LONDON — Data is rooted in numbers, but the use of it is most effective when brands view data as a “consumer fingerprint,” says Steve Simpson, Exec VP and Global Managing Director of Digital Strategy, Data and Analytics at SMG, in an interview with Beet.TV. “Think about it as a reflection of people and what they are doing in their everyday life, and then you can connect technology and creative through data. Every interaction between a brand and person leaves its own data trail.”

Media agencies have been accessing and basing campaigns on data for years, whether counting impressions in a campaign or measuring the impact, he says. The current phase of data has been driven by search and social. “That data is much more fast in terms of overall volume and it’s quicker to show up. When we think about data these days, we are thinking less about measuring things and more about data as a reflection of people.” That means smart marketers can use data to connect brands better to people and their interests at a particular point in time, which in turns offers the chance to build more personalized campaigns.

We spoke with Simpson  for “The Road to DMEXCO,” a series of interviews with industry leaders produced in New York, London and San Francisco.  It is sponsored by the automatic content recognition (ACR) technology provider Civolution.

Please find more videos from the series here.  Beet.TV is a media sponsor of DMEXCO and will be covering the conference extensively.