7 Truths Every Agency Needs to Hear About Data, Insight, and What’s Next

1. Everyone’s using the same data... and that’s a problem.

You’re not imagining it - the same audience data is being recycled across agencies and briefs. Whether it’s GWI, YouGov, or Kantar Profiles, these sources are valuable, but they’re available to everyone.

If everyone’s drawing from the same well, no one’s creating anything unique.

How to stand out:

- Layer qual insight, behavioural nuance, and cultural context on top of syndicated data.

- Explore micro-segmentation to go deeper into motivations and unmet needs.

- Run a quick qual pulse to validate or challenge assumptions your competitors might also be making.

2. Metrics haven’t caught up with how people actually buy.

Purchase journeys are getting longer. Around 30% of consumers now take more time to make buying decisions. But agencies are still judged on short-term conversion, last-click attribution, and CTR.

What to do differently:

- Look at search volume over time and engagement across multiple touchpoints.

- Use attitudinal research to unpack why decisions are slowing - is it overwhelm, economic pressure, or lack of trust?

- Help your clients redefine what success looks like based on changing behaviours, not outdated benchmarks.

3. When your data story is fragmented - clients can tell.

68% of marketers use multiple measurement tools. That leads to competing narratives, siloed insights, and decisions based on partial truths.

How to unify the narrative:

- Build a central insight layer that ties together brand trackers, media metrics, and attitudinal data.

- Run a quarterly “State of the Brand” session where you stitch together key themes from all sources.

- Consider a simple dashboard or insight report that bridges the gap between tools and tells one clear story.

4. Performance data can mislead (just ask Nike).

Nike’s shift to DTC made perfect sense on paper. Strong margins. Great visibility. Soaring performance data. But they didn’t read the emotional landscape. The result? A $28 billion market cap loss and a misstep that alienated core customers.

How to avoid performance tunnel vision:

- When performance looks too good to fail, test emotional resonance and sentiment before making big moves.

- Pair metrics with voice-of-customer research to understand how consumers truly feel about strategy shifts.

- Add short qual sprints to campaign evaluations - fast, cost-effective, and revealing.

5. Micro-optimisation is dead. Strategic influence is where you win.

Social platforms have taken creative and targeting control out of your hands. Programmatic handles the “tweaks.” So where can agencies genuinely add value?

Your new power play:

- Influence the creative strategy by providing human insight up front.

- Use research to uncover what actually matters to the audience - not just what performs.

- Run post-campaign root cause analysis to go beyond surface metrics and inform future direction.

6. Exposure ≠ engagement. Clicks ≠ connection.

Click-throughs are often accidental. Exposure doesn’t mean impact. But many brands and agencies still rely on these proxies.

New ways to measure what matters:

- Use emotional tracking tools (like facial coding or webcam-based attention mapping) to assess real response.

- Combine this with System 1 qual to understand instinctive reactions - what people feel before they rationalise it.

- Explore hybrid methodologies that test messaging, mood, and meaning, not just media reach.

7. Insight has become faster, cheaper, and more scalable. Use it.

No more excuses. Tech and AI have unlocked methods that give you qual richness at quant scale in days, not weeks.

What’s possible right now:

- Mass Micro-Qual: Run moderated qual with 1,000 people overnight using AI - just make sure a real researcher is steering the setup.

- New-Age Quant: Combine attitudinal surveys with behavioural plugins for authentic, real-world insight.

- Real-Time Brand Tracking: Track brand love, proposition strength, journey pain points, and sentiment shifts all in one place.

Final Thought for Agencies:

Clients don’t need more data. They need clarity, context, and confidence.
The agencies that win will be the ones who turn fragmented numbers into human truths, and act on them.

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