Artificial intelligence impacted many industries, and the innovation community also grappled with AI and emerging technologies. This was tied inextricably to data science and insights and a renewed focus on data-driven innovation. By harnessing the power of data, organizations can gain valuable insights, identify emerging trends, and make data-driven decisions that lead to improved outcomes for innovation.
Certainly, fostering a culture of innovation, experimentation, and risk-taking remains important—as well as keeping humans in the loop when it comes to AI initiatives. A strong innovation culture is essential for encouraging creativity, collaboration, partnerships, and a willingness to embrace change. By empowering employees and creating a supportive customer-centric environment, organizations can unlock their full innovation potential.
Top 10 Most Viewed Stories on All Things Innovation in 2025
We turned to Google Analytics to reveal just what content our innovation community gravitated towards throughout the year. The ten most popular stories on All Things Innovation in 2025:
Entrepreneurship and innovation are closely linked concepts but also distinct and separate stages in business. Defining both is helpful from both an organizational perspective and to support the innovation team, who may be establishing many tasks and stages to bring a new idea to fruition. While innovation tends to focus on something new, such as a business model, idea, product, or service, entrepreneurship may focus on turning an idea into a viable business opportunity.
2. Harvesting Innovation & Sowing the Seeds of Future Growth
The FEI25 conference was designed to be an action-oriented, collaborative experience where you’ll gain practical skills, forge powerful connections, and leave with an actionable plan to drive transformative growth for your organization.
3. The Rogue Mindset Report 2025
All Things Innovation’s Rogue Mindset Report 2025 shines a light on a flexible and uniquely creative framework for innovation—the rogue mindset. Inspired by an impactful comment from Tammy Butterworth during the roundtables at the FEI 2024 conference, All Things Innovation, with the help and support of Butterworth, decided it was a mindset worth exploring both in this digital report as well as a companion piece to the rogue mindset roundtables that were held during FEI 2025.
4. AI-Driven Innovation & Insights Solutions Showcase 2025
Innovation and insights executives have been asking for a one-stop-shop for the myriad AI-Driven Solutions available. By providing clear answers to critical questions and highlighting the unique value propositions of each solution, we aim to empower executives and their teams to make informed decisions and harness the full potential of AI. This compendium is a testament to the collaborative spirit of the All Things Innovation and All Things Insights communities.
5. Integrating AI-Enabled Insights to Guide Innovation
At TMRE 2024, ZS and The Hershey Company presented a fireside chat on “Reinventing Innovation with Generative AI-Enabled Insights.” As insights and innovation teams accelerate their efforts with data-driven initiatives, artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a valuable tool for product research and development. Tim Joyce, Principal at ZS, and Amanda Beacher, Senior Consumer Insights Manager at The Hershey Company, discussed some of their experiences with AI tools and innovation.
6. The Blockbuster Blunder: A Cautionary Tale of Strategy Gone Wrong
(From contributor Michael Bagalman): In 2010, Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy with nearly $1 billion in debt. Just a decade earlier, they had confidently declined an offer to purchase Netflix for $50 million. As I’m writing this, Netflix is worth nearly $300 billion, while Blockbuster is as relevant as a Betamax player at a 4K TV party. This stark reversal of fortunes is enough to make any CEO reach for the antacid—and illustrates the devastating consequences of poor strategic decisions in the face of disruptive change.
7. Fractional Work: The Growth of Flexibility and Innovation
(From contributor Gail Martino): In the past year, I’ve observed a surge in the usage of a particular term across platforms like LinkedIn – “Fractional.” It’s become increasingly prevalent, with notable figures like Brett Trainor, a TikTok creator, proclaiming his mission to transition 10,000 corporate employees to fractional work.
8. Social Media Influences Innovation Opportunities
Social media has its own unique way of influencing purchase behavior and putting products and services in the right organizational and corporate context. This also entails engaging with consumers and creating a community of followers with the mission in part that at least some will become paying customers through social commerce. Using social analytics, marketers also have the potential to identify white space opportunities for innovation.
9. Building the Right Data & Insights Team
(From contributor Michael Bagalman): You’ve heard it before: Data is the new oil. Just as crude oil needs refining to become valuable, data must be processed to unlock its potential. Enter the data and insights team – your company’s refinery turning numbers into actionable knowledge. Think of them as the digital age’s alchemists, minus the pointy hats and cauldrons. But how do you structure this team for maximum impact?
10. Applying AI to Anthropological Research
Agile research and methodologies are of primary importance to the innovation discipline, as they promote a more versatile, rapid, adaptive approach to product development. However, achieving dynamic agility involves bridging gaps and practical applications in multiple fields of study, including anthropology. Can there be synergy between artificial intelligence and the studies of human behavior such as anthropology? Can this synergy enhance the agile research methodology?
Video: “The State of Corporate Innovation 2025: Trends, Insights & Opportunities,” courtesy of Hype Innovation.
