Insights teams are stepping into a new era of influence by reshaping how they work, communicate, and drive decisions.
Speak the language of the business: tie insights directly to commercial impact to earn a seat at key decision tables.
Shift from firefighting to fire-starting: fast, directional insights influence decisions earlier and spark momentum.
Stay curious and embrace AI: combine AI-powered efficiency with human judgment, nuance, and second-order thinking.
Build vs. Buy reality check: in-house tech is costly and slow; purpose-built platforms help teams focus on value, not infrastructure.
Bottom line: the future belongs to insights teams who fuel decisions early, stay adaptive, and balance AI with human expertise.
We had the pleasure of joining this year’s WFA NYC gathering on Nov 20, and while we couldn’t be in every room (no one’s cracked that superpower yet), the Insights Forum delivered more than enough inspiration to take home.
Across presentations and conversations (special shout-out to Shannon Weiner from Ferrera), one theme was loud and clear: insights teams are stepping into a new era of influence. To get there, they’re shifting the way they work, the way they communicate, and the way they power decisions inside their organizations.
Here are the takeaways that stayed with us:
Insights have the most impact when they show a direct line to commercial outcomes. Several speakers reinforced that if teams want to show up at the big decision-making tables, they need to frame findings in business terms — not just research terms. That means connecting the dots quickly, clearly, and in the moments that matter.
A standout message from the Insights Forum: 'good enough, fast' often beats 'perfect, delayed.' Teams that can deliver quick directional insight can challenge thinking early, influence decisions before they solidify, and prevent being looped in only after the fact.
More sparking interest and building momentum, less scrambling to catch up.
Speakers urged insights leaders to lean into AI-powered tools while staying grounded in what only humans can do: interpreting nuance, understanding people, and asking the second-order questions machines can’t. Curiosity, adaptability, and judgment are becoming the new power skills.
During the morning general session, one speaker put it bluntly: building in-house tech solutions may struggle to pay off. The process can be slow, incur hidden or unanticipated costs, and the output can be hard to maintain, especially compared to partnering with purpose-built platforms that evolve with the industry. The message was simple: instead of reinventing infrastructure, focus your energy on the ways your team already generates value, and amplify those.
For us at Stravito, these conversations validated what we hear every day from marketing and insights leaders trying to influence decisions at speed. Teams want to move from reactive to proactive. They want insight work to feel lighter, more intuitive, and more closely tied to business value, while also delivering a direct impact on critical GTM decisions. And they want tools that help them get there without added burdens from development, onboarding and maintenance..
WFA NYC made one thing clear: the future belongs to insights teams who speak the language of the business, fuel decisions early, and embrace AI without losing their human edge.
We’re excited to help them do exactly that.