The Insights Association 2024 Annual Conference Review & Key Takeaways from Ivy Exec
InnovateMR + Ivy Exec’s very own Sam Lippin, VP of Market Insights, Kyle Cissone, Client Development Manager, and Alex Baranpuria, Senior Vice President at Ivy Exec recently attended The Insights Association 2024 Annual Conference. Alex, along with Sarah Park, Senior Manager, Event Strategy & Technology at Salesforce, also took the stage to talk about Methods for Engaging Millennials for B2B Research. This gathering of industry professionals and thought leaders explored the latest trends in market research and insights. The event was an opportunity for our team to engage with cutting-edge ideas and to connect with leading minds in the field. In this blog post, we review our team’s key takeaways from several insightful sessions.
Session: B2B Reimagined: Methods for Engaging Millennials for B2B Research
Speakers: Sarah Park, Salesforce & Alex Baranpuria, Ivy Exec
In this session, Sarah Park and our own Alex Baranpuria explored effective methods for engaging Millennials in B2B market research. Their presentation focused on understanding what motivates B2B Millennials to participate in research, the research methods that truly engage them, and the technologies that support B2B research with Millennials. Key Points:
- The millennial CEO is here. There are now over 11 million millennials in upper management positions in the US. Millennials started their careers during the Great Recession. This has not only shaped our buying behavior as consumers but also our buying behavior as business decision-makers.
- To motivate Millennials to participate in B2B Research, you must go beyond the incentive. Ivy Exec members who have participated in projects for Salesforce tell us repeatedly, they are motivated to do so because they know they are making a direct impact on Salesforce’s products and services. The ‘why’ behind the research needs to be communicated to Millennials.
- To truly engage Millennials in B2B Research, we need to prioritize the participant experience and make the research ‘experiential’. How we design the research matters — Research Design at Salesforce not only prioritizes the research question that must be answered but also the participant experience that leads to answering that question.
Overall, the session offered actionable strategies to engage B2B Millennials in research by focusing on relevance, interactive methods, and modern technologies. Understanding and applying these approaches will help organizations tap into the perspectives of this key demographic, shaping the future of business and research.
Session: Hope Engineering: The Power to Change our World
Speaker: Nikolas Badminton, Futurist
Nikolas Badminton’s session offered a powerful framework for envisioning the future: a blend of insights and foresight, which he calls “Hope Engineering.” He emphasized the transition from hype to hope, stressing the importance of actionable foresight to drive meaningful change. His think tank focuses on four key areas:
- Look for signals: Identifying emerging patterns and data points.
- Ascertain the trends: Distinguishing trends from temporary phenomena.
- Scenario planning: Imagining and preparing for possible futures.
- Storytelling: Crafting narratives that shape our understanding of potential futures.
Badminton also touched on “The Mother of All Demos,” an iconic presentation on the potential of technology. He then highlighted key megatrends that will shape our future, such as Africa’s growing population, the impact of climate change, and the rise of AI and sanctuary AI. He encouraged us to watch “Coded Bias” and read “Weapons of Math Destruction” to further understand these topics.
Session: So You Want to Sell Me?
Speaker: Priscilla McKinney, Little Bird Marketing
Priscilla’s session focused on the shift from competition to collaboration in modern business practices. Ground rules for successful collaboration include:
- Willingness to take risks: Having skin in the game is essential.
- Openness to share: Sharing information and strategies can lead to mutual success.
- Partnership mindset: Working with people who are invested in winning together.
Her insights reminded us of the importance of fostering strong, collaborative relationships in our work.
Session: UX & MRX: A High-Tech Love Story
Speakers: Nina Jennings, Google & Barry Jennings, Microsoft
The integration of User Experience (UX) and Market Research (MRX) can lead to enhanced outcomes. This session explored:
- Ethics with AI: Considering the ethical implications of AI in research and design.
- Participant recruitment: Leveraging advanced methods like UserTesting and UserZoom.
- Mixed methods: Using both qualitative and quantitative approaches to enrich insights.
The session also discussed Google’s approach to UX, where it is deeply integrated into product development, and Microsoft’s methods for pricing and packaging their commercial cloud services.
Session: Building Effective B2B Audience Segmentation Programs
Speaker: Aaron Lee, Intel
Aaron Lee shared his expertise in audience segmentation, emphasizing the complexity of B2B audiences as innovations unfold. His 24+ years of experience in B2B market research provide a solid foundation for understanding the nuances of audience needs. His insights on qualitative and quantitative methods demonstrated the value of blending approaches for effective segmentation.
Conclusion
Our time at Insights Association 2024 offered a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. We are eager to apply the insights gained to our ongoing work and look forward to further exploring these key trends and techniques. Stay tuned for more updates as we integrate these learnings into our projects and continue to drive innovation and impact in the market research industry!
About InnovateMR – InnovateMR is a full-service sampling and ResTech company that delivers faster, quality insights from business and consumer audiences utilizing cutting-edge technologies to support agile research. As industry pioneers, InnovateMR provides world-class end-to-end survey programming, targeted international sampling, qualitative and quantitative insights, and customized consultation services to support informed, data-driven strategies, and identify growth opportunities. Known for their celebrated status in customer service and results, InnovateMR combines boutique-level service with extensive global reach to achieve partner success.
