About
Sparkle Insights is a boutique consumer insights and strategy firm specializing in cultural intelligence — helping organizations understand the cultural context behind consumer behavior and turn it into sharper strategy, messaging, and growth.
A decade of culturally grounded research
We have partnered with Fortune 500 brands, agencies, and nonprofits — blending qualitative depth, quantitative clarity, and in-culture, in-language research.
What we offer
From Early Signals to Strategic Action
Sparkle helps teams make smarter decisions before, during, and after research — combining cultural intelligence, upstream strategy, AI-assisted exploration, and real-world validation.
We help clients identify early signals, sharpen ideas, validate assumptions, and turn audience understanding into action.
Cultural Intelligence
The context behind the choice
We decode the values, beliefs, lived experiences, and cultural signals that shape consumer behavior, message interpretation, and market adoption.
Upstream Strategy
Sharpen ideas before research
We help teams pressure-test concepts, messages, positioning, and assumptions early — before investing in formal testing, production, or launch.
AI-Assisted + Human-Led Research
Faster learning, deeper interpretation
We use AI to accelerate scanning, synthesis, and hypothesis development, while human researchers interpret meaning, nuance, and cultural context.
Brand, Campaign & Growth Strategy
From insight to action
We translate audience understanding into messaging guidance, campaign direction, adoption strategy, and growth opportunities.
For upstream concept review, explore SAIL™. For market entry and adoption strategy, explore SPARK™.
Testimonials
What partners say about working with Sparkle Insights.
“Having worked with Iris on several projects, I have consistently found her to be an intuitive, collaborative partner. Objective yet empathetic, Iris has a knack for understanding the needs and drivers of market segments and easily translates those into results-oriented business strategies. Not only does Iris thrive in complex environments, she always manages to do so with focus and grace. Her work led to breakthrough approaches for our organization and we felt the positive impact and value of her work almost immediately. I look forward to opportunities to work with and learn from Iris again.”
“I would highly recommend Iris and her team for both qualitative and quantitative research. I can count on Iris for flexibility, strategic thought partnership and quick turnarounds, which is often a hard mix to find in a partner. Iris excels at being able to succinctly and quickly communicate key takeaways, which is invaluable when working in a fast-paced environment.”
“The information collected and analyzed by Sparkle gave us great insight into how our target audience views our product. We gained meaningful insight in ways to improve our platform, as well as very positive feedback on how our product will be received by our clients.”
“My team worked with Sparkle Insights on a strategic study as we explored a new market segment for our client’s brands early this year. Iris took our business needs to heart and designed a hybrid research approach that not only provides a comprehensive understanding of the market landscape in our category — barriers, opportunities for market entry, and positioning — but also the qualitative insights that are just as important in the market we are focusing on. Iris provided a lot of consultative support and went above and beyond for us.”
Selected Work
Examples of how Sparkle Insights helps clients turn audience understanding into clearer messaging, stronger strategy, and smarter decisions.
Campaign / Message Evaluation
Medicaid Expansion Messaging for Newly Eligible North Carolinians
North Carolina health-equity nonprofit
Sparkle helped a public health organization understand how rural, Black, Hispanic, and lower-income North Carolinians interpreted Medicaid expansion messages — what created confusion, what built trust, and what made the information feel personally relevant.
Market Entry / Growth Opportunity
EV Awareness and Adoption Strategy for Growth Audiences
Major automotive manufacturer
Sparkle helped an automotive brand understand awareness, interest, barriers, and adoption conditions for electric vehicles among high-opportunity consumer segments, including Chinese, Asian Indian, Pan-Asian, Hispanic, and Black consumers.
Audience Understanding / Brand Strategy
Real-Time Consumer Understanding During the Pandemic
National quick-service restaurant brand
Sparkle helped a national restaurant brand understand how consumers were navigating food, safety, convenience, family needs, and emotional stress during a fast-changing moment.
Free Cultural Intelligence Resources
Sharpen Your Thinking Before Your Next Move
Explore Sparkle Insights’ free resources for reading cultural signals, understanding audience behavior, and making smarter strategy decisions.
Cultural Intelligence Starter Kit
How to Understand the Culture Behind the Choice
A practical guide to the cultural signals, trust drivers, audience questions, and decision-making context brands should understand before launching a campaign, product, message, or market initiative.
Asian American Media & Influence Brief
What Marketers Should Understand About Attention, Trust, and Cultural Influence
A strategy-focused brief on how Asian American media behavior reflects culture, language, identity, trust, and influence — and what it means for media planning, messaging, and audience understanding.
Sparkle Signal Scan™
A rapid read on the signals shaping your next move
Have a brand, category, audience, campaign idea, or market question you are trying to evaluate? Request a Sparkle Signal Scan™ — an AI-assisted, human-curated directional brief designed to surface early cultural signals, audience questions, strategic watchouts, and possible next steps.
Cultural Intelligence Starter Kit
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Asian American Media & Influence Brief
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Need clarity before your next move?
Tell us what you’re trying to understand, evaluate, or decide — and we’ll help uncover the cultural context, audience signals, and strategic direction to move forward.
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