Sponsor businesses to anticipate and respond to unexpected More than ever, businesses need to forecast and events, and to build resilience for the future more know exactly where theyre putting their money, he effectively. Van Gendt says: Weve allowed our says. Budgets are declining, and they need to make business to understand current and future impacts the right decisions about what is absolutely critical on our consumers, our supply chain, and even our where theyre going to get that return to have the own workforce. impact and ensure theyre staying alive with Ben Shaw, director of brand consultancy at Engine consumers, now and in the future. UK, says: I still think that, too often, [previously] An organisations insight function has never been data was being used to prove that decisions made in so important in the fight to shape business and the past were correct. Whereas, now, were seeing brand resilience, now and against future crises and how data can provide a more predictive way of uncertainty. The pandemic has highlighted the understanding whats going to happen. That, for me, short-termism under which many companies is very exciting. operate, kicking the can down the road until adversity Yet, the market research industry is feeling the strikes be that accounting errors, scandal, or a pains of cost cutting more than most. The last IPA disruptor changing the table stakes. Bellwether report published before the UK outbreak Others, however, take a much longer view. Tesco, of Covid-19, for Q4 2019, showed that, although one of the essential supermarket retailers at the pre-pandemic marketing budgets were edging forefront of the pandemic, was somewhat upwards with growth predicted into this prepared: four years ago, chief executive year and next marketers were reporting Dave Lewis ran a doomsday drops in research spend. More than ever, management exercise, which imagined According to Nic Bulois, co-founder businesses need to that its head office would have to shut of Insight Angels and a former forecast and know down completely. quantitative insight director at Added exactly where theyre The prophetic drill meant the Value, the insight function has been putting their money. retailer was ready for remote working, allowed to slip down the value chain They need to make the with only around 30 people at any one for too long, for too many brands. right decisions about time in its HQ in the early months of what is critical 20