*This episode is brought to you by Multilingual Connections, providing unparalleled translation, transcription, transcreation, and localization services to organizations worldwide.*
What happens when market researchers need insights yesterday but can't sacrifice quality or authenticity? They meet on the regular at events around the world to make meaningful industry connections and have real conversations!
On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO Priscilla McKinney takes you on her Conference Flyover of Quirks New York 2025. She conducts interviews with 14 industry leaders, giving you their thoughts on everything from AI-powered translation and moderation to B2B expert panels and the persistent say-do gap in consumer behavior. These conversations reveal how the industry is adapting to demands for faster insights while maintaining focus on data quality, cultural authenticity, and human-centered research approaches. It’s just what happens when we get together and talk shop!
The discussions highlight a significant shift in how research professionals approach AI integration, with most emphasizing hybrid models that combine artificial intelligence with human expertise rather than full automation. Leaders from companies like Multilingual Connections, SightX, and Luth Research share how they're building solutions that speed up research processes while preserving the nuanced understanding that only human researchers can provide. Translation experts stress that AI can handle basic language conversion but cultural adaptation requires human oversight, while moderation platforms are using AI to manage scalable conversations so human moderators can focus on complex B2B and healthcare audiences. "They want, you know, on the go, quick, and we're really, our role is to be their partner rather than be a researcher within the company, right?" Ava Arora from DirecTV explains.
If you attended Quirks NY, this will extend the value of your ticket. If you didn’t make it, this will give you a “bird’s eye view” of what happened, and help build your network without leaving your desk! The conversations also reveal creative approaches to the speed versus quality challenge that defines modern market research. Some companies have built platforms that deliver qualitative insights in under 24 hours without sacrificing depth, while others are bridging the persistent say-do gap by combining real-time digital behavior tracking with follow-up surveys to the same respondents. These innovations reflect a broader industry shift toward becoming strategic partners with stakeholders rather than just data providers, requiring researchers to deliver faster, more actionable insights while maintaining the rigor that makes research valuable.
If you want to connect with the professionals featured in this episode, their LinkedIn profiles are linked below. If you do decide to connect, let them know Little Bird Marketing sent you their way: Xavier Vaissiere, Tim Lawton, Jill Kushner Bishop, PhD, Jeff Whiteside and Brandon Richard, Janeen Hazel, Drew Jones, Diana Lim, Danny Farkas, Daniel Khomenko, Cliff Kane, Carlos Hevia, Ava Arora, and Andrew Kawalek.
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