Cultivating Relationships vs. Selling Research Projects with Eileen Campbell

If you have perfect data but politics still block action, your job is to help overcome those forces, not just point to the dataset. Eileen Campbell, Founder of Womintuition, joins host Jon Last, President of Sports and Leisure Research Group, to discuss why the insights industry is shifting from selling one-off projects toward becoming ongoing decision partners. They cover market bifurcation between DIY platforms and high-value relationships, breaking down silos to deliver horizontal, cross-category context, and hiring for curiosity and creativity. The conversation explores how AI can mine organizational knowledge while humans add judgment, pattern recognition, and the ability to challenge internal biases. They also address pricing beyond time-and-materials, making insights more visible through design thinking and storytelling, and a case example of research elevating the value of IMAX messaging for studios.

00:00 Data Meets Politics

00:14 Show Intro and Guest

01:33 Projects to Partners

04:06 Why Change Is Hard

05:46 Decision Partner Model

07:27 Hiring for Curiosity

09:15 DIY Research Pressure

12:03 AI Plus Human Insight

15:31 New Capabilities and Pricing

19:24 Pattern Recognition Edge

25:17 Client Side Leadership Tips

28:11 CMO Story IMAX Impact

31:04 Key Takeaways and Wrap

Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network

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