Júlia Nadal: Insights into the Market Research World

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Júlia Nadal graduated from ESCI-UPF ten years ago. Her career path, marked by roles in multinational companies like Nestlé, Gallina Blanca, PepsiCo, and Danone, has equipped her with deep insights into market research. Júlia emphasised how the hands-on training she received at ESCI-UPF laid a solid foundation for her successful career.

Júlia began her masterclass by explaining how market research departments are structured in large corporations. These teams are typically divided into three main areas: consumer insights, which focuses on understanding behaviours and trends; shopper insights, which analyzes purchasing patterns; and data analytics, responsible for studying large datasets to identify trends across markets, consumers, and competitors. She highlighted that while some companies rely on external agencies, many are now building internal teams to reduce costs and maintain confidentiality, as agencies often work with competing brands.

Based on her experience, Júlia shared real examples from her career. At Gallina Blanca, she worked in the innovation team, where the goal was to uncover unmet consumer needs. At PepsiCo, her focus shifted to shopper insights, analysing purchasing behaviours.

Júlia also discussed the transformative role of artificial intelligence in market research, which has made data analysis faster and more accessible. However, the true challenge lies in using this data to anticipate future trends. For instance, she pointed to the recent rise in running as a lifestyle trend, which brands like YoPro have capitalised on with events like marathons. She emphasised the importance of acting early, as once a trend becomes predominant in the market, it’s often too late to use it effectively.

Further into the session, Júlia explained how companies work with agencies to address key business questions. These questions often include why consumers are or aren’t buying a product and what strategies can drive growth. The process starts with a briefing to align goals and methodologies, followed by extensive data collection and analysis. Results are then presented to marketing and sales teams, encouraging collaboration through departments for strategic decision-making.

Afterwards, Júlia shared an example from her current role at Alpro, a company owned by Danone, where she works in the local team in Spain. She explained how the global team provides strategic guidelines while local teams adapt these strategies to fit consumer behaviours and cultural contexts. She described the challenges of aligning global and local priorities, offering a real insight into how multinationals navigate diverse markets.

To any ESCI-UPF student aspiring to work in market research, Júlia also offered valuable advice: the skills and methodologies learned at university are directly applicable in the field. She highlighted how important it is to understand structure and have clear criteria when working with agencies and analysing data, skills that are taught to us in our Market Research Analytics course.

The session concluded with a hands-on challenge. First, we answered the questions from a survey about plant-based milk consumption compared to animal milk. Then, we analysed the real data collected from that survey. Finally, we worked in groups to come up with innovative solutions to increase the consumption of plant-based products. This exercise effectively combined the theoretical and practical aspects of our course, providing a memorable and insightful end to her talk.

Júlia Nadal’s masterclass was both inspiring and informative. It demonstrated the relevance of market research in shaping business strategies and gave us valuable lessons to carry forward in our careers.