More data doesn't make better decisions. Knowing which signals matter, and proving what they're worth, does..
This was the thread running through MiQ’s Programmatic Live 2026 in Manchester, where Carat’s Managing Partner, Neil Burling, joined industry experts on stage to discuss how brands can make sense of an increasingly connected media landscape and turn it into real commercial value.
From demand to growth
On the panel, From Demand to Growth: How Better Signals Lead to Better Decisions, Neil joined Megan Robinson of Retail Week, Katie Gebbie of Circana, Dan McNicholas of Notorious Communications and Mark Sadler of MiQ.
The question at the heart of the session was a simple one with a difficult answer: when brands have more data than ever, how do they find the signals that count?
Neil opened by pointing out how differently people move from inspiration to purchase. Some take their time researching and validating a decision they have already half made; others go from discovery to checkout in minutes.
“I love to take my time when it comes to making a purchase and, let's be honest, overconsider and search for information to confirm the choice I have probably already made, whilst others are much quicker to travel from inspiration through to purchase”
Difference starts with accepting that your customers aren't all the same, and planning for that rather than for an average shopper who doesn't exist. The brands that read those behaviours well are the ones that make sharper strategic and investment calls.
Engineering for incremental growth
Brands can measure almost anything. For Neil, the point is knowing how each of those measures moves the one that matters most.
“We talked a lot about growth and the importance of focusing on business growth as the ultimate metric [….] We can, and do, look at a wealth of other metrics, but making sure we understand how influencing and changing each of these can impact the ultimate goal of business growth is critical.”
He continued: “[…] that's why incrementality testing remains the most important test of activity - no sense spending money to get sales you'd already have secured via another path.”
This is where the engineering comes in. Growth isn't something you assume from a dashboard; it's something you test, prove and build on. Incrementality testing shows whether media is creating new sales or simply taking credit for ones that were coming anyway, and that changes where the next pound of investment should go.
Difference you can build
Every click, search and purchase leaves a trail. The volume of signals available to brands keeps growing, but access alone isn't an edge. Everyone has data. Far fewer have it organised in a way that drives decisions.
“The brands that organise and use their own data most effectively have an in-built advantage on the rest of their market.”
Data on its own doesn't set a brand apart. What you build with it does: connecting first-party insight to commercial outcomes, so every optimisation is pointed at growth rather than activity for its own sake.
For Carat, that's what Difference Engineered. means in practice: finding the signals that matter, proving the value they create, and turning them into growth a brand can call its own.
A huge thank you to MiQ for hosting an insightful afternoon, and to the fellow panellists for contributing to the discussion
Take a look at our catch-up with Neil before the panel to hear what he was most looking forward to discussing and the key message he hoped the audience would take away from the afternoon.
Ready to engineer the difference for your brand? Get in touch with Carat.
