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How do you maximize your data-driven marketing investment? Focus on what really counts.

June 18, 2025

When it comes to weathering uncertainty and volatility, companies with a robust data-driven marketing engine will have a competitive advantage. 

Why?

Because these businesses continuously gather and interpret customer data in real time, which allows them to meet the challenges of change head on. It’s a feedback loop that’s nimble, responsive and (in today’s world) 100% essential. An investment in data-driven marketing, in other words, is also an investment in business resilience. 

There’s a catch. The lifeblood of a great data-driven marketing program isn’t your martech stack. It’s a relentless focus on the customer and a total commitment to giving them the best experiences possible. 

Companies can lose their way in this regard. When they do, customers depart for other brands—the ones that see them, know them and put them first. And, the speed at which customers decide to disengage today is measured in moments not months. 

That’s why it’s important not to pursue data in a silo. Data must be paired with the human energy of strong brand storytelling, creative execution and exceptional customer service. Here are a few key strategies to ensure your data-driven marketing investment nets positive results, no matter what volatility the world throws at you next. 

1. Know your ‘why’

To be effective, data-driven marketing must be in service of the greater why. And that why is located in your brand story. Without this, your marketing may seem smart—but it won’t connect. Your marketing will have all the impact of an arrow shot aimlessly into a field, far away from a target or mark.

2. Get personal—down to the individual

Data-driven marketing has moved well beyond basic targeting. It’s about making laser-focused, personalized connections with audiences. Customers don’t want to receive “messages.” They want exciting content, experiences and valuable offers. Great data-driven marketing is like having a private chef serve up a dish customized to your tastes; it’s not giving customers the option of a corn dog or fish plank in the school cafeteria. A choice between two bland things your customer doesn’t want is a customer lost. 

3. Translate data into delight without getting lost in the noise

More data can also produce more noise, clouding clarity. Marketers need to focus on the data points that inform specific business goals and objectives. And, while AI tools can help streamline insights, it still takes brand thinkers and creative teams to determine how to take the data and deliver engaging, energizing experiences for customers. Pairing your left-brained thinkers with right-brained teams is the human engine that allows you to deliver surprise and delight at speed.

4. Cultivate a genuine customer value-exchange mindset

Today’s consumers expect something in return for sharing their data. Personalized offers, exclusive discounts, or creating an engaging in-person experience may feel like a cost—but they’re also building your brand and cementing a customer connection. Embrace it. The popular Asian-inspired restaurant chain Wagamama, for example, created a Spotify Wrapped-style year-end feature that showcased customers’ favorite dishes and locations—turning loyalty data into something genuinely joyful. (We explored this in more detail with Wagamama’s Head of Performance Marketing on the Affinity podcast.)

5. Commit to an always-on process

Your customers aren’t static. You can’t be either. Personalization is not a marketing campaign that you run for three, six, or even 12 months. You have to build it into the core operations of your marketing processes. Bonus: the next time you’re asked to prove the ROI of your marketing efforts, you’ll have all the data at the ready. 

About the writer
A Managing Partner in FINN’s Global Integrated Marketing Division, Elliott King has spent nearly 30 years working in digital marketing in various agency and consultancy roles serving clients across EMEA. He works especially closely with three teams of digital specialists at FINN: SEO, Paid Media and Social Media.