Actionable data — where companies and causes intersect

Consumer behaviours are changing, along with the economy, media and privacy regulations.

The one thing that’s constant is that we have to do more with less.

“To do more with less, accessing data-driven insights and translating those insights into actions are an imperative, not an option.”

That’s what Environics has determined.

This week’s newsletter is inspired by a conference I just attended, the 18th Annual User Conference hosted by Environics Analytics.

They emphasized that whether your focus is on customer acquisition, member engagement, or civic outreach, the current environment is “more fluid than ever”.

What does this have to do with being at the intersection?

A common thread

One of the things I've noticed about Environics is that they seem quite active in the charitable and non-profit sector. Lately I’ve seen them at the CanadaHelps Giving Report launch as a major partner and presenter, and at the Canadian Marketing Association.

Although it wasn’t advertised as such, I found that conference brought together the world of marketing and business, intersecting with non-profits and social impact.

The opening keynote was on the topic of making people’s lives better through transformative data and analytics. Companies are figuring out how data can be used to improve people’s lives, and that is similar to the work we do in social good.

Working in non-profits and community building, and using marketing and storytelling to make an impact, I was intrigued by the mix of topics.

Data-informed brand strategy

One session that stood out was the presentation by the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Diabetes Canada.

She talked about developing their brand positioning strategy using data. They worked with Environics to understand their current brand position in the Canadian market, as well as their donor base. As a Marketing and Communications leader, the presenter shared how understanding targeted audiences within their own data directed them toward an optimized brand positioning strategy. The organization also launched a new brand platform along with it, which is set to be revealed shortly. (I’m intrigued).

A major takeaway from this session was how Diabetes Canada tied revenue opportunities to an increase in brand awareness within each target audience group. This was critical in getting the funding they needed approved from their board.

In my experience both in business and non-profits, marketing budgets are often deprioritized or cut because it’s not always clear how they directly contribute to reaching goals. But investing in brand can indeed drive results, and this project with Diabetes Canada is a great example of that.

A new brand platform for Canada’s largest credit union

Having worked on educational programs and materials for the Canadian Credit Union Association, I was interested to see the session with Meridian, the biggest credit union in the country, who’s building a brand platform for growth.

Meridian’s Chief Digital and Marketing Officer explained how they’re launching a new data-driven brand platform to support their “Meridian for Good” strategy. It was good to hear how they’re aligning their brand with their core values and focusing on long-term member loyalty over short-term gains.

They also talked about building a measurement strategy to test their hypotheses and ensure that their brand platform resonates with both current members and new growth opportunities in the market.

Again, it’s a reminder of the power of brand and how it plays a crucial role in driving growth and impact.

Living at the intersection

One of the things that stood out to me at this conference was the mix of attendees — from non-profits like Diabetes Canada to major companies like Loblaw Companies and Audi Canada. It was great to see people from different industries (apparently over 20 industries) coming together with a shared interest in using data and insights to make better decisions and do more good.

As a brand strategist often working in social good, this is the kind of open communication and collaboration I want to see more of. We can’t continue to work in silos, attending separate events and hearing from completely different speakers. There’s so much potential when marketers, data-driven professionals, and business people come together with charities and non-profits to share insights and learnings.

A few more takeaways

• Do more with less. It’s going to be more about accessing data-driven insights and turning them into action.

• Data drives impact. Like Diabetes Canada and Meridian, organizations are using data to make strategic decisions that grow their brands and increase their impact.

• Collaboration matters. The intersection of different sectors — non-profits, businesses, and analytics — creates the opportunity for more innovation and impact.

My hope is that organizations and business can share and leverage data with each other to take meaningful actions.

We need more of this intersection in the world of social good.