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How to Become a Data-Driven Marketer

by Ajith Nayar•
Intel Data Center GPU codenamed Crescent Island architectural slide showcasing Xe3P AI optimized GPU IP, up to 480GB LPDDR5x memory capacity, and a 350W air-cooled PCIe form factor.
Intel’s Crescent Island GPU targets AI inference economics by prioritizing massive LPDDR5x memory capacity over costly HBM architectures within a practical 350W air-cooled design.

Data-Driven Marketing. Given all the references to data-driven marketing in the marketplace, one has to assume that there is no one single definition of the word.

Lisa Arthur, CMO of Teradata Applications, took a stab at defining it for the Economist Group in early 2014:

Data-driven marketing is the process of collecting, analyzing and executing on insights from unstructured and multi-structured data thats integrated across the enterprise.

She goes on further to state that its NOT data-driven marketing if (1) a single view of the customer does not exist; (2) you are not taking a coordinated cross-channel approach to connecting with the customer; and (3) you are using mass marketing tactics.

Using Arthurs definition, data-driven marketing only occurs in a perfect world where the business is at the bleeding edge of technology and data science. Its possible but not primetime just yet!

Tom Kaneshige, senior writer for CIO, asked the same question to several tech vendors earlier this year. I liked the response of EVP of Advertising at SundaySkys response:

Arguably, the most important evolution in the history of marketing is the ability to understand what data you have, what data you can get, how to organize and, ultimately, how to activate the data.

I wouldnt necessarily put it in that order but I can jump on board with Sunday Skys definition!

Here are my two cents: a marketer is doing data-driven marketing if they are:

  • Analyzing the data available to them to understand marketing and business performance;
  • Mashing up different/multiple sources of data to get to a single version of the truth (remember the term mashup?);
  • Seeking to incorporate new data elements into their analysis;
  • Using insights from analysis to take action to improve marketing performance and the connection with the customer.

This way, everyone can be a data-driven marketer if theyre using insights to drive marketing decisions.

As a marketer, I’ve keenly watched the retail and consumer trends for a couple decades. But never has it been more exciting than now. Because everything we used to know about shopping is changing, and fast. As consumers, it’s great to be at the center of this technology-led evolution, because it’s unfolding in our everyday lives. I’m happy to share my views on related trends and issues. You’ll see me writing on the digitally empowered consumer, shopper behavior and marketing, consumerization of retail, internet of things, analytics technologies, cloud computing and digital marketing. Presently, I’m Director of Marketing at Manthan, a cloud analytics and big data solutions provider, focused on consumer industries. I’d love to hear and learn from your thoughts and experiences too, so please connect with me.

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