Episode 1: Emerging opportunities for researchers in the world of strategy with Marilena D’Amone

Pebble Presents Marilena D’Amone, a seasoned insights professional, to chat with Emelia about the evolving landscape of strategy and insights in research. They discuss Marlena's journey from research agency to client-side roles, the importance of understanding business needs, four key principles that drive business impact in insights work, and her advice for existing and aspiring qualitative researchers. They also discuss the shocking fact that a very small percentage of insights lead to business outcomes, why, and how that number could improve.

Emelia Rallapalli is the founder of Pebble Strategy - a brand strategy and marketing research consultancy. Pebble provides custom-made research programs, marketing strategy consulting, and account planning services. 

Marilena D’Amone is an NYC-based dynamic strategy and insights professional with a sharp commercial edge and a proven track record of driving success for multinational organizations and iconic brands across the globe, including serving in insights and analytics leadership positions at companies like Reckitt, Nestle, and PepsiCo. She has lived and worked across multiple countries, including Italy, the UK, Brazil, Canada, Russia, Poland, and currently the U.S. (New York City).

Welcome to Pebble Presents.

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Thanks for listening and joining the conversation!

Resources and References 

• Marilena D’Amone on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilenadamone

Show Notes 

0:23 - Emelia introduces today's special guest and subject

2:06 - Marilena shares more of her professional background and how she got to where she is

8:57 - Marilena discusses the types of challenges she has seen from all of the different seats she has sat in professionally

12:50 - Marilena details additional themes she has seen in her work, as well as the 4 principles she stands by

20:08 - Emelia and Marilena discuss a study stating that only 20% of insights deliver business outcomes, and what that means for the insights community

22:17 - Marilena talks how sophisticated large organizations are in understanding research 

24:50 - Emelia and Marilena break down the fact that, while we need to work at the speed of business, there is a significant loss when we treat insights, data, and intelligence as something that can be acquired quickly and cheaply

30:37 - Emelia asks: How can we open our minds and opportunity spaces to do this work in other contexts?

34:28 - Marilena and Emelia discuss what happens when an organization is solely focused on short-term goals

37:07 - Marilena shares advice on how qualitative researchers can serve their clients better in today's business climate

41:31 - Emelia recalls her memories of watching Marilena moderate, and inquires about her training

42:50 - Marilena and Emelia reflect on the art and science of moderation

44:31 - Emelia and Marilena detail their very first memories moderating focus groups

47:28 - Emelia brings the episode to a close

Episode Credits

Executive Producer: Emelia Rallapalli

Producer: Stephanie Watanabe 

Editing & Post Producer: Erin Zimmerman

Artwork & Design: Liisa Turan-Walters