-KH News Desk (cbedit@imaws.org)
In order to conduct student research projects on the plant-based consumer category in Singapore, Talkwalker, a leading provider of consumer intelligence and deep listening, has partnered with the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School and alternative protein thinktank Good Food Institute Asia Pacific (GFI APAC). Undergraduate and graduate student groups participated in this classroom collaboration, which began in August 2022. The student groups used dashboards and consumer insights from the Talkwalker platform, as well as database research, surveys, focus groups, and consumer insights, to produce six reports and insights that GFI APAC will provide to local food start-ups in the alternative proteins sector.
Speaking on the value of collaboration with universities and industry, Mirte Gosker, Managing Director of the Good Food Institute APAC said, “Partnerships that bring together key stakeholders from academia and industry—and empower young people to save their own future through food sustainability—can have an impact greater than the sum of their parts. Given the escalating pressures on our global food system and plant-based meat’s immense promise as a climate and food security solution, we need all hands on deck.”
On the value of exposing students to the latest technology and real-world business cases, Associate Professor Doreen Kum, Department of Marketing, NUS Business School said “Students benefit greatly when practitioners work with us to offer them the opportunity of working on marketing problems that are current and real. They are motivated because they know their work will have significance for the industry. Through this project, students analysed the marketing environment for plant-based meat (PBM). Using consumer insights they obtained from their research, they identified market segments and proposed marketing strategies that brands could undertake to encourage more consumption of PBM.”
“We saw first-hand high-caliber presentations by the students at NUS Business School, and we’d like to thank GFI APAC for joining this journey to create this research opportunity. We look forward to being part of other meaningful initiatives like this, which speak to the value of AI-enabled consumer intelligence, and empowering talent to unlock real-world solutions with the right data and technology,” added Benjamin Soubies, Managing Director (APAC & Japan), Talkwalker.
Talkwalker counts big consumer brands, agencies, and top consultancies among its clients, both internationally and in the Asia Pacific area. Talkwalker has worked with other notable universities in the past, including the University of Connecticut.
