While most Indian organizations use a blend of first party & third party data for marketing, most marketers are building first party data: MMA EY survey

• Majority Indian organizations use a blend of first party (1P) and third party (3P) data for marketing and most marketers are increasing efforts to build 1P data.
• A majority believe that the gaps in data breadth, depth and quality need to be addressed for the optimal usage of data for decision making.
• 82% Indian marketers see benefits in leveraging consumer data for marketing, but struggle with robust attribution models.

In India, 58% organizations acknowledge they have gaps in consumer data leading to difficulties in data-driven decision making, according to the MMA EY survey titled ‘Leveraging consumer data for marketing’.

The survey conducted among 150 marketers across sectors revealed insights on the maturity of the consumer data strategy across the marketing landscape in India.

Ashish Pherwani, Partner and Media & Entertainment Leader, EY India said, “It is a critical time for companies to prioritize data maturity, assess where they stand and work towards maximizing the value of their data. Our research revealed that although most companies have made significant progress in compliance, they struggle to break down internal silos, activate data and build the right skillsets to drive ROI (return on investment) on their data investments. We found that most organizations are still building the processes and skills to effectively gather, analyze and execute against consumer data.”

Moneka Khurana, Country Head – India, MMA stated, “MMA as an industry body is seeing data becoming core to all types of marketing and business objectives. As a result, we are actively driving the data marketing narrative around the world. Through this industry-first initiative, we reveal the state of consumer data usage in the country, as well as preparedness in terms of data capabilities and governance based on inputs from over 150 leading marketers in the industry, including MMA members across sectors ranging from retail, finance, automobile, media to healthcare, education, technology, etc. This first-hand insight will provide marketers with a perspective on harnessing data in the most effective and ethical manner, enabling them to offer better experience to consumers, consequently improving their business ROI”.

Some key highlights from the survey:

Data types and uses: 71% Indian organizations use a blend of first party (1P) and third party (3P) data for marketing and most marketers are increasing efforts to build 1P data. However, 58% believe that gaps in data breadth, depth and quality needed to be addressed to enable optimal use of data for decision making. Only 30% of the respondents believe they use and activate personal level consumer data optimally. Realty, retail and eCommerce, and technology sectors have a higher share of 1P data. Retail and eCommerce, and media and entertainment emerged as leaders in the usage of data across the spectrum for decision making. Consumer data was used most for analytics, conversion tracking and retargeting.

ROI measurement and attribution: 82% respondents see the benefit of leveraging consumer data for marketing, but struggle with robust attribution models. Only 12% of survey respondents have robust attribution models. 68% witnessed a lift in marketing efficiency by leveraging consumer data. 52% of Indian marketers face significant challenges with attribution. Indian marketers rely more on brand trackers and AB testing to support media decisions. However, a similar study conducted in the US indicated that US respondents used Media Mix Modelling a lot more and the US respondents were more adept (27% higher) at using tools compared to the Indian respondents. While performance and growth, and brand building emerge as two key focus areas for organizations; there is a significant focus required on implementing the right marketing tools and infrastructure.

Capabilities and skills: 72% respondents have built martech capabilities or are working towards that goal. 35% have adequate access to advanced analytics and data science resources. However, automation, identity management and next best action emerge as the biggest gaps. Retail, technology, and auto are leading sectors in martech maturity and capabilities

Data ownership, governance, and integration: 58% Indian marketers had defined ownership and management strategies for 1P consumer data. However, 60% had little integration of 1P and 3P data with limited employee access to organizational data resources. Only 24% respondents had cross-fishing rules defined for sharing of consumer data between brands.