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The Insighter's Club PodcastInsights are integral to the growth of your business. Those that are not collecting, analyzing and above all integrating consumer insights will fall behind competitors who are learning about how to better serve their customers. Every episode, we... Author: Stravito Language: en Genres: Business, Management, Marketing Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Questions of Taste: How Insights Shape What the World Eats and Drinks with Basak Oker, Marketing & CSI Director at Givaudan
Episode 87
Wednesday, 15 April, 2026
Someone decided that your coffee tastes the way it does…and it wasn't an accident. Behind every flavor that hits a shelf is a web of consumer research, cultural context and calculated risk that has to drive decisions faster than ever.In this episode, we're joined by Basak Oker, Marketing & CSI Director, Europe at Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing, who has spent 18 years at the intersection of flavor science, consumer behavior and brand innovation. Basak makes a compelling case that the insights function isn't there to validate decisions — it's there to remove randomness from innovation entirely. She breaks down how flavor trends move through the system, from Michelin-starred bar treks to mainstream shelves, and why that cycle has compressed from five years to six months.We also cover:Why a strawberry flavor that signals joy in one market signals medicine in another + what brands must do before assuming anything travels globallyHow faster access to existing research shifts insights teams from reporting functions to genuine growth enablers What GLP-1 medications, Gen Alpha purchasing power, and "fantasy flavors" mean for the next wave of food and beverage innovationJoin The Insighter’s Club and get exclusive industry insights, expert analysis, and cutting-edge trends delivered straight to your inbox.
