Want to Really Understand Your Customer Data? Try Hiring a Scientist

The next digital transformation battleground is the war for this talent

Anyone who follows the NBA knows what shoes their favorite athletes are wearing, whether it’s Lebron James (Nike), James Harden (Adidas) or Steph Curry (Under Armour).

Now add Peter Fader to that list.

Fader isn’t a world-class baller. He’s a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business who invented a way for brands to calculate customer lifetime value. He’s also a co-founder of Zodiac, a consumer data analytics startup acquired by Nike in March for an undisclosed sum.

Data scientists like Fader may soon be as important as star athletes in ensuring the success of companies like Nike, which is in a footrace with Adidas and Under Armour for using data to enhance the customer journey.

“Acquiring

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This story first appeared in the May 14, 2018, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.