The best conversations at a research conference don't happen on stage. They happen in the hallways, right after a session, when someone's still thinking out loud. Waves of Thinking is our attempt to capture that—short, unfiltered interviews with the researchers and strategists shaping the future of consumer insights, recorded live from the floor at Quirk’s Chicago 2026. Here’s everything from our time there.
Kicking off Waves of Thinking — Molly Strawn-Carreño, aytm
aytm’s Molly Strawn-Carreño introduces Waves of Thinking live from the floor at TMRE 2026 in Denver, Colorado—the first year TMRE, Content Marketing World, and Cannes Lions share the same venue. This short-form series captures unfiltered conversations with the researchers, strategists, and insights leaders shaping the future of consumer intelligence. No slides, no polish—just sharp perspectives from the people doing the work.
Lauren Connelly — StarKist
Lauren Connelly, Brand Manager at StarKist, sat down with us at TMRE 2026 to talk about what it really means to evolve a brand without losing the equity built over decades. Charlie the Tuna turns 65 this year—and he’s not going anywhere. Lauren walks through how her team thinks about modernizing packaging and messaging (real protein, not just protein) while protecting the cues that loyal consumers depend on when they’re standing in the grocery aisle. The lesson from Tropicana, Cracker Barrel, and others: evolution, not revolution.
Raina Rusnak — StarKist
Raina Rusnak, Head of Consumer Insights and Business Intelligence at StarKist, gets into what happens when research and instinct point in opposite directions. Two bodies of research told her team that consumers preferred the current pouch—but a plurality, not a majority. To Raina, that’s not a stop sign, it’s a signal to keep iterating. She walks through how she’s communicating the caution flag to executive leadership and what StarKist is learning from brands that moved too fast without research behind them.
Shilpa Khanna — The Clorox Company
Shilpa Khanna, Associate Director of Transformational Growth Insights at The Clorox Company, breaks down what modern parenting research looks like when you go beyond the obvious. The tensions parents face today aren’t about schedules and logistics—they’re about guilt, doubt, creativity, and control. Shilpa gets into why understanding the cultural context behind a consumer’s choices matters more than the question you’re asking, and what it means to solve a problem someone didn’t know how to articulate.
Iva Kralj-Taylor — Warner Bros. Discovery
Iva Kralj-Taylor, Director of Global Corporate Strategy Insights at Warner Bros. Discovery, breaks down how music has become a powerful thread in content discovery—especially through short-form video. For audiences under 25, short-form video is now the leading first point of contact with new content, and music is the common denominator running through it. Iva gets into how Warner Bros. Discovery is tracking these journeys, what nostalgia-driven versus original music does differently, and why the smartest content strategies think about music as a marketing tool—not just part of the viewing experience.
Misty Flantroy — Owens Corning
Misty Flantroy, Director of R&D, Products & Systems at Owens Corning, delivers some hard truths for the research community. The 80/20 rule is making a comeback: use 80% of what you’ve gathered, and fill the rest with gut, experience, and the right conversations. More data isn’t always the answer—sometimes the answer is just making the decision. As Misty put it: do we need more data, or are we just afraid to decide?
Jennifer Ng — The Trade Desk
Jennifer Ng, GM of Advertiser Insights at The Trade Desk, breaks down how her team built a Claude skill to make existing research actually usable for sellers. The insights hook takes proprietary data, mines it for the most relevant stats, and delivers conversation-ready outputs in minutes. Jen gets into why direct Claude access wasn’t the answer, how they ensure outputs are grounded in their own research first, and what it looks like when AI handles the heavy lifting without losing rigor.
Douglas Healy — The Kraft Heinz Company
Douglas Healy, Head of North America Insights at The Kraft Heinz Company, gets into what a genuine learning mindset looks like in practice. A project isn’t a box to check—it’s a starting point for the next one. Doug also breaks down Kraft Heinz’s consumer-powered creative process: a deliberate shift away from “won” and “lost” language toward a safe environment where the goal is always optimization, not judgment.
Lev Mazin — aytm
aytm Co-Founder and CEO Lev Mazin gets into what researchers need to bring into the next era of the industry—and what to leave behind. Curiosity tops the list, not just as a professional trait but as an antidote for fear. Lev also introduces Bridge, aytm’s new platform designed to take teams from business question to actionable insights. Check it out at bridge.aytm.com.
Until next time
Eight conversations. One conference. A lot to think about. aytm’s Waves of Thinking series wrapped up at TMRE 2026 in Denver with perspectives from researchers, strategists, and insights leaders across some of the most recognizable brands in the world. We’re leaving inspired—and already looking ahead to IIEX West. Catch up on every episode and stay tuned for what’s next.
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