Most companies don’t ignore research on purpose. They invest in it with the hope that it will sharpen strategy and reduce uncertainty. Yet too often, research ends up as a report that sits on a shelf, while teams return to old habits or gut feel.
- Back in the early 2000s, even a giant like Procter & Gamble was struggling with research not delivering the business results they expected. Their flagship Tide brand was a household name, but innovation success rates were low: only about 15% of new initiatives were meeting profit and revenue targets.
P&G didn’t respond by simply commissioning more studies. They changed how they used research. They built what they called a “new-growth factory:” processes and teams designed not just to generate insights but to carry them through to product development, marketing, and strategy. They opened up to outside partners, created internal coaches to guide innovation projects, and developed toolkits to help different functions act on insights.
The results were dramatic. Within about a decade, Tide’s revenues nearly doubled, helping its fabric and home-care division grow from roughly $12 billion to nearly $24 billion. In other words, they turned research into a driver of growth by investing in what happens after the data is collected.
Of course, not every company has the scale or resources of P&G. But the lesson applies far beyond consumer-goods giants: research produces the greatest returns when you budget for the “last mile,” when you tie findings to financial outcomes, and when you make insights easy for people across the company to use.
Here are three practices you can apply, no matter your company size:
- Budget for the “last mile”
Most research budgets go toward data collection and analysis, with little left for embedding insights. That’s a missed opportunity. The last mile is where insights turn into action: facilitated workshops, action plans, internal roadshows, training sessions. Even setting aside 10% of your research budget for activation can make the difference between a report that sits on a shelf and insights that change strategy.
Try this: For your next project, include a session where key stakeholders co-create an action plan from the findings. When people shape the plan themselves, they’re far more likely to follow through. - Translate insights into financial implications
Executives act when they see dollar signs. An insight like “customers are frustrated by onboarding” is interesting. But reframed as “if we reduce onboarding drop-off by 5%, we could gain $2 million in annual revenue,” it becomes actionable.
Try this: For each major finding, sketch a quick “back-of-the-napkin” estimate of what acting on it could mean financially. It doesn’t have to be precise: directional numbers spark urgency and support. - Design outputs for shareability
The people who need to act on research often won’t read a 60-page report. But they will look at a one-page infographic, a short video, or a set of personas they can pin to their office wall. The more portable and shareable your insights are, the more they spread inside the organization.
Try this: Ask yourself, “If someone only had 60 seconds with this finding, what would I want them to remember?” Build a summary or visual around that.
Research is an investment. But like P&G discovered, the return depends on how the findings are activated. Companies that budget for the last mile, tie insights to dollars, and make findings easy to share don’t just learn about their customers, they become more competitive.
Want to make sure your next research project leads to real impact? Let’s talk about how to get there. Contact me at info at bureauwest.com.