Capture Consumer Shifts While They're Happening

Build Insights into the Planning Narrative

• Identify new customer segments worth exploring
• Spot white spaces for innovation or brand growth
• Validate or challenge internal assumptions with real data
• Create narratives that resonate with cross-functional leaders

Avoid Fire Drills and Overlaps

Strategically Shape the Research Agenda

• Prioritize research topics based on business needs
• Identify gaps in existing data
• Design research plans that deliver forward-looking insights

Manage Vendors and Research Execution

Translate Data into Actionable Narratives

Act as a Bridge Between Research and Strategy

Why On Demand Talent Makes a Difference

Pre-planning season is where strategic success for the next year begins to take shape – and having a dedicated consumer insights lead during this period can make the difference between informed planning and guesswork. Instead of scattering responsibilities across marketing, product, or analytics teams, integrating a specialized insights professional brings focused leadership to market research planning efforts.

So, what is the real value of adding a consumer insights lead during Q3?

Clear Ownership for Strategic Research Planning

When one person owns and drives your pre-planning research, there’s far less risk of gaps or duplications. A dedicated insights lead ensures that all the moving pieces – from defining the research strategy to executing fieldwork – are managed efficiently and tied to core business needs. This supports a smooth transition from early discovery into Q4 annual planning.

Stronger Vendor Management

Many organizations work with multiple research vendors, each with different processes, timelines, and deliverables. A designated insights professional can oversee this web of partnerships, ensuring consistency in quality, timing, and execution. This improves efficiency and reduces strain on internal teams unfamiliar with research vendor workflows.

Framing Data into Actionable Insights

Collecting data is one thing, but knowing how to analyze and communicate it is another. Consumer insights leads are trained to distill complex research into clear, compelling narratives for leadership. They frame findings in a way that connects insight to decision-making – a crucial capability when preparing high-impact presentations or executive briefings for annual planning.

Efficiency Across Teams

Rather than pulling cross-functional team members into research tasks they may not be equipped for, a dedicated insights lead can streamline the entire operation. This frees others – in marketing, innovation, or product – to focus on their expertise while still benefiting from relevant insights, on time and on strategy.

• Ensures consistent research objectives tied to strategic priorities
• Cuts down on internal delays and bottlenecks
• Elevates the credibility of consumer learnings in executive planning sessions

Whether you're determining how to plan market research in Q3 or identifying who should lead pre-planning research projects, inserting an experienced insights professional early can ensure a more aligned, agile, and insight-informed process heading into Q4.

Let’s say you’ve identified a need for insights leadership this Q3 – but your headcount is frozen, hiring takes three months, or your internal team is already stretched thin. That’s where SIVO’s On Demand Talent offers a faster, more agile solution.

Our On Demand Talent connects companies with experienced insights professionals who can step in quickly to support short-term or fractional needs. Whether you’re launching a consumer study, managing multiple vendors, or translating insights to inform annual planning, our experts bring the right skills – without the long-term hiring commitment.

Why Use On Demand Talent for Q3 Planning Support?

On Demand Talent professionals are more than stopgaps – they’re strategic thinkers with backgrounds in insights leadership across industries. Because they’ve often worked across client and agency settings, they understand how to navigate stakeholder alignment, vendor management, and the nuances of working within a fast-moving organization.

Here’s what makes them ideal for pre-planning research:

• Speed: Our talent can be matched and ready in weeks, not months
• Experience: Mid-to-senior level professionals who don’t need handholding
• Flexibility: Full-time, part-time, or project-based roles depending on your needs
• Capability: From insights project management to executive storytelling, they handle it all

Temporary Needs, Long-Term Value

Many organizations use On Demand Talent to avoid costly delays in insight preparation. For example, if your full-time manager is on leave or you face a surprise volume of research projects, our professionals can step in, own delivery, and support presentations – all well ahead of your Q4 deadlines.

Unlike freelance platforms, On Demand Talent is carefully curated and aligned with your business challenge. And unlike full-time hiring, it offers resource flexibility that suits both seasonal demands and budget realities.

The result? You maintain momentum on strategic research planning without straining internal bandwidth or sacrificing quality insights that power confident annual plans.

When you’re under pressure to deliver insights before annual planning kicks off, choosing the right type of support is critical. While freelancers can seem like a quick fix, they may not provide the depth or structure needed for high-stakes pre-planning research efforts.

So how does On Demand Talent compare to freelance professionals?

Commitment to Strategic Impact

Freelancers often handle smaller tasks or creative deliverables, but strategic research planning requires someone who can take initiative, lead cross-functional discovery, and shape executive-ready output. On Demand Talent professionals come with leadership-level experience, ensuring your research leads directly into actionable next steps for Q4 planning.

Plug-and-Play Capability

Unlike freelancers, who may require time to get up to speed or need guidance on your business structure, On Demand Talent experts are selected specifically for your needs. They’re ready to lead or support research projects from Day 1 – no training, onboarding, or hand-holding required.

For example, a fictional eCommerce company needing Q3 insights support used a fractional insights lead from an On Demand network. That professional quickly outlined a calendar of insight-driving initiatives, coordinated vendors, and packaged all findings into a senior leadership deck – all within a tight 8-week sprint.

Reliable Vendor Coordination

Vendor coordination is a crucial piece of pre-planning research, but it’s often one of the most time-consuming, especially for freelancers juggling multiple clients. Our On Demand Talent has industry-specific experience in insights project management, so they understand how to keep timelines, scope, and outcomes aligned with planning deadlines.

Better Than a Typical Interim Hire

Hiring an interim researcher or contract staffer through traditional methods can take months – and often comes with higher hourly costs or fees. On Demand Talent bypasses these delays and brings you proven professionals when you need them most.

Choosing strategic consumer insights support – not just a temporary freelancer – ensures your pre-planning season is led with clarity, confidence, and measurable ROI.