You’ll find success stories and articles about “Big Data” at almost every turn, from The Wall Street Journal and New York Times to every marketing and advertising forum, seminar, trade pub and blog.
There’s no doubt, the more and deeper data we can gather, the more accurate and effective our marketing and messaging can be.
But data is fact. Fact is good but lacks emotion. As a result, fact, like price, can be deposed by a better fact or better price, quickly and easily. 3x the whitening power is better than 2x the whitening power.
But data is also invaluable food for communication. And communication is an art. Inherent in art is emotion. Be it joy or sadness, humor or anger, empathy, curiosity or love. Emotion makes facts resonate.
It’s this artful communication of fact and the resulting personal experience that create brand enthusiasts, loyalists and inspire brand activists to bring others into the fold.
Which is no doubt why “Just Do It” is now in its 28th year and Nike holds a commanding 48%-and-still-growing share of the American athletic footwear market.*
Yes, you can have more finite consumer data and insights at your disposal now than ever before.
But let’s keep perspective. “Big Data” is a silver lining, not a silver bullet.
*Source: http://www.highsnobiety.com/2015/11/11/nike-market-share