With all the polling that takes place during election season, there's no doubt that analytics plays a large role in the way that political campaigns are run. Candidates use focused groups of voters to test their messages, and classic segmentation techniques to determine which demographics to target with which advertisements.

But wouldn't it be great if – beyond their use as tools in the campaign – analytics were more heavily involved in the development and communication of policy? Iraq, taxes, and healthcare have been pressing topics of the 2008 presidential campaign; however meaningful analysis of these situations, based on the numbers, hasn't made much of an appearance – with the exception of YouTube-ified debates.

Certainly, the challenges that bedevil candidates in trying to sell analytic policies are the same ones that people trying to implement analytic initiatives in the business world often face: Because numbers convey a sense of certainty, how do you use analytics without appearing to know more than you often do, while still clearly communicating the value of analytical thinking? How do you explain analytics without inflating expectations, but while clearly communicating their value?

Historically, candidates have decided that it's not worth it and stuck to broader messages. Technical detail can frequently be less-than-exciting, and it's hard to get someone's vote if you've put them to sleep. But as heavily analytic companies like Google, Amazon, and Netflix capture an ever-greater share of the public imagination, are we ready for a more analytically flavored conversation?

The answer may not yet be apparent, but there are certainly some clues. I think people are more aware than ever that doing smart things with data can lead to great things. They really love recommendation engines, excellent search, and the other fruits of analytics. But it seems to me that the reason they like them is not so much because they're really interested in how these cool things are done, but because of the results that they get.

And that's ultimately going to be true in the business world as well. I firmly believe that organizations should place a priority on hiring analytically minded people, giving them tools which let them uncover insight, and fostering an analytic culture. But in order to get there, people who want to bring analytics into their organization need to understand how to talk about the value of analytics to an audience which may not be interested in the behind-the-curtain details.

Politics has been on the forefront of some interesting cultural and business revolutions. Polling, cinematic television advertising and relentless "messaging" have all been part and parcel of successful political campaigns. The analytics tools exist to extend into the policy beyond the politics, and it may not be far off.

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