In an era where consumer attention shifts rapidly and brands battle to stay relevant, the need for meaningful storytelling backed by data insight has never been more pressing. Storytelling no longer thrives on emotion and intuition alone. It now demands structure, purpose, and evidence to move audiences and drive action.

This was the crux of Dr Omotola Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi’s talk at the MARKETING EDGE 2025 Q2 virtual summit. Themed Navigating the Future of Sales and Marketing: The Need for Data-Driven Storytelling, it brought together leading marketing professionals to explore how data shapes modern brand narratives.

Compelling data storytelling for business success

Dr. Omotola, a commercial strategist with decades of experience across African FMCG markets, emphasised that compelling storytelling remains an effective lever for influencing purchase decisions. This, she stated, is especially when powered by strategic use of data. According to her, narrative creation stands out as a vital tool for negotiating relevance and resonance in an attention-fragmented market.

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She argued that the future of business success lies in a brand’s ability to merge data with storytelling to build meaningful experiences for consumers. “Data without context is just noise,” she stated, underlining the need for data to serve a narrative, not just metrics.

The brand strategist spotlighted key metrics that matter. Like the commercial value of customer lifetime value, and why brands must focus beyond vanity metrics such as likes or followers. According to her, these metrics can be easily manipulated. She described conversion rates, click-throughs, and audience engagement as more actionable metrics that shows how content moves a viewer to become a customer.

In her words, “Content must convert, not just attract.”

Dr Omotola also highlighted the importance of emotional intelligence in reading between the lines of consumer feedback and behaviour. “Emotional intelligence allows brands to sense customer needs and feelings more clearly,” she explained. The aim is for deeper customer connection beyond raw numbers. She pointed to user-generated content—testimonials, customer journeys, and direct feedback—as valuable sources of insight that help brands understand what matters most to consumers. “Testimonials help customers tell their stories in their own words, and that makes all the difference,” she noted.

She stressed the importance of collecting data at every stage of the customer journey, encouraging brands to create insightful case studies and discover key patterns for future planning. “The customer journey begins with awareness and leads to choice. Understanding that path is critical,” she said.

Omotola further warned against the misuse or misrepresentation of data, which she said could mislead decision-makers and erode brand credibility. “Data should tell a clear story about Consumer A. It must reflect truth and support sound decision-making,” she added.

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She urged marketers to unify data from sales, customer feedback, and marketing touchpoints to gain a more complete view of the consumer, highlighting the value of integrated thinking in storytelling. She also spoke about the importance of CRM systems in consolidating this data pool to support meaningful engagement. The experienced strategist encouraged brands to focus on their core offerings while using data to enhance their storytelling edge.

She also advised on the need to maintain consistent messaging across all communication channels to ensure brand alignment and coherence. “Data strengthens narrative credibility. It gives brands the ability to predict, adapt, and win,” she said. She concluded by saying that in today’s competitive environment, brands that tell compelling stories grounded in data will not only connect, but will thrive.