A hybrid future: big data, media planning and research

Big Data is set to define the future of the media in many ways, says Andy Brown, CEO, Kantar Media – and there is no doubt that all media businesses need to adapt their models now if they are to continue to compete.

As digital channels and the use of devices become a way of life, media owners, mobile carriers and online retailers are increasingly capturing vast amounts of data as a bi-product of the way they interact with consumers.

This ‘big data’ is changing how media is researched, planned, bought and sold, providing as it does more granularity and speed than traditional market and media research methods.

Big data offers the potential to build a fuller picture of the consumer. For example, through collecting anonymous browsing data (known as behavioural targeting), it might be determined that someone is researching a holiday in the south of France, so relevant online ads can be served accordingly.

Where the category being advertised has no obvious related behaviour – people don’t tend to visit toothpaste websites, for instance – big data can enhance the predictive behavioural targeting model. The highly personalised nature of ‘addressable advertising’ is more effective because it delivers better ROI.

Social TV adds yet more data to the measurement pool. Gathering information on what people are saying about television content, rather than ‘counting’ what they are watching via a people meter system, adds a qualitative dimension because it provides a degree of sentiment.

For example, Coronation Street might get an overnight rating of 10, but also see a high level of tweets about the storyline or characters. Advertising agencies use this as a measure of audience engagement, which indicates that viewers might be more likely to retain commercial information.

Social media activity can also be used as a trigger point for advertising opportunities. Someone tweeting about a brand or product can be served an ad for that brand or item. (It is anticipated that people will increasingly tweet about ads, making it critical that the hashtag is embedded in the content so that it can be easily talked about, and from an agency/advertiser perspective, monitored).

But like many ‘new’ tools, big data can seem daunting. This is fuelled by the vast amount of consumer information that is now readily available to the marketer and the continuous discussion throughout the industry about how it should be used, while still protecting consumer privacy and permissions.

There is no doubt that all players in the media ecosystem need to adapt their models to meet the new approach if they are continue to compete in the future. At the same time they can take heart from the knowledge it is early days, and there are still limitations; in markets outside the US, notwithstanding the efforts of Sky and others, activity such as addressable advertising on TV is more talked about than mainstream.

Twitter provides lots of unique and valuable data on an interesting and important audience. However, it is not the answer to every TV context, given the relative representation people over 60, for example. Its data, therefore, needs to be put into context.

Building on this, not all data is equal – high quality representative data is not the same as raw cookie data. And, while big data allows a brand to develop a good picture of its own customers, as with much database-driven marketing it does not give visibility on what its competitor’s customers are doing. (Netflix, for example, has a wealth of information of its own users, but it also buys people meter data on a global basis to give it further insight into the performance of TV shows on other channels.)

Privacy continues to generate headlines and controversy. The advertising and research sectors will only be able to benefit from the greater insight offered by big data if the media industry as a whole takes full responsibility for ensuring that preserving consumer privacy is paramount.

While it may appear that the digital age has turned the marketing world on its head, the rulebook has not been completely rewritten. Many ‘old’ principles are still as relevant as they’ve ever been. Good content certainly fits this category. In a world where success is highly influenced by shares and likes, perhaps more than ever before, good creative is imperative.

All of these factors point to a hybrid future in which high quality representative data from sources, such as people meters and panels, is used to enhance big data gathered online.

Whether the results are used to provide TV viewers with the programmes that they want to watch, or advertisers with access to a relevant and engaged audience (regardless of whether they are online via phone, tablet, or PC), the real power will lie in combining the insight that each data set offers.

There can be no doubt that big data is a promising area that opens up opportunities to create new approaches to buying and selling media in more creative and connected ways. Managed carefully and professionally by the industry, better targeting will lead to more relevant advertising campaigns for consumers – and tangible return on media investment.