I just wonder how many newsletters, calls and readings I see every day offering me the latest tools to understand the market and the target groups: how to optimize statistics, to overview trends, to learn about market analysis and big data approach. Some of these offers are really impressive – tools, cool apps and very elaborated statistical super databases – without doubt.

Today we live in dataland
Data are visible – you can somehow touch them, play around with them, combine them in exciting ways. And they clearly demonstrate…
Probably, that’s why selling and buying data is so attractive. And why they give me a kind of security, well, let’s say rather visibility and confirmation of why I do things in the way I do. In a few words:They make me feel much more secure. If this number or that percentage of people behave in this way, then I cannot be wrong. My campaign will work. The product I am working one just needs this adaption… and then…For sure. Data cannot be wrong. Logical, isn’t it?

But … there are some doubts coming up: Do these long lists, infographics, percentages etc. clearly demonstrate what is really needed? And if yes, is the pure data approach the right and the only approach to …? Right, to dataland.

But what about a social world?
Data may show the social gaps, indicate the differences and needs for single locations, gender, education… But I have a certain feeling that all these data just show where we are.

Probably, we should focus more on thinking about insights and not data only. Finding solutions on how to get there. And implement instead of collecting and counting. Shouldn’t we?

Related material
Infographic of the week: Data-rich and insight-poor, from information to intelligence
http://www.marketingmag.com.au/news/infographic-of-the-week-data-rich-and-insight-poor-from-information-to-intelligence-40111/