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What is Data Activation and Why Should Marketers Care?

If your business focuses on engaging consumers and acquiring data, then it’s important to consider an integrated approach to leveraging the full power of this information #dataactivation. Forward-thinking organizations understand that the more data they collect, the harder it is to manage and decipher the insights received. To solve this, organizations are investing in data management platforms (DMPs) that enable them to store, manage, and analyze consumer data from multiple sources. The benefits of this approach are hard to ignore as evident with 91 percent of advertisers having adopted or planning to use a DMP within the next year.

A lack of integrated marketing technology reduces the chances of providing a customized user experience, and meeting customer expectations. According to Econsultancy and Adobe’s 2018 Digital Trends report,  

  • 43% of organizations report a fragmented approach with inconsistent integration between technologies.
  • Top-performing companies are almost three times as likely as their mainstream peers to have invested in a highly-integrated, cloud-based technology stack (25% vs. 9%).
  • 73% of respondents agree that their companies are ‘combining digital marketing skills with technology.

By taking an integrated approach the process of data-activation becomes much more effective.

Defining Data Activation

First you must acquire, store, and analyze your data, then you can begin the process of activating your data. We’ll explore this step-by-step in a later post, but for now, we’ll continue to focus on what data activation is, and its major benefits. Note: Where there is data, there is a way to activate it.

In its simplest terms, data activation is the process of putting the data stored in a DMP into action. With integrated DMPs, companies can activate their data by creating targeted marketing campaigns that deliver more relevant experiences to consumers.  According to McKinsey,

“Data-activated marketing based on a person’s real-time needs, interests, and behaviors represents an important part of the new horizon of growth. It can boost total sales by 15 to 20 percent, and digital sales even more…The promise of data-activated, one-to-one marketing is not only possible but is now increasingly expected by today’s customers. It is now the key to transforming simple customer transactions into enduring relationships.”

Why Should Marketers Care About Data Activation?

What is the importance of data activation? Companies who fail to implement integrated data will struggle to provide a consistent cross-channel experience to their customers as their employees wrestle with a host of tools and sources of data that aren’t connected. Therefore, CMOs and CIOs must work together so that they are considering the appropriate solutions to meet their customer experience and marketing goals.

For example, WILY is a leader in marketing technology solutions that are powering the data-driven economy. WILY Enterprise solutions enable marketers to integrate our SPRY platform within their core business intelligence system, CRM software, and digital assets such as websites, apps, etc. via our secure APIs. This allows marketers to deliver targeted experiences, across multiple platforms. The ability to craft the right offers, messages, and experiences at speed is the beauty of SPRY, and the power of data activation. To learn more about activating your customer data, speak to one of our experts.


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