Historically, consumer insights were derived from disconnected, one-off research studies that gave limited or static views of consumer behavior. And because research studies were slow and expensive, companies had to be selective.
But technology today allows for a better approach to insights. One that’s connected, continuous and integrated — giving brands a real-time, holistic view of their consumers.
With connected insights, companies can embed consumer insights into their decision-making so they can make faster and better decisions and stay ahead of the competition. And AI can accelerate those decisions by surfacing and synthesizing relevant insights at the right time.
Ultimately, brands that harness connected insights are better equipped to win in the market.
To track the journey from disconnected to connected insights, we created the Connected Insights Framework.
Here’s a breakdown of the framework and each of the levels.
The Connected Insights Framework highlights areas where insights and marketing leaders must drive change to achieve connected insights, asking a series of questions to enable individuals to self-assess their level of maturity.
Here’s a visual representation of the framework to refer back to as you read through.
Let’s get into each level of the framework.
At the disconnected stage, consumer insights are scattered across individuals, teams and business units.
Research is largely ad hoc, with different methodologies, suppliers and data sources used from project to project.
Insights professionals are primarily reactive, responding to requests rather than shaping decisions, and their work often comes too late in the process to influence outcomes.
While valuable insights are generated, they're difficult to connect, compare or build upon, limiting their long-term business impact.
SUMMARY: Insights are isolated
At the fragmented stage, organizations have started to introduce greater structure.
Dedicated teams, repeatable programs and standardized processes are emerging, but they're often confined to individual brands, regions or business units rather than spanning the entire organization.
Data remains fragmented across multiple systems, making it difficult to create a single view of the consumer or consistently apply learnings across teams.
Insights functions become more proactive, but they're still working to earn a truly strategic role within the business.
SUMMARY: Progress has begun, but connections are still missing
Organizations at the connected stage have centralized their insights around shared technologies, standardized processes and a common system of record.
Consumer data is connected across research programs, enabling teams to identify trends, compare results over time and generate richer learning from every study.
Rather than acting as order takers, insights teams become trusted strategic partners who collaborate closely with marketing and other business functions.
This stronger foundation not only improves decision-making today but also prepares organizations to fully leverage AI and achieve real results.
SUMMARY: Insights are unified across the business
The AI-accelerated stage represents the next evolution of connected insights.
AI automates routine analysis, continuously surfaces relevant insights and dramatically increases the speed at which organizations can make informed decisions.
Consumer feedback becomes a constant input rather than a point-in-time event, creating ongoing learning loops that keep the voice of the customer embedded across the business.
Insights leaders move beyond being strategic partners to becoming architects of business transformation, helping shape company strategy alongside executive leadership and ensuring AI is powered by trusted consumer intelligence.
SUMMARY: Insights continuously powers business decisions
The Connected Insights Framework is a key part of our broader annual Connected Insights Imperative report.
Explore the full report to learn more about the value of connecting consumer insights across your organization, the current state of connectedness, implications for business leaders and more.