Podcast Summary: "Alex Foss says good research starts with good questions"

Podcast: How Brands Are Built
Host: Rob Meyerson
Guest: Alex Foss, Market Research & Customer Insights Specialist
Date: March 9, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features Rob Meyerson in conversation with Alex Foss, a seasoned branding and research professional. Together, they delve deep into the intersection of brand strategy and research, the role of evidence in branding, best practices in naming research, and key learnings for both practitioners and newcomers in the field. Alex provides thoughtful insights drawn from his experiences at Interbrand, Adobe, and now Anthropic.

Key Discussion Points

1. Alex Foss’s Career Shift: From Strategy to Research

[01:08]

• Alex traces his move from agency brand strategy (Interbrand) to research-focused roles, including his time at Adobe.
• The appeal: generating knowledge, backing up recommendations with evidence, and stretching analytical skills.
• Quote:

  “I loved that I was helping create new knowledge. I loved the feeling of having evidence to back up what I was recommending to clients, rather than just this sort of finger in the air thing…” (Alex Foss, [02:21])

• The transition to client-side insights roles meant owning the business problem from the inside, rather than just answering client briefs.

2. Differences Between Agency and Client-Side Research

[04:09]

• Agency: Delivering against a brief, impressing clients, and working quickly with set frameworks.
• Client side: Writing the brief, articulating and prioritizing the business problem, and ensuring research outcomes influence real decisions.
• Key Learning:

  “The best and most robust research in the world will only take that decision so far.” (Alex Foss, [05:50])

3. Evidence-Based Branding and Industry Trends

[07:22]

• The influence of Ehrenberg Bass and thought leaders like Byron Sharp has led to a greater emphasis on evidence-based marketing and branding.
• Despite decades of research being available, practical adoption is still ongoing and uneven.
• Quote:

  “We no longer have to completely make up how we think brands work. Because there’s good information out there…that can guide our creative briefs…” (Alex Foss, [08:24])

• Critique of rigid or overly proprietary agency frameworks that may not reflect actual consumer behavior.

4. Naming Research: Myths, Skepticism, and Best Practices

[13:11]

• Rob and Alex discuss their research into industry opinions on naming research, capturing perspectives from both namers and researchers.
• Notable Skeptical Quote from a seasoned namer:

  “Until somebody proves it works, I would distrust it all the time. Google, Apple, Vice, Virgin, Yahoo, Monster, Caterpillar. None of those giant brands would have survived research.” ([13:46])

• Alex highlights the importance of understanding the actual function of naming (distinctiveness, memorability), not just focusing on surface-level popularity.
• Discussion of a persistent divide:
  • Many namers are skeptical and see research as limited or potentially misleading.
  • Researchers see value in evidence but acknowledge research can only inform, not make, the final decision.

5. The Role and Influence of Research in Decision-Making

[16:57]

• “Research should inform decisions, but not make them” emerged as a prevailing sentiment among experts.
• Analogy to home-buying: there are hard/quantitative and soft/qualitative factors; both must be weighed.

  “For every hard and quantitative metric about a house...there are five or six other soft metrics...because it’s an enormous investment and you’re going to be stuck with it for a while.” (Alex Foss, [18:12])

6. Generational and Professional Divides on Research

[20:39]

• More-experienced practitioners are more skeptical of the influence of research compared to less-experienced.
• Namers vs. Researchers:
  • Namers cite limitations (e.g., “familiarity bias” penalizes unconventional names).
  • Less-experienced or non-namers worry about gut-driven decisions overriding data.

  “Both groups have been burned—just by different things.” (Alex Foss, [23:46])

7. Effective Naming Research Techniques

[24:19]

• Consensus aligns around:
  • Open-ended feedback
  • Head-to-head rankings
  • Individual evaluations
• These methods remain low-cost, fast, and provide meaningful insights when quantitative rigor isn’t possible.

8. Polarizing Names: Good or Bad?

[26:32]

• Alex challenges the common assertion that “a great name is a polarizing one,” suggesting it’s more important to optimize for memorability and positive perceptions:

  “At best your brand won’t be recognized...and at worst, you’re actively alienating a material portion of your market...” ([27:22])

• Debate over whether polarization signals memorability or potential market risk.

9. Editing the 6th Edition of Designing Brand Identity

[29:29]

• Alex’s guidance for the textbook: sharpen advice on clarifying why to conduct research before commissioning it.
• What he hopes readers will learn:
  • Research can be powerful, offering clarity for critical decisions far above one’s pay grade.
  • Even junior researchers can add high value by providing facts and contextualizing evidence for leadership.

10. The Future: AI and Research

[34:46]

• Alex is deeply engaged with AI (Claude, at Anthropic), exploring how AI can help researchers conduct, analyze, and strategize faster and better.
• Sees AI as a partner in both operations and creative thinking.

11. Recommended Resources & Advice

[36:27]

• Book Recommendation: Eat Your Greens by Vemer Snyders—a digestible, multi-author anthology of evidence-based marketing essays.
• Core advice for those early in their careers:
  • “Read. Read Eat Your Greens, but also read lots of other things and seek out people in the industry who are publishing in academic or industry journals and try and follow along with the people who are engaged in healthy scientific debates about how marketing actually works...” (Alex Foss, [38:02])
  • Use foundational frameworks to inform work beyond just executing research.
  • AI can’t replace critical thinking, context, or intellectual frameworks; that’s the researcher’s unique value.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On research and evidence in branding:

  “We no longer have to completely make up how we think brands work. Because there’s good information out there…” (Alex Foss, [08:24])

• On limitations of research-driven creative decisions:

  “Namers have seen research override good creative instincts...where they get a lot of great strategic advice but then choose the one against all of those recommendations that happens to have a larger number associated with it.” (Alex Foss, [21:39])

• On the home-buying metaphor:

  “For every hard and quantitative metric about a house...there are five or six other soft metrics...because it’s an enormous investment and you’re going to be stuck with it for a while.” (Alex Foss, [18:12])

• On polarization in naming:

  “I disagree with the point of view that a good name is a polarizing one. ...At best your brand won’t be recognized...at worst you’re actively alienating a material portion of your market...” (Alex Foss, [26:32])

• On the value of ongoing debate and learning:

  “I think the most fun and the most valuable parts of the industry lie in just the foundational knowledge.” (Alex Foss, [38:02])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:08] – Discussion of Alex’s career path (strategy to research)
• [04:09] – Agency vs. client-side insights
• [07:22] – Evidence-based marketing, Ehrenberg Bass influence
• [13:11] – Summary of the naming research study and expert skepticism
• [16:57] – Should research inform or drive naming decisions?
• [20:39] – Perception gaps: researchers vs. namers, experience differences
• [24:19] – Best practices in naming research methodologies
• [26:32] – Does a polarizing name predict success?
• [29:29] – Revising the “Designing Brand Identity” textbook
• [34:46] – AI’s role in the future of branding and research
• [36:27] – Resource/book recommendations
• [38:02] – Advice for young professionals in branding and research

Takeaways for Listeners

• Research is vital, but only one of many inputs in branding; context, experience, and creative judgment are as important.
• The most effective research clarifies decisions—not just by providing numbers, but by framing the problem and interpreting findings within the broader business landscape.
• Naming research is controversial: seasoned professionals tend to be skeptical; newer entrants rely more on data.
• Foundational knowledge, intellectual curiosity, and openness to debate are more valuable than ever in a field where AI is rapidly evolving the technical landscape.
• Successful branding work requires both evidence and the wisdom to know what evidence means.