Reading: Marketing Data Sources
Marketing Information: Where the Data Are
Earlier sections of this module alluded to excellent sources of marketing data, many of which are freely available or carry a minimal cost. Others are well-respected commercial sources of marketing data and customer insights. This reading provides an overview of useful go-to data sources that marketers in Canada should know about. The data sources recommended below are a representative sampling, rather than a complete list.
It is also worth noting that the marketing information landscape is continually changing. Marketers would be well served to continually scan for new developments and information sources that may be beneficial to improve their understanding of customers and ways of serving them.
Publicly Available Data Sources
Government agencies, non-profit organizations, and NGOs publish freely available data that may inform marketers’ understanding of consumers, industries, and geographies. In Canada, several go-to resources include:
| Source | Description |
|---|---|
| Statistics Canada | Canada’s central statistical agency providing national data on demographics, economic activity, labour markets, income, consumer expenditures, and more. |
| Government of Canada Open Data Portal | Centralized federal portal offering datasets across industries, transportation, health, environment, and business. |
| Provincial & Municipal Open Data Portals | Each province and many cities (e.g., Ontario Data Catalogue, City of Toronto Open Data) provide regional data on demographics, health, housing, and local economic activity. |
| CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation) | Housing market, rental, and affordability data critical for marketers in housing-related industries. |
| Google Trends | Global tool for tracking search term volumes, useful for identifying consumer interest trends in Canada and internationally. |
| Pew Research Center | U.S.-based but globally relevant public opinion data on social issues and consumer attitudes. |
| UNdata (United Nations) | Centralized access to a wide variety of U.N.-maintained datasets such as demographics, socioeconomic status, and development indicators. |
| World Bank Data | Economic data and development indicators for 100+ countries worldwide. |
| World Trade Organization (WTO) Data | Information about international trade, tariffs, and the regulatory environment for WTO member countries. |
Syndicated Marketing Research Data
A number of commercial companies provide syndicated marketing research that is well respected and often well used by organizations that subscribe to their services. A sampling of these services is provided below:
| Source | Description |
|---|---|
| NielsenIQ (Canada) | POS and household purchasing data with detailed insights into sales, pricing, promotion, and consumer behaviour. |
| Ipsos Canada | Syndicated surveys on Canadian consumers, public opinion, media, and social trends. |
| Environics Analytics (Canada) | Known for PRIZM segmentation, offering lifestyle, demographic, and behavioural data tailored to Canadian markets. |
| Numeris | Official source for Canadian media ratings and audience measurement (TV, radio). |
| Vividata | Provides syndicated research on Canadian consumers’ media habits, demographics, and product usage. |
| IRI Worldwide | POS and household panel data, with strong insights in grocery and retail. |
| Leger | Leading Canadian market research and polling company with syndicated reports across industries. |
| Acxiom | Extensive consumer datasets companies can map to their own customer and prospect data for analytics and campaigns. |
| Experian | Consumer datasets with demographic, purchasing, and credit information for marketing analytics. |
| Media Audit | U.S.-focused audience demographics and media consumption profiles for 100+ media markets. |
| MRI Simmons | Multimedia audience research and measurement datasets. |
| Roper Center for Public Opinion Research | Database of public opinion and polling questions, including historical archives. |
| Yankelovich MONITOR | Long-running syndicated research about consumer values, attitudes, and trends.. |
Other Useful Sources for Marketing Data
These additional sources for other types of marketing information also warrant attention. Whether or not marketers use them, they should be aware of these tools and how they can be useful for a variety of marketing purposes.
Other Useful Sources for Marketing Data
| Source | Description |
|---|---|
| Google Analytics (GA4) | Website analytics tool providing insights into traffic, user behaviour, and conversion. |
| Social Media Analytics (Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, X) | Native platform dashboards providing real-time audience and engagement data. |
| Statista | Subscription-based portal with searchable access to market, industry, and business data. |
| LexisNexis | Aggregated full-text news, legal, and business publications searchable by topic. |
| Factiva | Business information and news database with global coverage. |
| Comscore | Digital audience measurement, including Canadian online and cross-platform media consumption. |
Creation note: This content was updated with the assistance of ChatGPT, a language model developed by OpenAI, and was subsequently reviewed and edited by the author for clarity and accuracy.
