From Data to Action: Using the EASI MRI Data to Power Smarter Business Strategies

June 8, 2025 By Julia Borgini

Data is fast becoming the heart of most companies, as it fuels everyday business functions, decisions, and roles. “Data and analytics is the heart of our organizations, which means we are the single point of failure for almost everything else in our business. If our systems go down, the entire organization goes down,” Gareth Herschel, VP analyst at Gartner, explained at the Gartner Data and Analytics Summit.

That means learning what data and analytics will help you drive tangible outcomes for your business. Good data can make the difference between a successful product launch or expansion and losses that affect your bottom line. That’s why businesses use EASI’s MRI national data sets in their operations.

What’s in the EASI MRI data?

The EASI Mediamark Research Institute (MRI) data sets combine the exhaustive data sets provided by MRI with EASI’s data analysis expertise to produce one of the most comprehensive national databases available. It encompasses hundreds of data categories from 50,000 consumers nationwide and approximately 20 of EASI’s top demographic variables, like EASI Block Group, Census Tract, and ZIP Code.

EASI receives the annual MRI data and spends months analyzing it to extrapolate it for each geography. Customers can ask for bespoke reports by industry, such as insurance, finance, and healthcare. Each contains hundreds of variables in categories like ailments, beverages, fast food preferences, media consumption habits (audio, reading, and watching), and pets.

Example EASI MRI analysis

The automotive EASI MRI data outlines vehicle sales by brand, aftermarket parts sales, and miles driven data.
The internet usage data sets outline 261 categories marketing teams can use when designing campaigns as it details information like:
- Usage time, use in location (work, home, library, etc.)
- Specific internet activities like making travel plans, obtaining financial information, or taking an online course
All EASI MRI data sets include:
- The 104 Media Audio categories for radio ads covering the time of day, day of week, and time per day listened.
- The 161 Media Read categories to discover how many magazines or books they purchased or read.
- The 254 Media Watch categories to see what delivery platform they watched (cable, satellite, streaming,) the type of programming (news, sports, etc.), and viewing habits by week, day, and time of day.

New categories uncover new insights

The MRI survey continually adds new categories based on consumers’ habits. That’s why you’ll see social media use in the new data sets. The social media categories outline information about usage such as:

The device used to access it (smartphone, tablet, or computer)
If they clicked on any ads on a platform
If they used it to invite people to an event
Whether they reposted/shared a post from someone else
How often they share a meme or gif
Researching a local business on a particular social media platform

This type of detail on digital platform usage is vital today, given how embedded social media has become in our daily lives. People do much more than simply share images or updates, and these questions help surface insights your business may not be aware of.

Why buy the EASI MRI data?

Customers buy the EASI MRI data because it’s comprehensive. It is based off of the well-respected MRI survey of 50,000 consumers on so many topics and it’s one of the most complete data sets companies can find. With nearly 4,000 categories available, customers can get the national data they need and the EASI expertise to make the right decisions at regional and local levels. Regional focus groups and other reporting only get you fractional data and are not generalizable to different geographies from the US level down to the smallest locales. EASI’s MRI data combines the best in national data with relevant analytics so you can make better business decisions.

Data analytics specialists like the EASI MRI data because it’s got so many data points. They can compare the information with their own internal data and create hyper-specific reporting for their business and industry. Product managers can use it to plan product development, feature upgrades, and business cases. Marketing teams can use the EASI MRI data for A/B testing ideas on marketing messages and distribution channels. Sales leaders can use the data to plan sales campaigns, in-person marketing trips, and other resourcing.

More than that, the EASI MRI data sets can be customized by industry so anyone can use it for planning purposes. Some top insurance, automotive, and grocery brands have used it to accelerate business wins.

How fresh is the data?

The MRI data is taken from an ongoing 12-month survey consisting of two six-month waves of data. EASI takes the information from the end of the year to analyze for the following year. It takes us several months of analysis to derive our EASI MRI database. However, we are confident in the data as it offers relevant insights into the actual people who respond to the survey. MRI uses probabilistic address-based sampling to find the 50,000 consumers to fill out their survey, ensuring the highest quality of responses without compromising the stability of the insights it can find.

This means that customers can confidently take the EASI MRI data as a valid summary of national data for their industry. They’ll receive the right information to help them make the best decisions for their business. Plus, the EASI MRI data is more affordable and more comprehensive than running your own focus groups.

More data & intelligence for a fraction of the price

Narrowly focused demographic data sets are good, but accurate and comprehensive national ones are better for today’s modern businesses. It takes a lot of data to find just the information your business needs to make successful decisions. The customizable EASI MRI database is a valuable piece of the data puzzle our customers use for everything from developing new products to uncovering gaps in the marketplace.

Reach out to EASI to get your own EASI MRI data and see how it can help your business. Our experts are ready to help you make the most of it to help propel your business forward.