Expert: Data key to video strategy

Marketing leaders can't settle when it comes to data, but must shift their mindsets to better use data to reach their customers in a different way with video. This will hopefully lead to a better and more sophisticated use of data, one where brands engage their customers in the most relevant and relatable ways.

by Kristina Knight

Kristina: How key is data for brands' video strategy?

Mark Flaharty, Chief Operations Officer of Advertising, SundaySky: It starts with using data, period. Brands have made strides in building data warehouses and DMPs in the last 12 to 18 months, but now is the time to put that data to work in a meaningful way. Data strategies will continue to mature in 2017, eventually making it easier to track individuals across every interaction they have with a brand.

Kristina: Are consumers ready for more of a data-centric approach?

Mark: We are in the age of the empowered consumer, who will ignore you and tune you out if your message is irrelevant, if she is not ready to engage with your brand, or both. Therefore, marketers need to be ready to engage customers when the customer engages first. It starts with making data actionable in this way.

Kristina: When experts talk about a 'holistic' video strategy - what does that mean?

Mark: A simple approach to being ready to engage customers when they engage first is retargeting shoppers within a 30-day window in order to bring them back to buy. Such shoppers have clearly raised their hand, so bringing them back to make a purchase is the obvious use of data here. But what are brands doing after one month when they see that shopper again? I hope - and expect - marketers will use their data in a way that shows them where the opportunities are to better engage customers in the most relevant and relatable way possible. Using data in more robust ways has the opportunity to better align to purchasing cycles.

Tags: advertising, advertising data, SundaySky, video content, video data, video marketing