Different companies use different tactics to achieve success. While most companies do so many things to know their customers and act according to that, popular sportswear brand Reebok believes in ignoring data to understand its customers.

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Reebok instead of spending time and money on gathering data employs people who are into sports and this gives them a better idea to understand what people actually want from the brand. Eleanor Carter-Silk, Reebok UK’s head of sports marketing is also an athlete and a former ambassador for the brand. Other people in the head office are also associated with sports directly or indirectly.

All of its marketers are trained in the areas they work in so that Reebok doesn’t have to depend on data from third parties to understand its consumers. The reason is Reebok believes the best way to understand customers is to employ people who employ people just like them.

“While we bring in consumers and focus groups, and listen to people by email and in person at events, a lot of us live the brand ourselves so there isn’t as much guessing as there would be if we were in an industry that was more heavily reliant on data,”

Carter-Silk said at an event held by We Are Social in London.

“The data that you do have becomes more valuable and how you use it becomes even more important,” she says. “I liken it to Neo in The Matrix: you want to be the woman in the red dress, a standout moment for someone rather than another voice that’s blending in with a load of black suits,” she added.

Reebok doesn’t rely on third-party data, events, but it chooses to engage with consumers. This is how it helps to turn people into its consumer base and drives sales. The relationship works both ways, and Carter-Silk says it is less about building Reebok’s own community but rather adding more value to the customers and communities that it works with. She believes that good marketing and digital strategy is based on creating and maintaining great relationships with the right brand partners.