In a world where marketing is constantly evolving, it is easy to get distracted by the latest trends, tools, and technologies. Yet, for Alexander Shmelkov, Director of Global Brand Tracking at IKEA, true brand growth still comes down to mastering the fundamentals. In this conversation, he shares how IKEA balances long-standing principles with modern challenges, from penetration-driven growth to the impact of AI, and why staying grounded is more important than ever. Growth Sta

London, 7 October 2026 – DVJ Insights has been shortlisted for the 2026 MRS Media Research Award for its new approach to measure the brand-building contribution of influencers and content creators within the total media mix. The recognition is one of two MRS Awards nominations for DVJ Insights this year, alongside a nomination in the Application of Analytics category. Moving beyond engagement metrics As investment shifts towards social platforms, influencers and content creat

London, 7 October 2026 – DVJ Insights has been shortlisted for the 2026 MRS Application of Analytics Award for research investigating which concept-testing metrics validly predict in-market success. The recognition is one of two MRS Awards nominations for DVJ Insights this year, alongside a nomination in the Media Research category. Which metrics predict in-market success? Concept testing plays an important role in deciding which innovations companies launch and invest in. Ye

In a region as diverse and dynamic as Latin America, brand growth depends on more than simply having a strong product. Consumer behaviour is evolving rapidly, driven by digitalisation, changing media habits, and new technologies that are reshaping how people discover, evaluate, and purchase products. For Francisco Muñoz, Head of Insights & Analytics LATAM at Philips, growth starts with understanding consumers deeply, anticipating how their behaviour is changing, and adaptin

Marketing has never had more data, tools and ways to measure effectiveness. Yet for Elsa Ögren, Head of Marketing Science Northern Europe at Snap Inc., that does not necessarily mean marketers are making better decisions. After starting her career on the media agency side and spending seven years at Meta before joining Snap, Elsa has seen measurement evolve from traditional brand metrics, through the rise of digital attribution, to today's more fragmented landscape. Her view

With 170 years of heritage and a presence in almost 80 countries, Riso Gallo has built its international growth on a clear principle: know what the brand stands for and stay disciplined in how it delivers that position. For Cristiano Corsini, Export Marketing Manager at Riso Gallo, sustainable growth comes from combining strong brand positioning with deep consumer understanding, relevant innovation and commercially focused execution. In the UK, one of Riso Gallo’s largest i

London, 24 September 2026 – DVJ Insights has been shortlisted for the Quirk’s Award for Global Marketing Research Project for its work on the NIVEA CONNECT COMPASS, a global research programme developed together with NIVEA to better understand loneliness and human connection. The nomination follows DVJ’s recent ESOMAR Award for Best Social Impact Research for the same project, marking another major international recognition for the research and the team behind it. Combining s

When GLÜCK entered the German fruit spread market in 2017, the category was already highly saturated. Shelves were filled with established brands, consumption habits were mature, and most products followed the same conventions: around 50% fruit, traditional labels and tall, narrow jars. For Manuel Rodriguez, then Head of Marketing at Göbber and responsible for GLÜCK from 2019-2025, the opportunity from the team was not to fill an obvious gap in demand, but to redefine what

London, 22 September, 2026 – DVJ Insights and VodafoneThree have been shortlisted for the Quirk’s Award for Groundbreaking Research Project, recognising a new approach to brand tracking that moves beyond reporting performance to help explain what drives it. The partnership started with a shared ambition: to develop a more meaningful understanding of how consumers relate to brands and to make brand tracking more useful for strategic decision-making. Together, VodafoneThree and

The term artificial intelligence has become increasingly difficult to use precisely. A predictive model, ChatGPT, an image generator, a recommendation algorithm and an autonomous coding agent can all be described as AI, despite operating in very different ways. Technically, artificial intelligence also has a much older and broader academic definition that includes approaches such as rule-based systems, search and planning. In everyday business use, however, AI increasingly re

As marketing becomes increasingly data-rich and media continues to fragment, growing a brand has never been more complex. For Javier Acebo, Insight Director at Publicis, the answer lies not in choosing between short-term performance and long-term brand building, but in balancing both. Leading the insights function across Publicis’ media and creative agencies, Javier works closely with strategists to help brands make better decisions through research, measurement and interpret

London, 17 September 2026 – DVJ Insights has been shortlisted for three Quirk’s Awards, including Marketing Research Supplier of the Year, recognising the quality and added value behind the company’s continued growth. Alongside the agency nomination, DVJ has been shortlisted with VodafoneThree for Groundbreaking Research Project and with NIVEA for Global Marketing Research Project for NIVEA CONNECT. Quality as a driver for growth For DVJ, the three nominations are an importan

For Helen Hewlett, Senior Insights Manager for the Away From Home channel at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), brand growth starts with understanding where consumption is moving next. As consumer behaviour shifts across channels, occasions and lifestyles, the role of Insights is no longer simply to explain what happened yesterday. It is to help the business anticipate where future opportunities lie, distinguish meaningful trends from short-term noise, and translate growi

Generative AI gives advertisers something they have always wanted: more creative output, produced faster and at lower cost. But a new question is emerging. What happens when consumers know that AI was involved? That question is becoming increasingly relevant as European transparency requirements around certain forms of AI-generated and manipulated content come into effect. The discussion therefore moves beyond whether marketers can use AI. The more interesting question is how

For Antonia Dedekind, innovation is not about launching the next exciting product for the sake of technical feasibility or novelty. Based on her experience across consumer insights and innovation, sustainable brand growth starts much earlier: with a deep understanding of consumers, culture and the human truths a brand can credibly own. When Antonia joined Pandora seven years ago, she started in Consumer Insights before moving into Innovation, where she now leads the company’s

One in four Dutch people do not invest despite having the financial means to do so. So, what is stopping them? Research by DVJ Insights for DUFAS reveals that the biggest barriers go beyond money – from lack of knowledge and fear of making mistakes to information overload and the feeling that investing is simply “not my world”. The challenge: Why do financially capable consumers not invest? As financial security becomes increasingly important, DUFAS, the Dutch Fund and Asse

Utrecht, 9 September 2026 – DVJ Insights has won a global ESOMAR Award for Best Social Impact Research for NIVEA CONNECT, recognising their work to understand loneliness better and turn research into meaningful societal action. At the heart of the award-winning work is the NIVEA CONNECT COMPASS, a global research programme conducted among more than 30,000 people across 13 countries. The research set out to make one of society’s most widespread yet often invisible challenges b

When Kellanova separated from Kellogg Company in 2023, it sharpened its ambition to become a global snacking leader. For Carmel Balala, Senior European Away From Home Channel Strategy Manager, that ambition is particularly visible in the Away From Home (AFH) channel. From convenience stores and cinemas to pubs, hospitals and leisure venues, growth is no longer simply about increasing distribution. It is about understanding consumer occasions, tailoring propositions to differe

The Myth of the Second Purchase One of the most persistent beliefs in concept testing is that repeat purchase lies beyond its reach. A concept test may indicate whether consumers are interested in an innovation. It may help predict whether they will notice it, consider it or perhaps try it for the first time. But whether they subsequently buy it again is commonly assumed to depend almost entirely on the actual product experience.

Marketers have more data, technology and tools than ever, but Dan White believes that does not necessarily make marketing better. The real challenge is knowing what evidence matters, turning it into action and retaining the human judgement needed to make good decisions. As a marketing consultant, author and founder of SmartMarketing.me, Dan is known for translating complex marketing concepts into simple visual frameworks. Having spent much of his career studying advertising e