How Macy's Views Data Analytics

One problem is a distrust surrounding analytics — not to mention fear that it will force marketers to change or devalue their expertise. So marketers hide behind the claim that they can’t quantify creativity, insisting that we should leave them to run their budgets and programs as they see fit.

I think these folks are missing a monumental opportunity. The application of analytics is by no means the death knell for intuition and creative expression. Quite the reverse, actually. Analytically-derived customer insight can dramatically enrich the art of marketing. Deeper insights into the real sources of customer value, the broader impact of marketing costs and the future behavior of customers translates into more effective concepts. Isn’t it better to know that your creative efforts are zeroing in on the right audience rather than being tossed into the air to see where, or if, they hit the mark?