Writing · Op-eds · A read on the market
A read on the market.
Op-eds, articles and positions on how AI transforms marketing research — by Dr Laurent Flores, professor at Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas, past president of ESOMAR, founder of FlashInsight.
The blog
Long-form notes, reference guides and field takes — on what AI-assisted marketing research changes, and what it doesn't.
Why Synthetic Personas Caricature Real People: What Pew’s Data Show About Silicon Sampling
Diane and Brenda share one row in any sampling frame, and they do not share the same views. Their synthetic twin is more emphatic than either of them. Measured on Pew’s published data: opinions pushed away from the centre, disagreement cut by almost a third.
Personas synthétiques : pourquoi l’IA caricature les répondants (les données de Pew à l’appui)
Michèle et Françoise ont le même profil, et pas les mêmes avis. Leur jumeau synthétique, lui, est plus tranché que chacune des deux. Mesuré sur les données publiées par Pew : des opinions poussées loin du centre, un désaccord réduit de près d’un tiers.
Intermarché Terroirs: what a storyboard pretest would have shown
We took the film “Ces dimanches-là” back to storyboard stage and showed it to twenty synthetic personas. The emotion lands; proof, products and price still need work.
Use case: a synthetic focus group on French news, without predicting 2027
Eight synthetic personas from four political families read the same two news sheets, first alone, then together. Where they agree, where they split, and what it cannot tell you.
Op-eds and column — MR News
Op-eds and the monthly “IA-conoclaste” column in the reference French outlet for marketing research (in French).
Is a synthetic respondent a fake respondent? Maybe that is the wrong question.
First issue of the monthly column. A synthetic respondent does not imitate a person, it models a population: the real question is whether the model has been stress-tested, and where it fails.
Marketing research and AI, 18 months on: the shift is here.
Six months after the first op-ed, an update: AI is redefining the relationship between measurement and decision, not just the speed at which studies are produced.
Column — Journal du Net
Column in the Martech section of Journal du Net (in French).
Research — peer-reviewed publications
Work published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Talks
Professional conferences and workshops.
Panel “AI, what's next?” — How AI is transforming the research, insights and marketing professions.
Panel at the AdWanted Research Awards 2026, on how generative AI is reshaping the research → insights → marketing value chain.
AI & Insight — Where we are in 2026. A conversation with practitioners and leaders.
A collective check on the actual state of the market, and on what AI changes for marketing decisions — beyond the noise.
LinkedIn — FlashInsight newsletter & articles
A regular read on what AI actually changes for marketing decisions.
From add-on to backbone: when synthetic moves upstream.
Why synthetic stops being a side gadget and becomes a structural step of the research workflow.
The problem with synthetic audiences isn't audiences — it's certainty.
Reframing the debate from real-vs-artificial to grounded-vs-under-specified.
To discuss one of these topics, a recent piece, or a project.
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