The Directions Group Launches Linara, an Integrated Intelligence Platform

New AI-powered platform transforms static research into always-on decision support for insights, marketing, and leadership teams.

Mar. 17, 2026 at 5:37pm

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The Directions Group, a strategic insights firm, has announced the launch of Linara, an AI-powered integrated intelligence platform that will transform static research into always-on decision support. Linara's first capability, Linara Personas, gives organizations conversational access to their customer personas and lays the foundation for a broader suite of tools to come.

Why it matters

In an increasingly volatile, cluttered, and competitive market, many organizations still rely on static reports and point-in-time studies to make critical decisions. Linara is designed to help teams move faster while staying grounded in real customer understanding, providing clearer answers and more confidence in their decision-making.

The details

Linara is built on each client's proprietary research and insights, and is molded to reflect real-world customers, competitive context, and strategic questions. The platform uses AI intentionally and with care, grounded in rigorous research and human expertise. Linara Personas, the first capability, allows clients to get instant, conversational answers about their customer personas, evaluate scenarios and 'what if' questions, and explore segment-level implications for campaigns, portfolio decisions, and customer experience design.

  • Linara was launched on March 17, 2026.

The players

The Directions Group

A strategic insights firm helping businesses grow, innovate, and stand out in the marketplace through integrated intelligence.

Elizabeth (Beth) Finn

President & CEO of The Directions Group.

Shane Harrison

Senior Strategy Analyst at Compeer Financial, an early client adopter of Linara.

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What they’re saying

“Brands don't always need more data. They need clearer answers, faster, and in the context of their business.”

— Elizabeth (Beth) Finn, President & CEO of The Directions Group

“I've been working with The Directions Group team to pilot Linara and have seen first-hand how it helps sharpen messaging to specific segments. It's also a powerful strategic tool helping us to think differently about when, how, and where to invest our resources, and the conversations around new products and service ideas have been especially insightful. We don't have anything else like this.”

— Shane Harrison, Senior Strategy Analyst at Compeer Financial

What’s next

The Directions Group will expand Linara with additional capabilities in the future, including additional marketplace intelligence and connecting insights across multiple research studies.

The takeaway

Linara represents a new approach to leveraging AI and data-driven insights, where technology is used to amplify human intelligence and provide always-on decision support grounded in rigorous research and real-world customer understanding.