The Business of Brand Data

James Stewart, Chief Technology Officer

There’s a frequently quoted phrase in the corporate world, “what gets measured gets done.”

Now, while this quote’s provenance and accuracy is often debated (management guru Peter Drucker never actually said it), what remains is the central truth of that idea – in order to make progress we need to keep track of what’s being achieved. It’s the same for brands of course. You need to the track progress of your campaigns and creative. But just how good is your tracking?

There’s a lot of talk about real-time feedback in management theory and development. The closer the feedback is to the behaviour, the clearer it is and the easier it is to take action.

The importance of receiving up-to-date data is something we frequently champion in our blogs (spoiler alert – it’s getting a mention in this one too). But even the most recent data is meaningless if it doesn’t target the right audience and information. Getting 3,000 likes on an Instagram post is nice to see, but wouldn’t it be better to know who those likes have come from, what they’ve done afterwards, and why they are engaging with this particular content?

There’s a lot for brands and communicators to learn from management gurus and business world. Ideas they can apply to improve their relationship with data. We’ve broken it down into three key areas:

1 – The matter of measurement

So what are you measuring? Yes, you need to measure performance, but is your current data merely for vanity? Likes and engagement may make you feel like people are paying attention, but what about the quality of that attention? Understanding a fuller picture of your audience and their active engagement matters more. If your messaging is not landing, being able to change direction mid-campaign could bring you significant savings. It can also ensure that you’re reaching the right consumers. This can only happen with measurement that continually refreshed.

Your measurement also needs to demonstrate accountability. Have you considered the purpose and objectives of the campaign to make sure you’re measuring what matters? This will prevent you from wasting budget on meaningless clicks, and shift focus to where your data can have the highest relevance to your campaign objective.

2 – Creating capability

How capable is your data? This comes back to our old friend, time. How old is the data set? How recent? Much like in the management and business world things change fast. The ‘rear-view’ methods of most research renders data ineffective by the time it makes its way to someone who can make decisions with it.

As with performance feedback, the most capable data is timely.

Your data also needs to be in the hands of the right people. Having researchers translate the findings while important may slow things down. In our always-on world, we need tools that allow the end-user to access data instantly. Tools like dashboards that enable instant connections between the right person and the relevant insight.

3 – The gift of governance

The way data is used can feel a little like the Wild West sometimes, a little…lawless. Brands and communications teams really need to take a leaf out of the governance playbook. Ensuring organisations are aligned, with clear accountabilities in place, is what makes professionals firms function. Management practices rely on organised forums and methods in order to take action – the same should also apply to campaigns and brand tracking. Being clear on the role of data and insights ensures it’s utilised effectively.

Your data needs to be ready to help you make smarter campaign decisions, at the planning stage and as the campaign evolves. It needs to work for you by ensuring focus on the right audience and the right actions. That’s why we built the Delineate platform. It’s how we can provide our clients with real-time, always-on insights, available at their fingertips. And because, even though you may believe that what gets measured gets done, if your measurements are off you’ll be doing the wrong thing.