Storytelling: The Superpower Behind Insights Success

The insights industry has more data at its fingertips than ever before: more analytics, more dashboards, and an ever-increasing number of AI-powered tools. Yet one theme comes up repeatedly in our conversations with leaders on MRII Insights & Innovators podcast: data alone doesn’t drive decisions. Stories do. 

Across more than forty episodes with global insights and analytics heads from leading brands, CEOs of major agencies, founders, and other innovators, one truth stands out. The ability to craft and tell a compelling story is what transforms research into results, insights into influence, and information into impact.

From Data to Decisions: Storytelling as the Missing Link

Stan Sthanunathan, founder of i-Genie, former EVP of Insights at Unilever and one of the most respected voices in our field, summed it up perfectly on Insights & Innovators:

“It’s not about how smart you are; it’s about what decisions you can actually influence. … The simple rule that I have always followed is to do presentations that are fact-based, but not fact-filled.”

That distinction, being fact-based, not fact-filled, captures the essence of storytelling in insights. We’ve all sat through presentations that overflow with data but lack a point of view. The story is what gives those facts meaning. It connects evidence to action and inspires stakeholders to move.

When insights professionals start thinking of themselves as storytellers, not just researchers, everything changes. The focus shifts from what we know to what others will do with what we know. That’s the difference between reporting and influencing.

Simplify to Amplify

Christian Niederauer, VP of Global Insights & Consumer Affairs at Colgate-Palmolive, reminded us that storytelling isn’t just about persuasion; it’s about clarity.

“What has been a key topic for quite some while, and where we still can do better, is storytelling simplification. Insights professionals really need to master the art of simplifying complex data into compelling stories that are easy to understand for stakeholders at every level.”

In a world drowning in data, simplicity is the new sophistication. When everyone in an organization, from marketing to the C-suite, can grasp the story your data tells, insights earn their seat at the table.

As Christian noted, simplification doesn’t mean dumbing down; it means distilling the essence of what matters most. The most successful insights leaders can translate complex analytics into a human story that people feel, not just see.

Storytelling as a Leadership Skill

Storytelling isn’t just a communication tool; it’s a leadership competency. Many Insights & Innovators guests have linked the ability to tell a clear, motivating story with the ability to lead.

Marie Van Blaricum, Senior Director of Marketing Insights & Analytics at Google, put it this way:

“Storytelling, effective communication, and really confidence … are so important for our capability right now. We can be that force in the center that helps the business recenter on why we’re doing this.”

Her perspective highlights a common theme: the best insights professionals don’t simply deliver data. They guide strategy, refocus priorities, and help organizations make sense of change. They do that through story.

Synthesizing Meaning from Complexity

Long-time head of the NPD Group (now Circana) and now an active investor in the data space, Tod Johnson summed it up this way:

“The best insights professionals don’t just analyze — they synthesize. They craft a story that makes sense of complexity.”

Data alone doesn’t drive change; it’s the meaning behind the data, the narrative that connects it to people and purpose—that propels organizations forward.

Communicating with clarity and confidence

Tod’s longtime partner at NPD and now at Duo Partners, Karyn Schoenbart, has seen countless talented researchers fall short because their presentations lacked punch.

“You can have the smartest analysis in the room, but if you can’t communicate it compellingly, it won’t land.”

For Karyn, effective storytelling begins with clarity by distilling what matters most and extends to confidence: having the presence and conviction to make audiences listen. “The best insights professionals,” she noted, “are also great teachers. They help others see the world differently.”

Why Storytelling Matters Now More than Ever

AI is changing how we gather and process information, but it also risks overwhelming organizations with more data than they can absorb. In that environment, storytelling becomes the differentiator. Dashboards can visualize; AI can summarize. Only people can humanize, connect with the audience, and inspire them.

As Stan Sthanunathan put it, “It’s not enough to inform. You have to inspire.”

Business leaders are time-starved and overloaded. They don’t need another 60-page deck; they need a story that reveals what matters and what to do next. Storytelling is how insights teams earn credibility and demonstrate their value.

As Stan Sthanunathan also reminded us, “It’s not about showing how smart you are.” The smartest thing an insights professional can do is make the complex simple and the simple compelling. That’s storytelling.

It’s the skill that turns analysis into influence, complexity into clarity, and research into results. It’s the bridge between knowing and doing.

Practice the craft. Storytelling, as Marie Van Blaricum emphasized, is a capability that can and must be honed.

Learn to tell your story and tell it well. Storytelling is the superpower of insight's success.