Johnson City, Tennessee-based Smarty Pants has hired Laura Hay as a manager-level “Insights Know-It-All.” She supports the agency’s key entertainment, CPG, and retail partnerships – from research design and fieldwork management to data analysis and reporting.

Hay was most recently a senior research manager at Ipsos. She honed her market research skills as part of the firm’s Analyst Development Program. Her excellence as an analyst specializing in communications testing and brand health tracking resulted in a quick promotion to research manager. A year later, she was promoted again to senior manager responsible for all phases of primary research. 

Prior to Ipsos, Hay worked at Blue Buffalo Company, where she was responsible for listening to the stories of “pet parents” and identifying opportunities to grow the Blue brand and its practices. She began her market research career as a Retail Brand Strategist at international brand consultancy Interbrand. 

Hay earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at the University of Cincinnati. She began her career as an R&D Lab Tech at Kao Brands where she developed and reformulated John Frieda hair products. She also assisted the market research team as they conducted qualitative interviews, video diaries, and secondary research on hair care trends. This exposure to consumer research led her to obtain a Master of Science in Marketing from the University of Cincinnati as well as a graduate certificate in Market Research.
Commenting on Hay’s hire, Smarty Pants Insights Sage Emily Young states, “Laura has had an immediate impact on Smarty Pants and our clients. She is a quantitative research whiz with great qualitative instincts and a keen ability to synthesize learnings across methods. And her deliverables reflect her business acumen. We are thrilled that Laura is applying her rich academic and professional training and business experience at Smarty Pants.” 

Hay is based in Cincinnati, Ohio.