Speaking at the conference's client panel ‘Playing The Data Dating Game’ yesterday, Markey emphasised that while data is still key, how it is used is what defines success, due to the large volumes of data now available to businesses.
He said: "How you see the wood through the trees and get the rich data that can drive the success and growth of your organisation, is becoming increasingly important."
Markey added that "bland data" alone was not enough to drive a business without the insights, creativity and connectivity to make that data powerful.
He referenced RSA’s use of the data about pet dogs' birthdays, in order to sell pet insurance. RSA used the information to send owners a message on their dog’s birthday, written on the behalf of their pet and asking the owner to buy them pet insurance as a birthday present.
Markey said: "It is simple, but it took creativity in the analytics to work out that was a factor, and working within a team to create something really powerful."
He continued that creativity and analytics coming together was "an exciting new battle ground for us in marketing."
He also emphasised the need for media agencies to work in partnership with creative agencies, to best use internal data and data from social media.
"We are all in this together, and we need to work in partnerships," he said.
Also speaking on the panel, Will Orr, the commercial director for British Gas, claimed that data was "butt-clenchingly sexy".
Orr said that what was most important about data was "what you can creatively and imaginatively do so that means marketing can be genuinely useful rather than interruptive."
Also on the panel, Peter Duffy, the European marketing director for easyJet stressed the importance of looking at data in the context of a brand.
He said: "It is extremely important to have your brand purpose or whatever it is that drives your organisation's emotional objective, and to use data in the context of those objectives."
Keith Moor, director of brand and communications for Santander, added that data should not be seen as an alternative, but rather as a component of a business’s "overall brand strategy."
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