The world is changing in fast and unpredictable ways, with economic headwinds, geopolitical uncertainty, and the massive advancements being made by AI. Traditional models of agencies, insight teams and internal stakeholders are being challenged by all these changes and new thinking is required. In these turbulent times, creating a People-First focus provides a North Star to help guide us. In this post I highlight what a People-First focus means and the practical steps you can take to leverage the opportunities it creates.

One of the key aspects of People-First and their use of online communities is to ensure that insight teams remain the champion of the customers, users, and citizens, to help steer brand decisions and strategy.

A People-First Anchor in an Age of Disruption

For decades, organisations have relied on surveys, focus groups and trend reports to understand customers by creating data points, treating the customers as things to be observed and measured. While these approaches still have value, these purely transactional activities are increasingly limited in today’s world. Lives, markets, and technologies evolve too quickly for projects based only on passive data collection to keep pace.

A People-First approach repositions insight work from extracting data to co-creation. Instead of treating customers as datapoints, organisations engage them as partners with lived experience, capable of shaping the products, services and futures they will ultimately use.

At its heart, this approach is about recognising that insight is not just about knowledge, it is about relationships. When customers, employees and organisations are in authentic dialogue, the outcomes are more relevant, resilient and sustainable.

Listening to People, Avoiding Errors

With modern media the consequences of missteps taken in the absence of feedback from customers can be embarrassing and costly. Here are a few recent examples:

Kellogg’s: From 2022 Kellogg’s had been presenting ‘cereals for dinner’, but things came to a head in February 2024 when CEO Gary Pilnick highlighted in a CNBC interview that cereal was a more affordable dinner option for households under financial pressure. He claimed consumers were embracing the trend and that a bowl of cereal with milk and fruit could cost less than US $1. This was seen as tone deaf by consumers and led to social media attacks and attempts to mount a boycott. People pointed out that cereals often have too much sugar, that Kellogg’s prices had jumped around 25% to 30% in four years, and that the CEO had a package worth over $5 million. The essence of the problem was that people felt Kellogg’s were trying to take advantage of people who were struggling.

Bureau of Meteorology: In October 2022, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) undertook a rebranding exercise that became a national comedy. The BoM issued a stern directive that media and the public should no longer call it “BoM” or “the Weather Bureau,” but instead use the term “the Bureau” in all references. This attempt to reshape its nickname (supposedly to project a more serious image) was disastrously received. The press and social media immediately lampooned the name-change, and even the Federal Environment Minister pointedly ignored the new style, saying “Australians will make up their own minds what they call it”. Within two days of the announcement, amid widespread mockery, the Bureau was forced into an embarrassing climb-down. The episode highlighted that brand nicknames are ultimately owned by the public, not by marketing teams.

Balenciaga: French luxury brand Balenciaga faced a fierce backlash in late 2022 over two highly problematic advertising campaigns. In one “Gift Shop” campaign, Balenciaga released images of young children holding plush teddy bears outfitted in bondage and S&M-style harnesses, an unsettling juxtaposition that sparked immediate public fury. Almost simultaneously, a separate Balenciaga photoshoot for its upscale Garde Robe collection featured a prop that looked like a document from a US Supreme Court case on child abuse law, which observers found upon zooming into the ad. These revelations led to accusations that the brand was glamourising child exploitation. The public reaction was swift and severe: outraged consumers and advocacy groups blasted Balenciaga on social media, and the hashtag #CancelBalenciaga trended globally.

Online Communities as Engines of Co-Creation

At Platform One we know that online communities are one of the most powerful vehicles for this People-First approach. Unlike transactional surveys, customer communities can create ongoing dialogue between brands and people. They offer organisations a space to listen, learn, and test ideas in real time. The insights function becomes the essential bridge between the organisation and its customers.

In practice, this means:

·     Customers feel heard and valued because their voices shape the decisions that affect them.

·     Employees gain direct access to stories, needs, and frustrations that help them build empathy.

·     Organisations develop a strategic radar, a way to anticipate and respond to changes before they become crises.

Platform One has been pioneering this model for more than a decade, creating and managing tailored insight communities that keep organisations close to their people, 24/7.

AI as an Enabler, Not a Replacement

AI is transforming the research and insights industry. Yet its real value lies not in replacing human judgement, but in enhancing and amplifying it.

In community environments, AI can:

·     Cluster and summarise thousands of open-ended responses, surfacing key themes.

·     Spot weak signals in emerging needs and attitudes.

·     Automate repetitive tasks so researchers can focus on empathy, storytelling and meaning.

But AI cannot replace human sensitivity to context, ethics, or cultural nuances. Without human oversight, AI runs the risk of over-simplifying or misinterpreting lived experience. The future is not AI versus people; it is AI with people.

At Platform One, this philosophy underpins the way AI tools are integrated into community insights, always designed to support researchers, not replace them. You can read more about how we blend HI (Human Intelligence) with AI in this article from August 2025.

Better Outcomes for Organisations

Organisations that adopt a People-First, community-driven model benefit in several ways:

·     Relevance: Staying in tune with real people ensures that innovations and campaigns resonate rather than fall flat.

·     Resilience: By tapping into communities continuously, leaders can identify shifts in behaviour early, reducing risk.

·     Alignment: Employees and decision-makers gain direct access to authentic voices, cutting through internal silos and politics.

In turbulent times, this agility is a competitive advantage. Businesses that can sense and adapt quickly are those that thrive.

Better Outcomes for Employees

Employees are too often disconnected from the customers they serve. Insights arrive in reports or slide decks, stripped of emotion and urgency.

Community-driven approaches reconnect employees with real people. Hearing customers directly helps staff make decisions with empathy. It also boosts motivation. When employees see the impact their work has on people’s lives, purpose becomes clearer.

This creates a culture of shared ownership. Innovation is not the job of the insight team alone, but of the whole organisation, informed by authentic dialogue with customers.

Better Outcomes for Customers

Most importantly, customers themselves benefit. A People-First approach means products and services are designed with them, not just for them.

This leads to outcomes that are:

·     More relevant, because they meet real needs.

·     More inclusive, because diverse voices are heard and represented.

·     More ethical, because organisations are accountable to the people their decisions affect.

Customers are not just research participants, they are active contributors to shaping the future.

Practical Steps for Leaders

So, how can leaders put this vision into practice? Here are a few starting points:

1.       Invest in Community Infrastructure
Build or partner with platforms that support secure, scalable, and engaging communities. Success depends not just on technology but also on skilled facilitation.

2.       Empowering Insights to Connect People
In a People-First culture, enabled by online communities, insight teams become the coaches for the organisation, facilitating the co-creation of the future.

3.       Train Employees in Human-Centred Skills
Listening, empathy and facilitation are just as important as analysis. Ensure staff are confident engaging directly with customers.

4.       Blend AI with HI (Human Intelligence)
Use AI to enhance, not replace. Automate the heavy lifting but keep human judgement at the centre.

5.       Measure Beyond ROI
Evaluate impact in terms of trust, relevance, and long-term relationships, not just short-term returns.

6.       Celebrate Success Stories
Share examples of how customer voices have shaped decisions. This builds momentum and demonstrates the value of People-First insight.

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