• by Mark Bunting , Columnist, August 31, 2018

For most of us, it’s a great time to be a marketer. Never before have we had such a broad range of sophisticated tools at our disposal: AI, machine learning, big data, mobile and a martech stack most of us never dreamt would exist.

We have at our fingertips a treasure trove of data to determine how to best communicate with an increasingly connected public. Customers, meanwhile, are hearing from brands in ways that are much more specific to their unique wants and needs. Contextual relevance for buyers certainly does equal value for businesses, and “customer first” has become a prevalent rally cry across corporations.

It feels like a win-win. 

Yet in this era where data and technology have brought great refinement in our abilities to target contextually relevant messaging, the demand for quality content (and the legitimacy of genuine storytelling) is more pronounced than ever.

While it’s worth celebrating this progress, it’s also worth acknowledging that it isn’t all roses.

For more creatively inclined team members, the pivot from “art” to “science” can be overwhelming. I’ve seen this firsthand. The disconnect between our so-called artists and scientists can be profound as we make this shift to an increasingly data-driven marketing model. 

I am, admittedly, a strange hybrid myself: half creative and half an enthusiastic, self-acknowledged geek. And yet I learn something new every day about the balance we strike between big data and big creative. Creativity can often be the differentiator in a world obsessed with analytics.  

As marketing leaders, let’s not forget that people are at the core of a company’s performance -- nor that in this blossoming age of data science, the craft of precise creative is even more important than ever. Let’s evolve, but not lose the diversity of thought and ideation that yields the very best results in our teams. Let’s train and teach and collaborate while striking the necessary balance of our artists and scientists within marketing.

Let’s make it a great time for all marketers -- and, in turn, our customers.