Three days at CRC Chicago made one thing clear: sourcing data is no longer the hard part. Everyone has plenty. The value is in knowing what it means, where it came from, and what to do next. Across keynotes, client sessions, and our own session with 3M, five themes stood out.
Context is the new currency.
There’s no shortage of information. What’s scarce is the ability to use it correctly. A session showed why: you need to know how data was collected or generated, and what that method can and can’t tell you. As sources multiply, including AI ones, insight teams need partners who understand the strengths and limits of each.
The one-off project is over.
Research is too expensive to analyze in isolation. A non-profit client session made the case for treating every study as part of a larger body of knowledge. The organizations getting the most from their research connect findings across projects and sources into a continuous learning loop.
Insights teams own the “so what.”
Sharing results with stakeholders used to be the finish line. It isn’t anymore. Corporate insights teams are now expected to drive action planning and business outcomes. That raises the bar for research partners, too. Clients need a strategic partner who can help turn findings into decisions.
“No” is only the opening offer.
Keynote speaker Jenny Wood urged the room not to accept “no” as final. Instead, get creative with the counteroffer. For research firms, that means leading with what we know. Expertise, perspective and time can open doors a proposal can’t.
Pull it and bullet.
Wood’s other lesson was simple: make your point clearly and concisely, even if you need a moment to collect your thoughts first. Saying too much can be as ineffective as saying nothing. This matters even more now that AI can produce endless copy. Editing is where you stand out.
Segmentation Is Not a Deliverable
These themes connected directly to our session with Meg Bonello, Senior Global Home Care Insights Manager at 3M, and Joanne Suh, SVP, Client Insights at Radius. Together they shared how the Scotch-Brite™ brand, Radius and ONE Strategy Studio reinvented segmentation. Instead of a static deck, the team built a living growth system.
The approach draws on a multi-layered evidence model, interactive playbooks for teams across innovation, comms and trade, and a signal-monitoring framework. That framework keeps segments current without a costly refresh. It’s the one-off-project problem, solved: segmentation that keeps learning after the final presentation.
Looking Ahead
CRC confirmed what our clients are telling us. They don’t need more data. They need a partner who knows which data to trust, connects the dots across every project, and helps turn insight into action.
Want to see how Living Segmentation could work for your brand? Contact us now!
