marketing plans, with a stronger focus on the power of word-of-mouth recommendations ✅ A senior set of stakeholders wowed by the session and asking the Insight team when they can run the next one At Client Advocates, I help insight functions win the battle for budgets and to demonstrate impact. If you want to know more about how to drive meaningful change as a leader in insight, get in touch. #MRX #Insights #MarketResearch #MarketingResearch

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I've always had a passion to bring better data driven decision making to my business partners and the businesses I worked with; mostly one brand, one business partner, one team at the time. Thank you Descartes & Mauss Maurice NDiaye and Yannis Kavounis for the opportunity to bring this passion to the many and redefine what data driven foresight really means. #stratech #StrategicForesight #DataDriven #AIForGood #FutureOfStrategy

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SIGNS OF A HEALTHY CULTURE - NEW IPSOS K&B RESEARCH 😀 One of the most brilliant things about Ipsos Karian and Box (an Ipsos UK business) is its research and insight. Ghassan Karian and team have always had at their fingertips useful insight to help drive positive organisational outcomes. The latest is a release updating on where we are in the UK on #psychologicalsafety and #accountability. I helped the CIPD with some work on this earlier this year on this topic and so grateful to see the latest. Psychological safety is an umbrella term for how well you feel you can voice your opinions, admit mistakes and challenge without punishment. Accountability is about reliably personally owning things as they are (not as you’d like them to be) and doing the things needed for the wider health of the organisation or group (no matter how tough). Here’s what I have taken from the report: This evidence categorically shows that high psychologically safe / accountable organisations listen to what their employees say, take appropriate and relevant action and as a result have higher engagement and less strain. This is vital stuff especially as corporate scandals can emerge when this isn’t happening day in, day out. In fact, the research shows the ultimate test is whether people feel if they make a mistake at work, they will be fairly treated. And where is UK plc at? Well, only 56% of employees feel they can voice opinions freely. And shockingly nearly a quarter of senior leaders feel they can’t! Front line female leaders feel 20% less positive that constructive challenge is valued than male front line leaders. Only 45% say people take ownership of decisions in their org. 1 in 2 say senior leaders dominate meetings, drowning out any other voices. So we’re somewhere but nowhere where we need to be. This means there is likely an undercurrent to your culture which creates risk, misses out on innovation and can set people back from delivering their all. How do we fix it? We know culture change is tough. - We’re back to really needing all of our leaders to be clear that as well as driving outcomes they are also there to create the right conditions for openness and it looks like we need to ensure female frontline leaders feel their challenge is valued. - Conversely we need to genuinely value our people for all they bring and have sensible reactions to challenge and an open mindedness when someone raises something even if it is different to our own experience. - We need environments which say we might not all agree on everything but we will listen and create safe space for diverse views - We need to continue to be curious about how we create more gender equal organisations so that both men and women are equally listened to. Not easy but is how we create human, sustainable organisations capable of big stuff. Well done to those involved and I hope it triggers some good reflections!

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Our latest Grocer article - manifestos for consumer facing companies.

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