Marketing a brand's social responsibility efforts is no longer a trend. It is the norm. When planning a cross-channel cause-related campaign, audit all of the channels being driven to and determine what metrics are outputs of those channels (e.g., website visits, app downloads, retweets, etc.) Then match those outputs with campaign objectives.

Syndicated research will not be with us for long. And big data is well poised to replace it.

Capturing creatives' interest in data is a matter of making it comprehensible to their role in the project. Instead of just informing them, for example, that a primary KPI for the design of a clothing-retailer's website is an X-percent increase in the average order value, demonstrate how that would translate into tangible enhancements to the user experience.

Retailers and manufacturers need to focus far more on the front door - creating the chain of digital interactions that set sales in motion. This starts with budgeting.

Data from different channels, different campaigns and different audiences needs to be structured into a larger context in order to provide more meaning. Here are a few thoughts on how to start categorizing and organizing your data for more actionable insight.