Plugging the data skills gap – for bigger budgets and better campaigns
Can you answer these questions with a ‘yes’? If not, this blog is for you.
- I know exactly how my marketing spend and specific marketing activities impacted our big business goals?
- I know what my most successful marketing activity was to generate leads in the last 12 months?
- I use data to steer all of my creative campaigns?
According to Marketing Week’s Career & Salary 2024 report, marketers are calling out data and analytics as the biggest skills gap in their teams. Many are now looking beyond their current staff to bridge the gap.
Data is crucial for understanding what’s working (and what’s not) in marketing activities. While many businesses know they should be leveraging data analysis, not everyone has the time or expertise to turn data into actionable insights.
Our Strategy & Insight Lead, Emma Roberts, digs into what the data skills gap means for businesses wanting to boost the impact of their marketing strategy.
What is the data skills gap?
With new digital platforms and their unique analytics tools popping up constantly, teams are often left scrambling to keep up or see which data is the most important. With so much data to contend with, there’s a risk of being lured by flashy performance metrics or vanity numbers, rather than truly understanding the real impact marketing has on the business objectives.
Why is understanding data so important?
Data is the proof marketers need to show their efforts are really hitting the mark. But most importantly, it offers insights that drive smart decisions, better audience understanding, and great customer experiences through personalisation – all leading to a better return on marketing investments and more creative campaigns.
Data fuels creativity. By knowing what resonates with audiences and understanding their needs, data can back up creative ideas with solid reasoning and even be used as part of the creative itself.
Without data, all the time, money, and effort put into strategy and campaigns can’t be proven as effective. And so, the question ‘does marketing deliver value?’ goes on.
Relying on gut feelings instead of hard facts means future efforts could miss the mark. Having the skills to read and make sense of data can totally transform a marketing team’s results.
Bringing the power of data insights into your business
Of the marketers who told Marketing Week they have a data skills gap, 34.5% are looking to hire external talent, 33.8% plan to upskill their current team, and 24.5% have brought in external consultants.
Everyone on your marketing team should be able to read and interpret data to support everyday tasks like measurement and reporting. That’s why we recommend investing in upskilling your team, if you have a dedicated marketing function, and introducing the right tools and reporting to support this. It’s all in the set up!
Data-driven marketing success stories
Some of the most talked-about marketing campaigns are powered by data insights. Sometimes it’s obvious, but other times it’s much more subtle. Let’s take a look at a few brands that have nailed data-driven marketing.
Spotify Wrapped
Spotify’s Wrapped campaign is probably the most famous example. Every November, Spotify pulls together user data from the past year to showcase popular (and quirky) listening habits.
Spotify pairs data trends with clever copywriting in OOH ads, creating billboards that capture the highlights of the year. On a personal level, users get their own Wrapped report, which they love to share on social media, boosting organic reach and using their customers influence to drive brand love.
By creating FOMO and offering a personalised experience, Spotify shows off the power of its music recommendation algorithm, putting it miles ahead of the competition. This campaign has inspired brands like Monzo and Netflix to launch their own versions, proving that user data can fuel highly creative and emotive marketing.
He’s Coming Home
During the World Cup, Women’s Aid used data to raise awareness about spikes in domestic abuse when England loses a match. The charity used research from the University of Lancaster that showed a 38% increase in violent domestic abuse incidents when England loses, and a 26% increase when they win or draw, compared to when the team isn’t playing.
This data was displayed in ads alongside the stark strapline ‘He’s coming home’, stopping people in their tracks and forcing them to confront the harsh reality backed by undeniable data. Women’s Aid successfully created a shock factor that grabbed attention and encouraged public support for victims of domestic abuse.
Diary of a CEO
If you’ve seen a trailer for Diary of a CEO, you might mistake it for a blockbuster movie preview. The trailers hook viewers with cliffhanger statements and blend interview footage with relevant visuals, creating a 30-second teaser that makes you want to watch the full episode.
With hundreds of episodes under their belt, the marketing team behind Diary of a CEO has mastered the art of trailer editing. But this isn’t by chance. Grace Andrews, the show’s Marketing Director, often explains how her team split-tests different edits across platforms to see which performs best. This involves analysing data from multiple ads, resulting in proof of what creative elements are most engaging.
Day-to-day viewers might not realise this data analysis is happening behind the scenes, but it’s what keeps them coming back for more.
So how can you plug the gap?
In today’s digital world, where budgets need to work harder than ever, having strong data skills is crucial for every marketing team. From online courses to working with an agency to get your data set up right, for every team data training and analytics should be right at the top of your list for 2025.
Making the most of your data and turning it into actionable insights can give your marketing strategy the edge it needs, especially when so many businesses are still missing out on the opportunities data brings. So make sure you’re cutting through the performance metrics and getting to the good stuff.
Offectiveness™
Driven by our desire to challenge the ordinary and make marketing reporting more impactful, our Offectiveness™ model was designed to simplify the numbers and help marketers maximise budgets, prove ROI and showcase results at board level.
We can help you cut through the performance metrics hype and quickly grasp how your marketing is really impacting your key business goals and the effectiveness of your creative campaigns.
Want to know more? Get in touch with our team.
