Rock n' Roll Research Podcast

Sabrina Brastad is one of those audacious insights pros with the conviction and drive to transform consumer insight into successful, award-winning products.After learning the ropes on the agency side with Ipsos, Hall & Partners and Vision Critical, Sabrina was hired by David Yin (episode 67) to help build out the initial insights function at Fitbit which was her first foray into new-to-the-world consumer technology.From there, she joined Amazon working within the revolutionary category of Amazon Devices. Armed with deep consumer insight, Sabrina came up with a Big Idea that she pitched to the company through Amazon’s famous PR/FAQ process. The company embraced her idea which she then brought to life as Sr. Manager, Echo & Alexa Brand Marketing.Sabrina tells her inspiring story which culminated in winning “Best Music Artist Partnership” by Music Ally’s 2021 Campaigns of the Year. She also shares her expert insight on researching and marketing new products and categories that have no precedent. 

“If you have too much VC funding and it’s just like ‘Margins! Margins! Margins!,’ you can’t start a revolution. You can’t be a pirate.”Adam Stephenson founded QuantifyAI last year after a successful business development career in the research sample space. He entirely self-funded the launch of his company, a DIY ethic that follows directly from his skate punk youth. By bootstrapping, staying focused and creating compelling guerilla marketing, QuantifyAI is off to a great start and growing quickly.We discuss Adam’s journey from halfpipes and videocams to becoming an entrepreneur to mitigating survey fraud. Adam also shares his strong take on synthetic data and the albums he’d want to keep him company on a deserted island.

Start with a UC Berkeley background in the hard sciences and some time working on the Valdez oil spill, take a turn toward data analytics, layer in some orchestral bassoon and tattoo artistry and then you start to understand what makes Bryson Cwick tick. Bryson is currently Business Development Manager at the research consultancy, Orchard, where they help their clients understand authentic consumer behavior. But on the weekends, you may find Bryson tattooing at a festival or popping in as a guest artist at a friend’s shop somewhere in the US. Bryson shares his fascinating journey from Berkeley and hard sciences to Orchard and consumer behavior with several fun diversions along the way.

Today’s episode is self-referential in the best of ways. We talk to Erik Peterson from Spotify who is currently the Director of Podcast Insights. An insights podcast with a podcast insights pro. Ha! Erik is really into his work and even once took a gig economy job to get a better first-hand understanding of consumer supply/demand dynamics. Erik shares his professional journey through insights, analytics and Spotify. Along the way, he offers a unique take on the future of research, his experience with Spotify Wrapped, some cool podcast features you may not know about and even a few of his favorite records which may surprise you.

Tara Bosenick is a pioneer in user experience testing and measurement within human-centered design. She is the Managing Director (MD) of a holding company, ReSight Global, and also the MD of UIntent, which she first founded as SirValUse in 2000 and was later purchased by GfK. We discuss Tara’s journey through UX including her take on what the future of the space looks like. We also discuss her podcast (Beyond the Business), what she learned as the Head of Scouting in the city of Hamburg DE, and the freedom she has experience in recent years since making a big life change.

Scott Tilford built an excellent career within Procter & Gamble. Over 17 years, he had worked on several categories culminating in his role as Sr. Director Analytics and Insights for North America Grooming. But after so many years in a corporate setting, Scott found another calling. The town of Morrow, Ohio and the city of Cincinnati are anxiously awaiting his launch of The Depot Brewing Company, opening this year in the town’s nearly 200-year-old train depot. Scott shares his story from college athlete and musician to corporate life to starting a brewery. We also stumble upon the likes of OJ Simpson, The King of Kong and 90s music along the way.

Michael Nevski, Global Insights Director at Visa, merges consumer research with economic forecasts while showcasing his exceptional table tennis skills. He shares insights about transitioning from marketing to the insights industry and offers a unique perspective on the rise of pickleball as a community builder. Michael discusses the future of marketing, emphasizing real-time insights and ethical concerns in data analytics. He also reveals his top three albums for surviving on a desert island, intertwining personal anecdotes from his upbringing in the Soviet Union.

How does one go from art museum management to market research to DEI and storytelling consulting? Just ask Mary Hunter from Data Larks.Mary has always been one to question the status quo, and one of her core strengths is understanding context – history, society, culture, economy and more. It has helped her at every stage of her career which includes working for the Museum of Contemporary San Diego, Kantar, GfK and The Kaleidoscope Group before starting her own consultancy.Mary shares her unique journey from studio artist to researcher to consultant. Along the way, she covers the importance of storytelling, inclusive insights and the indie music and artists that move her.

After considering careers in medicine and law, Suann Griffin took a statistics class and decided upon a career in market research.She has built a great career with roles on the client- and supplier-side, most recently as Sr. Director of Insights at Serta Simmons. She is a frequent and highly engaging speaker at industry conferences and is a University of Georgia MMR alum.Outside of work, Suann has long been a serious and competitive rower, starting the day early on the water with her crewmates and regularly traveling to competitions.Suann shares her journey and perspective on research and takes me to school on what rowing is all about.

Experienced human researchers vs. AI. How does AI stand up right now, today? The results may surprise you like they did for me.In this special “Open Mic” episode of the Rock n’ Roll Research Podcast, our guests share the results research-on-research that address that very question.Julie Leonard and Brennan Held (colleagues of mine at MarketVision Research) conducted a live, robust study to determine the relative quality and efficiency of human analysis vs. employing AI. Is AI ready to replace human analysis? Is it complementary? Does it make the research process more efficient? What can we conclude today? What’s next?