DATA IS A CONVERSATION, NOT A NUMBER

DATA IS A CONVERSATION, NOT A NUMBER: Are we treating our audiences as nothing more than a row in a spreadsheet?

It’s easy to picture data as these invisible, sterile arrows zipping between people and servers. It can all feel a bit cold, and if I’m honest, a touch intimidating to process.

But what if we flipped that thinking on its head?

Especially in the arts, where emotion is at the heart of everything (though every sector has its emotional side), I reckon data works best when we treat it as a conversation.

0️⃣ ZERO Party Data: A direct, given exchange. (They explicitly tell you what they want).

🥇 1st Party Data: A direct, observed exchange. (You learn from how they interact with your website or emails).

🥈 2nd Party Data: Exchanged through a trusted partner.

🥉 3rd Party Data: Snatched from the crowd.

(For those keen-eyed people, I’ve adapted what I’ve said before to now include Zero-party data, which I’m still on the fence about, but it works well to explain another element later)

With privacy rightfully taking centre stage these days, the old habit of 'snatching' 3rd-party data is thankfully on its way out.

If we want to look after our revenue and build loyalty that lasts, we should focus on building those direct relationships and having those conversions. Then listening to taking it on board.

Are we still tempted by the idea of buying customer lists, or are we putting the building blocks in place to start those conversations ourselves?