The Tyranny of Data

Posted by Marc Braunstein on 17 June 2009 | 4 Comments

Tags: metrics

A recent article in the New York Times poses the heretical question: “Could a wealth of information be leading to a poverty of innovation?” The article interviews a high-ranking, yet recently departed designer at Google who could no longer work in an environment where every design and communication decision was settled by decimal points.

The digitalization of marketing is a double-edged sword. On one side, we no longer have to struggle to discern which online messages and methods are actually working. The best test is a click leading to a sale. On the other side, it doesn’t seem like improvements in measurement acuity will ever be capable of recognizing or rewarding breakthrough thinking – the kind of marketing idea that elevates the brand and value proposition beyond a customer’s current level of experience.

As marketers, I believe our hand is being forced. Unless we plan on surrendering to the tyranny of data, we need to dissolve the artificial boundaries between ‘online’ and ‘offline’. We need to come up with new hybrid tactics that require the best of both creative minds and relevant measurements to succeed. In short, we need to redefine the advertising profession before the analytics profession redefines us.

Your thoughts?