The One Thing That Moves Consumers with J. Walker Smith
November 4, 2025
Change gets the headlines. Fundamentals drive the business.
In this episode of The Curiosity Current, host Stephanie and co-host Andrew Kawalek sit down with J. Walker Smith, Knowledge Lead for Strategy & Consulting at Kantar, to unpack what truly shapes consumer behavior. Walker explains why convenience remains the strongest driver of choice, how pricing tells a brand’s story, and why storytelling, not dashboards, still persuades. He shares his practical mantra, “one thing” for clarity in communication, a measured view on AI’s role in research, and a compelling argument for using technology to give people back their time.
In this episode of The Curiosity Current, host Stephanie is joined by Andrew Kawalek, Senior Director of Global Sales at AYTM, for a conversation with J. Walker Smith, Knowledge Lead for Strategy and Consulting at Kantar. After decades of guiding brands through cultural and technological change, Walker has learned that the fundamentals of marketing rarely shift. While AI, automation, and analytics dominate today’s conversations, he reminds us that real progress comes from mastering constants: understanding people, respecting time, and crafting stories that stick. Walker reframes AI as being in its first phase, making old processes faster rather than transforming how consumers shop or decide. For now, AI helps marketers execute the basics more efficiently while freeing them to think more deeply. He argues that the true competitive advantage lies in this thinking time, space to anticipate what’s next instead of reacting to every new tool. From pricing strategy to agile research, Walker explains how price functions as narrative, influencing perception far beyond transaction. He warns that cutting prices can cheapen brand meaning just as easily as overpricing can stretch credibility. And when it comes to storytelling, he urges leaders to focus on “one thing,” the single insight, slide, or sentence the audience will remember. Looking ahead, he predicts a return to analog. As digital saturates life, people will crave more human, tangible experiences. The future of digital, he says, “is analog.” For marketers and researchers alike, that means pairing data with empathy, structure with spontaneity, and automation with imagination.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why convenience remains the strongest driver of consumer choice
- How to think about price as brand story, not just a transaction
- The three phases of AI in marketing and where we are today
- The “one thing” principle for storytelling that persuades and lasts
- How to build agility through thinking time, not just faster tools
- The evolving roles of data stewards and storytellers in research
- Why the future of digital is analog and what it means for CX
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here.
Episode Resources:
The Curiosity Current: A Market Research Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so