Below is a article we shared today celebrating our anniversary. 

Insight250 honour and two national research award nominations mark a milestone for the Adelaide cultural insight studio.

Adelaide-headquartered market research and cultural insight studio Square Holes is celebrating its 22nd birthday with global recognition for founder Jason Dunstone and two national award nominations for research with Wine Australia and the Maggie Beer Foundation.

Dunstone has been named among the 2026 Insight250, recognising 250 leaders and innovators worldwide across market research, analytics and evidence-based marketing. Presented by ESOMAR, the Amsterdam-based global professional association for research and insights, the recognition places Dunstone among eight Australian winners and the only recipient from South Australia.

Selected from thousands of nominations worldwide by an independent jury of more than 50 industry professionals, the Insight250 recognises leaders and innovators across more than 50 nations and six continents. Selection reflects a broad assessment of professional experience, academic accomplishments, publications, thought leadership, industry involvement, research innovation and sector recognition.

Square Holes is also a contender in the Consumer Insights and Public Policy / Social Impact categories of The Research Society’s Research Effectiveness Awards. The Research Society is Australia’s professional association for market and social research and insights. Winners will be announced on 24 November.

Founded in Adelaide in 2004, Square Holes has worked with around 400 clients, building long-term relationships while expanding its national and international network.

Square Holes is proud of its 22 years supporting policy and change across successive South Australian governments, contributing more than $1 million in arts and cultural sponsorship and research support, including long partnerships with Adelaide Film Festival and Helpmann Academy, and helping many of the State’s iconic brands grow nationally and globally.

Its work spans government, education, food and wine, agriculture, energy, arts and culture. Recent local clients include Haigh’s Chocolates, Wine Australia, the Maggie Beer Foundation, Livestock SA, Grain Producers SA, TAFE SA, Catholic Education South Australia, Northline and ElectraNet.

“Our team is stronger than ever, and it has been great to celebrate 22 years with national and global recognition to match our expanding client base,” Dunstone said.

“Adelaide remains our home and headquarters. We are proud of the relationships we have sustained here, while seeing our reputation and work grow beyond South Australia and Australia.”

From its original Adelaide ‘orange cube’ studio, Square Holes has evolved into a cultural insight business with a Melbourne office and curated global network. Its studio model combines researchers, thinkers and specialists with market research and cultural analysis to understand people within and beyond a client’s category.

The nominated projects demonstrate the breadth of that approach. For Wine Australia, Square Holes explored changing wine consumption in restaurants, pubs and bars, helping producers understand shifting behaviours and remain competive.

For the Maggie Beer Foundation’s national HomePlate project, it explored older people’s experiences of eating at home, identifying opportunities and barriers to eating well, with implications for health, pleasure, dignity and independence.

“The research keeps getting more interesting as we help organisations make sense of the uncertainty and change we are all experiencing,” Dunstone said.

“This recognition reflects our team, collaborators, clients and the people who share their experiences with us. Turning 22 is a celebration of all those contributions, and the curiosity that continues to drive us.”

For more information contact: Jason Dunstone, Founder and Managing Director

jason@squareholes.com 0411 421 722 squareholes.com