True empathy isn’t about guessing what customers might need. It comes from involving neurodivergent individuals directly in research and service design.

Too often, customer experience frameworks are built on assumptions made by neurotypical teams, then retrofitted with “inclusive” language once issues arise. This reactive approach risks perpetuating the very empathy gap organisations are trying to close.

Market research has a critical role to play here. Inclusive research design, such as offering multiple ways to participate, allowing additional processing time and avoiding overly abstract questioning can surface insights that would otherwise be missed.

Neurodivergent participants often provide highly detailed, specific feedback when given the right conditions, offering a depth of understanding that benefits all customers, not just those with diagnosed conditions.

You would have to be hiding under a rock not to have noticed how AI-generated content is seeping into what we watch. Whether it’s TV and online advertising, cutaway shots in TV shows and movies or deep-fakes – which range from the benign to the sinister. What’s of particular interest is that there is little desire or demand among viewers, or consumers, for this type of content, and it is this that leads us to the second trend likely to push further to the surface in 2026: authenticity as a premium content asset. When so much is fake, it’s perhaps unsurprising that content which is genuine and authentic will stand out. Storytelling that lays bare the messy idiosyncrasies of human behaviour will cut through. Micro-moments that get you right in the feels will be cinema.  

Again, this is an area that The Traitors excels. While there is edited drama around key moments, it is also a brilliant petri dish of real, genuine human behaviour. The missteps, the mistakes, the micro moments of joy, frustration and connection – it’s all there. We love Stephen because we all recognise the panic and fear that come with performed identities. Those of us that aren’t great in group situations empathise with Jade as she negotiates misplaced pile-ons. We put ourselves in James’s shoes and query whether, in the same situation, we would have stolen the shield.  

Who wins on The Traitors is ultimately secondary to the show’s character-driven narration. Overly manufactured TV is so 2016. 2026 will be the year of magnetic, character-driven, authentic content.  

What we’re seeing is not a simple retreat from consumption, but a creeping polarisation in behaviour – one that I’d like to compare with my own New Year’s resolution: Champagne sobriety.

For those outside the loop, this is the rule whereby you will only drink alcohol when champagne is an option. It reduces what could be a daily or weekly habit into a luxury-led moment of consumption, through basic necessity.

More importantly, it straddles the be seen in the now end of the spectrum, where larger and more significant social occasions are typically celebrated with a bottle of bubbles, and the live your best life for longer mentality, with which regular or excessive alcohol consumption is at odds.

Frustration to fulfilment

Evie’s experience was not an isolated one. Over time, this brand saw a drop in response rates and fewer members taking part with the same enthusiasm. It became clear that something about the experience wasn’t landing. Acknowledging the disconnect, the team took steps to rebuild trust and re-engage their Community. They introduced a ‘Your impact’ hub with short updates on how research was shaping decisions, as well as monthly newsletters and personalised ‘thank you’ messages at the end of activities. Video ‘thank yous’ from the brand’s insight team to members, and sneaky peeks of what was going on behind the scenes, meant members started to feel like they were part of something special.

It didn’t transform engagement overnight, but these small, but meaningful changes helped reignite enthusiasm among members. Engagement began to improve and the Community gradually became a more reliable feedback channel that informed future planning.

For members like Evie, the experience shifted from feeling like a one-sided effort to a rewarding partnership.

The bottom line

When Insight Community members feel heard and valued, they’re more than participants. They become brand advocates and collaborators. Closing the feedback loop isn’t simply just sharing research results. It’s about building trust, a deeper connection and showing that every voice matters. By establishing this two-way communication, brands can build lasting relationships and loyalty, that manifest into a successful Community.

With a lower quality product and no clearly unmet need, the brand initially struggled. It would be several years before they had another go at cracking the Chinese diaper market. Come 2005, Pampers were ready to try again but how do you solve a problem like the dominance of kaidangku?  

If you’ve read the earlier blogs in this series, you won’t be surprised to hear that the answer is, of course: research.  

Pampers’ parent company, P&G, conducted lots of research with Chinese parents. A consistent theme emerged: We just want the baby to sleep more.  

The quality of a baby’s sleep – and its impact on future development – was a real concern for many parents. One P&G study even found that watching a sleeping baby often triggered mothers to think about their child’s future.  

With this insight in mind, and a revamped product ready to go, Pampers explored how they could localise the universal desire for better sleep and use it to support a new market entry.  

While journalistic integrity and the growing QAnon following are topics I could discuss for days, what was most interesting to me was the output of these trends on the very industry in which we work.  

The afternoon MRS Thinks panel provided an opportunity to hear from senior industry leaders on the ever-heated topic of data quality. Debrah Harding (MRS) was joined by Melanie Courtright (Insights Association), Joanna Bygrave (NIQ Bases), and Sebastian Mitchinson (HSBC). They explored the growing issue of poor-quality data and its impact on trust and investment in the research sector. 

One phrase stood out – the “sea of sameness” – a world where unreliable data leads to flawed insights, making it harder for businesses to make informed decisions. Our own experiments in this space have demonstrated just how damaging poor-quality data can be to decision-making. It is our duty to collaborate and galvanise behind this issue if we are to continue to justify primary data collection.  

Another factor that likely contributed to the brand’s struggles in the UK is the inherent challenge of the bottled water market itself. While the U.S. has embraced the idea of premium water brands like Liquid Death, the UK market is more saturated with well-established local options.

There’s also a clue in the category title – “bottled water”. The average UK shopper is not looking for a can of water, as the 500ml size and bold pack design are more commonly associated with energy drinks or niche craft beers. It’s possible Liquid Death was too unconventional for the UK water category, overlooked simply because shoppers didn’t realise what it was.

The lesson here? Don’t underestimate the importance of thorough pre-launch research – it can be the difference between a brand’s success or failure on the global stage. 

Our Market Map solution provides a comprehensive view of your market, helping you: 

• Know your audience – understand who they are, how they think, and what they need. 

• Know your competitors – identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. 

• Know your potential – assess demand, market size, and purchase likelihood. 

With a modular, flexible approach, Market Map delivers actionable insights – whether you’re entering new markets, refining strategies, or validating new ideas. Get in touch to learn more. 

Paddy Power and John Lewis offer two distinct but equally effective lessons in leveraging brand assets. Paddy Power’s work is a great example of a brand mastering tone of voice, creating content that lands with its audience using sharp wit to, I’d argue, generate some strong positive sentiment. As with the lead A shirt’s not just for Christmas campaign, this clever little piece of marketing content just screams brand identity and powerfully leverages audience insight to great effect.  

The John Lewis piece is an example of blending emotional connection with some clear brand assets. With plenty of scenes in-store and even early use of the logo, this is work that’s unequivocally owned by the retailer. We don’t have to wait for the big reveal of the final brand banner to build brand associations. It ties together the feeling of Christmas within a story in which the brand is a co-lead character.  

It could be deemed lacking in subtlety and no doubt some are cursing the brash use of the store, the logo, and the links in the story to the brand. But you know what? It’s a brand ad. At the very least, it’s meant to raise awareness and hopefully generate some positive associations for John Lewis.  

This aligns with a key point made during our recent panel discussion with ITV, where we explored the critical role of brand assets. Defining and consistently using distinctive assets, whether visual, auditory, or tonal, is key to creating campaigns that not only capture attention but also build lasting recognition and loyalty. As the Clear Channel folks highlight in their article – it’s all well and good making cinematic, Shakespearean masterpieces – but without an unmistakable connection to the brand, the message risks being indulgent and ultimately ineffectual.