In Episode 9 of Season 3, of Driven By Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Ed Child, Global Head of Consumer Data & Digital Analytics at Costa Coffee, and James Miller, Product & Strategy Director at Carruthers & Jackson, where they discuss why customers should be front and centre of your data strategy, which includes; 

• Why businesses are doubling down on data and analytics and the relationship with your customers 
• Why data strategies have historically been dry, architectural documents  
• Why your customers should be at the heart of your data strategy  
• Why good businesses can articulate a really strong story about their customers  
• The importance of recognising internal and external customers  
• Why it’s important to be able to tell the story of data through the lens of the customer and/or consumer  
• Why many organisations don’t realise what they’re getting themselves into and underestimate what it’s going to take  
• Why the shiny objects rule the day  
• Why understanding the vision for a data strategy is critical  
• Why "customers" are a language that the business understands  
• Why the data product way of thinking helps to get closer to the customer  
• Why business buy-in is where many data strategies go wrong  
• How changes in customer behaviour and expectations affect the data strategy  
• The role of personalisation within the data strategy  
• Why a data strategy should be a process not a document  
• Why customers are now more aware of the value exchange of their data  
• How 1st and 3rd party data changes impact a data strategy 
• Why organisations are now doubling down on untapped 1st party data  
• Why the days of having a 3-5 year strategy are gone  
• Why customer-centric and data-driven are one and the same