Every year, ESOMAR North America brings together the researchers, innovators and insight leaders shaping the future of our industry.

This year’s event took place in Washington DC on the 5-6th November, turning the US capital into a hub of conversation, curiosity and fresh thinking.

Our team travelled in from London and New York, swapping winter commutes for early morning coffees on Constitution Avenue and the buzz of seeing familiar faces across the conference floor.

It was the perfect setting for a discussion already dominating the research community.

Two Complementary Methods, One Powerful Narrative

GLP-1 medications have moved from a clinical niche into the centre of cultural debate, reshaping how millions think about health, identity and control.

Against this backdrop, our Head of North America Eric Dolan took the main stage alongside Caroline Brethenoux from HumanDot Plus to share findings from a unique collaboration.

Their session, Inside the GLP-1 Mindset, brought together two lenses on the same cultural moment.

Our flagship platform, BoltChatAI, ran seventy AI-moderated, one-on-one conversations with consumers currently using GLP-1 or who had recently stopped, capturing their experiences in just three days.

Participants responded through text, voice, video and photos, creating a textured view of how GLP-1 is influencing their routines, identities and mental landscapes.

In parallel, HumanDot Plus analysed seven million public peer-to-peer conversations posted over the past year.

This digital anthropology layer revealed how GLP-1 is discussed in the wild, from Reddit threads to message boards, mapping the social currents driving perception, expectation and anxiety at scale.

Bringing these approaches together revealed a profound emotional narrative shaping the GLP-1 movement.

GLP-1: A Medical Treatment Becoming a Social Phenomenon

What made the session stand out was how clearly the methodologies amplified each other.

The digital analysis showed how GLP-1 has become a cultural phenomenon, not just a medical treatment, while the AI-moderated interviews revealed the emotional truths behind that shift.

One of the clearest themes was how GLP-1 has escaped the doctor’s office. People are not waiting for clinical guidance.

They are comparing dosing tips on Reddit, watching TikTok testimonials and discussing treatment the way previous generations compared fitness programmes.

More than one participant described feeling as though they were finally “in control” for the first time in years, though just as many admitted quiet fears about what happens if progress stalls.

These nuances helped humanise the complexity visible in the public conversations. They showed why GLP-1 isn’t just a trend, it is a shift in how people imagine their future selves.

Couldn’t Join Us Live?

You can catch the full recap of our ESOMAR NA talk here, with our session starting at 3:48:00!

Beyond the Stage

A big thank you to ESOMAR for hosting such a thoughtful and energising event. We left DC inspired by the conversations, the questions and the shared ambition to push research forward.

Curious about what Bolt Insight can uncover in your category? Click the ‘Book a Demo’ button in the top right corner to connect with the team.