Activation; it starts with you.

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. 

YOUR MINDSET: ACCEPTING THAT ACTIVATION STARTS EARLY

Activation relies on more than a strong methodology or a great set of deliverables. It relies on you, and your mindset. 

This is the biggest challenge that most insight professionals face. You’ve been told that activation happens at the end of the project, that activation is an output, and that activation is an optional extra. In truth, the most successful activation journeys occur when you accept the opposite. 

From the outset, you need to stop thinking, “What will we learn from the insight at the end of the project?” and start thinking, “How will I make sure the insight learnings are shared, embedded, and used to drive change along the way?” 

And beyond how you think about activation, your mindset should reflect your: 

• Willingness to build: you want to shape the activation plan and actively spot opportunities to involve others in meaningful ways 
• Reluctance to block: you want to keep things moving by finding solutions rather than stopping for obstacles that don’t need to be there 
• Openness: you are ready to hear what the research tells you, even if it challenges your assumptions 
• Curiosity: you are ready to ask questions, explore connections, and look for new ways to embed insight in everyday work. 

When you accept that activation starts early, your thoughts turn into actions. You don’t just receive insight; you help it to take root and grow. 

YOUR STAKEHOLDERS: BRINGING STAKEHOLDERS ALONG FOR THE RIDE

It’s scary to share our work when it doesn’t feel quite ready for public viewing. You want to create the perfect presentation for senior execs, backed by a thorough comms plan, but there’s a big risk in waiting too long to share. So, if you can accept that activation starts early, you can also accept that stakeholder engagement starts early as well. 

When you involve stakeholders early and often, you transform them from passive recipients into active champions. That might mean inviting them to share their hypotheses, experience live moments with consumers, or shape the commercial story. 

Every time you bring someone in, you make the insight theirs. That sense of ownership is what helps it move through the business and fuel real action.  

Of course, not everyone will move in the same direction. On every project, there are people who create momentum and those who slow it down. As a builder, you help shape the journey and push it forward. You share ideas for how to bring the insight to life. You connect it to other initiatives. You make sure it stays on the agenda. 

A blocker, on the other hand, delays, derails, or drains energy - often unintentionally - by introducing unnecessary hurdles or hesitating to involve others. 

Your goal is to be a builder who is well aware of the blockers and how to handle them. So, let’s make a plan to do just that. 

YOUR PLAN: CREATING A ROAD MAP FOR SUCCESS

Activation isn’t something a single output can deliver, it’s a thread that runs from start to finish. By planning for the end at the very beginning, you: 



• Identify the right moments to bring the right people into the journey. Take time to understand the builders and blockers in your organisation, and how you will bring each along for the journey without going too far off-course. 
• Help choose deliverables that can be shared in the right way, at the right time. Understand the impact that different content formats have on different audiences. Decide what information is needed, when it is needed, and what actions you want to inspire by sharing it. 
• Ensure the insight doesn’t just make an impact on the day it’s shared but that it travels, sparks ideas, and drives change long after the project ends. Think about where the insight fits into corporate strategy and how it might help stakeholders throughout the organisation. 

LET'S CIRCLE BACK TO YOU

Every project has a starting point and an end date. But the life of the insight is determined by what happens in between — and that’s where you come in. 

When you plan for activation early, involve the right people, act as a builder, and show up with the right mindset, you give the insight its best chance to spread, inspire, and create change. 

Insight on its own changes nothing. But insight in the hands of people who are ready to use it? That’s where the magic happens. 



So, if you’re about to start a new piece of research, remember activation doesn’t start with a presentation, or a video, or a report. 

It starts with you.