2.4 Van den Driest, F., Sthanunathan, S., & Weed, K. (2016). Building an insights engine

Question 1

The new source of competitive advantage is customer centricity

Answer 1

deeply understanding your customer needs and fulfilling them better than anyone else.

Question 2

What increasingly separates the winners from losers is the ability to

Answer 2

transform data into insight about consumer motivations and to turn those insights into strategy.

Question 3

characteristics (gleaned from experience research at Unilever) of a highperformance insight-engine: operational competence (8)

Answer 3

1. Data synthesis 2. Independence3. Integrated planning 4. Collaboration 5. Experimentation6. Forward-Looking orientation Affinity for action

Question 4

1. Data synthesis

Answer 4

ability to extract value from disparate data by generating a singlemarket- view used across the business

Question 5

2. Independence

Answer 5

– sits outside strategy, marketing or innovation, and reports directly to CEO

Question 6

3. Integrated planning

Answer 6

used by strategy, marketing and innovation to inform decisions

Question 7

4. Collaboration

Answer 7

not a service provider for other departments, but a voice of the market partner

Question 8

5. Experimentation

Answer 8

embraces a test-and-learn approach to business, learning from small scale tryouts of ideas (alternative to death by focus group/survey)

Question 9

6. Forward-Looking orientation

Answer 9

focuses on anticipating and testing future opportunities

Question 10

Affinity for action

Answer 10

insight that doesn’t inform a decision is pointless, so focus on action rather than learning

Question 11

Operational Competences:

Answer 11

How consumer insights are generated

Question 12

characteristics (gleaned from experience research at Unilever) of a highperformance insight-engine: People Competencies (3)

Answer 12

8. Whole-brain mindset 9. Business Focus 10. Story telling

Question 13

8. Whole-brain mindset

Answer 13

requires a set of competences, ability to integrate data, ability to make insight-led decision recommendation, ability to run and scale experiments, ability to communicate to the business

Question 14

9. Business Focus

Answer 14

requires business acumen and business literacy, consumer understanding is valueless to the business if it doesn’t inform a business decision

Question 15

10. Story telling

Answer 15

ability to communicate insights through the business in a usable and engaging manner

Question 16

People Competencies

Answer 16

: How consumer insights are used

Question 17

core of the insigth engine

Answer 17

whole brain thinkinh

Question 18

whole brain thinking powers 2 parallel processes: process 1

Answer 18

1. gathering data from sources, integrate to database, mining for insights, recommend actions,

Question 19

whole brain thinking powers 2 parallel processes: process 2

Answer 19

2:use of new technologies to foster a culture of experimentation. strive to spread customer-centric mindset troughout organixation.