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I N S I T E S C O N S U L T I N G

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Demonstrating impact is more than ever the name of the game for

insight professionals. Together with Danone Benelux, we took on the

challenge to turn insights into action across the organization. We de-

veloped a collaboration platform, the Danone Activation Studio, helping

Danone 1) to identify their consumer insight enthusiasts across the

different teams, 2) to share insights with more people in a faster way,

3) to make insights better through interaction and adding own observa-

tions, and 4) to ultimately increase the ROI of insights by turning them

into action. To engage the Danone employees and unite them in the

Danone Activation Studio, we identified eight rules for success.

INTRODUCTION

Driving new and powerful insights from consumers is silver, but doing

something meaningful with those stories, something in support of cor-

porate goals, is gold. Our recent Market Research (MR) Impact study

(2014) showed that only 45% of insight professionals and marketers

believe research succeeds in changing the attitudes and decision of

marketers and only one in two projects leads to change (Schillewaert

et al, 2014). This lack of impact is not a matter of budget. Rather than

spending more, the critical driver for impact is to maximize the value

of spending (BCG study, 2009). Based on 20+ in-depth interviews with

MR professionals at the client side, we identified 11 unmet needs relat-

ed to the future of consumer insights. While ten of those frictions relate

to creating a positive business impact with consumer stories, only one

is about finding better insights (Willems et al, 2015).

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Problem:LOW RETURN ON CONSUMERINSIGHTS (ROI)

So, the goal is to trigger meaningful actions which turn insights into

concrete ideas, stronger brands and future-proof business concepts

in order to deliver better consumer experiences. Danone, a multina-

tional food products corporation, understands this goal very well. They

recently launched the Danone 2020 Manifesto, a business transforma-

tion program designed for a sustainable, collaborative and communi-

ty-engaging future. Inspired by this Manifesto, the Benelux Consumer

Insight Team is created an environment where consumer insights come

to life, stimulate collaboration and catalyze bottom-up innovations.

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For people to take action on a consumer insight, they first need to

learn what the insight is about. In traditional MR, only a limited group

of people is involved in this knowledge exchange, for example by

participating in the debrief workshop or managing the research study

themselves. This limited group is then able to shape an insight platform

by adding their own thoughts, observations and/or ideas. By involving a

wider group of employees, one better understands the consumer and is

able to make better consumer-relevant decisions. Furthermore, the the-

ory of open innovation teaches us that the one golden idea can come

from anywhere within the organization, not only marketing or innova-

tion (Whelan, 2011). To increase the impact, all employees across the

organization need to learn what the friction is, in order to share related

observations and ideas. For example, by experiencing how consumers

are using their product today, employees see what could be improved.

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Method:GOING FROMINSIGHTS TOMEMES

When such an insight is replicated by employees by adding own obser-

vations and ideas, is shared with various people across the organiza-

tion and triggers action, the insight is called a meme (Dawkins, 1989).

An illustration of a potential meme at Danone is the #PERFECTION-

ISM2.0 mission. Women in their 20s and early 30s take pride in perfec-

tionism. However, many of them also struggle to find the right balance

and feel that life the way they live it takes too much energy. Activia is

on a mission to reinvent the meaning of perfectionism to support these

women trust their guts to be better versions of themselves. Danone

uncovered insights that provide opportunities for Activia to become the

supporter of these agile perfectionist women. The next step is to turn

these insights into a meme.

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To take this next step, we need to move away from the traditional

research model and shift on three levels to establish the Memefication

of Market Research:

1.

From reporting to involving; #experience: While 92% of insight

professionals believe their research generates insight worth sharing

with colleagues, only 65% extensively share them with their organiza-

tion. Furthermore, only one in five researchers organizes interactive

workshops to discuss results (Schillewaert et al, 2014). Only too often

does MR take such an individualistic approach where executives need

to identify their own actions when reading research reports.

However, in order to trigger meaningful actions, insight professionals

need to bring insights to life through interaction. Therefore, we have

identified four building blocks in marketing insights; harvest, seed,

activate and collaborate (see figure 1). Through harvesting we collect

insights from internal stakeholders which are already known. Secondly,

seeding enables insights managers to relevantly spread insights via

key ambassadors through the organization. Activating triggers stake-

holders to not only discover but also interact with insights. Finally,

collaborating connects stakeholders to work together and turn insights

into actions and new future projects.

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Figure 1. Four building

blocks of marketing insights within the

organization

2. From teams to the organization; #reach: In traditional MR, consumer

stories and insights are often discovered and owned by the MR depart-

ment. However, in order to trigger meaningful actions, the insight needs

to be co-owned by all employees (see figure 2). First of all, we extend

the MR reach from executives to management so as to enable higher

management to take long-term decisions with a consumer context in

mind. Secondly, we involve the front-line employees, who are in almost

daily contact with consumers, to shape their consumer feeling and

ultimately improve their performance. Finally, involving all other employ-

ees that have a rather indirect relationship with the consumer creates a

better understanding of the consumer context of the business, making

them more motivated as an employee in general. The extension of MR

reach calls for a layered approach.

RELATIONSHIP WITH CONSUMERS

LEV

EL

IN T

HE

OR

GA

NIZ

ATIO

N

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Figure 2. Extend the internal reach of MR

EXECUTIVES

FRONTLINE

Direct

Low

Hig

h

Indirect

MANAGEMENT

STAFF


3. From projects to habit creation; #structural: For most employees,

working with consumer insights is not a routine. If you wish to trigger

meaningful actions and enable employees to turn the insight into a

meme, it is of great importance that consumer-relevant inspirations are

integrated in their daily jobs. By identifying the employees’ motivations

and behaviors, we can better trigger when and how to use consumer

insights on a regular basis. If we learn to shift towards habits, we will

be more successful in triggering meaningful actions and increase the

impact of consumer insights on the business.

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We strongly believe that consumer insights have not reached their full

potential in terms of ROI. Based on interviews with clients, the MR

Impact Study and our experience in collaborating with global brands

over the years, we’ve identified a recipe for success to create a positive

business impact with consumer insights. To enable tomorrow’s insight

professional to do this efficiently yet effectively, we developed a mobile

collaboration platform, called the Insight Activation Studio. This is a

scalable solution for insight managers so they can stablish the meme-

fication of research in their organizations and create engaging experi-

ences across the organization.

How does it work? The Studio connects and empowers internal stake-

holders to share inspiring observations and take action together.

This mobile application (see figure 3), which is fully responsive, con-

sists of several Inspiration Walls, each of which starts from a business

Solution:BUILDING ANINSIGHTACTIVATIONSTUDIO

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need that is linked to verified insights coming from a variety of sources

(e.g. consumer research, trend reports, business reports). Employees

are prompted to add their own Inspiration Tiles to these Walls through

observations and ideas, by posting photos, videos and stories. They

interact and shape the Inspiration Tiles of their colleagues through

comments and likes (see figure 4).

Figure 4. Impressions of the Insight Activation Studio: The inspiration wall, an inspiration tile & add tile option

Figure 3. The Insight Activation Studio

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The Studio helps the insight professional to combine the four building

blocks of marketing insights efficiently (figure 1). By challenging em-

ployees to share their inspirations, we harvest their consumer knowl-

edge. By opening an Inspiration Wall, we seed new consumer insights

with the relevant team(s). By activating employees to share observa-

tions and ideas on the go, we prompt them to interact with insights.

Finally, by sharing enabling commenting and feedback, we enable

them to collaborate and work together to shape outcomes.

What does it bring? Just like any technology, the Insight Activation

Studio brings automational, informational and transformational value

for the insight professional (Day, 1994).

1.Automational - Faster sharing of insights. There is a reduction of

manual efforts in spreading and seeding insights with more and rele-

vant stakeholders, leading to more and faster decision-making at the

same or lower costs level.

2.Informational - Higher ROI of consumer insights. The Studio en-

ables internal stakeholders to spot, share and shape inspirations on the

go. The higher the number of inspirations posted on an Inspiration Wall

and the more feedback an inspiration will receive, the richer the insight

will get. Furthermore, all these interactions also create a deeper under-

standing of the insight. In turn, the company has access to richer, more

relevant, authentic ideas which are closer to the reality of the business

world, encouraging employees to take action to make better decisions.

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3.Transformational - Consumer-activated culture. By connecting

the whole organization with the consumer, the Studio influences the

employees’ day-to-day behavior, helps collect ideas from the whole

organization and transforms the organization into an innovation- and

consumer-centric culture.

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After building the technology, the real challenge is to integrate this new

way of working at the heart of the organization. We identified eight

rules for success which are key to engage employees and unite them

in the Studio platform. We will illustrate these insights by means of the

Danone Activation Studio that InSites Consulting launched for Danone

Benelux.

1. Set the purpose. Too many collaboration initiatives are set up for the

wrong reasons, for unclear reasons or for no reason at all. When the

underlying motivation is merely to look good or is simply not aligned

with the goals of the company, you are bound to fail because the rea-

son to collaborate is not shared mutually between all participants. It

takes time to articulate the why behind the Studio. At Danone, we

linked the purpose of the Studio to the Danone2020 program. This

Manifesto for change is a business transformation program designed

for a sustainable, collaborative and community-engaging future. In-

spired by this Manifesto, the insight professionals at Danone Benelux

felt the need to create an environment where consumer insights come

to life, stimulate collaboration and catalyze bottom-up innovations.

Case study:THE DANONEACTIVATIONSTUDIO

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They have created an insight ecosystem, consisting of 4 pillars (see

figure 5). Through their Consumer Consulting Boards, an ongoing

market research community, their Living Room and elistening activi-

ties, they collect lots of valuable insights but still lack a way to amplify

and share these insights with their colleagues (De Wulf & De Ruyck,

2013). Through the Studio, they can share these insights and activate

colleagues to experience it themselves.

2. Assemble the right team. Don’t confuse collaboration with a piece of

technology or software: these do not solve problems, people do. Col-

laboration doesn’t just happen, it needs to be nurtured through a group

of people, tapping into human needs and solving human problems. In

order to nurture our collaboration, we created a team of people at

Danone who identified with the purpose of the Studio. This team is

spread over different offices, departments, located in different countries

and will help accelerate the cross-country collaboration. This team

consists of three functions:

1. The Studio owner(s), in charge of the collaboration initiative. This

person motivates other people of the team to do their jobs well and

collects business objectives for future Inspiration Walls. The Studio

owner is in this initiative’s driver’s seat. At Danone, this is Annemiek

Temming and a team member from the Consumer Insight Team.

2. The Studio ambassador, connects the Studio to the strategy on

C-level. This senior person is typically the one to generate buzz

around it, is an active contributor of inspiration and connects ideas

from the Studio with the right people in the organization. At

Danone, this is the country manager of the Dutch Danone Team.

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Figure 5.Insight Ecosystem

Danone

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3. The Wall owner, manager of a specific Inspiration Wall. This person

invites their network of people to help build their Wall of

Inspiration. This is someone who is owner of the business problem

who can therefore use the input and take action upon it. At Danone,

these are the brand managers.

3. Start building the Wall from a business need. At the end of the

day, consumer insights need to deliver against business KPIs such as

increased sales or a stronger brand image. Make sure that the inspi-

ration in the Studio is in sync with real and important business needs.

Therefore, we always start an Inspiration Wall from a business problem

or defined project, to inspire tomorrow’s business decisions. We have

identified five types of business needs where the Studio serves as a

valuable source of inspiration:

1. Consumer connection: Bring the consumer, or a segment, to life to

increase the level of consumer feeling;

2. Co-creative execution: Co-create marketing actions, starting from a

consumer insights;

3. Employee engagement: Connect with colleagues to exchange

inspiration across different teams, offices and/or markets;

4. Business (model) transformation: Co-create a strategy for a new

business model or corporate strategy;

5. (Disruptive) Innovation: Collaborate across teams, from an initial

idea to go-to-market.

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At Danone, one example of a business need that was used in the Da-

none Studio was to co-create local executions for their new proposition

for their Activia brand. Starting from consumer insights, the Benelux

team needed to empathize with this new proposition first, followed by a

brainstorm to share ideas for local marketing activations.

4. Create a visual, short and snappy experience. In traditional market re-

search, consumer insights are often hidden in text-heavy, long reports.

Given the fact that people’s attention span today averages only eight

seconds, we need to make this format shorter, more visual and more

engaging (Microsoft study, 2015). While we are used to sharing com-

plete reports with internal stakeholders, the real challenge for the Wall

owner will be to only take those insights that are most relevant to the

problem and make a short and catchy presentation for them. In order to

stimulate the collaboration on each Wall of the Danone Studio, we post

Tiles which are short visualized posts (see figure 6). A Tile contains a

catchy title, a short story and an emotional photo or video. We distin-

guish four different tiles:

1. Insight: a verified insight from previous research, coming from

different sources such as consumer studies, trend reports or market

analyses. These insights are posted by the Wall owner.

2. Observation: an interesting photo, video and/or story that is picked

up by a user to illustrate an insight or fills a blind spot.

3. Idea: an idea from a user that could benefit the organization.

4. Challenge: a challenge to activate the user, for example to spot

inspiration in a specific context or to think of alternative solutions for

a specific problem.

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5. Create networks of people who are both interested and interest-

ing. You cannot force collaboration upon people. Employees need to

be motivated intrinsically to be a part of it. For the Studio collabora-

tion to succeed, we invite people in two waves. First we invite people

who are interesting for the project based on their experience and past

practical insights about the topic. At Danone, we first launch the #AC-

TIVIAPERFECTIONISM2.0 Wall among the Brand Activia Team (BAT),

consisting of people from marketing, research, trade, supply chain and

category management sales. Even third-party experts are invited. This

Figure 6. The #perfectionism2.0 wall from Activia, and an example observation tile

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group of people already is closely involved in the new proposition of

Activia and can help get the inspiration started. In the second wave,

we invite all people who are interested in the topic or who are chosen

based on passion. They will have a fresh look on the business question

and will help prevent managerial wishful thinking. At Danone, this sec-

ond group consists of a mix of people, working on other brands and in

other teams. This second wave helps break the silo-thinking within an

organization and opens up the innovation and decision-making process

in the rest of the organization.

6. Stimulate convergence x divergence thinking. We support both

convergent and divergent thinking through the Insight Activation Studio.

Starting from pre-defined and curated inspiration tiles capturing the

core consumer insights connected to a specific marketing challenge,

we facilitate convergent thinking by bringing people together around the

same set of consumer insights. Divergent thinking is stimulated by

empathizing with the consumer through experiencing their frictions and

emotions. By posting a Challenge Tile of immersion, we activate users

to interpret the Insights and add their own observations to it. After this

empathy phase, we converge again and use the Wall as a brainstorm

on steroids, inviting more people, giving them more time to participate

compared to a traditional workshop. We post an Ideation Challenge to

activate users to share their ideas or take specific actions related to

these specific consumer insights.

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7. Launch the Studio, both online and offline. In order make our collab-

oration sustainable, we need to turn Studio participation into a habit

in employees’ idle time. This habit should be a reflex: whenever or

wherever an employee spots something interesting, they share it on

the Studio. Literature teaches us that it takes about 66 days to create

a new habit (Lally et al, 2010). Therefore, we need to stimulate users

to think of the Studio in relevant contexts, online and offline, within

this timeframe. At Danone, we first launched the Danone Studio by

organizing online Kickoff Meetings to welcome new users of a new net-

work and kick-start a new wall. After the launch, reminders about the

Danone Studio should be integrated within their existing process flows

and routines as much as possible to make it sustainable. We did this

by recreating the concept of the Studio in their physical offices through

banners, posters and postcards. Next to that, we integrated touchpoints

from the Danone Studio in key moments, for example by discussing the

Studio updates in their reoccurring monthly business team meetings.

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8. Measure and celebrate success. After collecting inspiration on a Wall

to answer the initial business question, users need to know that their

input is valued. Therefore, the Wall owner needs to give feedback to

their network of cocreators on the Wall how the contributed inspiration

was used and how the Studio helped to do a better job (e.g. kickstart

a brainstorm). At the same time, they need to give feedback to upper

management to prove the return on investment. At Danone, one of the

key measures of success is to prove the value of employees taking the

outside-in perspective, resulting in relevant and new ideas. To cele-

brate success at Danone, we include the following KPIs:

Reach: How many employees participated in the initiative?

Engagement: What was the average time spent on the Studio?

How many likes, comments and new tiles were posted?

Understanding: Do the employees have a better understanding of

their business challenges?

Empathy: Is there an increase in consumer feeling, the extent to

which employees feel they can empathize with their consumer?

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The success of consumer insights is rated by the interactions, feed-

back and actions it triggers. By mapping all these insights and related

actions, an insight universe is created and measures which insight was

leveraged successfully and became a meme. For the future, this insight

universe will be the reference for the insight professional and will finally

make our market research impact tangible.

Future outlook:THE INSIGHTUNIVERSE

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driven organizations. Journal of Marketing, 58, 4 (October), pp. 37-52.

De Ruyck, T., Schillewaert, N., and Knoops, S., 2012, Engage, Inspire

Act! Esomar Congress paper

De Wulf, K. & De Ruyck, T., 2013, The Consumer Consulting Board:

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SMR399-PDF-ENG

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conference presentation, Feb. 5th 2015.

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THE AUTHORSAnouk Willems

Head of Insight Activation Studios

InSites Consulting

[email protected]

Tom De Ruyck

Managing Partner

InSites Consulting

[email protected]

Annemiek Temming

Head of Strategy & Insights Danone Benelux

& Corporate Communications

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