January 2026
Written by
Abbie Mason
E-commerce
Marketing strategy
Product launch
Tech
Why Data Matters for Modern Marketing
Insight behind smarter creatives, better spend and real performance.
Most campaigns don’t under-perform because the idea was wrong—
—they under-perform because decisions weren’t grounded in what people actually do. The scale of digital behaviour today holds everything needed to build stronger creative, smarter targeting and more efficient spend. Data is the difference between assuming and knowing.
Digital Growth Has Outpaced Assumptions
Digital advertising reached £29.6 billion last year, rising 11.1% from the year before (IAB). People now spend 5 hours 47 minutes online every day, according to Ofcom’s Online Nation study. Mobile browsing makes up around 59% of all traffic (Statista).
With usage this high, audience assumptions expire quickly. Behaviour moves faster than planning cycles, and formats rise and fall in relevance. Data ensures creative and messaging stay aligned to how people truly use platforms; not how we imagine they do.
There is no longer a static “customer profile”. Behaviour changes rapidly, and data helps track those changes in real time.
Media Costs Keep Rising — Insight Protects Spend
Paid media has become more expensive across key platforms.
Meta CPCs increased by an estimated 9–12% year on year.
Google Search CPCs rose around 14% across competitive categories (Search Engine Land).
Up to 38% of digital spend is wasted because of poor targeting or weak optimisation (DMA).
When spend rises but budgets stay the same, efficiency becomes essential. Insight shows where investment performs, where budget leaks, which audiences convert, when performance softens and which placements are worth scaling. It ensures every £ is intentional.
People Expect Relevance, And Relevance Comes From Behaviour
According to Deloitte’s Consumer Review,
76% expect digital experiences to feel tailored
62% lose trust when messaging feels irrelevant
Source: Deloitte Consumer Review
Relevance isn’t intrusive personalisation — it’s understanding what people engage with. Data highlights what earns attention, what gets ignored, where journeys break and what triggers action. Without this, brands rely on guesswork.
Creative Decisions Need Evidence
Ofcom’s Media Nations reporting shows video continues to dominate online engagement. HubSpot’s creative benchmarks indicate A/B-tested assets deliver up to 48% higher CTR than untested creative. Social Shepherd’s performance studies show campaigns often lose 20–30% of performance after 10–14 days if creative is not refreshed.
Data clarifies which visuals stop the scroll, which hooks retain attention, how pacing affects viewing and when assets need to rotate. It strengthens creativity by making it performance-led rather than preference-led.
Marketing Changes Fast And Data Keeps Direction Clear
Algorithms evolve, costs shift, search behaviour changes and economic pressure alters buying patterns. Data separates short-term noise from real signals. It highlights seasonal trends, emerging opportunities and market shifts worth acting on, keeping decisions grounded rather than reactive.
How We Use Data at Lala Comms
Audience insight
CRM activity, website behaviour, search trends and platform analytics reveal how people interact with a brand — not just who they are.
Creative performance
We analyse retention curves, scroll-stop rates, creative effectiveness and messaging response to guide campaign direction.
Channel efficiency
Conversion pathways, drop-off points, budget allocation and attribution are assessed to ensure spend drives meaningful outcomes.
Continuous optimisation
Budgets, audiences and assets adjust weekly based on real signals rather than fixed plans.
Reporting with purpose
Every report answers three questions:
what happened
why it happened
what needs to change
Insight becomes direction, not decoration.
The Point
Data matters because it reveals real behaviour. It keeps creativity relevant, spend efficient and decisions anchored in reality. In a landscape where attention is fragmented and costs are rising, clarity becomes the advantage — and data is how brands achieve it.