Jeremy Nye, the Senior Insight Manager, Global, at Just Eat Takeaway.com, believes in understanding human behaviour from a qualitative standpoint to better illustrate data points. This is why, although it’s not new per se, he feels that the Shiny New Object in data driven marketing is old-fashioned “talking to people.”

Truly understanding consumers and their motivations, rather than just observing clicks and data points, is key to connecting with people. It’s just like watching really good TV dramas: when viewers get a glimpse into characters’ backgrounds, they can connect with them and understand why they’re doing what we see them doing.

Going Beyond Data and Metrics

Jeremy argues that qualitative research and in-person interactions have decreased as technology has become more prevalent. As he notes, "[we’re still] observing people, but not in a way that actually matters." He advocates getting "out of the office and meeting people" to understand behaviours and motivations rather than just relying on measurable data. Although data and all the new insights we can get from platforms and dashboards are useful, he feels that too many marketers have associated focus groups and talking to “regular people” with distrust and simply don’t use this additional way to illustrate information for decision making.

Preparing for the Future

Looking ahead, Jeremy aims to increase unfiltered time with customers to 1% of the work week at Just Eat to better understand their real experiences. He is encouraging his team to get "off screens and into the streets" to see beyond databases. As technology and data continue to evolve, Jeremy's insights emphasise that truly knowing people and their motivations will remain critical for meaningful marketing. As Jeremy stated, "If you don't really understand them, then you don't care for them."

The host of the Shiny New Object podcast is Tom Ollerton, founder of Automated Creative.