AT&T CMO Kellyn Smith Kenny advocates for use of thick data to unlock deeper insights [Video]

At the ANA Masters of Marketing, AT&T’s Kellyn Smith Kenny demonstrated how pairing big data with so-called ’thick data’ helps brands uncover the emotional drivers behind consumer behavior, offering fresh insights into key audiences.

AT&T CMO Kellyn Smith Kenny spoke Wednesday at the 2024 ANA Masters of Marketing conference in Orlando, Florida, where she emphasized the importance of ’thick data’ in gaining a comprehensive understanding of consumer behavior.

“Big data is super healthy, but it doesn’t tell the whole story,” Kenny said. Painting a complete picture of consumer behavior, she argued, requires the combination of big data and ’thick data’ drawn from consumers’ personal experiences.

The term ’thick data’ was popularized by technology ethnographer Tricia Wang. It refers to qualitative insights that delve into people’s emotions, behaviors and motivations – areas often overlooked by the quantitative nature of big data. Collected through methods like in-depth interviews and ethnographic research, ’thick …

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