Rethinking bias: Why marketing research needs radical transparency

Stefanie Francis
February 24, 2026
Quirk’s

Hootology founder Stefanie Francis notes that today’s systems are more complex and also far more capable of surfacing meaningful insight. However, she warns that the path forward requires a modern reassessment of bias (both research bias and societal bias) and a new standard for transparency.  Researchers need to design with self-awareness because "the future of insights belongs to organizations that preserve the human voice, design with self-awareness, maximize the best of new technologies and control for the rest"  while acknowledging bias is not a weakness, but the foundation of trust.