Industry experts are now certain that the future of marketing will be represented by the so-called Data Science . But what is it exactly?
“ Data Science ” can be defined as that interdisciplinary sector specialized in methods, processes and systems aimed at extracting information and knowledge from data of various forms, origins and nature, be they structured or unstructured.
The Data Scientist , that is the professional figure responsible for this type of analysis, summarizes in himself many different skills : he must necessarily know mathematics, information technology and statistics, but also have a strong propensity for communication and innate creative skills, because these are indispensable for transmitting the results of one’s analyzes to his interlocutors . This profession, defined by the well-known British economist Hal Varian as “the sexiest of the next ten years”, is currently still quite immature.: just think that, on Linkedin alone, there are 105 different ways to define it (Data Analyst, Business Analyst, Statistician, Business Intelligence Manager, Analytics Specialist … just to name a few)!
Another concept essential to understanding Data Science is the so-called “customer-centric” context , ie focused on the end customer. According to Adele Sweetwood , SAS Senior Vice President Global Marketing at the webzine Marketing Arena just a few months ago, “For nearly 10 years we have been witnessing the proliferation of new channels that need to be tested, analyzed and, if not suitable, replaced. Each new channel follows this cyclical pattern and each technological innovation must be known and used from a customer-centric perspective “.
What Sweetwood means is that, currently, users no longer distinguish between what is physical and what is digital and that, consequently, companies will necessarily have to adapt to this new way of conceiving services and products. How? By offering their target audience relevant messages , capable of responding specifically and proactively to what potential customers expect.
Also for SweetWood, data analysis is the key foundation for producing real change in companies. It is a complex metamorphosis , which can be divided into four steps:
- Mentality : you will have to move from pure creativity to creativity based on Data Science, i.e. on data analysis, while learning to measure the change of the target
- Structure and organization of the marketing team : each new channel must necessarily be supervised by a dedicated team, capable of working in synergy and convergence on the same goal, namely the customer experience
- Identification of talents : through continuous training in terms of Data Science and the provision of special analysis tools, since the latter are essential for identifying the correct answers when a Marketing Strategy has to be implemented
- Leadership : it must be positive and capable of inspiring change, at the same time recounting exemplary Case Histories both in creative terms and in terms of results obtained
It goes without saying that the analysis of data in the context of advanced marketing must always concern the so-called “ Customer Journey ”, that is the “journey” that sees the customer as the protagonist from the initial research phase to that of decision and final purchase. In practice, therefore, the crux of the matter is learning to analyze in detail the data coming from interactions with customers in order to provide answers as close as possible to the experience that the customers themselves want to live.
Why is Data Science the future (the only one!) Of Marketing? Because the customer experience has already changed, and with it their expectations. Companies must therefore keep up with this digital revolution.