Consumers are insisting every day that advertisers have lost touch with audiences. Anecdotally, advertising feels intrusive and pushy to consumers. This sentiment combined with consumer’s ever-mindful ability to choose a different medium or simply digitally leave calls for an upheaval in marketing approaches. A return to marketing based on being human could be this upheaval.
Leaders in this movement attended a panel within Advertising Week’s People Based Marketing track to discuss their positions. Joining the moderator Brian Braiker, Editor at Ad Age included Dan Levi, CMO at Clear Channel, Karen Schmidt, VP, Head of H2B Field Marketing at Oath, Alistair Goodman, General Manager at Emodo, and Gayle Fuguitt, Chief of Customer Insight and Innovation at Foursquare.
Though many may believe that because of data and privacy scandals and regulation, data is now the enemy to make consumers happy. Using qualitative and quantitative data and numbers to create resonating messages that strike consumer’s emotions may not be intuitive – but the panelists agree that unfolding data creates amazing opportunities.
Data provides invaluable insights for marketers to be able to better understand audiences on an incredible level. Not only can marketers understand audiences, but they can provide helpful messages that consumers crave and grow to appreciate.
The idea of value exchange continued was another main topic discussed throughout the panel. As Schmidt pointed out, people are beginning to comfortably understand that data is being used to target them. However, Schmidt believes that the data must be used to connect the dots in creating messages that adds value to the audience’s life. That is the value exchange – consumer data for positive, beneficial marketing that is welcomed.
Best practices for utilizing data to its best potential, according to Levi, is to connect all sets of data to gain a holistic, human view of audiences. Additionally, Fuguitt believes that marketers and advertisers have to get together with all partners and clients to cooperate and build messages that aims for the heart.
Another data consideration, Goodman contends that data does not have the capability to be one hundred percent accurate at all times. Data which brands and companies invest in may not be completely accurate, so leaning into it too much when planning message deliverance causes issues, as we have seen recently.
Although marketers can fall into an easy habit of constantly pushing for deliverable metrics and targeting demands, keeping the main priority tapping into human behavior, creativity, and passions ultimately improves experiences. Not only because working for this effort is best for reaching campaign KPIs and increasing ROI, but because this effort for human marketing creates a better community for everyone.