MRSI has always been at the forefront of numerous initiatives throughout. Here is a snapshot of some of the remarkable work they have undertaken recently:
MRSI Sports League – Cricket Edition 2025
The first-ever MRSI Sports League – Cricket Edition 2025 is a unique initiative to bring the consumer insights fraternity together through the spirit of sports. Scheduled for December 2025 in Gurgaon, this exciting event is open to all MRSI members and aims to create a vibrant platform for collaboration, bonding, and sportsmanship.
Teams from across the industry will compete in a fun yet competitive cricket tournament, celebrating not just the game but also the power of coming together as a community. The matches will be live-streamed on YouTube with commentary in Hindi and English, ensuring that everyone can be part of the action. With lively music, delicious food, and a festive on-ground atmosphere, it promises to be an unforgettable event. This will be the first in a series of sporting events, with badminton, table tennis, carrom, and more planned across other locations in the coming months; truly celebrating insights, energy, and sports the MRSI way.
MRSI 33rd Annual Market Research Seminar Celebrates Insight Leadership and Innovation
The Market Research Society of India (MRSI) successfully hosted its 33rd Annual Market Research Seminar, on 11th & 12th September 2025 at The Leela Ambience Gurugram, celebrating excellence in insights, innovation, and collaboration under the theme “The Power of AND.”
From over 100 submissions, 22 shortlisted papers were presented, reflecting the industry’s growing creativity and analytical depth.
Top Honours:
Kantar Insights and Bharti Airtel Ltd were announced as winners for their outstanding paper, “Reconstructing Bharat: A Scientific Approach to Estimating India’s Population Demographics at a District Level.”
Runners-Up:
- “Guardians of the Survey: Fighting Fraud to Protect Research Integrity and Data Quality Benchmarking” by Knowledge Excel
- “Streaming the Paradox – Gen Z and the Intergenerational Remix” by Zee Entertainment Enterprises and Third Eye Integrated Servic
The seminar opened with an inspiring keynote by Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India, who underscored the government’s vision for data-driven decision-making in building Viksit Bharat and the critical role of collaboration between public and private sectors.
Engaging panel discussions enriched the event, including “Joys and Dilemmas of Insight in the Age of Technology,” featuring leaders from Toluna, HUL, Airtel, Kantar, Smytten, and Purple Audacity, moderated by Chandan Mukherji of Nestlé India.
The Knowledge Panel explored how brands can authentically thrive in India’s diverse realities, with contributions from Narayana Health, Worldpanel by Numerator, Zee Entertainment, Lemon Tree Hotels, Hogarth India, and Global CMI.
Nitin Kamat, President, MRSI, highlighted the importance of integration across technology, creativity, and human understanding, calling the seminar “a beacon of insight leadership in India.”
Adding to this, Rituparna Dasgupta, Seminar Chairperson, and Roosevelt Dsouza, Co-chair, emphasized how the event reflected the industry’s maturity, diversity, and commitment to ethical excellence through MRSI’s self-governance framework.
The event was supported by Lead Partner SmyttenPulse AI, Associate Partners Toluna and Zee Entertainment, and Premium Session Partners Kantar, Nestlé, ITC, and Hindustan Unilever Limited.
MRSI continues to champion the growth of India’s insights ecosystem through advocacy, collaboration, and thought leadership
Learn more: www.mrsi.co.in
WEDNESDAY WEBINAR: Health and Wellness Paradigm – No Longer a Bitter Pill
MRSI’s Wednesday Webinar series continued with an engaging session on “Health and Wellness Paradigm: No Longer a Bitter Pill” on the 20th Aug 2025. The discussion brought together Sidharth Chaturvedi (Third Eye Integrated Services), Charu Mullick (Haleon), Vijayshankar Menon (National Pickleball Coach), and Gauri Pathak (Ipsos), moderated by Uttara Dhawan (The Third Eye).
The session highlighted how wellness in India is shifting from a narrow focus on healthcare to an aspirational lifestyle of self-care and holistic well-being.
Key Insights:
- Evolving Priorities: From longevity to quality of life, Indians now value feeling good, looking good, and thriving every day.
- Lifestyle Choices: Mindful eating, fitness, skincare, and family time are preferred over preventive measures like check-ups or vaccines.
- Cultural Shift: Health is no longer fear-driven but playful, personalized, and experiential, powered by technology and wearables.
- FMCH Trend: Health products are moving closer to FMCG—affordable, accessible, and tailored to lifestyle needs, with growing demand for natural and personalized solutions.
- Wellness in Action: Pickleball was showcased as an inclusive, fast-growing sport in India that combines exercise, stress relief, and community-building.
The webinar emphasized that wellness today is no longer a burden but an empowering, joyful lifestyle where physical, mental, and emotional health intersect with culture, community, and consumer choice.
Catch up on all the webinars here
MRSI MEMBER GROWTH & CELEBRATION CAMPAIGN:
As part of its continued commitment to community-building and member recognition, MRSI has launched a celebratory initiative to spotlight the diverse voices and achievements of its growing membership.
What’s New?
- A special 3-month-long campaign began on May 10, 2025, dedicated to celebrating the people behind the insights.
- Over 250+ MRSI members will be featured on MRSI’s official social media channels acknowledging their contribution, journey, and presence in the industry.
- This initiative is not just about numbers but about the recognition, visibility, and community pride.
Ongoing Post-Campaign Highlight:
New members are now being welcomed and acknowledged on MRSI’s social media, reinforcing a culture of inclusion and warmth from day one. This is more than a campaign, it’s a movement to make every member feel seen, valued, and celebrated.
MRSI at Goafest 2025: Showcasing the Future of Insights with AI
The Market Research Society of India (MRSI) made its debut at Goafest in the month of May, 2025, India’s largest celebration of creativity and marketing excellence, jointly organised by the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and The Ad Club.
Representing MRSI and the country’s vibrant research and insights community, Krishnendu Dutta, Practice Lead – Innovation, Understanding & Client Advisory, Ipsos India, and Vara Prasad, Vice President – Head of Insights & Analytics, ITC Foods, conducted a masterclass on “The Future is AI: Revolutionising Market Research for Tomorrow’s Insights.”
The engaging session took attendees through five key themes—beginning with traditional research approaches, tracing the evolution of AI from tools to transformative solutions, and featuring a compelling ITC case study. It concluded with an exploration of how AI is shaping the future of research and insights.
Beyond the core discussion, Krishnendu and Vara also highlighted MRSI’s ongoing initiatives, including the Society’s Code of Conduct Certification and its role in promoting ethical and globally aligned research practices.
MRSI’s maiden collaboration with Goafest was met with enthusiasm, marking a significant step in bridging the worlds of advertising, insights, and innovation.
MRSI Golden Key Awards 2024: Honouring Excellence in Research & Insights
The Market Research Society of India (MRSI) successfully hosted the 6th edition of the Golden Key Awards on 21st February 2025, celebrating trailblazers in the research and insights industry. The evening recognized individuals and organizations who are pushing the boundaries of innovation, strategic impact, and excellence in analytics.
Spotlight on Winners:
- Best Researcher Under 30: Aadya Sinha, Third Eye Integrated Services (Supported by Nestlé India)
- Most Humane Organisation: Datamatics Global Services
- Best Operations Team & Client Servicing Team: Kantar (the only dual winner in this category)
- Best Client Insight Team: Flipkart & Myntra
Legends Honoured
- Lifetime Achievement Awards: C.K. Sharma & Ashok Das
- Special Recognition: Dr. Lalit S. Kanodia, for pioneering work at the intersection of research, analytics, and tech.
These icons also joined a fireside chat, reflecting on their journeys and inspiring the next generation of researchers.
Special Moment:
Indian Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand shared powerful insights in a conversation with Shafali Arora (HUL), exploring how strategic thinking in chess parallels decision-making in business.
Innovation Takes Centre Stage (Powered by ITC)
- Most Effective Story-Teller: Ipsos & IKEA
- Best Data Collection Innovation: Metrix Research & Analytics
- Best Research Methodology Innovation: Hindustan Unilever Limited
- Best Use of Technology: Datamatics Global Services
This category applauded bold strides in AI, storytelling, and methodology, showcasing how tech and creativity fuel powerful insights.
Business Impact & Sector Excellence (Powered by Kantar)
- Best Work in Emerging Sectors: Hindustan Unilever Limited (for e-commerce in beauty & wellness)
- Best Developmental Research: Ipsos (Inclusion Insights study)
- Best Communication Crafting Research: Flipkart Internet Pvt. Ltd.
- Best Business Impact Through Analytics & Research: Hindustan Unilever Limited
A Night to Remember
Backed by a stellar lineup of partners – including Smytten Pulse, Nestlé, ITC, Kantar, Amazon, HUL, Datamatics, and more – Golden Key Awards 2024 was more than a celebration; it was a testament to the evolving landscape of research in India.
View full winners list: GKA2024Winners
International Market Research Day (IMRD 2025): Ethics in Focus
To mark International Market Research Day (IMRD), the Market Research Society of India hosted an insightful webinar on the topic: “Keeping the High Ground: Being Ethical in Business is More Important Than Ever.” The session brought together leading minds in the industry to explore the urgent need for ethical practices in an evolving, tech-driven landscape.
Key Panelists:
- Dr. Meena Kaushik, Chairperson, Quantum Consumer Solutions
- LV Krishnan, CEO, TAM Media Research
- Amit Adarkar, CEO, Ipsos India
- Siddhartha Nangia, Co-Founder, Smytten & Smytten Pulse
- Moderated by: Mitali Chowhan, Director General, MRSI
Highlights from the Discussion
- Ethics Beyond Compliance: Dr. Meena Kaushik reflected on the foundational values of qualitative research, urging the industry to catch up with the ethical challenges brought on by AI and a fragmented digital world.
- Start-up Perspective: Siddhartha Nangia spoke about building trust through data transparency and user education, and how research must now capture organic consumer behaviour without fatigue or ambiguity.
- Values First: LV Krishnan emphasized that ethics must precede business, and shared TAM’s approach to embedding values early through training and mentorship—especially in a world obsessed with shortcuts.
- The Three T’s Framework: Amit Adarkar stressed the importance of Trust, Transparency, and Technology, and warned against unchecked use of synthetic or experimental data, advocating for clear disclosure and accountability.
AI & Ethics
The panel tackled pressing questions around AI’s role in research from bias to misuse calling for ethical self-regulation and transparency. The consensus was clear: the fusion of human intelligence and artificial intelligence is key to building research that is empathetic, accurate, and ethically grounded.
To watch the recorded session, click here
Download the Executive Summary here: The Indian Research & Insights Industry Report 2024