Cannes Lions

Customer Data Is Not the Only Path to Success, Says Microsoft Brand Exec

Creativity and core strengths are also key

kathleen-hall-microsoft-CONTENT-2019 — Microsoft's Kathleen Hall, who will be speaking at Cannes Lions next weekGetty Images

Learn the ins, outs, dos and don’ts of creator marketing at Social Media Week Europe this 10–11 October in London. Register for your in-person or virtual pass.

Data—and how to use it to more effectively target consumers through advertising—is a priority for brands these days. That’s due in part to the financial success companies like Facebook and Google have seen in using their own data to create targeted ads.

More and more brands and agencies want to replicate that success, through opening up in-house media-buying operations or expanding their media-buying offerings to reach a greater variety and a more specific subset of consumers, to compete with tech behemoths.

Customer