Aarti Bhaskaran, Global Head of Research and Insights at Snap, on why insights teams exist to humanise what technology builds, how Snap's creator business grew entirely organically, and why the best insights functions shift from data providers to genuine storytellers with a seat at the product table.
"So much of the build is internal focused. Insights comes in to remind everyone of the human at the end."
Why insights is the consumer's advocate inside tech and why a CPM is ultimately a human being making a decision
Aarti Bhaskaran leads Research and Insights globally at Snap, supporting around $5 billion of revenue through thought leadership, consumer research, and commercial insights. She has presented at Cannes Lions, ARF, and WARC, and is one of the most prominent voices in the industry on how insights functions evolve from data providers into genuine strategic partners.
In this conversation Bhaskaran explains why the insights function exists to humanise what technology teams build, how Snap's creator business emerged organically rather than by design and what that taught the team about the creator economy, and why even the most sophisticated advertising metrics ultimately resolve to a human being making a decision.
"Insights was pretty much looked upon as something used for validation or simply a data provider. Now it is slowly evolving to become more about storytelling and really trying to understand the why. Especially as platforms get more sophisticated and the category gets more saturated, then it's hard to get incremental gains. That is where insights comes in."
Bhaskaran traces an evolution from reactive data provision to proactive strategic contribution.
"So much of the build is internal focused. People working with advanced technology, whether AI, ML, or augmented reality, focus on the technical specs and sometimes almost forget the human who has to use what you build. We come in as a reminder, humanising what product is building. A cost per is actually a human action and you need to understand how and why this human is going to take that action."
The advocate role is structural, not just philosophical.
"The creator business came about very organically. We had users starting to post on Spotlight, creators from other platforms migrating over. It grew as a business. Then you start to understand how consumers are interacting with creators, what is their role in path to purchase, how we monetise creators. Things that creators ask, but also things you need to find out as you build."
Organic emergence rather than planned design produced genuine consumer insight about creator behaviour.
"You need openness to feedback, not just on the product but on the concept you are thinking about. You might be very excited as a product person. But does it really solve a problem that is going to scale and excite a consumer? Are you open to other points of view? That openness is required for a smoother relationship between insights and product."
Bhaskaran frames insights as a discipline of challenging, not just validating.
"At the end of the day, all the sophisticated tools and platforms resolve to the same thing: understanding the human who is going to use the product or see the ad. That never changes. The tools change. The platforms change. The human motivations and decision patterns change much more slowly."
A reminder of the enduring anchor beneath all the technological change.
"Insights was a data provider. Now it is storytelling and understanding the why."
Host Tell us about your role and what insights does at Snap.
Bhaskaran I am Global Head of Research and Insights at Snap. The role of insights has evolved from data provider to storytelling and understanding the why. We are the consumer's advocate inside the technology company. So much of the build is internal focused. Insights comes in to remind everyone of the human at the end. A cost per action is a human action. Never forget that.
Host Tell me about the Snap creator business.
Bhaskaran It came about very organically. Users started posting on Spotlight. Creators from other platforms migrated over. It grew as a business. Then insights had to quickly understand how consumers interact with creators, what role creators play in path to purchase. Things you need to find out as you build rather than before you start.
New leaders and insights. No noise.