Four Take-aways from the State of the Union Every Marketer Should Know

The Annual State of the Union address is an opportunity for Americans to take stock of all they have accomplished ― and the work that remains to be done. The DMA recently released a blog post pointing out the messages this year’s address carried for marketers ― messages we should all be focused on in 2016.

• Data Driven-Marketing is Driving Job Growth: As every president does, Obama pointed to recent job growth as an outcome of his administration policies. What he didn’t mention is that jobs in the data-driven marketing industry have grown by 50% since 2012 ― and data-driven markets are creating jobs in every sector of the economy.

• Industry Self-Regulation Supports Innovation: The administration does (and did) a masterful job of utilizing data-driven marketing techniques and technologies to get its message out prior to the address. Over-regulation is a sure way to stifle the economic and job growth benefits of data-driven marketing ― as marketers we should all understand and support the DMA’s regulatory agenda.

• International Commerce Must be Protected: The President’s address underscored the importance of open markets for economic health. To that end, reestablishment of a Safe Harbor agreement protecting data flows between the EU and the US, along with common-sense data breach regulations, would do a lot to maintain the open flow of trade.

• Start-Ups Deserve Support: Finally, a centerpiece of the speech was the economic vitality generated by start-ups, and the importance of maintaining a vibrant and nurturing environment for new companies. A robust marketing environment, driven by innovation and sustained by responsible data usage, is a powerful case study for economic growth.

We have a lot to be proud of as marketers, and we should be proud of the DMA, which uniquely represents the entire marketing ecosystem. All of us should get informed and stay involved. And if you want to learn more about the importance of data-driven marketing to the national economy, keep an eye out for the DMA’s latest “Value of Data” research study, which is scheduled to be released in February at the National Press Club in Washington.

That’s as good a “state of the union” address as any marketer will ever get.