How To Get Consumer Insight In Real Life Instead of PowerPoint | Paul Thomas | Suntory | Asahi | Imperial Brands | Bottom-Up Cut 005

How To Get Consumer Insight In Real Life Instead of PowerPoint | Paul Thomas | Suntory | Asahi | Imperial Brands | Bottom-Up Cut 005

July 19, 2026 · 20 min · Season 5 · Episode 5

About this episode

The episode discusses how real-life consumer insights from bartenders can be more valuable than traditional research methods.

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries worldwide with 125+ episodes. Honest conversations about how the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS . Paul Thomas is Global Consumer & Shopper Insight Director at Imperial Brands, formerly Global Insight Director at Beam Suntory. Why do bartenders know more than a hundred-thousand-pound research report? How does the Japanese concept of Gemba change the way brands gather insight? What actually happens when marketers stop hiding behind PowerPoint and go to the bar? Find all episodes featuring Paul Thomas at themaffeodrinkspodcast.com Bottom up. Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section. For €100 a year you get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast) and get this analysis and access to the full archive of 125 episodes, each one translated from industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com

People in this episode

Host: Chris Maffeo

Guest: Paul Thomas

Topics covered

Keywords

Sponsors

MAFFEO DRINKS

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Imperial Brands, Beam Suntory, Suntory, Asahi

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