The serendipity strategy: Reclaiming the power of insight through empathy, innovation and online community

This article is part of a year-long, 25th anniversary series that explores where insight communities have been, where they are today, and the market and customer trends that are shaping where C Space is taking insight communities next.

The world we live in seems more chaotic than ever. Data is everywhere, AI is the buzzword of the moment, and customer centricity is the north star of every brand’s strategy.

But something essential is missing: clarity, empathy and action.

That was the overarching message at the recent Peer Connection: Fireside Chat with Jane Frost, CEO of the Market Research Society. In conversation with Zoe Carter, managing director of C Space EMEA, Frost unpacked the big questions – and big opportunities – for the insight industry in today’s fast-paced, high-stakes era.

The cycle of change in market research?

“People assume change happens in a straight line,” said Frost. “It doesn’t. It’s cyclical.”

From the rise of big data to the current surge in AI-driven market research, the industry often swaps one buzzword for another without solving the core issues: biased data, poor quality inputs, and the need for smart, curious humans who know how to ask better questions.

At C Space, we believe today’s insight leaders must not just simply scale and automate, but recognise that the real value also lies in challenging assumptions and staying human. The ‘S’ Word is an example of challenging the status quo and reflecting the real needs of consumers when it comes to sustainability.

Insight is only powerful if it drives business decisions.

Frost emphasised the importance of insight teams and market research agencies understanding and speaking the language of risk, audit, and commercial models to connect with senior stakeholders:

“Help your CMO speak CFO. That’s how you accelerate impact.”

C Space plays a critical role here, helping partners translate the voice of the customer into language that unlocks traction in the boardroom.

We need to start telling the right stories. Building empathy isn’t just about feeling good, it’s about connecting and convincing stakeholders.

“Data has a story – it’s how you tell it that matters,” added Frost.

Storytelling is not a soft skill; it’s a strategic lever. Through our online insight communities, C Space enables campaign-style storytelling with data, giving businesses real-time, emotional access to the people they serve. It’s about always-on dialogue, with the ability to seed, iterate, and elevate insight stories as they unfold.

Too often, numbers are treated as facts rather than interpretations. Embedding empathy helps tell stronger, stickier stories that move people – and businesses –forward.

Our recent Value programme, exploring the cost-of-living crisis with consumers across 9 markets, uncovered the emotional trade-offs families are making every day. It reframed “value” as not just economic, but personal and deeply human – an actionable insight that helped our clients adapt more empathetically and effectively.

One of the session’s most urgent warnings was about the risk of insight becoming too linear, too safe.

Building on Carter’s thoughts about serendipity moments, Frost called for a regular “serendipity hour,” a space for market researchers to explore unrelated ideas or revisit past insights with a new lens.

At C Space, we bake this spirit of creativity and experimentation into how we work, within online insight communities, through hybrid qualitative/quantitative research methods, and in how we engage clients in co-creation. In fact, partnering with a major international airline, we used a blend of community listening and quick-turn insight to uncover a surprising barrier to loyalty – and reimagine the customer experience from 35,000 feet.

Serendipity isn’t a luxury; it’s a strategic necessity for future-facing brands.

Whether it’s advocating for data quality in the age of AI or helping brands reconnect with real human experiences, the insight industry must reclaim ownership. As Jane Frost made clear: insight is not just a support function – it’s a strategic driver.

Insight leaders must lead the ethics conversation, reshape the brief, and fight to keep the customer’s voice at the heart of business decisions.

Let’s stop treating insight as a report and start treating it as a revolution.

It’s not about replacing people with machines, it’s about making people – customers, clients, stakeholders – the most important part of the system again.

At C Space, we’re proud to lead that movement. We don’t just deliver insights. We build the brand-customer relationships and frameworks that make insight matter. We challenge the brief. We translate data into compelling stories. We help our clients build meaningful, strategic, always-on relationships with customers.

And we do it all with empathy, clarity and boldness.

But this isn’t just about us. It’s about collective change.

Want to make insight matter more? Let’s talk.