Welcome to twir — the weekly show delivering AI-powered summaries of market research news and insights. Each week, we scan and ingest media from top blogs, podcasts, articles, and reports, distilling the key trends shaping the industry. Best of all, twir episodes learn and get smarter over time, building a POV on an archive of past news and trends.
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Episode Summary: AI, Innovation, and Market Research Trends (June 27 – July 3, 2025)
AI and Tech Innovations in Market Research
Pureprofile Launches Conversational AI Surveys: Australian firm Pureprofile introduced a chatbot-style survey product powered by Nexxt Intelligence’s inca platform. Designed to mimic natural conversation flow, the tool uses AI to analyze open-ends in real time, aiming to increase engagement and deliver richer qualitative insights within quant studies.
IAS, Lumen, and Snapchat Unveil Attention Measurement Partnership: Integral Ad Science (IAS) partnered with Lumen Research and Snap Inc. to release a new AI-driven attention score for Snapchat ads. By blending Lumen’s eye-tracking data with IAS’s exposure signals, advertisers gain a clearer view of how well their creative actually holds attention on-screen.
DoubleVerify Extends ‘Authentic Attention’ to Social Media: Ad verification firm DoubleVerify expanded its Authentic Attention platform to Snapchat, integrating Lumen’s real-time eye-tracking data with DV’s viewability analytics. The resulting metrics—such as Focus Rate, Dwell Time, and Attention Index—give marketers a more holistic picture of attention beyond impressions alone.
B2B Market Research Developments
Basis Global Forms Dedicated B2B Insights Unit: Transatlantic consultancy Basis Global launched a B2B-focused division led by former B2B International MD Tom Percival. The new unit will deliver market intelligence, journey mapping, and segmentation strategy tailored to business decision-makers, as demand grows for deeper insight into professional buyer behavior.
NielsenIQ and Sephora Launch Data-Sharing Partnership: NielsenIQ entered a strategic alliance with Sephora to integrate the beauty retailer’s omnichannel sales data into NIQ’s analytics environment. The partnership provides beauty brands with a broader and more detailed view of shopper behavior across both Sephora and the wider retail ecosystem.
Partnerships, Mergers, and Acquisitions
Kantar Merges Worldpanel Into Numerator: Kantar officially rebranded its Worldpanel division as “Worldpanel by Numerator,” completing its post-acquisition integration. The merged business spans more than 50 countries and captures over 5 million shopping items per day, with plans to scale Kantar’s MyWorldpanel analytics platform globally.
IgniteTech Acquires Khoros, Adds Generative AI Tools: IgniteTech purchased digital engagement platform Khoros and will embed generative AI features across its Communities and Care products. New capabilities include AI-assisted response routing, brand intelligence modules, and automated moderation tools aimed at improving customer experience and efficiency.
Fonto and Mastercard Partner on Open Banking Research Data: Australian insights startup Fonto partnered with Mastercard to access consumer transaction data through secure open banking channels. In exchange for spending insights and rewards, users share their data with Fonto, enabling the company to scale internationally with more robust behavioral datasets.
Industry Leadership & Organizational Changes
Kantar Appoints New Brand and Consulting Executives: Kantar named Jeremy Coen as Chief Brand Solutions Officer for North America and Aaron Smith as Managing Partner of Strategic Consulting. The appointments reflect a focus on unifying brand performance and strategy services to better align with evolving client needs.
Savanta Names Christine Petersen as Global CEO: Christine Petersen, formerly CEO of Time Out Digital, has been appointed Global Chief Executive of Savanta. She replaces interim CEO Vin DeRobertis, who remains CEO of the Americas and Chair of Clariti, as Savanta looks to expand its global reach and commercial offerings.
Ipsos Adds Three Directors to Its Board, Achieves Gender Parity: Ipsos added Armelle Carminati-Rabasse, Lionel Chaine, and Anne-Marie Couderc to its board of directors, achieving a 7:7 gender split. The appointments bring experience from Accenture, Bpifrance, and Air France-KLM to support Ipsos' next phase of governance and innovation.
Expert Insights & Thought Leadership
Strat7 Report Cautions Against Overuse of Synthetic Survey Data: UK-based Strat7 released a white paper highlighting the risks of over-reliance on AI-generated survey respondents. Their tests showed that synthetic responses aligned on surface-level metrics like awareness but faltered on deeper analytics like key driver modeling. The firm advises limiting synthetic sample use to 5% or less.
