briefd: Market Research & Insights (3-27-26)

Welcome to briefd: Market Research & Insights – your weekly intelligence briefing on the market research industry. Each week, we scan leading MR publications, blogs, and news sources to surface the developments that matter. Please note, briefd is AI-generated and may occasionally make mistakes.

Edition Summary: Market Research & Insights Trends (March 20 – March 26, 2026)

AI and Tech Innovations in Market Research

Qualtrics Launches Synthetic Consumer Panels for Market Research

At X4 2026 in Seattle, Qualtrics announced synthetic consumer panels for U.S. audiences that simulate how consumers respond to research questions. The capability enables companies to test product ideas and marketing messages more quickly than traditional methods, with expansion to UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand planned for the first half of 2026.

quantilope Debuts Category Twins Synthetic Research Product

The insights firm launched Category Twins on March 17, building AI replicas of specific audiences for early-stage research from clients' own brand health data. The synthetic data solution uses metrics from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute and automatically updates with each new tracking wave, allowing brands to instantly create twins for different segments.

Kantar Partners with Quilt.AI to Co-Develop Innovation Tool

Kantar announced a strategic partnership with Quilt.AI on March 18, including a non-equity financial commitment to co-develop joint offers. The first product from the alliance is EvaluateExplorer, a new innovation tool combining both companies' capabilities.

Zeta Global Launches Superintelligent Agent Athena

Marketing platform Zeta Global made its superintelligent agent for enterprise teams generally available on March 25. Athena converts enterprise data into predictive answers for CMO-level users, powered by advanced OpenAI models and backed by Zeta's proprietary database.

B2B Market Research Developments

Basis Global Partners with AnswerRocket on AI-Driven Research

London-based brand intelligence and market research firm Basis Global announced a partnership with solutions consultancy AnswerRocket. The collaboration promises to use AI to improve how market research is done rather than replace traditional methods.

Partnerships, Mergers, and Acquisitions

Smartly Acquires INCRMNTAL for Real-Time Marketing Measurement

New York-based ad tech company Smartly agreed to acquire INCRMNTAL on March 17, an AI-powered platform providing real-time insights into incremental impact of cross-channel marketing investments. Financial terms were not disclosed, and the deal brings together campaign optimization and always-on measurement capabilities.

Accord Marketing Acquires London Insights Consultancy Acacia Avenue

London-based insights consultancy Acacia Avenue was acquired by Accord Marketing on March 11. Acacia Avenue, founded in 2002, provides full service qualitative and quantitative research for clients across Europe and North America, and will continue operating with its existing team while gaining access to Accord's infrastructure and resources.

Ipsos Acquires Seventh Decimal for Out-of-Home Measurement

Ipsos announced the acquisition of Seventh Decimal on January 27, a research technology company specializing in Out-Of-Home audience measurement. Established in 2019 and headquartered in the UAE, Seventh Decimal will benefit from Ipsos resources to scale its operations.

Barcelona Startup Uxia Raises EUR 1 Million in Pre-Seed Funding

Barcelona-based Uxia, which automates user testing with AI-generated synthetic users, announced a pre-seed funding round of around EUR 1 million. The funds will fuel product development, talent acquisition and international expansion for the B2B research technology platform.

Industry Leadership & Organizational Changes

Nielsen Names Three Senior Leaders Supporting Key Client Segments

Nielsen announced three strategic senior appointments on March 24. Seth Ladetsky was named Head of Global Sports, Trevor Fellows will lead advertiser and agency relationships, and Matt Devitt will oversee national publisher accounts. All three report to Amilcar Perez, Chief Revenue Officer.

Ipsos Appoints Alexandre Boissy as Deputy CEO

Ipsos announced on March 24 the appointment of Alexandre Boissy as Deputy Chief Executive Officer, effective April 7. Based in Paris and reporting to CEO Jean Laurent Poitou, Boissy will oversee Operations, General Secretariat, Legal, and Corporate Communications globally. He brings over twenty years of executive experience from the Air France-KLM Group.

Kantar Appoints David Gompel as UK Executive Managing Director

Kantar appointed former Valtech leader David Gompel as Executive Managing Director in the UK on March 10. Gompel brings over 25 years of experience in digital transformation, data and marketing, having most recently served as CEO Europe at digital consultancy Valtech.

Rodeo13 Appoints Four Non-Executive Directors to New Board

Marketing consultancy for the insight sector Rodeo13 appointed four Non-Executive Directors to a new Board on March 16: Nikki Lavoie, Shazia Ginai, Paul Griffiths and Steve Henke. The establishment of the Board reflects the company's commitment to diversity of thought and ensures operations keep up with rapid growth.

Ipsos Appoints Nathan Brumby as Chief Platforms and Technology Officer

Ipsos announced the appointment of Nathan Brumby as Chief Platforms and Technology Officer on February 23, effective February 16. The appointment signals the company's continued investment in technology infrastructure and platforms to support its global market research operations.

Expert Insights & Thought Leadership

Quirk's Dallas 2026 Highlights Industry Focus on Speed and AI

The Quirk's Event Dallas 2026, held March 10-11, confirmed that agility was the word of the show as brands face pressure to make decisions with less time and smaller teams. Digital twins emerged as one of the buzziest topics, with brands using AI-built personas to simulate consumer behavior and test decisions quickly.

ESOMAR LATAM 2026 Conference Held in Rio de Janeiro

ESOMAR LATAM 2026 took place March 22-24 in Rio de Janeiro under the theme Floresça, focusing on growing ideas, inspiring connections and shaping thriving markets. ESOMAR partnered with Globo, the largest media company in Latin America, for content collaboration and visibility around the event.

Quirk's Virtual Event Explores The Changing Consumer

Quirk's Media hosted Quirk's Virtual – The Changing Consumer on March 25, featuring sessions on insights playbooks for strategic decision-making and how TikTok and EyeSee are exploring shifts in consumer behavior and the creator economy's role in turning cultural signals into commercial outcomes.

Industry Debate Intensifies on Synthetic Data in Market Research

Qualtrics research shows 62% of market researchers have already used synthetic data, and 71% believe it will constitute the majority of research within three years. The synthetic data market is projected to grow from $1.8 billion in 2024 to $8.2 billion by 2029, with industry bodies like ESOMAR and MRS expected to publish validation frameworks within two years.