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 (September 12 – 18, 2025)
AI and Tech Innovations in Market Research
- Pureprofile Opens AI Tools to Industry for Free – Global data firm Pureprofile made two of its AI-driven research tools freely available to insights professionals. The AI Translations tool instantly translates survey content and verbatim responses, while AI Coding uses NLP and generative models to categorize open-ends and extract themes. Leadership says sharing these innovations will enable collaboration and ensure AI benefits the wider industry.
- aytm Launches “Conversation AI” for Qual at Quant Scale – Agile research platform aytm introduced Conversation AI, a dynamic interview tool that uses an AI assistant to chat with respondents and probe deeper in real time. The system conducts concurrent AI-driven interviews across large samples, captures open-ended feedback with natural back-and-forth, and automatically codes and quantifies key themes so researchers can visualize qualitative insights at scale.
B2B Market Research Developments
- Emporia Expands into Healthcare Research – Austin-based B2B sampling firm Emporia Research announced a major push into the healthcare sector, recruiting physicians, healthcare executives, and clinical staff for research. The company—known for LinkedIn-verified B2B panels and fraud detection—has added state license checks and new data partnerships to bring programmatic recruitment and high quality standards to physician research.
- South Africa Names New TV Ratings Provider – The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa selected GfK/NIQ to build a next-generation “Total Video” measurement system after Nielsen announced it will exit the market. The contract aims to unify audience data across live TV, on-demand, and streaming, giving advertisers a single, modern view of cross-platform reach and frequency.
Partnerships, Mergers, and Acquisitions
- Genius Sports Acquires Sports Innovation Lab – Sports data firm Genius Sports agreed to acquire Boston’s Sports Innovation Lab to bolster fan behavior analytics and sponsorship valuation. SIL’s fan intelligence will fold into Genius’s identity and engagement stack, deepening insights for leagues, teams, and brands.
- Tenetic and Comscore Forge Real-Time Media Insights Partnership – Ad intelligence startup Tenetic partnered with Comscore to integrate always-on TV audience data into Tenetic’s real-time consumer behavior platform. The tie-up links TV viewership with sentiment and purchase intent so buyers and sellers can optimize plans “in the moment.”
Industry Leadership & Organizational Changes
- Kantar Overhaul Brings New CEO and Departures – Kantar appointed Paul Zwillenberg as CEO of its Insights & Profiles division while preparing a separation of other assets; Group CEO Chris Jansen will step down after overseeing the transition. Caroline Frankum, long-time CEO of Kantar Profiles, announced she will leave at year-end.
- Emporia Research Recruits Client Solutions Leaders – Emporia hired Cassie Bruno and Dan Sprofera as Directors of Client Solutions to support growth across B2B—and now healthcare—clients, emphasizing high-touch consultative support for agencies and enterprise insights teams.
- Verve Names Combined MD and Finance Director – Insight community specialist Verve appointed Michael Carratt to a dual role as Managing Director (Communities & Consulting) and Finance Director for Verve Group, aligning its community research heritage with new AI-enabled foresight offerings.
Expert Insights & Thought Leadership
- AI Ethics and Inclusion Take Center Stage – ThinkNow’s Mario Carrasco and technologist Norman Valdez discussed how today’s AI race can amplify bias and why multicultural training data, transparency, and inclusive design are essential for equitable insights at scale.
