What started as an efficient way to access consumer feedback two decades ago is now utilised by 64% of insight leaders. Today, we refer to these platforms as online insight communities, but we could also talk about research communities, online discussion boards, bulletin boards or insight ecosystems.

With tech and AI rapidly reshaping our lives and work, insight communities are evolving in parallel, becoming more agile, smarter and more connected. Yet their core role is more vital than ever. In a time where artificial content and questionable sources are becoming more widespread, insight communities are rooted in realness: trusted people, authentic perspectives and shared experiences that help us unpack human complexities and unlock future opportunities.

What’s in a name

Online insight communities can take any form in size and scale, either ‘sprint’, pop-up’ or ‘structural’. They are dedicated, closed online spaces that connect anywhere from 30 to hundreds of people who share a common interest or characteristic. Think of them as your Swiss army knife of research. These communities consist of pre-profiled members, ensuring that conversations occur with the right people whose rich knowledge and experience can be effectively tapped into anytime, anywhere.

Unlike traditional panels, which often priortise data over meaningful interactions, online insight communities are guided by dedicated moderators who foster open, respectful dialogue. They focus on connection and collaboration, enabling brands to move beyond simply collecting opinions to truly understanding what matters to people.

You might be wondering where AI fits into all of this. We like to think of AI as a super assistant to our insight communities, one that helps us to zoom out to bring in diverse perspectives. This broader view allows us to gain a deeper understanding of people’s motivations and behaviours, the social context they live in and the cultural forces they experience every day.

And what’s in it for brands? Insight communities are a powerful tool to crack the code of human complexity. By blending different approaches communities foster a creative playground for brands to collaborate and co-create with real people in real time. This drives greater agility, flexibility and accelerates marketing outcomes.

Unmasking the three faces of online communities

Insight communities are highly flexible in terms of duration, ranging from short-term collaboration to solve a one-off business problem to a few months of iterative collaboration, or even ongoing longer-term relationships.

Pop-up communities

Pop-up communities are like pop-up shops: temporary, purpose-built spaces designed to meet a specific need. Unlike sprint communities, they allow more time for iterative cycles of exploration and co-creation. Typically built around a specific strategic topic or campaign, they enable brands to move from needs-based immersion and audience understanding to ideation and concept refinement. Pop-up communities give brands the agility to gather the right insights at the right moment, supporting smarter decisions and guiding marketing strategy through execution.

Bloomingdale’s used a multi-month online insight community ‘Beauty Bar’ to connect with Millennial beauty shoppers. Over time, they explored what these shoppers value both online and in-store and co-created a shop-in-shop concept. The result was Glowhaus, an innovative retail space blending digital and physical experiences. It launched successfully and earned Bloomingdale’s the WWD Beauty Inc Retailer of the Year award.

Structural communities

And, last, but certainly not least, structural communities. If traditional research is like speed dating, where you get quick answers but there’s little time to build real understanding, structural communities are like a long-term relationship, you grow together. Whether they run for a year or closer to a decade, structural communities allow for deeper, more meaningful connections with members. And with that longer engagement comes richer insights, capturing shifts in behaviour and evolving needs while giving brands the flexibility to activate specific audiences when needed. Depending on your goals, communities can include long-term ‘residents’ for ongoing engagement or ‘rotating visitors’, bringing in the right people at the right time.

Insight communities are more than research tools; they are living insight ecosystems. They not only generate valuable insights, but the rich human stories they capture can also fuel future projects. Instead of starting from a blank sheet of paper each time, brands can build on what they already know from past community interactions, making it easier to support new initiatives with greater focus and impact. They also play a key role in driving consumer centricity, ensuring that great insights are not only generated but truly land within the organisation by enabling ongoing empathy-building initiatives. A good example of this is our community for L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty.

Since 2016 we have been running insight-rich consumer communities across five markets (France, Germany, USA, Brazil and China) for LBD. Through our ‘So Healthy’ communities we connect with 150 dermo-cosmetics consumers across each market in their local language using our Global Moderator Network. Focusing on iconic brands like La Roche-Posay, Vichy, CeraVe, SkinCeuticals and more we have gathered authentic, brand-specific feedback directly from real consumers. But we don’t stop there, to ensure a 360 perspective, we enrich consumer insights with input from healthcare professionals such as pharmacists and dermatologists. Our structural community goes beyond being an insight-generation powerhouse, it’s also a powerful tool for building empathy within internal teams at LBD, with centricity workshops and connect events playing a key role.

Whether structural or pop-up, insight communities give brands a powerful edge. They reveal what matters now and help build the foundation for what comes next. In a landscape shaped by constant change, staying close to people is what keeps you ahead.