Fix the Incentives, Fix the Data w/ Frank Kelly | Signal & Noise Ep 22

In this episode of Signal and Noise, Brian Lamar sits down with Frank Kelly, one of the most experienced voices in panel management, sampling, and respondent engagement, to unpack what is actually broken in online research and how the industry can fix it.

Frank reflects on nearly four decades working across every major panel model, from postal and telephone panels to online access panels at Nielsen, Kantar, Ipsos, and now Virtual Incentives. He explains why today’s fraud and data quality challenges are not new problems, but the result of incentives, engagement, and trust being systematically undervalued for years.

A central theme of the conversation is compensation. Frank makes the case that low incentives drive fraud, disengagement, and professional respondents, while fair and meaningful incentives expand the pool of real people willing to participate. He challenges the assumption that higher incentives automatically increase fraud and explains why the opposite is often true.

The discussion also explores how conversational AI, video, and smarter profiling can radically improve panel quality if paired with the right incentive strategy. Frank outlines a future where premium panels support deeper qualitative work, smaller samples, and AI-powered synthesis, all while maintaining higher standards of validation and trust.

Key Takeaways:

• Low incentives shrink the respondent pool and invite fraud

• Fair compensation expands access to real, engaged participants

• Incentive strategy is as important as fraud detection technology

• Conversational AI and video can improve quality when paired with better pay

• Premium panels will be essential as big qualitative research grows

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