Writing a New Playbook: Why Data is a Game-Changer

Yes, data is objective in a ones-and-zeroes kind of way.

But that doesn’t mean it sits still.

This – the dynamic nature of data, that is – has been for me one of the biggest surprises since we launched Enolytics a little more than a year ago. That’s partly because I’m neither data scientist nor engineer but, as a communicator, the dynamism of data has been a reference point in most conversations I’ve had.

That’s because most of us do see data as kind of unknown, a little geeky maybe, a fair bit of not-sure-what-to-do-with-this. But when we talk about how dynamic data is, we seem to reach a tipping point of understanding.

Here are four things I’ve noticed about how we communicate about wine and the dynamic nature of data.

Every data set has its own personality.

We call upon different data sets to do different things. A winery who wants to know about consumers and food pairings, for example, will benefit from a data set with the “personality” of that information built into it. A winery who’s interested in raising the cost of their wines will benefit from a different data set, from an entirely different source whose “personality” is programmed with pricing in mind.

It all depends on what you want to know.

Pictures help. A lot.

There’s a learning curve here, for all of us, and visualizing the data gets us up the curve faster. Sometimes a client has experience from other industries when it comes to data and dashboards, and that’s helpful. Sometimes they might be used to Google or Facebook analytics, and that familiarity helps too. But nothing turns on more lightbulbs than SEEING visualizations of data that matter to them directly. Seeing the dynamism of data shift as a result of selecting particular filters, or “slicing and dicing” as the phrase goes, brings it home.

Data is iterative.

This one is goes directly to the bottom line, because it’s about measurement and ROI. An initial data query gives you a critical baseline, a benchmark of where you’re starting. Then regularly updating the same query is helpful too – that’s when you can measure lift and impact, or you can gauge how effectively the implementation of your strategy is working. It’s true – you can’t change what you don’t measure.

Playing from a new playbook.

We’re trying to do something new here, to shed light on consumer behavior and insights that haven’t been utilized or put together this way before. It’s a tool that’s now at your disposal, thanks to the technology that exists to both collect and analyze the data.

That’s the incredibly dynamic part.

If you want to keep doing what you’ve been doing, this tool isn’t for you.

But if you’re looking to differentiate yourself, here’s your chance.

Would you like to see how this looks for you?

Please let me know. And thank you, as always, for reading.

-- Cathy Huyghe, co-founder of Enolytics

Gone Fishin’

We’ll be taking summer holidays from Enolytics 101 posts for the next two weeks. See you back here on July 21!