Dig In

Back at the beginning of September, we announced that Beringer Capital acquired a majority stake in Dig Insights. The news left some people wondering what it means for Dig, why private equity (or even what is private equity), and why now? Luckily, Gil Ozir (a Managing Partner at Beringer Capital) joined the pod to walk through some of these questions. Tune in to learn: • What private equity actual...

“I don’t need a thermometer. I need a thermostat. Thermometers just measure the heat. Thermostats change it.” It’s super exciting to have Stix (a.k.a. Stephen Nilsen) as our guest this week. He’s had an exciting career in marketing - working at Red Bull before it became the global energy drink juggernaut and helping revitalize Pabst Blue Ribbon. Today, he probably has the coolest title - Vice Pres...

Innovation can be challenging. The task of creating something new or different is overwhelming when you have all the options in the world. Often, people throw many things at the wall and see what sticks. But instead of having all the options, what if you limited yourself? Gave yourself constraints? Well, that’s what Fiona Stevenson and her team a The Idea Suite do. Using the Design Thinking method...

This week we’re digging into Artificial Intelligence (AI). And what better person to talk to about this topic than Joel Anderson, our EVP and a true AI expert? As a leader of our Advanced Analytics department, Joel has helped push automation to the next level at Dig. Together with his innovation team, Joel leverages AI to develop tools that can aid insights pros in everyday research needs. Besides...

“Remember, our respondents are human.” Anne Brown founded Gazelle Global in the early 90s, focusing on research operations. Today she leads an entirely remote-first team, all based in the US, to help the r esearch community connect with people all over the world.  In today’s episode, Anne discusses why you shouldn’t look for a bargain basement solution, the importance of understanding what’s feasi...

Do you know how to choose the right research providers? In a market research landscape filled with mixed offerings, choosing the best options for your needs can be difficult. Do you choose a technology platform or a strategy consultant? Today’s guest, Mike Stevens, Founder and Editor of Insights Platforms, cuts through the ever-growing research landscape to help you narrow down your decisions. Mik...

“Don't think way too big. Just start small.” This week’s guest started her career as a nurse before transitioning to full-time entrepreneur. Alice Benedetto is the founder of Raw Rev, a plant-based protein bar company that strives to make a difference for consumers and the planet, one bar at a time. In this episode, Alice discusses her journey into healthy eating and transitioning from nurse to en...

This week's guest is an astute observer of life and a master storyteller who brings empathy and compassion to the human experience. Rob Volpe is CEO of Ignite 360, an empathy activist, and author of Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time. We were lucky enough to experience one of Rob's workplace empathy sessions and couldn't resist an opportunity to see if h...

Wild Orchard is a regenerative tea company focused on elevating flavor, bettering your health, and doing something to improve the climate. Since establishing the Wild Orchard brand in 2019, Wild Orchard has won 10 medals at prestigious international tea competitions. In today’s episode, Michael D. Ham, Co-founder and President of Wild Orchard, sits down with Meagan to discuss how working in tech h...

“Business can be a force of positive change.” Today’s guest, Cattie Khoury, is the founder of Toodaloo, an adaptogenic trail mix focused on healing the body and planet with every bite. In this episode, Cattie talks about how she fell in love with the healing properties of plant-based nutrition on the body and the planet, why it’s important to talk about being a female-led founder, and her journey...

In his 15 years of work experience, Fernando Arendar has put his hands on almost every category there is. But throughout his time working with brands Unilever, Pepsi and Clorox, he’s carried a strong passion for branding and packaging design.  In this episode:  Fernando debunks top packaging myths using his research and experience in the field  The main reason why Fernando loves the US market and...

What happens when you combine an entrepreneurial spirit with nostalgia, accounting, community building, cryptocurrency/NFTs, plant-based diets, and a self-proclaimed naiveté and curiosity? Hank Hummii and the Hummiiverse. Tyler Phillips, founder of Hummii Snacks, joins Dig In this week to discuss blending nostalgia with new marketing tactics, his transition from accounting to becoming a founder of...

Today’s guest, Lisa Virgini, has more than 15 years of experience in consumer insights, strategy, and senior brand marketing at places like Coca-Cola, Ipsos, and Mondelēz. And soon, she is stepping out on her own. Lisa talked with Meagan about the power of leveraging experts, why there is no turnkey solution, and her journey into starting her own consultancy. Tune in to learn: • What makes a great...

Sylvie Pelletier is a Leadership development consultant and coach. She’s had brand, marketing, and strategy roles at CIBC, Educators Financial Group, and Food Banks Canada. Through these experiences, she discovered her passion for aligning company values and strategy with an individual’s day-to-day functions. In this episode, Ian and Sylvie discuss what makes a great leader, what an organization’s...

Erin Cohen, Director, Consumer Insights at Tim Hortons, has spent her entire career in insights. She has a wealth of experience in quick service restaurants and spent a bit of time expanding her experience within the consumer packaged goods space. In this episode, Erin discusses the back-to-basics approach she’s spearheading at Tim Hortons and how consumers’ routines changed because of the pandemi...

“How do you get to your ideas? How do you know what matters? How do you know what inspires your consumer?” Asking those questions highlights how this week’s guest is a natural big-picture thinker. Doug Healy, Senior Director, Consumer Insights for Gatorade at PepsiCo, has been in insights his entire career. For him, it’s all about solving problems and embedding yourself within the lives of your co...

With inflation hitting a 30-40 year high, consumers, brands, and everyone in between wonder how it impacts our daily lives. Marcie Connan, Executive Vice President at Dig Insights, fueled by an insatiable curiosity, led a study to find out the ins and outs of how inflation is actually impacting consumers.  Ian sat down with Marcie to go over some of the top highlights we discovered as a result of...

“Perfection shouldn’t be the enemy of progress.” At least, that’s the mantra this week’s guest lives by. Marat Fleytlikh, Associate Director, Consumer Insights at The Kraft Heinz Company, is an industry legend. He is a seasoned consultant who delivers insights through visualization and storytelling and is obsessed with the consumer. Meagan sat down with Marat to discuss how Kraft Heinz is “walking...

A little detour this week as Dig Insights’ founders Paul Gaudette (CEO, Dig Insights), Michael Edwards (Chief Growth Officer), Ian Ash (President, Upsiide), and Dominic Atkinson (President, Dig Insights) are in the hot seat this week. Meagan sits down with them to discuss the recent refresh of Dig Insights and Upsiide. The four founders look back at some fond memories from the last 12 years, and e...

Let’s make some noise for our newest guest of this week’s episode of Dig In. Richard Ng is probably one of the smartest guys we know, who also happens to be an expert in marketing, PR and market research. As a Marketing Director at Advanced GG, a performance supplement brand for gamers, business professionals and beyond, Richard leverages his market research experience to lead Advanced’s marketing...

We’ve brought Ed, Category & Business Insights Manager @ Olipop, back on the pod this week. Last time we covered hot topics for a growing CPG business like flavor innovation, gathering insights, and building teams. This time, we go team into omnichannel distribution and why it makes up the backbone of their business strategy. Tune in to learn: What ‘omnichannel’ means at Olipop and why it’s a...

Tune it to learn: - What it was like to join Wealthsimple, and how that’s changed in the last 8 months - The key challenges and opportunities that Paul is wrestling with in Wealthsimple’s category - How Paul and his team approach recruitment and keeping employees happy and fulfilled - How Paul would boil down the lessons he learned at Eloqua and Nudge - What Paul learned from a ‘failed’ startup (n...

Will works in conversion rate optimization (CRO) for some well-known DTC brands, and having him on the podcast this week was fascinating. If you’ve ever wondered how you can optimize your website to drive more conversions (and bring in more sales!) this episode is for you. Tune in to this week’s episode to learn: How Will uses a particular framework to address common conversion rate issues The typ...

This week, Meagan got chatting to Ruth Fittock, the Marketing Director at Simply Roasted Crisps. Ruth joined Simply Roasted after a decade in crisps/chips marketing at the likes of Pop Chips...so she’s got a whole host of knowledge to share about how to do marketing well within the ‘better for you’ category. Tune in to this episode to learn: How Simply Roasted hopes to capture market share in the...

In his role as Head of Canada Research at Cushman & Wakefield, Adam Jacobs explores trends in commercial real estate by leveraging research. That is to say that he knows * a lot * about the economy and how things might change and shift in the next little while. Tune in to this episode to get details about: - How downtown vacancy rates, warehouse development, and migration away from cities affe...