Data defines modern messaging, its quality essential for effective communication. As marketing evolves, allowing for fragmented media consumption, a reliance on data becomes integral in effectively bridging gaps and targeting campaigns accurately. Data helps us understand consumer behavior, allowing us to create and target relevant and personalized messaging that resonates with real people. Data is essentially the lifeblood of digital marketing, and as its importance and utilization increases, so does the need to ensure validation of its quality and authenticity. And that starts with transparency.

The wild west data days are over. Governments passing acts like GDPR and CPRA exemplify our society’s desire to build a regulatory framework for data transparency, delivery, and discovery. Brands, agencies, and even your parents are becoming more and more aware of how data is collected and applied. We’ve even seen an increase in political figures, such as former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, encouraging a national discussion on the government’s role in data regulation. Better transparency leads to better understanding, which assists in building an organizational framework for utilization and quality control.

More transparency is the only path to better data quality. When purchasing third-party data, buyers are placing a high level of trust in its provider, as their campaign effectiveness relies on its quality. There are many considerations when purchasing data—where and how was it sourced? How recent is it? Is it authentic or riddled with bots? Buyers expect their data to be top quality, but without standardized measurements, it can be difficult for them to attain the necessary answers. As data regulation conversations continue, many third-party vendors are proactively seeking certification from reputable auditors in order to guarantee high-level data quality. Neutronian, for example, has built their framework around the preceding questions in order to provide the assurances data buyers are seeking.

At Affinity Answers, we recognize the extreme importance of data quality and transparency, and we strive to provide the most accurate data to assist major brands in executing effective marketing strategies. You may notice us proudly displaying our “Certified by Neutronian” badge on our site. We’ve recently partnered with Neutronian, a leader in independent data quality measurement, to continuously monitor and evaluate the quality and integrity of our data. To ensure the highest level of data standards, Neutronian regularly puts our data through a rigorous audit in order to evaluate privacy compliance, sourcing, cleansing, processing, and performance. Our badge is our honor: we’re happy to not only show off the quality of our data, but provide marketers with the highest level of transparency and reassurance available. Read more about our Neutronian certification here.

For now, the onus is on data providers to prove their quality in order to alleviate concerns from both agencies and brands. We’re excited to take part in the evolution of data validation, and we’re willing to be as transparent as possible along the way.

See how our data can enrich your campaigns and strategy—view our wide selection of vertical-specific audience taxonomies, or see how FanFinder360º can unlock unparalleled insights into your fans and their behavior.

Want to know more about our data? Give us a shout at hello@affinityanswers.com.