Here’s the 5-minute take:
1. Speed Without Insight Is a Risk—Not an Advantage
“We couldn’t afford to wait for our traditional research cycles to conclude. We began creating ads at a greatly increased rate, and we were expected to get those ads into the market as soon as possible and purely let behavioral metrics like clicks, views, things like that, guide us.” —Kevin Stocker, Microsoft
The problem Microsoft faced in relying solely on behavioral metrics was that they only tell you what happened—not why. In a fast-moving, highly polarizing category like AI, Microsoft was expected to launch ads faster than traditional research cycles could support, relying on CTRs, views, and downloads to judge success.
What those metrics couldn’t reveal were the underlying tension points—whether an ad was building trust, triggering fear, or reinforcing skepticism. That blind spot created significant risk in a category where perceptions can shift quickly, and missteps are costly.
2. Getting a “Seat at the Artist’s Table” Requires the Voice of the Customer
“I wanted to be part of the creative conversation. To do that, I needed that undeniable voice of the customer—something that was straight from them and that we could have rich conversations about—opinions matter, and they vary greatly.” —Kevin Stocker, Microsoft
Kevin didn’t want research to simply validate creative after it was finished. He aimed to be part of the creative process itself—to tell the creative team what resonated, what challenged, and what sparked ideas so they could create better ads. Doing that meant capturing feedback that felt human, credible, and discussable—not verdict-driven or threatening. By bringing authentic customer perspectives to the table early, he could shape the work in ways that were both inspired and strategically grounded.
> Listen to Kevin discuss how he did it.
3. Traditional Quant + Traditional Qual: Each Solves Only Half the Problem
“When Kevin came to us, he told us his quant gave him reach and what consumers thought, but not the why. His qualitative research told him the why, but it wasn’t scalable or repeatable.” —Brian Thompson, Vital Findings
Understanding what makes an ad appealing—or off-putting—requires more than data alone. Quant gives scale, qual gives context. Microsoft needed both—simultaneously. This challenge sparked a new approach, using an AI Moderation Platform as a foundation and enhancing it with human-led analysis to deliver insights that far exceeded expectations.
4. Qual-at-MASSIVE-Scale Is Not Just a Platform—It’s a System
“The AI moderation platform was a start, but Kevin needed sophisticated screening and quota management. We needed to add a human element of data quality checks. And we needed human interpretation—platforms can give you a good idea of the themes that are coming up, but they don’t watch the ad, and they don’t understand what it’s trying to say from a human perspective.” —Brian Thompson, Vital Findings
Off-the-shelf AI-moderated qual platforms weren’t enough for Microsoft. Vital Findings built a system that combined segmentation, quota control, human data review, expert interpretation, and hundreds to thousands of interviews per test.
The result: actionable insights at a scale and speed that transformed how creative decisions could be made—like rapidly understanding audience reactions to Microsoft Copilot features across diverse user groups.
5. Impact: Research That Influences Decisions, Not Just Reports Them
“I’m no longer just reporting metrics that we basically have to interpret within the meeting. I’m bringing the voice of the customer into the conversation, the why, and that tends to stick a lot better.” —Kevin Stocker, Microsoft
The shift wasn’t just methodological—it was organizational. Kevin now brings narratives backed by customer language into creative meetings, is asked for his perspective, and is building a reusable library of insights that inform future decisions.
> Listen to how it has changed the trajectory of Microsoft’s research.
Want to see the full story? The webinar dives deeper (20 min) into how we combined quant, qual, and AI to transform creative research at Microsoft—showing what worked, what surprised them, and how these insights drove better decisions.
2026 is already shaping up to be an exciting year—we’ve got a lot in motion, and we can’t wait to share what we’re seeing. Our door is always open for a discussion on what’s shaping the industry, and we are grateful for the insights and expertise you—our community—brings to the conversation.
