This week we’re digging into Artificial Intelligence (AI). And what better person to talk to about this topic than Joel Anderson, our EVP and a true AI expert? As a leader of our Advanced Analytics department, Joel has helped push automation to the next level at Dig. Together with his innovation team, Joel leverages AI to develop tools that can aid insights pros in everyday research needs. Besides that, Joel is also doing a Masters degree in Applied AI - we told you, he’s an expert. Tune in to t...
Sep 27, 2022•35 min•Ep. 54
“Remember, our respondents are human.” Anne Brown founded Gazelle Global in the early 90s, focusing on research operations. Today she leads an entirely remote-first team, all based in the US, to help the r esearch community connect with people all over the world. In today’s episode, Anne discusses why you shouldn’t look for a bargain basement solution, the importance of understanding what’s feasible from a research perspective, why respondents are not a renewable resource, and the importance of ...
Sep 21, 2022•29 min•Ep. 53
Do you know how to choose the right research providers? In a market research landscape filled with mixed offerings, choosing the best options for your needs can be difficult. Do you choose a technology platform or a strategy consultant? Today’s guest, Mike Stevens, Founder and Editor of Insights Platforms, cuts through the ever-growing research landscape to help you narrow down your decisions. Mike discusses the need to blend self-service with human expertise, why it’s hard only to offer SaaS wi...
Sep 14, 2022•39 min•Ep. 52
“Don't think way too big. Just start small.” This week’s guest started her career as a nurse before transitioning to full-time entrepreneur. Alice Benedetto is the founder of Raw Rev, a plant-based protein bar company that strives to make a difference for consumers and the planet, one bar at a time. In this episode, Alice discusses her journey into healthy eating and transitioning from nurse to entrepreneur, how she approaches choosing new flavors, and why it’s important to keep asking questions...
Sep 07, 2022•28 min•Ep. 51
This week's guest is an astute observer of life and a master storyteller who brings empathy and compassion to the human experience. Rob Volpe is CEO of Ignite 360, an empathy activist, and author of Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time. We were lucky enough to experience one of Rob's workplace empathy sessions and couldn't resist an opportunity to see if he'd share some of those teachings on the podcast. Tune in to learn: What exactly is an empathy activ...
Aug 24, 2022•35 min•Ep. 50
Wild Orchard is a regenerative tea company focused on elevating flavor, bettering your health, and doing something to improve the climate. Since establishing the Wild Orchard brand in 2019, Wild Orchard has won 10 medals at prestigious international tea competitions. In today’s episode, Michael D. Ham, Co-founder and President of Wild Orchard, sits down with Meagan to discuss how working in tech helped him in the CPG space and how Wild Orchard is attempting to redefine the competitive tea indust...
Aug 17, 2022•34 min•Ep. 49
“Business can be a force of positive change.” Today’s guest, Cattie Khoury, is the founder of Toodaloo, an adaptogenic trail mix focused on healing the body and planet with every bite. In this episode, Cattie talks about how she fell in love with the healing properties of plant-based nutrition on the body and the planet, why it’s important to talk about being a female-led founder, and her journey into CPG. Tune in to learn more about: • Working with the right agency to perfect your new brand’s i...
Aug 03, 2022•36 min•Ep. 48
In his 15 years of work experience, Fernando Arendar has put his hands on almost every category there is. But throughout his time working with brands Unilever, Pepsi and Clorox, he’s carried a strong passion for branding and packaging design. In this episode: Fernando debunks top packaging myths using his research and experience in the field The main reason why Fernando loves the US market and consumers Looking at design from a scientific lens: unpacking neuropackaing Examples of brands that do ...
Jul 26, 2022•31 min•Ep. 47
What happens when you combine an entrepreneurial spirit with nostalgia, accounting, community building, cryptocurrency/NFTs, plant-based diets, and a self-proclaimed naiveté and curiosity? Hank Hummii and the Hummiiverse. Tyler Phillips, founder of Hummii Snacks, joins Dig In this week to discuss blending nostalgia with new marketing tactics, his transition from accounting to becoming a founder of a plant-based CPG, and how his brand lives through storytelling and the Hummiiverse characters. Tun...
Jul 20, 2022•45 min•Ep. 46
Today’s guest, Lisa Virgini, has more than 15 years of experience in consumer insights, strategy, and senior brand marketing at places like Coca-Cola, Ipsos, and Mondelēz. And soon, she is stepping out on her own. Lisa talked with Meagan about the power of leveraging experts, why there is no turnkey solution, and her journey into starting her own consultancy. Tune in to learn: • What makes a great generalist • Why business acumen makes you a high-quality asset • How connecting the dots can lead ...
Jun 29, 2022•34 min•Ep. 45
Sylvie Pelletier is a Leadership development consultant and coach. She’s had brand, marketing, and strategy roles at CIBC, Educators Financial Group, and Food Banks Canada. Through these experiences, she discovered her passion for aligning company values and strategy with an individual’s day-to-day functions. In this episode, Ian and Sylvie discuss what makes a great leader, what an organization’s culture really means, and how many companies fall short when instituting a new strategy. Tune in to...
Jun 22, 2022•24 min•Ep. 44
Erin Cohen, Director, Consumer Insights at Tim Hortons, has spent her entire career in insights. She has a wealth of experience in quick service restaurants and spent a bit of time expanding her experience within the consumer packaged goods space. In this episode, Erin discusses the back-to-basics approach she’s spearheading at Tim Hortons and how consumers’ routines changed because of the pandemic. You’ll also learn: The process of setting up an insights function from scratch Why it’s important...
Jun 15, 2022•25 min•Ep. 43
“How do you get to your ideas? How do you know what matters? How do you know what inspires your consumer?” Asking those questions highlights how this week’s guest is a natural big-picture thinker. Doug Healy, Senior Director, Consumer Insights for Gatorade at PepsiCo, has been in insights his entire career. For him, it’s all about solving problems and embedding yourself within the lives of your consumers. Meagan and Doug discussed the similarities between insights professionals and architects, t...
Jun 01, 2022•40 min•Ep. 42
With inflation hitting a 30-40 year high, consumers, brands, and everyone in between wonder how it impacts our daily lives. Marcie Connan, Executive Vice President at Dig Insights, fueled by an insatiable curiosity, led a study to find out the ins and outs of how inflation is actually impacting consumers. Ian sat down with Marcie to go over some of the top highlights we discovered as a result of this inflation study. Tune in to learn: A high-level overview of the study Consumers’ emotional and b...
May 25, 2022•14 min•Ep. 41
“Perfection shouldn’t be the enemy of progress.” At least, that’s the mantra this week’s guest lives by. Marat Fleytlikh, Associate Director, Consumer Insights at The Kraft Heinz Company, is an industry legend. He is a seasoned consultant who delivers insights through visualization and storytelling and is obsessed with the consumer. Meagan sat down with Marat to discuss how Kraft Heinz is “walking the talk,” the art and science behind insights, and being an enabler versus a barrier. Tune in to l...
May 18, 2022•32 min•Ep. 40
A little detour this week as Dig Insights’ founders Paul Gaudette (CEO, Dig Insights), Michael Edwards (Chief Growth Officer), Ian Ash (President, Upsiide), and Dominic Atkinson (President, Dig Insights) are in the hot seat this week. Meagan sits down with them to discuss the recent refresh of Dig Insights and Upsiide. The four founders look back at some fond memories from the last 12 years, and each one shares meaningful moments and lessons learned from starting a market research agency. Tune i...
Apr 20, 2022•35 min•Ep. 39
Let’s make some noise for our newest guest of this week’s episode of Dig In. Richard Ng is probably one of the smartest guys we know, who also happens to be an expert in marketing, PR and market research. As a Marketing Director at Advanced GG, a performance supplement brand for gamers, business professionals and beyond, Richard leverages his market research experience to lead Advanced’s marketing strategy. Ian sat down with Richard to talk about all things marketing and insight within the CPG a...
Apr 12, 2022•36 min•Ep. 38
We’ve brought Ed, Category & Business Insights Manager @ Olipop, back on the pod this week. Last time we covered hot topics for a growing CPG business like flavor innovation, gathering insights, and building teams. This time, we go team into omnichannel distribution and why it makes up the backbone of their business strategy. Tune in to learn: What ‘omnichannel’ means at Olipop and why it’s a core tenet of their strategy as a business The benefits of committing to an omnichannel distribution...
Mar 29, 2022•28 min•Ep. 37
Tune it to learn: - What it was like to join Wealthsimple, and how that’s changed in the last 8 months - The key challenges and opportunities that Paul is wrestling with in Wealthsimple’s category - How Paul and his team approach recruitment and keeping employees happy and fulfilled - How Paul would boil down the lessons he learned at Eloqua and Nudge - What Paul learned from a ‘failed’ startup (not quite a failure, in our eyes, very much his words!) - How Paul uses his previous experiences at N...
Mar 01, 2022•24 min•Ep. 36
Will works in conversion rate optimization (CRO) for some well-known DTC brands, and having him on the podcast this week was fascinating. If you’ve ever wondered how you can optimize your website to drive more conversions (and bring in more sales!) this episode is for you. Tune in to this week’s episode to learn: How Will uses a particular framework to address common conversion rate issues The types of research tools and methodologies Will employs to better understand consumers Which DTC compani...
Feb 23, 2022•35 min•Ep. 35
This week, Meagan got chatting to Ruth Fittock, the Marketing Director at Simply Roasted Crisps. Ruth joined Simply Roasted after a decade in crisps/chips marketing at the likes of Pop Chips...so she’s got a whole host of knowledge to share about how to do marketing well within the ‘better for you’ category. Tune in to this episode to learn: How Simply Roasted hopes to capture market share in the ‘better for you’ category How to build a messaging hierarchy for on-pack claims in a category like c...
Feb 15, 2022•38 min•Ep. 34
In his role as Head of Canada Research at Cushman & Wakefield, Adam Jacobs explores trends in commercial real estate by leveraging research. That is to say that he knows * a lot * about the economy and how things might change and shift in the next little while. Tune in to this episode to get details about: - How downtown vacancy rates, warehouse development, and migration away from cities affect the real estate industry - What Adam expects to see when things go back to “normal” - What Adam h...
Feb 09, 2022•38 min•Ep. 33
Adam Faulkner is a pretty interesting guy; whether it’s his background as a creative at agencies, his biketrip from London to Tokyo, or the seemingly endless catalogue of music references he can speak to at the drop of a hat. This week, we brought him onto Dig In to talk about his company, CreativeAF, and the power of sonic branding. CreativeAF builds music videos for brands of all shapes and sizes, like Amnesty International and Sipsmith’s Gin. On this episode, he chats to Meagan about: - Why s...
Feb 02, 2022•36 min•Ep. 32
Hilton Barbour, seasoned marketer and perhaps the most eloquent guy we’ve ever spoken to, is back for our first episode of Dig In in 2022. This 30-minute episode is a transparent and honest look at what positive corporate culture should mean for today’s workforce. Tune in to hear Hilton and Ian discuss: - How to show genuine empathy to employees in our new working reality - How to turn what used to be implicit to your organization (because we were all together) into explicit decisions and action...
Jan 12, 2022•33 min•Ep. 31
Ajit Ghuman is the author of bestselling book, Price to Scale, and currently leads Product Marketing at Narvar. We brought him on to pick his brain on how technology companies should approach building their SaaS pricing. It's a fascinating episode. Tune in to learn: Who should be involved in crafting SaaS pricing How to assess which pricing strategy makes sense for your business How and when product marketing and sales should be involved in pricing strategy Why the GBB (Good, Better, Best) model...
Dec 15, 2021•35 min•Ep. 30
We chatted to Sam this week about his current business and his experience as an entrepreneur. Tune in to learn: how goodmorning.com is fixing the "suboptimal" experience of mattress shopping how Sam's team creates customer personas based on their specific jobs to be done what it was like to be in the DTC mattress game in 2017 - where 2 competitors were entering the industry each week ('Peak mattress') Why goodmorning.com offers 7 brands as opposed to one so that they can serve "every bedroom, bo...
Dec 08, 2021•43 min•Ep. 29
We invited one of our briliant clients Eric Chue, Director of Research & Industry Insights at Interac, onto the podcast this week to learn about it all. We chat changes in shopper behaviour, how to merge transactional and human insights, and ultimately how to succeed in an industry that's so heavily impacted by adjacent industries. Tune in to learn: Tactics that Eric's team uses to add a human dimension to transactional data What a payments diary is and how it gives his team a leg up The imp...
Nov 30, 2021•34 min•Ep. 28
This episode of Dig In is a beauty. Anie Rouleau's founder's story is particularly compelling because she knew what her mission was before she knew how she'd make it happen. Fast forward 10 years and she's built one of the fastest growing businesses in the country, as recognized by the Globe & Mail's Report on Business. Tune in to learn: the good and the bad of being single-minded about the business' mission why Anie doesn't take note of how global CPG brands are innovating about the ripple ...
Nov 23, 2021•39 min•Ep. 27
In this week's Founder's Spotlight, Ian sat down with Mark Baltazar, the Co-Founder of Peak MultiFamily Investments. Mark has had an interesting career, spending the last couple decades as a brand researcher before flexing his entrepreneurial muscles as a Co-Founder of a residential business. Mark will speak to the opportunity he couldn't pass up in real estate, how his background in research and brand strategy has helped him build his brand, the surprisingly limited impact of Covid-19 on his bu...
Nov 17, 2021•21 min•Ep. 26
Adam is a President and CEO, board member, best-selling author, and Forbes Business Council member. Through his experience executing a buy-and-build strategy, he has bought and sold more than 100 companies ranging in size from $1M to $1B. Not to mention his private equity cult classics - both of which are #1 Amazon Best Sellers. In this week's episode of Dig In, Ian sits down with Adam to demystify common stories around private equity, connecting these myths to the insights industry at large. Tu...
Nov 03, 2021•48 min•Ep. 25
