On a recent episode of The Brainy Business podcast, our Chief Strategy Officer Devora Rogers joined host Melina Palmer to talk about one of her favorite topics: the power of asking the right questions.

For Devora, research isn’t just about numbers. It’s about curiosity, empathy, and storytelling. She shared how her unexpected career shift from television production to consumer insights eventually led her to work on Google’s now-famous Zero Moment of Truth study. “We were looking at what happened before people were buying,” she said. “It was amazing how many brands didn’t believe that people would actually look things up on the Internet and then later buy them.”

Throughout the conversation, Devora emphasized that brands often don’t spend enough time defining the problem before jumping into solutions. “You can come up with the right answer to the wrong question way too easily,” she warned.

One of the biggest pitfalls she sees? Brands narrowly defining their competition. “If you make your category too small, there’s not enough room for you to grow. If you make it too big, then you’re talking to everybody,” she said. Whether it’s cake mix or casino trips, the real competition is often broader, and more emotional, than it appears.

Devora also outlined how she guides CMOs through foundational insights work, including segmentation. Her advice: start with qualitative research to “create empathy and get the organization ready,” then follow with quant to validate and prioritize. “You leave them wanting more,” she explained. “And then you say, ‘Now the next step is a segmentation.’”

As for methodology, Devora was candid about the neuroscience tools Alter Agents uses, and avoids. She’s wary of techniques like EEG and facial coding, favoring variable heart rate monitoring for its real-time, emotional insight. “We want to create that moment where the brain goes, ‘This is cool. More of this please,’” she said.

Whether working with top brands or public health organizations, Devora and the Alter Agents team are focused on uncovering the human truths behind behavior. As she put it: “You don’t know what you’re going to find. That’s why research is so amazing. People surprise you.”

You can listen to the full episode at The Brainy Business podcast, Episode 517.