Illustration of conversation bubbles with quote marks

Can surveys feel more human? Yes, if we get AI into the conversation.

by Michael Patterson, PhD Chief Research Officer

and Giuseppe Tonolini – Director, Strive Insight

Lately we’ve been hearing from brand teams across industries who are experiencing a bit of FOMO when it comes to AI. They’re interested in how AI tools can help them drive efficiencies and deliver deeper results now. But the truth is, AI is still a nascent tool in market research with huge, untapped potential. Our challenge is to ensure we’re getting the most out of the technology without losing sight of the human, emotional elements that are critical to our research.

We’re designing AI applications that enhance the research process. For example, we’re using AI to help our algorithms with trendspotting so our clients can identify emerging threats and opportunities. We’re also tapping into unstructured data sources to help brand teams move from “information overload” to actionable intelligence. These tools drive efficiency in our research and help us deliver deeper insights to clients. Our team is also developing research tools like Human Simulation and AI Netnography that bridge the gap between data and human insights, providing clients with a more thorough view of what’s possible for their growth strategies.


In this webinar, Radius and MilkPEP share case studies testing the potential of AI-generated synthetic responses.


Intelligent probing with AI conversational agents humanizes the survey process.

Brand teams are challenged to uncover rich insights on tight timelines and budgets and can’t always commission a full-scale study that includes qualitative and quantitative phases. In situations like these, a survey offers opportunities to collect data along with open-ended questions that provide insights into what the respondent is thinking. However, surveys can feel very scripted and boring to the respondent. AI presents us with unique and powerful ways to make the survey experience feel more conversational and human.

AI conversational agents simulate human interactions to achieve more nuanced and dynamic responses in surveys and interviews. We tailored our approach to focus on the client’s activation goals, eliciting deeper insights from respondents through “intelligent probing.” The agents ask respondents questions based on their previous responses, encouraging them to elaborate on why they answered as they did. We build laddering techniques into the survey to uncover higher-level conceptual insights and custom probing personalities to engage different target audiences.

The ability to develop specific queries based on the respondents’ survey answers brings more value to the survey approach by providing a more comprehensive understanding of consumer motivations.”

 

For example, if we’re conducting a survey about wine preferences, we can ask the respondent to rank wines from favorite to least favorite. Then, the AI agents can ask additional questions to delve into the emotional reasons behind respondents’ preferences. The agent might ask, “I notice you have a very strong preference for Merlot; can you tell me more about that?” which might elicit a deeper response such as, “My husband and I fell in love over a bottle of Merlot, and it’s still our go-to splurge on date night. That first sip always brings me back to our first conversation.” The ability to develop specific queries based on the respondents’ survey answers brings more value to the survey approach by providing a more comprehensive understanding of consumer motivations.

 

AI Netnography takes brand teams beyond sentiment analysis for richer results.

Brand teams struggle to take advantage of the rich information they could gain from social media, reviews, fan videos, and online news. It’s as if they’re standing in a gold mine without access to picks and shovels. Information overload can seem crippling to teams focused on “right now” and who don’t have the time or resources to build a meaningful and effective social listening program. The best teams can get at the moment is out-of-the-box sentiment analysis, which often doesn’t provide the sufficient information to answer substantive questions or make decisions. AI helps us explore in depth.

 

Eye glasses resting on data reports, woman working in background

This process is tech-driven but requires smart management from our data and research teams to ensure the topics are identified correctly and are meaningful. The result is a rich dataset on topics discussed, trends over time, and consumer perceptions that the team can use to make well-informed decisions.”

 

We’ve developed a specific approach to AI Netnography that begins with understanding how the brand team intends to use the data and how the data insights will help them reach their activation goals. By analyzing social media and online forums to uncover consumer sentiments and behaviors, we can develop a deeper understanding of target audiences. Our data scientists begin by identifying the source material that will best support the project. They collect large sets of unstructured data from the web and social media, then they use generative AI tools to process and extract insights. This process is tech-driven but requires smart management from our data and research teams to ensure the topics are identified correctly and are meaningful. The result is a rich dataset on topics discussed, trends over time, and consumer perceptions that the team can use to make well-informed decisions.

For example, we recently helped a confection brand explore the On-Demand Delivery (ODD) space using a multi-phased approach that included qualitative in-the-moment research with data mining and AI Netnography to help the brand understand the ODD space in various global markets.

 

Advanced technology needs a human side to deliver useful insights.

We’re exploring new ways to support client initiatives with AI tools. Stronger data uncovered through increased efficiency is our goal, as long as we don’t lose sight of the human element. Intelligent Probing and AI Netnography provide the connection between data, machines, and human responses that is so critical to action planning…and we’re still at the early beginnings of what’s possible with AI tools.

 

Would you like to partner on “pioneer” AI Netnography or or Intelligent Programming projects? Contact us to discuss opportunities.

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