Sports brands struggle to maintain relevance beyond game day. Marissa Solis, SVP of Global Brand and Consumer Marketing at the NFL, transforms seasonal entertainment into year-round cultural engagement through strategic storytelling and community impact.

In this conversation with host Nataly Kelly from Zappi, Marissa reveals:

• the "script insight" framework that turned social criticism into beloved campaigns
• the three-pillar international expansion model prioritizing fan potential over current popularity
• her "no NFL season" philosophy that keeps 300+ million fans engaged through combine, draft, and off-season drama cycles

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Zappi's Nataly Kelly and Steve Phillips introduce a new season of Inside Insights by breaking down the 2025 Connected Insights Imperative. They unpack why teams with connected insights report 24-point higher satisfaction, how data fragmentation (41%) blocks impact, and why only 23% of companies having a dedicated insights org is a wake-up call. You'll hear ways to “stream” consumer insight into decisions, where AI (and synthetic research) will matter most by 2026, and how cross-functional squads can turn insights from an order-taking function into a true strategic partner backed by ROI evidence and real examples (Visa, NFL, PepsiCo).

Key Points:

• How to centralize “why” data and integrate it with your “what” data for faster, better decisions.
• A playbook to defragment insights and stand up a connected, always-on system.
• Relationship moves that turn marketing–insights tension into durable trust and impact.

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Steve Phillips, founder and CEO at Zappi, discusses the problems AI can help solve for insights, the benefits of synthetic data and data asset management, and ultimately, how to get real value out of AI.

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Jordan Cusner, Head of Guest Insights at Popeyes, discusses how he created an insights department and made it indispensable to business leadership, shares the mantra of insights he lives by and reveals what should be the first slide in every deck you produce.

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Nic Umana, Global Agile Innovation Human Intelligence Director at Mars, shares how to create a culture that supports breakthrough innovation, reveals what agile insights really means, and explores how to get the perfect balance between creative humans and AI tools.

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Grant Feller, award winning storyteller, journalist and Founder of Every Rung, shares what 30 years as a journalist has taught him about insights storytelling, discusses where insights professionals go wrong in trying to influence the C-suite and reveals some of his best tips to get your story across.

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Joel Renkema, Global Head of Insights at IKEA, talks about how to find the balance between being a leader and getting stuff done, shares the mindset switch that facilitates the toughest conversations, and explores how to get the very best out of your team.

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Nataly Kelly, CMO at Zappi and author of Take Your Company Global, discusses how to get insights connected to drive growth, reveals what it really takes to be a global organization, and shares some of her best practices for international growth.

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Bianca Johnston, Integrated Campaigns Lead at Shopify, discusses why marketers and insights professionals should learn each others’ craft, shares the power of researching early and often, and reveals how she stepped out of her comfort zone to become an authentic voice on LinkedIn.

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Kate Schardt, Senior Director of Global Insights at PepsiCo reveals what made her and PepsiCo’s insights transformation journey so successful, shares how to manage change at scale and at pace, and explains why, if you are going to be a pirate instead of join the Navy, it’s good to have access to the Navy’s resources.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 47 min mark.

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Jack Millership, Head of Research Expertise, and Tassia Henkes, Research Director, at Zappi address how to tackle the data quality crisis in the insights industry, debate the opportunities and risks afforded by generative AI, and reveal why, in an increasingly AI driven world, first-party data will be king.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 51 min mark.

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Kim Malcolm, Director, Product Marketing and Head of Advertising at Zappi, talks through the brands that made this year’s list of top retail Christmas ads in the UK based on her research, the themes seen across them, what made them resonate so well with consumers and why it’s such a critical time of year for brands.

Want more? Get our full analysis of this year's top Christmas ads here.

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Leonard Murphy, Chief Advisor for Insights and Development at Greenbook, delves into emerging trends in market research, how innovative methodologies and technologies (particularly AI) can drive better business decisions and shares strategies for improving data quality and engagement.

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Ivan Arrington, Insights Lead at Burt's Bees, discusses how living the brand’s values keep them truly customer centric, what research suppliers need to do to to move from vendor to partner, the benefits of jumping on new software tools and reveals why researchers should think like journalists.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 50 min mark.

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Simon Berg, CEO at Ceros, discusses how AI is revolutionizing the creative process, when it’s a good idea to curse at your computer, how not to suck at briefing a project and what your kids should focus on to have relevant skills in the future.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 44 min mark.

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Lizzie Penny and Alex Hirst, co-CEOs of Hoxby and Workstyle authors, share what a work style actually means and how to define your own, as well as what the future of work looks like — from choosing how and when you work, to the importance of unlocking collective intelligence and how to be more effective and happy in what you do.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 45 min mark.

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Febronia Ruocco, Strategic Insight Specialist & Executive Coach who has worked with Cadbury Schweppes, Diageo, Heineken, Heinz & GSK, shares how her and Ryan’s relationship started on LinkedIn several seasons back, why having fun is key to building an authentic LinkedIn presence, how she sets up contracts and creates safe spaces in her coaching practice and why she thinks researchers, not AI, will be the death of the researcher.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 37 min mark.

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Join Ryan Barry, President at Zappi, and Patricia Montesdoeca, co-host and Chief Growth Officer at Aldor, as they dive into the work Ryan has been doing over the last eight months to discover what helps diverse, remote teams move fast — from problem definition to contracting to dependency mapping and more — as well as similar findings from Patricia as someone entering a business with fresh eyes.

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Joanna Lepore, Global Director of Foresight and Capabilities Exploration at McDonald’s and host of Looking Outside podcast, shares the truth behind being a thought leader, how she created a smashing personal brand, and how she went from a regional insights role in Australia to moving to the U.S. and putting foresight on the map.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 47 min mark.

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Join Babita Earle, EVP Global Enterprise Partnerships at Zappi, and Ryan Barry, President at Zappi, for a special summer bonus episode recorded at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity where they share their firsthand experience and key takeaways from the event where creativity and innovation converge. 

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Matt Cahill, Senior Director, Consumer Insights Activation at McDonald's, gives us a true masterclass in innovation; sharing the thinking behind the super successful Famous Orders partnership with Travis Scott, how rapid prototyping helped the company come from way behind to launch a winner in the chicken sandwich wars, and reveals his three rules for driving innovation.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 52 min mark.

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Oksana Sobol, Insights Lead at The Clorox Company, explains what the insights department should really deliver for the business (but often doesn’t), reveals why up to 80% of insights are ignored by some decision makers, and shares what her activism to send aid to her home country, Ukraine, taught her about the power of distributed organizations.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 52 min mark.

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Steve Phillips, Zappi Founder and CEO, and Brendon McLean, Chief Technology Officer at Zappi, join Ryan Barry live to talk all things AI, from the implications of AI for market research to how it can improve internal velocity and productivity to the opportunities and advantages it presents for the world of tech, productivity, creativity and more.

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Deirdre van Zyl, Head of Innovation Planning for Africa at Diageo, discusses her passion for innovation in the complex markets of Africa, the transformative power of AI in the insights industry and the strategies for leading and motivating teams in a rapidly changing environment.

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Stefania Gvillo, SVP, Chief Analytics and Insights Officer at Domino's shares why they don’t talk about agile research in her organization, discusses how to partner with insights suppliers to bring about business change and reveals her top tip for getting your voice heard in important meetings.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways at the 37 min mark.

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Rob Volpe, Empathy Activist and CEO of Ignite 360 shares how to take a curious breath in times of tension, reflects on the difficulty - and the necessity - of letting go of judgment and reveals how insights teams can thrive by applying his five steps to empathy.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 43 min mark.

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Julio Franco, Chief Customer Officer at Zappi shares why market research has been a large part of his life starting at a young age, his five steps to thinking big, how to build up your confidence as an insights professional and the power of moving from using insights to test to using insights to learn over time. 

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 53 min mark.

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Jane Wakely, Chief Consumer and Marketing Officer at PepsiCo reveals the only way to create great advertising, the art and science of brand building and shares her take on the new four Ps of marketing.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 42 min mark.

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Advertising experts Faris and Rosie Yakob, Co-founder’s of Genius Steals, and Kim Malcolm, Director of Product Marketing at Zappi, share their reactions to this year's Super Bowl ads, what made some brands score major points with consumers and others fumble in the red zone.

Want more? Check out our complete learnings from this year’s big game here 👉 https://bit.ly/3E8kT5V

(Previously live streamed Monday after the Super Bowl)

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Kim Malcolm, Director of Product Marketing at Zappi and advertising research legend, shares what this year’s top UK Christmas ads are based on her recent research, the five key elements that make them so effective (and why it’s so critical to win) as well as the influence of the recession on consumer responses.

For more on her advertising research, check out this content.

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Jorge Calvachi, Director of Insights at La-Z-Boy, talks about what it’s like to be the first insights hire in the company’s 95 year history, shares his strategy for creating a consumer-first mindset throughout the organization and reveals the only two questions you need for customer-centric decision making.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 48 minute mark.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lauren Governale, Head of Consumer Insights & UX Research at Hims & Hers, delivers a masterclass in using insights to create groundbreaking content, shares how she built an insights function from scratch - including making space to fail - and reveals her process for attributing insights and measuring her team’s success.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 52 minute mark.

Here’s the link to the TED Talk with Will Guidara we mentioned in this episode.

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Clay Parker Jones, Managing Director of Black Glass Consulting, discusses why companies still struggle to create great digital experiences, explores how true teamwork can slash time spent on pointless admin and gives away his three killer ways to get the most out of meetings. 

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 57 minute mark.

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Bianca Pryor, VP of Insights at BET, shares her amazing learning journey through the insights world, discusses how concept-testing research translates to evaluating TV shows, and describes how she and her team use insights to make magic for writers and creators.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 41 minute mark.

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Steve Phillips, founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Zappi, joins us for his seasonal AI episode to share Zappi’s latest innovations in AI and the progressive work he’s been doing, how to actually get big, rich data and ultimately, how AI Agents will help brands create brilliant products that win with consumers. 

Learn more about our AI Concept Creation Agents: https://www.zappi.io/web/marketing-agents 

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Jing Mertoglu, VP of Insights & Analytics at Beam Suntory, discusses how to elevate category thinking to include the intersection of humans and culture, shares how her team uses the Japanese concept of Gemba and reveals how to create a high-functioning insights team.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 53 minute mark.

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Part two of our interview with Mark Ritson, brand consultant, marketing professor and Marketing Week columnist, covers why he believes marketers should kill products, why digital marketing is a misnomer and reveals which part of marketing changes all the time and which hasn’t changed for over 2,000 years.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 30 minute mark.

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In our first-ever two part episode, Mark Ritson, brand consultant, marketing professor and Marketing Week columnist, explains the key things that marketers get wrong, discusses what leadership really is and reveals his silver bullet for great marketing.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 58 minute mark.

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In this summer bonus episode, co-hosts Ryan Barry and Patricia Montesdeoca distill and discuss the skill sets that make up an ideal insights partner, leader and supplier, based on what our guests shared this past season (as well as a few of their own!).

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Natalia Lumpkin, VP, Insights & Analytics at Central Garden & Pet, talks all things insights transformation, from bringing stakeholders and suppliers into the heart of her lean insights team (and in turn bringing her team into the heart of business decision-making), what it really means to be customer-centric and reveals the skills future insights leaders need to become the ‘whole enchilada.’

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 49 minute mark.

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Previously recorded live at IIEX North America, Shazia Ali, Director of Community at Zappi, explores the importance of empathy when tapping into a growth mindset, the role of community building in creating strong customer - and internal - relationships and being comfortable with the uncomfortable to create ripples of change.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 44 minute mark.

Content we discussed in this episode:

Time to Think: Listening to Ignite the Human Mind by Nancy Kline
You are Awesome by Matthew Syed
Rebel ideas by Matthew Syed
Listening like a leader podcast episode with Nick Graham

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Previously recorded live at IIEX North America, Michelle Gansle, Vice President of Global and Strategic Insights at McDonald’s, shares the challenges in becoming and evolving as a leader, discusses how to use coaches and mentors to power your career and reveals her best sources of learning and inspiration for continued growth.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 47 minute mark.

Content we discussed in this episode:

Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen by Dan Heath

Multipliers, Revised and Updated: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smart by Liz Wiseman

Future Imagined podcast

Pop Culture Happy Hour NPR podcast

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Steve Phillips, Founder and CEO of Zappi, reflects on what he has learned through building an industry-changing company (turns out, data quality is pretty important), reveals some of the mistakes that were made along the way and shares his vision for the future of the sector — an opportunity that insights professionals must not fail to seize.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 48 minute mark.

Read more on Andreessen Horowitz here. 

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Marie Van Blaricum, Global Head of Insights at Anheuser-Busch, explores how knowing your personal purpose is critical to modern leadership, shares the advice she wishes she had been given when making the step up to a global insights role and why we need to start an insights operations movement.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 50 minute mark.

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Christian Niederauer, Global Head of Insights at Colgate-Palmolive, reflects on how previous roles in academia, B2B and local insights have informed his global FMCG role, explains why getting innovation wrong is like being bad at golf, and reveals the three key characteristics he looks for when hiring insights professionals.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 54 minute mark.

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Brett Townsend, co-author of Insights on the Brink and SVP at Quester, compares and contrasts his own book with The Connected Insights Revolution and discusses how, together, both offer a blueprint for insights professionals to transition from a project management role to a strategic advisor role and how to focus more on the fun parts of insights such as storytelling and customer empathy.

Check out both books: 

• Insights on the Brink: https://tinyurl.com/mtwt3fyj

• The Consumer Insights Revolution: https://tinyurl.com/3jxeustu

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Tony Costella, Global Consumer and Market Insights Director at Heineken, reveals why insights professionals sometimes fail to influence decision making, shares his 3E model for leadership and change management and explains why it's important to think like a four-year-old but act like a seven-year-old.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways at the 48 minute mark.

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Udi Ledergor, CMO at Gong, explains why ‘different’ is better than ‘better’ when it comes to brand, and spills the beans on the success of Gong’s Super Bowl ads, including revealing why he had to trust data over his own intuition.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways around the 39 minute mark.

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Jo Rigby, Strategic Channel Director at Zappi, discusses libraries and local politics, why advertising creatives should act more like musicians or comedians and shares how being targeted for abuse on Twitter has made her fearless.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways at the 40 minute mark.

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Giles Jepson, Chief Operating Officer at Been There Done That and former Chief Marketing Officer of Kraft Heinz, discusses why so many marketing failures are due to not asking the right questions, shares the two fundamental concepts that underpin the way he works and reveals why it's better to be a ‘learn-it-all’ than a ‘know-it-all’.

Pressed for time? Catch the key takeaways at the 47 minute mark.

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