Article by: Mike York, COO
Here’s the cold, hard truth of it: the average research study has an average shelf life of a ripe avocado. Okay, maybe a bit longer, but I’m trying to be dramatic here.
You plan it for months, gather beautiful data, present brilliant insights, and then watch them slowly fossilize in a shared drive labeled “Q3_Research_final_FINAL_v9_NEW(2).pptx.”
You didn’t run that study for it to die in the Google Drive abyss. You ran it so people would do something. So, let’s talk about how to go from “insight-rich” to “insight-in-motion.”
Admit You Have a Problem
Step one in any recovery journey: acceptance. Say it with me: “We don’t actually use most of our research.”
That’s not shame. That’s honesty. And honesty, my friends, is where good strategy begins.
You’re not alone. Every brand has a graveyard of forgotten insights, haunting Teams conversation threads with messages like, “We should totally revisit that consumer segmentation from 2018!”
Translate ‘Research Speak’ into ‘Human Speak’
You know who doesn’t care about your “statistically significant correlation between emotional valence and purchase intent”? It’s Everyone. Everyone doesn’t care.
Turn that into something people can actually act on: “If your brand feels fake, people won’t buy from you, no matter how good the discount.”
Insight ≠ data. Insight = “The thing your creative team suddenly understands.”
Create an ‘Oh Damn’ Moment
If your findings don’t make someone in the room whisper, “Oh damn,” you’ve got information, not insight.
The best insights feel uncomfortable, and they force teams to confront their blind spots. Like when you realize your “fun, youthful” brand mostly appeals to retirees who love early dinners.
Don’t smooth over those moments. Lean in. That discomfort? That’s your action plan trying to be born.
Stop Treating Insights Like Museum Pieces
Too many companies treat research like fine art: admire it, discuss it, then walk away to the next gallery.
Insights aren’t meant to be framed; they’re meant to be used.
Print them. Post them. Argue with them. Tattoo them on your brand playbook.
Involve the People Who Actually Have to Do the Work
If your insights presentation doesn’t include marketing, product, and customer experience teams, you’re basically preaching to the choir.
Bring the doers into the debrief. Let them poke holes, ask “why,” and brainstorm live.
Insight without ownership = inspiration without execution.
Prioritize Like You Mean It
Every research study has “key takeaways.” Guess what? You can’t act on all of them. You can barely act on three before someone schedules another project.
Pick one. The one that actually changes behavior, not just adds another bullet to a slide deck.
Then do something radical: measure what happens when you act on it.
Give Your Insights a Wingman (a.k.a. a Champion)
Assign a real person to own the insight, not just a team, but an actual individual whose name you can include in a meeting invitation.
Because without accountability, insights are like New Year’s resolutions: inspiring, but largely hypothetical.
Accept That Imperfect Action Beats Perfect PowerPoint
Everyone wants to wait until the next study “validates” the last one.
News flash: by the time you’ve validated your insight, your audience has moved on, your competitor’s copied your last idea, and someone else has used your research as new age coffee-stained coaster art.
Move. Shake. Try something. Iterate. Your customers won’t punish you for testing. They’ll punish you for being complacent.
Make It Personal
When all else fails, ask: “If I were the customer, would I care?”
Insights aren’t academic. They’re human. They’re the stories behind why people choose, buy, love, or ghost your brand.
If your team can’t feel it, they won’t act on it.
The Last Word
Research doesn’t change anything; people do. Insights only matter if they move hearts, minds, and budgets.
So, stop running projects that end with applause and start running ones that end with action. Because your next great campaign isn’t hiding in a data set, it’s waiting in the slide you haven’t actually used yet.
If your research findings aren’t sparking change, they’re not insights, they’re trivia. And trivia doesn’t sell.
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