In this episode of Signal and Noise, Brian and Andrew sit down with Erin Sowell, owner and principal consultant at Thoughtful Research. Erin brings a background that is genuinely uncommon in the insights world, starting in environmental science and entrepreneurship before discovering market research through the product development process and going on to earn her master's degree from the University of Georgia's highly regarded MMR program, where she now serves on the advisory board.

The conversation digs into what it actually looks like to run a small, independent research consultancy built around integrated insights, bringing together qual, quant, and existing client data to answer business questions rather than just execute studies. Erin walks through a real project where a B2B client had a product that customers asked for and then refused to buy, and how a phased qual-to-quant approach helped uncover that the problem was not the product but the positioning and targeting strategy around it.

Brian and Andrew also explore one of the more underappreciated challenges in the industry: working with clients who have never done primary research before. Erin talks candidly about what it means to not just sell a study but to introduce an organization to research itself, the white-glove education involved, the sticker price shock, and why getting that first impression right matters so much for the long-term relationship a client develops with insights as a function.

Key Takeaways:

• How Erin built Thoughtful Research around integrated insights and a consultative, business-first approach rather than a methodology-first one

• The unique challenge and opportunity of working with clients who are brand new to primary research

• How Erin is using AI for qualitative analysis and building toward always-on forecasting and leading indicator capabilities

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In this episode of Signal and Noise, Brian and Andrew ditch the agenda and go full rant mode, recording from Andrew's hotel in Atlanta with no guest, no script, and no filter.

The topic is AI anxiety. Not the doom spiral variety, but the very real, day-to-day frustration of trying to stay current with a technology that moves faster than any organization can evaluate, approve, or implement. Andrew frames it as trying to build a robot underwater with one arm tied behind his back, in a wave pool, while the water keeps changing.

The conversation gets honest about what this looks like in practice, from juggling a growing personal stack of AI tools to navigating the very different constraints that come with using AI inside a company holding PII, client data, and SOC 2 compliance obligations. They land on a practical and surprisingly calming framework: stop chasing the best model and start building your processes in a model-agnostic way so your work survives the next wave of change regardless of which tool wins.

The episode ends with both hosts arriving at genuine excitement rather than dread, and an open invitation for listeners navigating the same thing to come on the show and talk through it.

Key Takeaways:

• Why AI anxiety is a real and shared experience for market research professionals right now, and why the pace of model releases makes organizational adoption feel nearly impossible to time correctly

• The case for being model agnostic and building AI workflows that do not depend on any single tool or provider, so your work survives the next wave of change

• Why the Anthropic report on AI exposure by industry means market research professionals should be excited, not threatened

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In this quick-hit episode of Signal and Noise, Andrew catches up with Brian fresh off the floor of SampleCon 2026, recording from the Delta Sky Club in Seattle. No studio setup, no guests, just a real-time debrief from one of the industry's most dedicated annual gatherings.

Brian shares his firsthand impressions of a conference that felt noticeably different this year. SampleCon is evolving. What once centered on panel standards and supplier partnerships is now leaning hard into technology, AI implementation, and a wave of new faces and companies that would have felt out of place at the event just a few years ago. Brian compares the vibe to a smaller IIEX, and that is not a small compliment.

The conversation covers the headline moment of the conference, a point-counterpoint keynote debate between Patrick Comer and Melanie Courtright on human versus synthetic respondents, the growing industry consensus shifting from "should we use synthetic?" to "prove to us that it works," and a standout session from Walmart's research team making a public case for better respondent care and panel investment.

Key Takeaways:

• How SampleCon is evolving from a supplier networking event into a technology and innovation conference

• What one keynote debate revealed about where the industry stands on synthetic research

• Why the conversation around AI and synthetic data has shifted from "should we?" to "prove it works"

• Why conferences held at resort-style venues create a different and arguably more productive networking environment

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