If there’s one thing I’ve learned while leading Journeys & Decisions , it’s this: people rarely make decisions the way they think they do. It doesn’t matter whether someone is trying to choose what to eat, where to travel, which product to trust for their health or what to buy for their home, people give us beautifully packaged stories about their decisions. But the behaviour underneath? A lot more tangled, emotional and instantly influenced than they realise. And for me, that gap the ‘say-do gap’ is where the real magic happens.

Culture shapes how people think, communicate, shop and make decisions. A product, message, or marketing strategy that works well in one culture may fail, or even offend, in another. Last week, the AQR hosted the Culturama event at Boxclever HQ, with inspiring talks from Jamie Oyebode (Davies + McKerr), Dr. Nick Gadsby (The Answer) and Oliver Sweet (Author / Ipsos) and some thought-provoking discussions around how culture is evolving and what that means for the way we approach research. Here’s a quick round-up of some of the key insights discussed and how they can shape our thinking going forward.

Let’s be honest: most proposition development processes look fine on paper. Flowcharts. Stage gates. “Consumer-led innovation” posters. A workshop with too many Post‑its. Then… a launch that underwhelms, a price that gets “rounded”, and a product team quietly moving on to the next shiny thing. And the scary bit? The cost isn’t always dramatic. It’s silent. It shows up as: investment in propositions you can deliver (not the ones you should), pricing bolted on at the end, and consumer insight that arrives too late — or so early it gets forgotten. That’s when millions get quietly wasted and growth stalls.  So, what separates the brands that win from the ones that “nearly” do?

Too often, research projects end with a polished debrief that feels like a full stop. But if we want insight to drive genuine change, we need to turn that single dot into three…  Like the lifecycle of a butterfly, the beauty of market research becomes more obvious in its final stage. And without the metamorphosis into a butterfly, the life of insight might be short-lived, just like that of the caterpillar. For insight to truly spread its wings, we need to think about activation. We need to make sure findings don’t just sit on a shelf waiting to be noticed, but fly through the business, sparking interesting conversations, and fuelling informed decisions. At Boxclever, we see activation as a journey with three essential steps: bringing stakeholders with you, telling the story strategically, and translating recommendations into action.

The insight activation journey is brave and disruptive. And it needs to be. As consumers we’re overwhelmed with content, and as insight professionals we’re inundated with data. How can you filter out the noise to cherry pick consumer insights that will have an impact on your organisation? How can you ensure that the insights you uncover will also disrupt the feeds of your colleagues and your C-suite?

Insight activation isn’t something that happens at the end of a research project, it’s shaped right from the start. Of course you know this, you’ve heard it all before. But have you heard that successful insight activation isn’t about timing alone, it’s about people? Specifically, it’s about you . Your mindset, your actions, and your willingness to plan for the end at the very beginning will determine whether insight simply lands… or truly lives on. Let’s explore how you can start the journey towards successful insight activation right now by adapting your mindset, actions and plan.

True connection is becoming increasingly difficult to earn. To show up and create a real sensation of connection, brands need to understand not just what people do, but why they do it, what they care about, what they need - practically, emotionally and socially. Successful brands aren’t just selling products anymore.

We owe a lot to the internet. It’s been the great connector of our time—sparking friendships, building romantic relationships, nurturing niche communities, and letting us reach further and wider than ever before. During the pandemic, it served as a lifeline, helping millions stay tethered to loved ones amid isolation.

In the digital age, the concept of connections has been revolutionised and often misconstrued. Social media platforms have cultivated a culture where the number of followers someone has is seen as a measure of influence and association. However, this perceived connectivity is often superficial. In reality, it is an illusion of connectedness rather than the real thing.