Marketing has drastically changed, since the Mad Men era of the 1960s. Consumer data reins supreme and information data giants, such as Acxiom, Harte Hanks, and Merkle are usually working behind the scenes to enable the world’s largest and most effective marketers to fine-tune their target markets, determine how best to reach them, and identify similar prospective target markets. These companies are the wizards behind the curtain in a real life game of Big Brother.

Many companies invest hundreds of millions, or even billions, on analyzing and understanding their customers each year. From there, marketers develop highly targeted and specialized campaigns to maximize their market share. It’s a sophisticated and technical marketing world these days. But why are marketers no longer spending as much time with their customers and asking what they really want?

While technology has been instrumental in the evolution of marketing, some marketers may rely too heavily on the data and are not having conversations with their customers. This year I had the opportunity to visit a number of stores for one of our clients here at Stone Ward. While the data may have been spot on about our primary target, we discovered a secondary market that became very obvious when we were out in the field. It was also interesting to see the clusters of various customer demographics throughout the day to help us better refine our online marketing efforts.

I’m not suggesting marketers ditch their traditional marketing plans built on solid data analytics, but I encourage them to get out in the field and really get to know their customers. In store visits, social media, and focus groups are all great ways to hear what your customers have to say, and, most importantly, let them feel heard and valued. So get out there and have some fun with it! You might learn something new.