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The Directions Group today announced the launch of Linara™, an AI-powered integrated intelligence platform that will transform static research into always-on decision support for insights, marketing, and leadership teams. It’s first capability, Linara Personas, gives organizations conversational access to their customer personas and lays the foundation for a broader suite of tools to come.

It can be really difficult to get consumers to meaningfully engage with online surveys. ARIN addresses this critical industry pain point by leveraging natural conversation to uncover deeper insights than ever before.

The Directions Group, a strategic insights firm, and Idealyst Innovation, a pioneering agricultural solutions company, have announced a strategic partnership designed to bring expanded intelligence services to the industry to empower agribusinesses and their farming and ranching customers.

The study, Preparing for the Tidal Wave, highlights the growing gap between lifespan and health span in the U.S., as well as six long-term trends impacting American health that will have a disproportionate influence on consumer behavior, policy, and innovation over the next decade.

Today marks a significant milestone in the insights industry as Directions Research, SEEK Company, and Aimpoint Research unite to form The Directions Group.

Courtney PeGan has been unanimously approved by the board of directors of parent company, Directions Inc, to serve as President of SEEK upon his retirement and lead the division into the next era of growth, innovation, and human-centric insights.

Directions Inc is named a 2023 Top Workplace by the Cincinnati Enquirer for the Seventh Year in a Row!

Stacey Wetterer Joins Directions Inc as SVP of Talent Acquisition and Professional Development.

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Directions Inc, a leading insights and intelligence firm, recently held its highly anticipated annual company meeting where incoming President and CEO Elizabeth (Beth) Finn unveiled her vision for the firm’s future. Beth was recently selected by the Directions Inc Board of Directors to succeed President and CEO Jim Lane who will retire in December.

Directions Inc announced this week the promotion of Elizabeth (Beth) Finn to Chief Client Officer as the company positions itself for continued growth as a go-to strategic marketing advisor for clients.

Directions Research is pleased to announce that Beth Finn has joined the firm as Vice President, Shopper Practice Lead, Client Service.

Directions Research announced today organizational changes to sharpen its focus on technology solutions. These solutions are being implemented to build an industry-leading flow of data through the organization, elevating Directions’ ability to deliver quality insights to clients at increasingly fast speeds.

Directions Research is pleased to announce the promotion of Tim Laake to Chief Marketing Officer. In this role, Tim will be responsible for all aspects of the Directions brand, from its digital footprint to speaking engagements at industry events.

We are pleased to announce that Jim Lane has been elected the new President & Chief Marketing Officer of Directions. Jim, who is currently CMO, will be taking over for Randy Brooks who, after serving as Founder and President for the past 27 years, will assume the role as Chairman of the Board.

Directions Inc announced today that Jim Lane, President and Chief Executive Officer, will retire on December 31, 2024, after nine years of leading the firm through tremendous growth and transformation. Following an internal selection process, the Directions Inc Board of Directors has named Chief Client Officer, Elizabeth (Beth) Finn, as his successor.

Directions announced today that Jason Ebbing has joined the firm as Senior Vice President, Executional Excellence.

Directions and Aimpoint Research unite to broaden capabilities, enhance services across industries.

Directions announces the expansion of its Board of Directors with the election of Tim Laake and Carley Metsker.

Directions recently promoted and expanded roles of several key leaders to create alignments based on industry expertise and better position the company to help clients achieve business impact.

Cincinnati marketing research and insight firms Burke, Inc., Directions Research, EMI Research Solutions, and MarketVision Research are excited to announce the creation and launch of the Minority Access Partnership Program.

This Women's History Month, we're celebrating the theme Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future, and I want to start with something that might seem small: a thread. A single thread doesn't look like much. But woven together with others, it becomes something that holds, something that endures, something that tells a story.

The diabetes epidemic isn't just growing; it's exploding with surgical precision across distinctly different American populations. While healthcare companies recognize the importance of market segmentation and have developed sophisticated approaches to reach diverse patient populations, there's an untapped opportunity in the granularity of behavioral insights. The competitive advantage for those serving people living with diabetes lies in understanding exactly how different populations experience and manage the disease.

Brand tracking has evolved over the years from a routine research exercise into a strategic business intelligence tool that drives decision-making across entire organizations.

GLP-1 medications have transformed the health and wellness landscape, delivering dramatic weight loss for millions. But there’s a story experts and brands cannot ignore: rapid weight changes are driving a wave of consumer anxiety as men and women across America confront sudden, unexpected hair thinning.

Now is a tough time to run a restaurant. Inflation and interest concerns, labor shortages, supply chain issues and tariff uncertainty have restaurant operators worried about the bottom line. American consumers are also experiencing uncertainty, but not every consumer reacts the same way to it. Our 2024-2025 American Life & Health Lenses Study revealed six categories of consumers who are responding in different ways to the changing state of health. Let's look at how some of these categories who frequent QSRs are likely to react.

We're living in an age where our conversations increasingly involve - and are influenced by - artificial intelligence. From asking Alexa to turn on the lights to relying on Grammarly to polish our prose, AI is subtly but profoundly reshaping how we communicate. But this is just the beginning. As AI language models become more sophisticated, human language itself will likely evolve in response, creating a fascinating feedback loop. As we're interacting with AI, we are naturally adapting our language. At the same time, AI is learning from our language. So what does this mean for marketers?

Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) is reshaping the global marketplace. With over 2 billion members worldwide and projected to control $12 trillion in global spending by 2030 (19% of total global spending), this digital-native generation is driving a financial revolution.1 If you’re a financial institution or bank, understanding Gen Z’s habits and values is no longer optional – it’s critical for future success.

Employee satisfaction is increasingly recognized as a key ingredient in driving strong customer satisfaction—this is especially critical in retail and service environments where frontline workers directly shape much of the customer experience. Recognizing this, a global restaurant brand asked us to help them build a benefits package to meet the needs of their U.S.-based employees.

The “Like a Girl” campaign was born out of a simple but powerful idea: for far too long, the phrase “like a girl” had been used as an insult. But what if that phrase could be reclaimed? Thanks to the power of Red Door™, The Directions Group's proprietary empathic insights process, we were able to identify clear, human-level tensions that served as a springboard.

In today’s market, the growing importance of cultural relevance and diversity in leadership is undeniable. Companies are increasingly realizing that engaging with African American consumers in an authentic and meaningful way isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential to long-term business success. However, many businesses still face significant gaps in understanding how to connect with this powerful consumer group.

There is a massive shift in consumer behavior coming, and it’s going to affect nearly every category in the United States in 2025. Brands that anticipate and proactively plan for that shift will find ways to delight consumers as demand changes; brands that ignore it will see their business impacted in small ways and large, and in ways that feel beyond their control.

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