Principles of Marketing, 17/e

Marketing Information and Customer Insights

Author Comment

Marketing information by itself has little value. The value is in the customer insights gained from the information and how marketers use these insights to make better decisions.

To create value for customers and build meaningful relationships with them, marketers must first gain fresh, deep insights into what customers need and want. Such customer insights come from good marketing information. Companies use these customer insights to develop a competitive advantage.

For example, when it began six years ago, social media site Pinterest needed to differentiate itself from the dozens, even hundreds, of existing social networking options.2

Pinterest’s research uncovered a key customer insight: ...