Brands including Diageo, Unilever and Tinder form cross-category insight group
The insight group, known as The Think Party, will focus on the future of socialisation, to allow the brands involved to see “the whole picture”, not just a category-specific “slice”.
Leading global brands, including Diageo, Unilever, Kraft-Heinz and Tinder, have formed a new group, designed to generate cross-category insight and “open opportunities none of [the brands] could see alone”.
The partnership brings together Kantar, Pinterest, Google and PepsiCo-Lipton, alongside Diageo, Unilever, Tinder and Kraft-Heinz. The new group will be called The Think Party and will look at the future of socialisation and how consumer trends are evolving.
From spirits to dating apps, the group enables brands from a wide range of categories to collaborate in the hope the combined insight they gain will help them better understand trends around socialising.
Category-specific thinking can sometimes mean a brand is restricted in its view of consumer behaviours, notes Unilever’s consumer insight director, Catriona Ferris.
“In our categories, we often see just one slice of the consumer – but through cross-industry collaboration, we can finally see the whole picture,” she says.
The more holistic cross-category picture can act as a “massive unlock” for the brands involved, Ferris adds. “It saves costs, sparks innovation, and opens opportunities none of us could see alone.”
The group’s work will combine “strategic foresight, deep horizon scanning, quantitative analysis, GenAI analysis and collaborative synthesis across industries”, it says.
Initial findings
The partnership has today (26 September) released some initial findings around the future of socialising.
Its insight suggests it is not just how people socialise that is changing but also the “who, what, where, when and why” of social life.
For example, when it comes to the “who” aspect of socialising, the research finds many people are prioritising quality over quantity, with one in five Britons saying their social circle has become smaller in the past three years.
The research also shows an increased connection between wellness and socialisation, with one in four UK drinkers now alternating between alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks during visits to bars and pubs. It also finds that connection is becoming more intentional and tied to specific celebrations, as evidenced by Pinterest searches for “monthly milestone ideas” being up 90% since 2022.
There is a more in-depth report from The Think Party scheduled to come out in the autumn. The brands involved hope the cross-category insight provides them with a more 360-degree view on the future of socialisation and how consumer trends are evolving.
