GWI

Every friend group has one: the person who books the hotel, buys the tickets, pays for dinner - and gets paid back later. PayPal calls them the Chief Friend Officer. According to Jason Schifrien, Head of Ads GTM at PayPal, that one person has an outsized influence on what an entire group actually ends up buying, and PayPal's transaction data can see it happening in real time. In the latest Talk Data to Me, Jason breaks down how PayPal's transaction graph (built on 400 million users and 30 million merchants) tracks real purchases rather than inferred intent, and what that unlocks. Watch the full episode 👉 https://lnkd.in/eJ-s975u

Wondering where Gen Z is locking in? 🎮 We've teamed up with Gameloft for brands to dig deep into the data about Gen Z & gaming. Get the full report 👇

🎙 Is synthetic data a miracle, a mirage, or a method? That was the question on the table (literally) at our GWI London Supper Club last week. Jason Mander led guests through the debate at JOIA Battersea, setting the tone for an evening full of sharp thinking. A brilliant night of data, debate, and dinner. Thank you to Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club for bringing the good vibes. 💃 #ConsumerInsights #MarketResearch #SyntheticData

Gen Z is sick of the fakeness of social media. One in three posts on social platforms today is generated by AI. According to Ben Moore, US Managing Director at BeReal., that's exactly why the app is having a comeback. In fact, 58% of BeReal users say they're unhappy with their experience everywhere else. In the latest Talk Data to Me, Ben tells us why BeReal is betting the opposite way. Watch the full episode 👉 https://lnkd.in/emCHzWA7

🌆 That's a wrap on our Q2 Singapore Supper Club! Last week, GWI's Supper Club touched down at SKAI Bar, high above Marina Bay, for Insights as a Growth Engine: A Conversation with GWI. Daryll John Kaan, Brand & Product Marketing Lead at TikTok, and Samuele Saini, Director of Ad Solutions SEA at Google, sat down with us to talk through how insights are being redefined - and why organizations need to embrace self-serve insights with agility and accuracy in order to drive commercial impact.  Great guests, incredible food, and a skyline to match. Thanks for being part of it 🩷 Roopali Sharma, Rakshita Harish, Chris Flynn, Edward Piper, Sufyan Sulaiman

🎮 What if GTA VI sells more than a game? 57% of current players are interested in buying a next-gen console. Also in this week's On The Dot: the “wealthiest” apps and the surprising cultural power of Dollywood. Take a look 👇

700 trillion signals a year. That's what MiQ's AI sifts through to help decide what ad you see next. In the latest Talk Data to Me, Tom Richards, SVP of Global Product at MiQ, makes the case that speed isn't the hard part of AI — trust is. Anyone can build something fast. The real challenge is building something accurate enough, and transparent enough, that people actually believe the answer. He also makes the point that no single company is going to solve AI on its own, and the way forward is collaboration. Watch the full episode 👉 https://lnkd.in/eUaiNUQN

San Francisco, you showed up! Last week, GWI brought the supper club to La Mar Cocina on the Embarcadero for An Evening With GWI: Closing the Gap Between Insights and Impact. Jeremiah Montana, Client Partner, Financial Services at Meta, joined us for a fireside chat on what happens when research stops living in a silo and starts showing up inside every seller's workflow. We also gave guests a first look at our newest product in action, alongside a three-course dinner and those unmistakable bay views. Check out photos from the evening! Huge thanks to Jeremiah for the candid conversation, and to everyone who joined us at the table. Until next time! Photos courtesy of Robbie Gomez

Your category may be bigger than your product - as opera, of all things, can teach us. Only 28% of those interested in opera actually listen to opera music, reminding us that for any category, there’s substantial opportunity in adjacent areas - whether or not they involve velvet curtains and elaborate costumes. In this week's On the dot, read about going rogue, the WNBA, and East German price controls.

Everyone targets Gen Z. Almost nobody agrees on who they are. 😵💫 We looked at the data across 50+ markets, and the picture is clear: the differences inside the generation are bigger than the differences between generations. Age brackets are the laziest segment in marketing. We're looking to challenge these assumptions on marketing's biggest stage at SXSW 2027 – but your vote decides whether it happens 👀. Vote now to bring our Does Gen Z Really Exist session to the stage: https://bit.ly/3ScUBJY #ApplicantatSXSW #SXSWApplicant #SXSW #GenZ