FROM DATA TO ACTION

"Small signs can indicate the appearance of big things" (Zigmond Freud). How can we implement hard data to effective marketing actions?

I began my career as a marketing analyst at Visa. There I analyzed the core data of customer behavior within retail as well as market trends in various industries. Demographic, geographic, business transactions, etc. 

Businesses who were clearing their transaction by Visa had benefited tremendously from this service and elevated their business with this valuable information.

Today we are analyzing customer behavior throughout his/her journey within Digital assets. His/her preference and Digital geography. We follow him/her around the network, offering him/her our products/services. Using endless technologies - Google analytics, Outbrain, Taboola, and much more. But is it enough?

In a world of personalized marketing, is learning the customer preference online is enough? 

Is follow customer footprint online is enough?

Marketing as a concept's initial objective is to increase business activity, but shouldn't it have more vision? Forecast trends or costumes future needs? Not just when he/her going to buy our products/services, but to create new needs. 

Markers should be innovative, think not just about how to promote but what to promote. 

How would our life looked like if Google didn't predict our need for instant information? Or does Apple predict music consumption?

Start-ups are doing that. Thinking about the new need. That is their core business. Thus improve our everyday life. In medicine, finance, smart home, and automotive.

But this innovative marketing thinking shouldn't be limited to the technologies industry. 

Google, the goddess of information, understand that and created the Google data studio and Google trends, to give us more information to understand the customer's why of thinking. Therefore helping us, marketers, to be insightful and think about the next thing. Not how but what. 

We should create new needs in all industries. What is the next flavor, what is the next fabric, and even (I'm not being politely correct now) what is the next cigarette?  

For example, besides being big fast, what is the new elevator? What the end-costumer will need it to be? What is the next dog collar - not just colorful? What does the customer need his/her credit card to be? Maybe deleted digits? Multiple fingerprints with limitations to his family members? 

Endless options to increase business activity.

Think about how charging shopping carts changed the profitability for supermarkets and think about your next thing.