In this quick-hit episode of Signal and Noise, Andrew catches up with Brian fresh off the floor of SampleCon 2026, recording from the Delta Sky Club in Seattle. No studio setup, no guests, just a real-time debrief from one of the industry's most dedicated annual gatherings.

Brian shares his firsthand impressions of a conference that felt noticeably different this year. SampleCon is evolving. What once centered on panel standards and supplier partnerships is now leaning hard into technology, AI implementation, and a wave of new faces and companies that would have felt out of place at the event just a few years ago. Brian compares the vibe to a smaller IIEX, and that is not a small compliment.

The conversation covers the headline moment of the conference, a point-counterpoint keynote debate between Patrick Comer and Melanie Courtright on human versus synthetic respondents, the growing industry consensus shifting from "should we use synthetic?" to "prove to us that it works," and a standout session from Walmart's research team making a public case for better respondent care and panel investment.

Key Takeaways:

• How SampleCon is evolving from a supplier networking event into a technology and innovation conference

• What one keynote debate revealed about where the industry stands on synthetic research

• Why the conversation around AI and synthetic data has shifted from "should we?" to "prove it works"

• Why conferences held at resort-style venues create a different and arguably more productive networking environment

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In this episode of Signal and Noise, Brian and Andrew sit down with Lenny Murphy, one of the most recognized voices in the market research industry. As the founder of GreenBook, co-founder of the Insight Innovation Exchange (IIEX), and a Gen2 Advisors partner with deep roots in M&A and investment, Lenny brings a perspective that is equal parts historical lens and boots-on-the-ground reality.

The conversation covers the accelerating collision between artificial intelligence and the market research industry. Lenny reframes AI not as an apocalypse, but as a restructuring, drawing parallels to the printing press, the automobile, and the industrial automation of the 1980s. The discomfort is real, the displacement is real, but so is the opportunity.

The trio digs into where the industry has already been commoditized and where it went wrong, why the real asset in research has always been the connection to consumers, and how agentic AI is already reordering business models faster than most companies can respond. Lenny also shares a candid take on why many established firms are caught in the crosshairs, not because of a lack of talent, but because of a failure to adapt before the wave arrived.

The episode also touches on the future of live events and in-person connection, the upcoming IIEX conference in Washington, DC, and a new IIEX West launch in San Francisco, with Lenny making the case that human gatherings become more valuable, not less, as automation takes over routine work.

Key Takeaways:

• Why Lenny views AI as a restructuring event comparable to the printing press and industrial automation, not an ending

• How the research industry commoditized its own most valuable asset and what that means now

• Why the shift from process-based pricing to impact-based pricing is both necessary and overdue

• What the "reckoning still to come" looks like for established firms that have not adapted fast enough

• Why live events and in-person connections are poised to become more critical in an AI-driven world

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In this episode of Signal and Noise, Brian and Andrew sit down with Tim Matthews, who heads up the in-person research and support team at ROI Rocket. Tim brings over 20 years of marketing experience, starting from tactical brand activations at the Winston Cup Series to building a research firm rooted in creative, human-centered consumer engagement.

The conversation centers on a growing challenge in the research industry: the erosion of trust in online quantitative data, the difficulty of reaching low-incidence and niche populations, and why in-person recruiting is anything but old-fashioned.

Tim reframes the concept of the "intercept" entirely. Forget the clipboard in the mall. His team operates more like a creative, agile engagement deployment squad, going where consumers live, work, shop, and play to find respondents that online panels simply cannot reach. From private golf clubs to luxury dinners at the Playboy Mansion, Tim shares the strategies and stories behind some of his most memorable and creatively ambitious recruiting projects.

The episode also features a live "Can You Find Them?" game, where Brian and Andrew throw out increasingly niche audience targets, and Tim explains how his network and methodology could actually reach them, from nuclear plant operators to doomsday bunker owners.

Key Takeaways:

• Why online panels fall short for low-incidence and hard-to-reach populations

• How Tim's team uses experiential incentives (not just cash) to recruit elusive respondents

• The value of storytelling over transactional survey-taking

• What the "six degrees of Kevin Bacon" has to do with finding niche research targets

• Why stated vs. actual behavior gaps make in-the-moment observation so powerful

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