Pre-planning season is one of the most important – yet often overlooked – phases in a company’s annual strategy cycle. Before departments start finalizing plans, allocating budgets, or defining next year’s roadmaps, this early stage in Q3 is the time to gather, analyze, and apply the consumer and market data that will inform those decisions.

But during this time, insights teams are often asked to do more with less. They may be responding to real-time business needs while also being responsible for preparing whole new research to support future strategy. Without added bandwidth or fresh thinking, even skilled teams can find it challenging to meet the demand.

Why insights matter before planning, not just during

When it comes to strategic planning, having the right consumer understanding in hand before decisions are made is non-negotiable. Without solid insights at this stage, companies risk making costly assumptions or moving too fast based on outdated data.

That’s why insights pre-planning support is so valuable. A clear, data-driven understanding of your target audience, market shifts, and behavioral trends enables leaders to:

• Identify growth opportunities grounded in consumer demand
• Spot emerging challenges and address them early
• Build strategic plans aligned with evolving customer needs
• Prioritize initiatives using real-world evidence

What makes this season so challenging?

Unlike formal planning season, which often has more deadline-driven structure, pre-planning can feel ambiguous. Teams know they need to start exploring questions, but may not have scoped out what’s needed – or who will execute it. Without clear priorities and additional support, important groundwork often gets delayed.

Compounding this, many companies face resource bottlenecks in Q3. Key staff are focused on finishing the current year strong, hiring is often frozen, and timelines are tight. That’s where temporary insights help becomes essential.

How On Demand Talent bridges the gap

Instead of expanding your team or pulling employees in multiple directions, hiring a fractional Consumer Insights Lead through an On Demand Talent solution offers a fast, efficient way to scale up during the pre-planning phase. These professionals bring seasoned market research support, ramp up quickly, and help ensure your strategy is built with the consumer at the center – all without adding permanent headcount.

Whether you need a short-term insights strategy, support with new research, or a second set of eyes on existing data, a fractional expert ensures your decisions are informed, not improvised.

A fractional Consumer Insights Lead is a senior-level insights professional who joins your organization on a part-time, project, or temporary basis. They typically operate independently but integrate closely with your team, offering both strategic guidance and hands-on research support. Unlike full-time hires or junior contractors, these experts bring years of experience and can start contributing immediately.

They’re often used when a business needs high-level market research support but doesn’t have the internal bandwidth or budget to hire someone full-time. This is especially valuable during periods like pre-planning, when timing, insight quality, and speed are all critical.

What does a fractional insights lead actually do?

Depending on your team’s gaps and goals, a fractional insights leader can step in to:

• Lead pre-planning research initiatives to uncover consumer needs or trends
• Analyze and synthesize existing consumer data to surface clear takeaways
• Translate consumer insights into actionable strategy recommendations
• Advise on quantitative and qualitative methodologies
• Manage vendor relationships, timelines, and reporting for insights projects

Their role is flexible based on your organization's needs. Some provide strategic oversight and stakeholder alignment, while others work alongside embedded teams on specific high-impact research projects.

Why organizations hire insights leads on a flexible basis

Bringing in a contract insights specialist for pre-planning makes sense for several reasons:

First, they provide objective perspective, untied to internal politics or legacy processes. This allows them to question assumptions, spot blind spots, and bring a fresh lens to planning.

Second, they offer immediate implementation. Through vetted On Demand Talent solutions like SIVO Insights, these professionals can be matched and ramped up in days – compared to the months it can take to recruit, interview, and onboard full-time employees or consultants.

Third, they help you scale quickly without risk. You're not adding to your long-term labor costs, but gaining the value of senior-level thinking.

Not just freelancers – proven industry experts

It’s worth noting that On Demand Talent from SIVO Insights is not the same as general freelance platforms. These are vetted consumer insights experts with deep experience across industries. They’re ready to embed into your organization, partner with stakeholders, and drive meaningful outcomes. Unlike traditional freelancers, who may require significant oversight or have inconsistent availability, On Demand Talent delivers high-caliber expertise with greater flexibility.

For example, a fictional CPG brand preparing to launch a new wellness product ahead of their next fiscal year brought in a fractional insights lead to run early-stage consumer validation. While their internal team stayed focused on in-progress campaigns, the On Demand professional delivered market research pre-planning help that shaped launch strategy – all within a focused 10-week window.

Ultimately, a fractional Consumer Insights Lead empowers your business to move faster, think smarter, and build plans anchored in real consumer understanding – when it matters most.

As organizations prepare for strategic planning, the need for insight-driven decision-making becomes increasingly urgent. Many teams face a common dilemma: they need experienced support, but can’t commit to hiring a full-time consumer insights expert. Others consider freelancers, but find inconsistent quality or lack of integration into the broader business context. This is where hiring a fractional insights lead provides a smart, flexible alternative.

Why not just hire full-time?

Hiring a full-time insights lead may seem like the gold standard, but it comes with limitations – especially during seasonal surges like pre-planning. Full-time roles take time to fill (recruiting cycles can span months) and come with ongoing headcount costs regardless of your project load. If your insights needs are cyclical or limited to the pre-planning window, committing to a permanent hire may not make sense.

And freelancers? Not always the best fit

Freelancers can provide short-term help, but they often lack the strategic background or business acumen required to contribute meaningfully during enterprise-level planning. They may tackle discrete assignments, but they’re rarely embedded enough to deliver consistent, high-value support. Additionally, freelancers may require more oversight, making them less efficient when time is tight.

The fractional advantage

By contrast, a fractional insights lead serves as a trusted expert embedded within your team for the defined period you need them. They bring senior-level market research expertise, are grounded in business strategy, and can plug into your planning process with minimal onboarding. You receive the strategic benefits of a seasoned leader without a full-time commitment.

• Immediate deployment to support tight planning timelines
• No long-term commitment or budget strain
• Higher consistency and strategic contribution than typical freelancers
• Experienced in stakeholder management, vendor oversight, and data storytelling

Whether you're increasing internal bandwidth or temporarily filling a gap, the benefits of hiring a contract consumer insights expert stretch far beyond just ‘getting work done.’ Fractional leaders can elevate your entire planning strategy.

Strategic planning depends on timely, actionable data – but pulling it all together can stretch even the most capable insights teams. That’s why organizations increasingly rely on On Demand Talent to support their insights pre-planning needs.

SIVO’s On Demand Talent solution connects you with seasoned consumer insights professionals who bring deep market research experience, strategic thinking, and the ability to hit the ground running. These experts step in to strengthen your team where and when you need it most, helping you gather, analyze, and translate insight at speed before high-stakes planning decisions are made.

Designed to flex with your planning cycle

Our On Demand Talent model is purpose-built for moments like Q3 pre-planning – when insights leaders begin laying the groundwork for Q4 strategic plans. Instead of scrambling to manage internal capacity or rushing research decisions, you can quickly bring in a professional who understands how to deliver meaningful impact under time constraints.

Unlike traditional consultancies or freelancers, On Demand Talent are not one-size-fits-all resources. We work with you to match the right expert to your organization’s vertical, team dynamics, and objectives. Whether it’s designing a new customer segmentation study, auditing existing data to identify white space, or creating executive-ready insights presentations, they’re ready to lead.

What makes On Demand Talent different?

Unlike temporary hires or gig-based freelancers, On Demand Talent are:

• Strategically vetted for both technical and business expertise
• Available within days – no months-long search needed
• Capable of integrating into your internal teams and workflows
• Focused on outcomes, not just task delivery

Picture a fictitious CPG company preparing for a major 2025 brand relaunch. By bringing in a fractional insights lead from SIVO’s On Demand Talent network in July, they were able to commission precise usage & attitude research, synthesize historical data, and build a consumer-driven growth story before executive planning kicked off in September. All without adding headcount. That’s the value On Demand professionals deliver.

Whether you’re seeking market research support on a specific initiative or need interim strategic planning support, On Demand Talent ensures you don’t sacrifice quality when moving fast.

Timing is everything when it comes to insights planning. Waiting until Q4 – when annual plans are being finalized – is often too late to infuse the kind of consumer insights that can shape strategy. Instead, the smartest teams are bringing in fractional insights professionals during the pre-planning window that begins in Q3.

The sweet spot: Before the planning scramble begins

Pre-planning season is your opportunity to look ahead, identify knowledge gaps, and invest in the research that will fuel your next big strategic moves. By Q3, businesses are aligning cross-functional goals and setting the direction for annual growth – but many don't yet have the consumer input they need to validate or challenge those goals.

This is where a contract insights professional can make a big difference. With the right talent in place ahead of your planning cycle, you gain:

• Time to ask the right questions and collect meaningful data
• The ability to pressure-test assumptions before committing to strategy
• A credible voice to bring insights to the table during early leadership discussions

By engaging early, your fractional lead can shape what gets researched, how findings are analyzed, and how those insights are translated for senior decision-makers. Rather than rushing to piece together data at the last minute, your team leads with clarity.

Other ideal moments to consider

While Q3 is prime time, there are other strategic moments when an on demand insights professional for hire makes sense:

After internal turnover

Maintain momentum during transitions or onboarding of permanent team members.

When bandwidth is limited

Alleviate workload on in-house teams during peak project cycles.

For one-off high-impact projects

Support initiatives like new product development, brand repositioning, or go-to-market strategy with targeted market research pre-planning help.

Ultimately, the right time to bring in a fractional insights lead is when important decisions are about to be made – and your team needs more than just extra hands. You need experienced, strategic thinkers who can deliver fast and credible insights, on your terms.