This article is the problem with Big Data. Everyone wants to jump so many steps on their way to true 1-to-1 marketing using data as the cornerstone. Great marketing is always an evolution. One step forward using data brings results and different behavior is gleaned from that data. Then that data is taken and different questions are asked of the data based on the results using the previous data set. This is how marketing problems are solved using data.

Marketers can't take a dataset that is fairly large, one they are already struggling to make the most of anyway, and then be given a much larger dataset and told to "go make magic". Marketing with data is a disciplined venture. As a marketer, make sure you are making the most out of the data you already have before worrying about what keystrokes the customer is making or the "Internet of Things".

Always make sure the next step in the data is one that will bring you value today. Have a long term understanding of where the data can take you, but be disciplined in getting there or you just might miss a lot of insight on the way.