Market research is a relationship that mustn’t falter in the age of change

The boom in recent years in the amount of data available to us all at home and at work has been revolutionary – from heart rates on our wrists to daily data on how consumers see our brands. But more numbers doesn’t necessarily translate to more insights: just ask most people with a Fitbit.

This year’s Marketing Week 2025 Career & Salary Survey worryingly found that for all the technological innovations of recent years, three in five marketers (60.5%) still say they are inadequately equipped to drive business impact.

Ultimately, it’s not just about being equipped with data and technology, it’s about understanding what’s genuinely valuable and how to make the most out of it. A deluge of instant data has created an obsession with short term action, with many losing focus on the strategic and the long term. This, combined with a lack of proficiency, is leaving some teams feeling overwhelmed, which in turn, is leading to concerns and self-doubt over the effectiveness of their work.

It’s understandable. The majority of marketers won’t have entered the profession because they’re masters at handling data or using technology. Their great strength should lie in strategy, building relationships that profit brands and customers, and in creativity – things they are uniquely placed to bring to the table.

Insights professionals, on the other hand, have been leading the charge in the adoption of machine learning and LLMs over many years and are experts in creating sense from numbers, and figuring out ‘the why’ and ‘the what’.

In an increasingly complex and demanding world, bringing these complementary skillsets closer together is vitally important to ensure campaigns hit the mark and deliver business impact.

Extracting true value from AI

Whether we like it or not, there is now a widespread expectation across boardrooms that marketing should be harnessing generative AI to improve efficiency.

Businesses have invested heavily in technology and are looking to creative teams to generate maximum returns. The awkward truth is, despite the widespread roll-out, there persists inconsistent understanding within marketing about how to use it effectively. Marketing Week reported back in April that four in five CMOs (80%) see the AI skills gap as a ‘major concern’ within their teams.

It’s time for brands to go beyond the platitudes of inclusionThis expectation to move quickly was felt by the team at Bumble which, as a digital brand, needed constant access to fresh insights to fuel its campaigns. However, the team found that the off-the-shelf qualitative AI solutions, while quick, failed to deliver the depth of insights that could help them shape messages that would land with their audiences.

That’s when they started working with specialist agency Firefish and its proprietary QualifyAI tool. Harnessing the expertise of data handling experts alongside the technology, meant they could work in harmony, generating high-quality strategic insights at the pace they needed. The relationship helped Bumble deliver better data-driven campaigns that would land with their audiences.

Understanding complex needs of diverse customers

As the world of technology and data grows more complicated, consumers’ needs and expectations are also evolving, and fast.

Not only are marketing teams expected to deliver better work more quickly, but they’re also contending with customer bases who are becoming increasingly fickle. They also increasingly need to be able to separate fads from what are genuine long term attitude changes. It’s made customer understanding an ongoing, iterative process, meaning brands need to have constant surveillance on whether their messages and offers are resonating.

This principle has been central to the turnaround at supermarket giant Morrisons. When the business’s management team changed a couple of years ago, greater investment was funnelled into understanding what their customers wanted – everything from price and provenance of goods to the in-store experience.

Brands need foresight, not just insight, to survive and growGiving greater prominence to the insights team meant customer needs became the centre of the decision-making process. This meant that the company expanded the methods used to speak directly to its audiences. Alongside in-store and online engagement, customer focus groups at the business’s head office have become common events, giving marketing the opportunity to hear first-hand what real people want.

Importantly, it’s helped them make better decisions. This work has seen the retailer change the way it communicates its value proposition, leaning into and updating its traditional Market Street offer to ensure it continues to resonate with changing customer demands.

And it got results, posting its best quarterly financial performance in three years.

Harnessing the complementary nature of creativity and research

It may sound like a cliché by now, but marketers are facing a perfect storm of demands that simply did not exist years ago.

They’re expected to be at the forefront of understanding around data and AI, have their fingers on the pulse of a consumer landscape that is constantly changing, and deliver more business impact at a greater pace with tight budgets.

Research and insights will be a vital friend in this context; marketers must be sure to use them.