Food and drink insight led by experience

Sketch Insight is an independent consultancy led by Jules Watson. We help food, drink and hospitality businesses understand customers, solve commercial problems and develop stronger ideas.

Why Sketch exists

After working in both research agencies and client-side insight teams, Jules saw how easily good research could become slowed down by layers, process and distance from the original business question.

He established Sketch Insight in 2017 to offer a more direct way of working: experienced people close to the problem, research built around the decision and recommendations clients can put to work.

That principle still shapes every engagement. We simplify complex questions without oversimplifying the evidence, take ownership of the project and stay focused on what the findings mean for the business.

Hi, I’m Julian.

I’ve spent more than 25 years working in insight, across leading agencies and client-side teams. Much of that experience has been in food, drink and hospitality, where customer behaviour, operational realities and commercial decisions are tightly connected.

I established Sketch Insight because I wanted to spend less time managing agency machinery and more time solving the client’s problem. I enjoy taking complicated evidence, finding the part that matters and turning it into a practical way forward.

I lead every project personally. Depending on the brief, I bring in trusted specialists across qualitative research, analytics, cultural insight, strategy and creative development. Clients get the right expertise for the job while retaining a single experienced lead throughout.

More recently, I have developed Sketch Kitchen AI to help teams explore and improve ideas more quickly. AI expands the range and pace of thinking; research craft, commercial judgement and real consumer evidence determine what is worth acting on.

Julian Watson

Director, Consumer Insight & Strategy

How the model works

Sketch is deliberately lean. Jules leads the work and assembles a focused team from a trusted specialist network when the project needs additional capabilities or scale.

This gives clients direct access to senior expertise and avoids paying for unnecessary layers. It also means the approach is shaped around the question rather than fitted into a fixed agency structure.

What clients can expect

A senior lead who remains involved from the first conversation to the final recommendation
An approach designed around the decision and the available evidence
Clear communication, practical outputs and honest advice
Specialist expertise brought in only when it adds value
The pace and flexibility of an independent consultancy

Questions clients often ask

Can Sketch handle larger or complex projects?

Yes. The core team expands to match the brief, drawing on experienced specialists across research, analytics, strategy and creative development. Jules remains accountable for the quality and consistency of the work.

Who will I work with?

You will work directly with Jules throughout. Where a project requires other specialists, you will know who they are, why they are involved and what they are responsible for.

Do you only work in food, drink, and hospitality?

Food, drink and hospitality are our strongest areas of specialism, but the methods and commercial thinking also apply to adjacent consumer businesses. If the challenge sits outside our experience, we will say so.

How do you use AI?

We use AI where it can increase the speed, range or quality of exploration, particularly during innovation and proposition development. It does not replace primary research, confidential judgement or experienced interpretation. The approach is agreed with the client and matched to the needs of the project.

What makes Sketch good value?

Clients invest in experienced thinking, appropriate research and clear recommendations. The lean model keeps spend focused on the work that affects the answer rather than on layers of account management or fixed agency overheads.

“With Sketch’s help, we were able to put in place a new pricing structure which increased value by 4% and is projected to deliver over £250k in increased retail sales.”