Zero-party data is powerful, but as conversations around it continue, we also need to talk about its primary limitation: Humans can only self-report the information we’re aware of and willing to admit. Zero-party data—like oil—is a valuable resource to mine. But subzero-party data represents the underlying well from which it springs, and there’s so much more beneath the surface. 

Web3 growth and capabilities such as the Meta Quest Pro’s face and eye tracking are a strong indicator that this is where data sets are headed and will be the key to tapping into this type of data at scale. Meanwhile, companies like AgileBrain are aspiring to achieve this without equipment through photo-based sentence completion surveys that move so quickly they command a subconscious response.

Beyond these technologies, panels and focus groups that leverage neuroscience tools—like EEG headsets that map brain signals to human emotions—can help brands optimize everything from products, branding and packaging to advertising creative, websites and in-store experiences.

Going forward, we’re going to see applications of subzero-party data beyond marketing and advertising. For example, as techniques are enhanced and adopted, employers will be able to scale subzero-party data to understand employee engagement and motivation, supporting new ways to optimize their work, tools and systems. As an early adopter, Dell was able to prove the importance of providing employees with functioning technology in an EEG study that found faulty technology produced 29% more cognitive stress than being asked to sing a song in public. 

For marketers, conversations about zero-party data need to go deeper. Subzero-party data boasts the promise of a similarly consensual data approach, with a more unfiltered, instinctive human insight that enables customers to enjoy the benefit of their own self-discovery alongside brands.