The data explosion is making brand planning more, not less, important. But you won’t hear that from tactical wonks in the marketing business. You’ll hear “We need a social media program.” Or “Our web conversion rates need to be higher.” How about “The user experience needs improvement.” Don’t get me wrong, all these marketing care-abouts are vitally important. Though, if not driven by a focused brand strategy, they’re nothing more than values on a dashboard.
Measure, measure, measure. More data. More analysis. More trend reports. It’s a frenzy. But what’s the idea? Does the brand have a single value proposition consumers can articulate? Not just recognition of the category the brand is in, the advantage and predisposing quality of that brand. And is there an organizing principle that delivers the product consistently – informing each and every tactic. If you can answer the question “What’s the idea?” then it’s okay to explode the data. Peace.
