One of the biggest changes for brands over the past few decades is the level of information available about audience and customer bases. The improvements in technology and the ever-more connected world mean we can be tuned in to the thoughts of so many more people at once. But how much are we really getting from that data? And how well are we using it?

A double-edged sword

From the consumer perspective, there’s more information and choice than ever before. But this is also true on the business side. There are an innumerable amount of ways to get insights about people, and we can collect data at previously unimaginable levels.

There’s a question to address about just how insightful that data is. Big data, collected at scale, can provide a level of insight into vast numbers of people. There’s undeniable value in that, and being able to cast a wide net can help broaden understanding for potentially adding diversity to a base.

But without speaking directly to consumers and working to understand them as people, the scope of that data will always remain shallow. The data is incredibly useful when used correctly. But when used as the only form of insight into an audience, it serves only to create distance between a brand and its people.

The value of conversation

“Understanding, in depth, the drivers and motivations of people, and the needs of people when they’re close to your brand is better done by spending a lot of time with a small amount of people than looking at a million data points,” says Daniel Rose, Managing Director of Firefish and contributor to ‘Human Connection: The Beating Heart of Resilient Brands’.

Attempts to understand consumers solely through faceless data points, to serve them without real insight into what their needs are, and to keep the lines of communication as being only one way are a route only towards driving a wedge between a brand and the people they need most.

The most valuable currency for brands is relationships with their people. Earning a seat at their tables so that when difficult times come, as we’re in now, they remain loyal to your brand, and it remains resilient to those moments. And to build a relationship, you have to have real, personal conversations.

Read our report ‘Human Connection: The Beating Heart of Resilient Brands’ for more.