I think this is an almost universal dilemma; do we have a tool in search of a solution or do we have a need to answer some questions that we haven't even thought of yet.
It's a key weakness of needs analysis. In the early days of e-learning or distance education there was a lot of asking potential users what mode they preferred. Of course, the answer was always overwhelmingly in favour of classroom/face-to-face because that's all most of them had experienced. I used to say it was like asking someone if they liked sky-diving. Their answer is meaningless unless they have actually experienced it.
I think the Gartner Hype Cycle best captures the phenomenon of introducing a new technology or strategy into an existing area. If the new technology ultimately reaches the Plateau of Productivity, many things will have changed and there will be new ways of doing whatever it was that was impacted and new questions and issues emerge requiring yet undiscovered solutions.
Note that in the 2010 cycle Predictive Analytics is almost there while Social Analytics is heading towards the Peak of Inflated Expectations.