The document discusses the challenges of using automation in technical research. It notes that while automation promises more impact, lower costs, and faster results, it also has limitations. Specifically, automation cannot replace human judgment and fails to provide deeper consumer insights. It also risks overpromising what it can deliver. Additionally, overreliance on automation could devalue researchers and agencies. While automation may reduce costs in the long run, human expertise remains needed to understand consumers beyond data and avoid missing important but unarticulated insights.

1. Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
Challenges of Using Automation in
Technical Research
Jonathan Million

2. Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
The Challenges of Using Automation in Technical Research
Global Technical Researcher Director
20 years working in the FMCG Sector
Key accounts:
§ Unilever
§ Reckitt Benckiser
§ Mars
Key Skills:
§ Product Innovation
§ Formulation
§ Claims
§ Category
Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR

3. Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
Brands are under constant pressure to deliver more for less
More Impact
Less Resource /
Investment
Quicker

4. Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
‘Gives deeper insights while delivering
efficiencies in time and money’
‘Agency quality insight at machine
speed’
‘Gain deeper insights by using video’
‘Video insight made easy’
Social Media
Platforms/
Events/Direct
Mail
Brand
Managers
Marketing
Managers
Research
Managers

5. Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
”Of course, it is always great to see videos of consumers…what we
really need is actionable insight, understanding how consumers
connect with our brands and the language they use by observing the
unarticulated needs of consumers.”
Human: What is an insight?
Robot: You will have to tell me
Robots don’t know what an insight is
Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
Robots rely on prediction models and programming, with no feeling or
intuition.
This is where the results of automation become questionable.

6. Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
Online Shopper Category Development
§ Consumers not in category context
§ 2 dimensional imagery on small
screens, often mobile device.
§ Cannot probe based on behaviour
Video
§ Doesn't see unarticulated wins/fails
§ Can misinterpret consumers leading
to inaccurate transcription
§ Evidence of emotional data
inconsistencies
Are brands aware when automation does not deliver?
Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
Risks:

7. Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
£25 per minute
Brands have a difficult decision to make as costs vary
massively
Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
£1 per minute
Transcription Services from video

8. Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
Insight AI Human
Kids like ice cream Y Y
The depth of insight
Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
Determine favourite basic flavours Y Y
Favourite brand Y Y
Who decides what to buy child/mum Y Y
Where does this happen Y Y
Kids feel overpowered by mum who wants to buy promotional deals N Y
Kids struggle to communicate real feelings as not to upset mum and
look ungrateful
N Y

9. Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
Human
Sub samples of
human analysed
data
Stages 2 and 3 will determine the advancing technology within automation.
3 levels for brands to protect undiscovered insights?
50/50 Robot/
Human

10. Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
A presenter was asked, do we need data analysts anymore?...the answer was “probably, in the long term…no.”
Concerns
Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
Agencies
§ Agencies offering great value can
lose work based on cost
§ Agencies may take short cuts to
compete with automation
Researchers
§ Researchers will be devalued
§ New Researchers need to know
that consumers are real and not
just data
§ Key to development of
researchers to meet ‘consumers’
§ Without connecting to consumers,
researchers will become robots
The Industry
§ The industry reputation depends
on delighting clients by setting the
right expectations
§ Automation companies have a
responsibility to limit their claims to
reality by drawing a clear line
through what they can and
cannot achieve

11. Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
Summing up
More Impact
Less Resource /
Investment
Quicker
Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR

12. Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
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you!4325 Park Approach, Thorpe Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS15 8GB
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Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR

13. Challenges of using automation in technical research
Jonathan Million, Blue Yonder Research
Opportunities &
Challenges in MR
Q & A
Jonathan Million
Blue Yonder Research
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