From Ideas to Impact: Key Takeaways from IIEX APAC 2025 to Cultivate an Innovative Mindset

This year’s IIEX APAC conference brought together brilliant minds from across the globe, sparking fresh conversations on topics ranging from AI-powered research methodologies to negotiation skills and scaling startups.

One key theme stood out to me: while technology, particularly AI, is transforming industries, human creativity remains the driving force behind true innovation.

As a member of Nova, where I continuously explore and assess emerging market research technologies, this conference served as a valuable reminder—innovation is not just about AI. It takes many forms, often in ways we might overlook.

At its core, innovation is anything done differently that creates impact.

Here are my five key takeaways from the conference that can help foster innovation within your market research team:

Before an idea or new technology can create impact, your team needs to embrace it. The Change Management session by Planet Technologies reinforced this—adoption is just as important as the innovation itself.

Change can be exciting for some, intimidating for others, and outright resisted by a few. That’s why successful innovation isn’t just about rolling out new tools; it’s about guiding your team through the transition with clarity, empathy, and a shared vision.

Great ideas shouldn’t stay confined to a single team or function. Innovation should be shared and scaled.

Mastercard exemplified this by empowering innovation ambassadors—internal champions who bridge the gap between new technologies and end users, ensuring innovations are effectively implemented across global teams.

At MMR, we follow a similar approach. Alexandra Kuzmina, our Innovation Associate Director, leads a team of innovation ambassadors who drive the adoption of new ideas and technologies across the business.

For global organizations, having local ambassadors ensures that innovation is tailored to regional needs, making it truly impactful.

Kellanova and Gojek showcased how co-creation—inviting participants to collaborate through interactive brainstorming activities—can generate groundbreaking ideas.

As market researchers, we constantly balance making research participant-friendly while staying focused on objectives. Engaging participants not only improves data quality but also leads to deeper insights.

While AI can enhance research methodologies, knowing when to leverage it versus when a human-led approach is more effective is key. Innovation isn’t just about using AI—it’s about using the right tools for the right purpose.

Many conference sessions explored AI applications in research, including:

• Conversational AI for qualitative research

• AI-generated reports for faster insights

• AI-powered packaging research

These tools are promising, but their success depends on three critical factors:

1. How AI models are developed for specific use cases

1. When human expertise should intervene

1. Understanding the limitations of AI and how to work around them

Before adopting any AI tool, ask yourself:

• Where does my expertise influence the output the most?

• Is this tool relevant to my niche?

• What are its limitations, and how can I navigate them?

AI is powerful, but its impact is shaped by those who use it wisely.

Our Global Innovation Director, Ansie Collier, often emphasizes that innovation thrives when we focus on the ideas that matter most. IIEX APAC offered a wealth of insights—from consumer health trends to nostalgic marketing strategies and co-creation techniques. With so many potential avenues for innovation, the challenge isn’t generating ideas—it’s prioritizing the ones with the greatest impact.

However, staying focused doesn’t mean shutting out inspiration from other fields. Keeping an open mind to ideas outside your niche can spark unexpected, game-changing innovations.

Innovation is vast, constantly evolving, and unique to each business. Frameworks like this help guide our journey, but ultimately, innovation is driven by purpose.

At Nova – MMR's dedicated innovation team - our efforts are centered on bringing consumer stories and product experiences to life, helping clients create impactful products. That is our "why."

As you explore new innovations, take a moment to reflect: What is your purpose for innovating?

If you’re interested in more insights on innovation and AI in market research, subscribe to our Nova Partnership Initiative Newsletter.