12:00 – 12:05pm
Welcome Remarks
Scott McDonald, Ph.D. — President and CEO, ARF

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12:05 – 12:25pm
Meeting Consumers Where They Will Be
Marketers aren’t strangers to adapting their strategies to meet consumers where they’re at. But with the influx of new technologies, platforms and now, even dimensions, marketers need to understand which new and trendy channels their most important audiences will be using—or, more importantly, will not be using—so they can maximize marketing spend. Hear about techniques marketers can deploy to produce campaigns that drive consumer action and advocacy.
Molly Poppie — SVP, Product Strategy & Research, Nielsen

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12:25 – 12:45pm
Can Search Forecast Category Demand?
Econometric models for search trends offer a promising way to forecast future category demand. The first component is the construction of an index using multiple search terms. The next component is the collection of explanatory variables, such as interest rates or covid-19 mobility data relevant to the category. The final component is developing an econometric forecasting model that predicts the future category demand. These forecasts enable marketers to time their campaigns to capture demand upticks and identify gaps between their own brand and category performance.
Michael Heberle — Chief Analytics Officer, Kinesso

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12:45 – 1:05pm
Transforming Insights Into Impact
How can organizations harness the power of a holistic analytics program for maximum business impact? In this session, Twitter and Analytic Partners, will dive into that question and more. Find out how Twitter made data-driven decisions for the future, identified trends and planned for both short and long-term success through its action-oriented analytics program, and how other brands can do the same.
Vani Petkar — Senior Manager Marketing Analytics, Twitter
Mike Storms — Vice President, Analytic Partners

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1:05 – 1:25pm
Are Gold Standard Probability Methods Still Worth the Bother?
Many marketing forecasts of consumer demand and behavior rely on self-reported consumer survey data. Probability surveys cost far more than using inexpensive opt-in convenience samples of consumers, produce smaller sample sizes, and take more time for the data collection. With those drawbacks, are the probability methods worth it? What happens to the accuracy of forecasts of consumer behavior when using non-probability samples alone, as compared to using probability samples or at least blending probability/non-probability samples (analyzed with calibrating weights). The talk will present case studies of recent consumer marketing surveys to answer these questions in the areas of personal technology, health care products, non-durable consumer goods, and other categories. The case studies will help researchers assess the extent to which probability only or blended probability /non-probability samples can improve the accuracy and reliability of forecasting estimates, and therefore potentially, make it worth the bother to use gold-standard probability methods.
J. Michael Dennis — SVP and Executive Director, AmeriSpeak, NORC at the University of Chicago

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1:25 – 1:45pm
Forecasting in the Age of COVID
How can organizations build forecasting solutions that work across a variety of categories when the world is changing around them? Learn about the approaches Unilever took when COVID hit in March 2020. Traditional ways of category forecasting needed to be reimagined quickly, and in the months that followed, new processes were developed in-house using a mixture of art and science. Also, hear how the team was able to get leadership buy in and cross functional support in a large organization – as well as how these models continue to be adapted and scaled.
Carolyn Bykowski — Senior Manager, CMI Performance & Analytics, Unilever

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1:45 – 1:55pm
Q&A

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1:55 – 2:00pm
Closing Remarks
Scott McDonald, Ph.D. — President and CEO, ARF