1. Move Beyond Generic AI
AI is everywhere, but not all solutions are created equal. Using a generic AI may be able to offer you broad overviews from your data, but the analysis is likely to lack behavioral scientific perspective – losing real nuance from your consumers’ behavior.
64% of companies say AI enables innovation, but only 39% report enterprise-level impact, highlighting the need for specialized, integrated approaches rather than generic tools.
The most effective approaches are those that understand how habits are formed and changed. When AI is trained to recognize the nuances of consumer behavior, it becomes a tool for uncovering what truly drives action—not just what’s easy to measure.
2. Focus Creative Energy Where Change Is Possible
Innovation resources are finite. When your innovation is not focused, you risk wasting time, budget, and efforts into the wrong avenue, or just spread too thin you see no real impact.
The best leaders guide ideation toward areas where consumers are ready for something new. This means listening for real signals of openness and focusing creative energy where it can have the greatest impact.
3. Listen to the Whole Story, in Real Time
Traditional surveys have their place, but they can’t capture the full picture. Without a true oversight into real stories in real time, you’re missing out on opportunities for impact.
Today’s leaders are tapping into unfiltered, real-time conversations—across social media, forums, and blogs—to sense shifts as they happen. For example, 62% of marketers consider social listening a core data source. This broader listening approach helps teams stay ahead of trends and respond with agility.
4. Validate with Both Head and Heart
Data alone isn’t enough. Quantitative data is good for many business uses, but relying solely on it means you’re not hearing what your customers truly feel, think, and believe in – even when they don’t say it.
The most successful innovations are those that resonate both logically and emotionally. By observing both subconscious (implicit) and conscious (explicit) behaviors, leaders can better understand what matters most to consumers and where to invest for sustainable growth.
5. Make Activation a Continuous Process
According to McKinsey, the most high-performing companies embed AI with existing workflows and redesign processes for continuous learning, not one-off projects.
Insights too, are only valuable when they drive action – and they are certainly not a one and done thing. Without integrating your insights into your business decisions continuously, you’re not getting the true consumer story.
Rather than treating activation as a one-time event, forward-thinking organizations build processes for ongoing planning, iteration, and learning. This continuous approach ensures teams remain aligned and ready to respond to emerging opportunities.
