Quirk’s New York 2025: How 4 Powerhouse Brands are Leveling Up

Our team just came back from the 2025 Quirk’s New York, one of the biggest conferences in market research. Like always, it was great connecting with insights leaders at this event. This year, we leveled up our efforts: in addition to an awesome presentation with Cash App (more of that below 👀), we also hosted an exclusive workshop on AI agents and an intimate dinner with some select researchers.  

The content from the conference was superb. Leading brands like NBCUniversal, DEWALT, Kind Snacks, and Cash App revealed how they’re modernizing their insights practices to better reflect today’s consumer realities.

The themes? Get closer to culture, elevate insights as a strategic partner, and embrace flexible, real-time tools to make smarter decisions—faster. 

Here’s a recap of four standout presentations and what they signal for the future of research.

1. NBCUniversal: Live content as a cultural shortcut for brands 

Speakers: Alex Gittleson, Senior Director, Insights & Measurement, and Lindsay Strott, Director, Insights & Measurement, NBCUniversal 

NBCU highlighted how live programming is more than just entertainment—it’s a key lever for cultural relevance. With 70% of its content live and 40M daily viewers, NBCU offers brands a way to show up authentically in moments that matter.

• 86% of viewers watch live because they want to feel connected to others
• Viewers of live content are 45% more likely to feel connected to current trends.
• Emotional engagement is 21% higher for live content vs. non-live.
• Case studies from Today, SNL, and Bravo Fan Fest illustrated how brand integrations in live settings can outperform traditional ad placements across upper and lower funnel metrics.

Takeaway: Cultural relevance isn't just about timing—it's about participation. Brands that embed themselves in real, unscripted moments create more memorable, emotionally resonant experiences.

2. Kind Snacks: Building a high-impact insights function with an insight community at the core 

Speaker: Donna Foti, Director, Consumer Insights and Analytics, Kind Snacks 

Donna Foti’s presentation centered on transforming insights from a reactive service into a proactive business driver. Among the tools that enabled this shift was Kind’s dedicated consumer community—an agile, brand-owned resource used for fast-turn feedback on everything from product ideas to marketing messages.

• The community is sourced directly from KindSnacks.com, made up of loyal customers who are deeply invested in the brand.
• It's used as a sounding board for decisions that require nuance and brand sensitivity—especially when broader panels may not offer the same contextual depth.
• Foti described the approach as “super efficient and very effective,” especially when decisions need to move quickly without sacrificing insight quality.

She also outlined a broader vision for insights as a strategic partner, not just a validator. From leading cross-functional consumer immersions to building insight tools that reflect both foundational and fast-turn needs, the team at Kind is proving that even lean functions can drive enterprise-wide impact. 

Takeaway: Internal credibility grows when insights are accessible, proactive, and embedded in decision-making moments. Owned communities give brands a way to move quickly while staying grounded in their core audience.

3. Cash App: Accelerating insights through communities and AI

Speakers: Ashmeed Ali, Director of Insights, Cash App, and Andrew Reid, CEO and Founder, Rival Technologies 

Cash App demonstrated what’s possible when you combine the speed of community-powered research with the precision of AI. With a 63% active response rate and over 36,000 chat completes, their "Insiders" community is used to explore everything from churn drivers to concept testing and brand perception. 

Examples included:

• Hardware design feedback: Using mood boards to evaluate associations of luxury and accessibility for the launch of the Tortoise Card.
• Brand storytelling: Collecting thousands of testimonials about the role Cash App plays in users’ daily lives.
• Retention strategy: Pairing qualitative and quantitative feedback to understand churn and inform win-back campaigns.

AI is now layered into this infrastructure, handling everything from insight summarization and "thoughtfulness scoring" to generating video highlight reels and pulling reports. This has made insights more shareable across teams and reduced the gap between data collection and decision-making. 

Takeaway: Modern insights teams aren't choosing between speed and depth—they're designing systems that deliver both. Communities and AI are key to making that possible at scale.

4. DEWALT: Turning foundational research into a company-wide engine

Speaker: Nicole Andrews, Senior Manager, Regional Activation, Strategic Insights, Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. 

DEWALT’s multi-phase study on professional tradespeople evolved into a strategic asset touching 35+ internal teams. The insights informed everything from product development to impact and inclusion and brand strategy. DEWALT had already committed $30M to the "Grow the Trades" initiative, and the research helped to further enrich it by providing internal understanding of evolving market needs.

• Research covered 16 sub-audiences across the U.S. and U.K.
• Delivered via a 200+ slide “slide-brary” for internal use.
• Sparked global replication and deeper strategic alignment between Stanley Black & Decker and research partner Prodege. 

Takeaway: When insights are designed to be evergreen, modular, and accessible, they have staying power—and wide organizational impact.

Final reflections on Quirk’s New York

Four very different brands, one common direction: the insights function is evolving and it’s time to level up. Research today is becoming faster, more collaborative, more tech-enabled, and more embedded in day-to-day decision-making. 

Across these sessions, a few clear themes emerged:

• Research must reflect cultural reality: Context-rich environments—live content, consumer immersion, branded communities—bring clarity to what people really think and feel.
• Strategic alignment matters: Insights functions are gaining credibility by being proactive, transparent, and outcome-oriented.
• Agility isn't optional: With decision cycles compressing, teams need tools and frameworks that can flex and respond in real time.

The future of insights is less about asking questions and more about fueling action. These case studies from Quirk’s New York are proof that when insights teams step forward as true thought partners, the impact can be transformational.