THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
The latest industry insights and trends.
Get a fresh perspective on your world as we continually experiment with new methods, innovate new tools and explore contemporary topics.
Feature story
Ignite 360 Announces Return of Rob Volpe as 3rd CEO; Lisa Osborne Departs Ignite 360
Ignite 360, a consumer insights and marketing strategy firm known for its commitment to elevating human understanding to unlock growth for Fortune 500 brands and businesses, announces that Rob Volpe, founder and chairman, is appointed the 3rd CEO of the company effective February 23.
Ignite 360 Announces Appointment of Lisa Osborne as New CEO, Succeeding Founder Rob Volpe
Ignite 360, a consumer insights and marketing strategy firm known for its commitment to elevating human understanding to unlock growth for Fortune 500 brands and businesses, announces the appointment of current COO, Lisa Osborne, as the CEO effective Sept. 12 while current CEO and founder, Rob Volpe, is moving into a Chairman position.
Empowering the Skills to Succeed at Being the People We Are
When you have empathy, you are able to use it, along with other data points to be better at communication, collaboration, problem-solving, persuasion, ideation, building trust, reaching forgiveness and having compassion. Empathy is only effective when it’s expressed.
Rob Volpe, Empathy Activist explains how to build your empathy ability and strengthen it like a muscle to flex when you need to.
Decisions… Decisions… Decisions: Consumer Frustrations in Inflation Laden Grocery Aisles
Mixed messages abound about the state of the economy but one thing is clear, “it’s a wild time” according to consumers. Learn how the Navigating to a New Normal participants and broader US adult population are coping with inflation in Winter 2023.
Considering a reboot this year? What you need to power up your leadership and take your decision-making to the next level.
How’s your intuition holding up these days? Were you able to predict the changes in consumer behavior over the past 16 months? Call it what you like, a gut feeling, killer instincts, or a sixth sense –a strong and precise intuition is essential to any business leader’s decision-making success. Today we share the secret behind the engine that fuels your intuition… empathy!
Who Moved My Cheese? Literally! - 3 Tips for Better Customer Experience in Times of Change
Shoppers are a finicky bunch. The goodwill of your customers can be easily thrown off if you mess with the muscle memory they have built up over years of repeated behaviors shopping for the same items. Beware your next shelf reset! Here are 3 tips to help you keep the peace.
How Would You Answer This Question? The State of Practicing Empathy in America: Part One
Empathy skills have been in decline in the US, but just how bad is it? This article is the first in our series on the state of practicing empathy in America, and establishes an empathy baseline.
Can We Handle One More Surge? Coping Skills Two Years Into a Pandemic.
Ready for one more surge? If the receding Omicron wave is any indication, the answer is no. What does this mean for a frustrated and fed up society and how does it impact your business?
How to Tell Consumer Stories that Break through the Noise
Do you see your consumers as a collection of stories or statistics? Listen as CEO Rob Volpe connects the dots between empathy and insights with stories from his new book Tell Me More about That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time.
You Need to Be Where You Are Happy – 3 Lessons from 2021 and Hope for the Future
How would you describe 2021? What have you learned about yourself? We put these questions to the Navigating to a New Normal participants as well as their vision for the new year. The answers may surprise you.
Where Do Brands Go From Here? 5 New Considerations for Setting Brand Strategy
Every day we move closer and closer to the re-stabilization of society. Your consumers and customers are already exhibiting new behaviors for this next era. The challenge for your brand is to meet them where they will be, not where they’ve been. The key to success for 2022? Flexibility.
How Consumer Insourcing is Impacting You and Your Business (and 3 Steps to Deal with It)
A funny thing happened as life started to open up in summer 2021. People weren’t finding the value and benefit they used to out of their away-from-home experiences. It was more satisfying and rewarding to “insource” and do it themselves. What’s behind this phenomenon and what can your business do about it? Navigating to a New Normal respondents share their experiences.
The Most Exciting, and Terrifying, Time to Be in Consumer Insights
We asked 3 of the brightest client-side insights leaders we know to participate in a roundtable discussion about a range of issues facing the industry today.
Elizabeth Oates, Sr. Director, Consumer Insights at Ulta Beauty, Humayun Rashid, Director, Microsoft 365 Research & Insights, and Marlene Straszewski, former Senior Director, Consumer Insights at General Mills each shared insight and perspective on the evolving role of the consumer, what research methods will be in demand in the future as society opens up again, the power and importance of listening as well as what’s needed from insights agency partners today.
Reboot Your Intuition for the Win
A strong intuition is essential to any business leader’s success. Call it what you like, a gut feeling, killer instincts, a sixth sense or intuition, this deeper sensibility has a seat at your mental table for your best decision making, collaborating with colleagues, and creating marketing programs for your consumers. You need your intuition to be strong and precise. What nourishes a healthy intuition? Empathy.
3 Easy Steps to Get People to Care about Environmental Efforts
In the past year of pandemic-induced reflection, trips to outdoor spaces grew in popularity. With that outdoor time, we have been more exposed to the effects of pollution and climate change and the impact of our actions. As part of Ignite 360’s Navigating to a New Normal study (and in celebration of Earth Day) we asked our respondents about challenges facing the environment and if they feel their efforts are having any meaningful impact. CEO Rob Volpe shares the story and reveals 3 Steps companies can use to remove barriers and motivate consumer behavior towards positive change.
Getting Our Groove Back – How the 4Bs are Changing American Celebrations
President Biden’s declaration that Americans could enjoy small barbecues and celebrations on July 4th was met with a dissonant mix of disbelief and relief. As part of our Navigating to a New Normal study, we asked our survey respondents what they thought the holidays would be like. What will that feel like, let alone look like? Are we ready to hug our loved ones again?
Life in Stasis: Portraits from the Pandemic
We asked our Navigating to a New Normal respondents to reflect back and collect photos that best represent the pandemic as well as their life during 2020. What emerged was a portrait of the early confusion, followed by adaptation and hope as they endured this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Chapter 9: Renewing Our Sense of Faith in Troubled Times
Faith, no matter how you define it, has been challenged during this year of pandemic by the forces of nature, different points of view and outright acts of hatred. This disruption to ‘normal’ life has changed how Americans think about and connect with their faith in some surprising ways.
This chapter explores the ways Americans are reconnecting with their sense of faith and how it represents many of the changes approaching our society as we find our way to a new normal.
Juicing Empathy for Better Business Results
How do you turn a squishy skill like empathy into a tool to drive decision making and business results? You juice it, of course!
Chapter 8: The End is the Beginning – 3 Things You Can Do Now to Plan for the Future
Forget about what’s happening right now or even tomorrow. The billion-dollar question that every business should be thinking about is, “What’s going to happen when we get the all-clear signal to return to ‘normal’ life, and what will normal life even look like?” Rob Volpe shares insights from his Quirk’s Virtual Event presentation, The End is the Beginning. Find out how and when things are really going to get interesting – so you can plan for that inevitability now!