Insight - a term thats widely used but rarely mastered. IO Consulting help businesses get greater return from their investment in market research and insight. We are an experienced team of insight professionals, providing a range of services that can compliment an existing insight department or bring capability where none already exists. Our approach is unique and highly flexible; we can be available to you for a few hours, a few days or as part of a longer term partnership. Our business allows you to access the skills you need at the times you need them.

1. Ignite Insight: An Insight
Health Check
IO Consulting

2. Insight: widely used, rarely mastered
The statistics* for insight aren’t great:
Stage 4
Stage 3
The o 60% of companies don’t see their insight as a
Foresight
Stage 2
The Strategic Leader
source of competitive advantage
Influencer
Stage 1
The Business o 54% don’t agree it provides good return on
Contributor
The tactical investment
order taker
o Only 28% feel their company provides sufficient
funds for insight
o 90% of companies fail to move beyond using
insight as a ‘manager rather than a leader’
90% of businesses fall in stages 1 & 2*
• The reasons why so many companies struggle with
insight are complex – but we found internal factors play
a significant role
“Our understanding of consumers was
insufficiently deep, so the opportunities
created from insight weren’t large • 15 years ago knowledge was power, transforming
enough” VP, Unilever knowledge into ‘insight’ is now the name of the game
* Sources: Boston Consulting Group & IO benchmarking

3. Insight: users versus generators
• Insight is still a relatively ‘new’ discipline within marketing.
As a result many organisations have different approaches
”My insight managers are to the development and resourcing of the capability
undoubtedly highly skilled
researchers but I donʼt naturally
think of them as business • What is consistent, however, is a frequent gulf in the
leaders” - MD
perception of the capability between those that generate
(e.g. market researchers or insight managers) and those
that ultimately use (e.g. senior leadership, product
developers or marketers)
“ I just donʼt get time to stop and
think, we are swamped with
• A deeper exploration of these perceptions is vital in order
requests, and end up in a to make progress in truly igniting your insight capability
reactive perpetual fire fighting
mode” – insight manager
• Many assume organisational design holds the key to the
solution but our benchmarking has highlighted the drivers
are more fundamental
Sources: IO benchmarking

4. A failure to ignite: the root causes of
insight heath issues
The Ignite Insight Health Check has two fundamental areas of focus with several underlying drivers. From our
benchmarking they are consistently the root cause of any issues or positive aspects of an organisations insight
performance. Within each driver we can provide a ‘temperature check’ versus our benchmarks
Quality
Engagement
Drivers:
Drivers:
People
Corporate Vision
Process
Senior Stakeholders
Mix
Budget
Vendors
Accountability
Organisation

5. Ignite Insight: IO’s Insight Health Check
• The Ignite Insight Health Check examines all aspects
of an organisation’s insight infrastructure and
An holistic and objective diagnostic performance and benchmarks it vs peers / best in class
assessment of insight health
• The diagnosis results in clear recommendations for
improving insight, focusing on the actions that will have
the biggest positive impact
Internal
External Improvement • Ignite Insight is designed for senior managers with
assessment
benchmarking
recommendations
responsibility for delivering insight, who feel they could
get greater returns from the investment they make
• The benefits of the Ignite Insight Health Check are:
o a thorough understanding of both the symptoms
and causes of insight under-performance
o a clear view of insight performance vs best in class
o recommendations for improving insight
performance

6. Ignite Insight: typical process
Briefing meeting
Desk Review
Interviews
IO Benchmarking
Current approaches and practice – Current perceptions and stakeholder
project examples, output etc
ambitions
Assessment and diagnostics
Working session – learning, debate
& implications
Final report and recommendations
Timing: 3 – 5 weeks, depending on stakeholder availability
Costs: dependent on scale of business assess (but typically less than a couple of focus groups!)

7. IO Consulting: a unique perspective
• IO Consulting specialise in helping businesses maximise return
from their investment in consumer and customer understanding.
We either work alongside existing client side insight teams or
bring capability where none already exists
• Our team have lived through the challenges of insight generation
from both sides of the fence as ex-heads of client-side insight and
as founders of successful research and innovation agencies.
• We believe in tailoring our approach to our clients and avoid ‘off
the shelf’ solutions. The diverse backgrounds of our team mean
“Before you become someone's
consultant, make sure you walk a mile in that we have a strong appreciation of the varying insight
their shoes. That way, if they don’t like challenges across different markets and sectors
what you say, you're a mile away from
them and you've got their shoes”
• Our experience of both leading insight projects for clients as well
as reviewing and optimising their insight infrastructure gives us a
unique perspective – understanding the needs and challenges of
insight practitioners and stakeholders alike

8. Three reasons to work with IO Consulting
We are able to bring you the insight capability you need in the form you need it. Our offering is unique, giving
companies a new way to access the skills needed to turn insight into profitable action
Responsive
• Our team is ready to go when you are, we are able to hit the
ground running
• No job is too large/ small. We’re available to you for a couple of
days, a couple of months or as part of a longer term relationship
Flexible
• Our support can evolve with the project. Unlike single freelancers
we can flex specific capability and experience in/out as needed
• Any individual can also draw on the wider experiences and best
practice developed within IO Consulting
Accountable
• Our team members are highly experienced with the skills
necessary to turn insight into impact
• In every project we hold ourselves accountable to that impact,
not simply the number of days worked
• A senior director will always be involved in a project and if our
team do not deliver, the buck stops with us.

9. Thank you
For more information please contact:
Morgan Arnell
morgan@i-out.co.uk
+44 7801 045864