What Batman Taught Me About Market Research Innovation
- Renato Silvestre
- Sep 4
- 4 min read
Who am I?... 12 hours. One highway. Plenty of time to think. On my drive from New Jersey to North Carolina to meet with market insights + innovations clients, I started reflecting on the journey that brought me here.
As a kid in the ’70s, I was hooked on superheroes, especially Batman... but there can only be one Batman (and it’s not Ben Affleck).
Instead, my path led me to market research, where I found a different kind of superpower. That’s how I became STRATMAN.
Batman didn’t do it alone. He had a team.
And at the heart of the team was Robin, a skilled acrobat who front and backflipped while taking down iconic villains like the Joker, Penguin, and Riddler. Batman brought the strategy and gadgets, while Robin added agility and a fresh perspective. Together they were stronger than they could ever be alone.
At STRATEGENCE, we have Rob P., a master statistician and data scientist with deep expertise in survey methodology, AI, and software development. While Robin perfected his acrobatic flips to outmaneuver Gotham's villains, Rob P. mastered forward and backward propagation to fine-tune AI neural networks. He expertly extracts, transforms, and loads data from any source to deliver the most accurate and actionable market insights.
Rob P.’s superpower: transforming complex data into crystal-clear insights
We put our Bayes net approach to the test against other methods, including k-means, to see which would deliver the most actionable customer segments. Think of Bayes net as Batman's legendary detective skills: sharp, precise, and able to uncover hidden patterns and non-linear relationships that others miss.
In contrast, k-means was more like a single gadget, useful in specific situations but ultimately limited in scope. When we applied discriminant function analysis to compare these methods head-to-head, the Bayes net emerged as the clear winner, providing the most precise and distinct customer segments, thus saving the Chief Marketing Officer.
This is the segmentation of my dreams... It's everything I was looking for! - Chief Marketing Officer in Distress
Issues with segmentation insights or data quality? Book a complimentary strategy session.
Batman has his gadgets. I have PANELYTICS.
Batman's arsenal spans dozens of specialized techniques and tools, each meticulously crafted for specific scenarios. When facing the Joker's poison gas, he uses his rebreather; against Mr. Freeze, his cryo-resistant armor. Simply put, if all he had was a hammer, every villain's head would look like a nail, and Gotham's most dangerous criminals would make quick work of him. His success depends not on brute force, but on having the right gadget for the right moment.
In market research, we face our own cast of villains: survey farms posing as real respondents, duplicate entries corrupting insights, inattentive survey takers, and response anomalies hiding in plain sight. Like Batman, we know a single tactic won’t defeat them all. It's why we rely on a specialized arsenal built to expose fraud, neutralize threats, and keep data clean.
PANELYTICS is our survey data quality system works through three main areas, each functioning like a specialized gadget from Batman's utility belt.
PANELYTICS tools and techniques include:
SMART Blend: Our management heuristics and strategic partner selection mirror Batman’s enemy analysis and mission planning. By choosing the right data sources based on information objectives and applying proven sampling stratification methods, we build strong research foundations. No mission succeeds without the right recruitment strategy.
SMART Check: We use digital fingerprinting and metadata analysis to unmask duplicates, bots, and survey farms. This is our detective toolkit, like Batman’s forensic gadgets, exposing fraudsters before they corrupt your data.
Novel Hybrid AI: Applying symbolic AI and unsupervised learning, we detect anomalies in structured and unstructured data before they corrupt the analysis. Think of it as our advanced surveillance system, like Batman’s early warning network, scanning for suspicious patterns and neutralizing threats before they cause damage.
Batman has Alfred. I have MAI-A for market research innovation.
While Batman fought crime in Gotham, Alfred worked behind the scenes, managing the Batcave, preparing the gadgets, and keeping every mission on track. At STRATEGENCE, our Alfred is MAI-A, an agentic workflow that orchestrates processes, streamlines moving parts, and ensures that everything runs smoothly so we can stay focused on strategy, insights, and taking down the villains of bad data.
MAI-A (My AI Assistant) is battle-tested in advanced domain agentry. With RAG (retrieval-augmented generation), she grounds outputs in trusted data for accuracy. Through thorough context engineering she sharpens responses for clarity and relevance. And with fine-tuning she adapts models to a client's specific business and information needs.
She was built on continuous improvement guided by Pareto’s Principle and Occam’s Razor to keep research simple, focused, and effective. By balancing proven practices with agile experimentation, she minimizes complexity, maximizes clarity, and saves clients 30–40% in time and cost.
The STRAT Signal. Calling for quality insight, innovation, and impact.
When Gotham faced its darkest hour, the city sent up the Bat Signal, calling for a hero when all seemed lost. In market research, the challenges may be different, but the urgency is just as real: fraudulent data corrupting insights, complex analysis paralysis, and innovation grinding to a halt.
When these villains threaten your business, it’s time to send up the STRAT Signal… or an email will do.
At STRATEGENCE, we answer with three core pillars:
Data quality that defeats fraudsters, bots, and inattentive respondents
Robust, innovative methodologies that deliver insights regardless of the data source
Process optimizations that streamline workflows and save 30–40% in time and cost
Together, these strengths turn market research into a true super, superpower. So, when you need sharper insights or rescue from the villains of unusable data, send up the STRAT Signal or book a free strategy session here or email me at rsilvestre@strategence-us.com.
Love this! Fun way to explain the inside workings and impact of your modern day research company!