• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, June 20, 2013

At the MediaPost Brand Marketers Summit on Thursday, a panel on all things data-driven marketing is beginning. It may not be the most sexy topic, but it's critical any panelist will tell you. The engine room at companies -- both with logistics and analytics -- is becoming all the more crucial.

Todd Cullen, Global Chief Data Officer at Ogilvy, says of  top 40 clients at the agency maybe 10 are "pretty sophistiicated" with analytics and using data to drive content and interation, while "the rest are very brand focused and aspirational."

Raghu Kakarala, CTO at Engauge, says a couple of his agency's clients, Cisco and Food Lion, are showing sophistication with big data. Food Lion is a surprise. The regional grocery store is using data segmenting to fuel email programs, set pricing and drive other tactics. Kakarala marveled at how a hot West Coast data-driven firm and smaller Southeast retailer can both thrive with data-driven marketing.