How Bespoke Intelligence Provides a Competitive Advantage

For most senior leaders, the idea of reading more reports is daunting. Sifting through streams of data and analysis can be a thankless job and knowing exactly what to do with it can be even harder than reading through it all in the first place.

We are living through an intelligence boom. We are data-rich but time-poor, and, as a result, important information is getting lost in a sea of statistics and figures.

When we launched GO Intel, we set out to change that. Alongside our monthly reports, which tackle broader industry topics and conversations, we also launched a dedicated, tailored research service for our clients.

These reports can be used in a number of ways. They can be joint projects with clients, where we explore an area of the industry that matters to them, compile all of the necessary information, and then they contribute their own insights. Alternatively, and more popularly, it can be used internally to gain insights into how a business is performing, what gaps in the market exist, and what their competitors are doing.

The aim of GO Intel was simple: we wanted to provide clients with the kind of intelligence and information that is actually useful to them. Whether that meant competitor analysis, market overviews, editorial guidance, or industry insights. We recognised that many of the reports industry leaders deal with are loaded with information that doesn’t answer their questions or provide the kind of intelligence they can use to make the best decisions for their business.

We combined AI-powered research with our own industry insights and professional expertise to provide a fully bespoke intelligence service. In our view, the real benefit of reports and intelligence isn’t access; it’s understanding how to use them.

Making Decisions with Confidence

For instance, a client might want to get an overview of their competitors’ media coverage and what topics people are discussing. There is almost always a major talking point in our industry, and knowing where and how to contribute to that can be difficult. Take one of the more recent flavour-of-the-month topics, prediction markets, as an example.

Everybody from operators to payment providers has something to say on them, and the topic isn’t going away anytime soon. Standing out and offering a well-informed but different opinion can be extremely difficult.

In this instance, competitor analysis and a report on the existing media landscape can be extremely beneficial. Our reports can help identify what gaps exist in the conversation, as well as to gather stats and information that ensure you speak on the topic with authority and confidence.

A company that understands where the conversation is crowded, and where the gaps are, can commit to an angle with confidence, instead of just echoing what has already been said. It turns a vague instinct to ‘say something’ into a clear, evidence-backed decision.

From a PR perspective, published reports and accompanying pieces can also establish credibility, something which is increasingly important in today’s LLM and AI-search-driven landscape. Editorials and thought leadership that are supported by verified data and research are more likely to be picked up and trusted by the media and journalists, as well as the LLMs and AI tools that summarise content. Academic research backs this up: a study by researchers at Princeton, Georgia Tech, and IIT Delhi found that adding statistics, citations, and source attributions improved a piece’s visibility in AI-generated answers by up to 40%.

This applies across a business, not just for content. Reports can be tailored to assess a market or to analyse what competitors are doing.

It can provide insights into what products are working in markets, give them a view of the conversations people are having in those markets, and identify opportunities and potential pitfalls in them. This gives businesses a competitive edge that allows them to make informed decisions confidently.

Directly Answering Questions

Crucially, our bespoke research directly answers the questions a client has. The research is tailored to their needs and delivers the insights they are looking for. The findings give them something to act on, not just something to read and file away.

Of course, none of this works if the research and processes are not right. AI-assisted research tools have dramatically reduced the time needed to gather and analyse large volumes of text and information. However, the speed of collection is not the same as judgment. Anybody can gather information using AI, but understanding what is relevant and what is simply background noise is a different skill set. This is where human expertise and oversight become essential.

This combination of AI-assisted research and human expertise is what makes tailored intelligence more useful than just another report on the table. There is no shortage of data in our industry, but clarity and understanding of it are often in short supply. The biggest beneficiaries of this intelligence boom are those who ask the right questions and get the information that matters most to them.