“This is the tragedy of the commons. We’re all so desperate for a complete picture of our customers that we end up degrading the very experience we want them to love.”
— Graeme Crawford, on a recent podcast episode with communications leader Suki

If you’ve spent any time trying to build a truly data-driven business, you’ve probably found yourself chasing the perfect dataset. The dream of omniscient attribution: knowing every touchpoint, every sentiment, every click.

But in our pursuit of complete customer data, we’ve started to erode the very thing we’re trying to optimize—trust.

When Data Demands More Than It Gives

We’ve all felt it as consumers.

You click on an Instagram ad for a product you love. The ad is crisp, well-targeted, emotionally resonant. But the moment you land on the site, the gates drop:

• “Sign up before viewing.”

• “Enable cookies to continue.”

• “Share your email for 10% off.”

By the time you get to the product, the moment is gone. The magic is broken. And why? So the brand can better “track your journey.”

In this race to collect, connect, and correlate, we’ve turned beautiful, seamless experiences into mazes—designed not for humans, but for CRMs.

Sukhi’s Take: Directional, Not Deterministic

In our conversation, Sukhi, a globally recognized comms strategist with two decades of experience and an adjunct lecturer at Georgetown, offered a timely reminder:

“Data is always directional. It gives you the guidance to go in a certain path, and then you continue to test and learn.”

This sounds simple, but it's radical when applied correctly.

Too many teams treat data as definitive. “The dashboard said this worked last quarter, so we’ll repeat it.” But static tactics don’t work in dynamic markets. The best teams use data not as a blueprint, but as a compass. A way to explore, not to dictate.

Data doesn’t replace creative judgment. It doesn’t absolve you from listening. And it certainly doesn’t excuse a poor user experience in the name of optimization.

The New Metrics of Trust

Traditional marketing metrics are under pressure. “Views” are fading in value. Clicks don’t always correlate to intent. In a world of multi-touch journeys, AI search, and decentralized information ecosystems, the old scorecards are cracking.

What’s rising in value?

• Engagement that signals intent (especially in places you don’t control: Reddit, Quora, YouTube comments)

• Ease of experience (how fast can I buy, learn, or connect?)

• Domain trust (do I believe what this brand is saying, even when they say it themselves?)

Google’s algorithmic shift is a perfect example: community-generated content now outranks glossy brand pages. People want other people’s take. The age of faceless, overproduced content is ending. Authenticity is outperforming authority.

AI Is Not the Villain, Lack of Empathy Is

Let’s talk about AI. It’s easy to blame generative tech for the flood of lifeless content and template-driven marketing. But the real problem isn’t the tool, it’s how we use it.

The opportunity with AI isn’t to replace your voice. It’s to scale it.

We now have the power to:

• Transcribe our best thinking from conversations and meetings

• Repurpose it into email copy, blog posts, or social content

• Maintain our tone, point of view, and perspective while removing the friction of formatting

This isn’t about speed alone. It’s about removing the barriers to showing up with consistency, clarity, and value.

A Better Way Forward

It’s time to recalibrate what we believe about data:

• That collecting more isn’t always better

• That tracking everything often means connecting nothing

• That trust is the ultimate performance metric—and it’s earned, not analyzed

If you’re a leader, a marketer, or a builder—here’s a provocation:

Would you be willing to lose 10% of your tracking in exchange for a 10% increase in customer trust?

Because in the long game of growth, trust compounds. Fast.

TL;DR:

• Don’t let your data obsession destroy your customer journey.

• Treat data as directional, not deterministic.

• Invest in first-party trust, not just third-party tracking.

• Use AI to scale your human voice—not replace it.

• Design for ease, not just insights.

What’s one example you’ve seen where great UX was sacrificed for data capture? Or vice versa—where trust won out? I’d love to hear it.