Data is an art that is still work in progress
‘Data’ has become quite the buzzword of our marketing ecosystem. In an increasing digital world every action is easy to capture adding to the data store as we literally shed and share it in our everyday activities. The possibilities of interpreting and mining the multiple omni-channel information reserves for meaningful business is what makes data marvellous. As an art, it is still work in progress, but much is yet being done using ‘data’.
Five ways how data stood out to make a difference in India in 2014:
#1. The Modi Election
When Modi started out, few imagined the controversial man and his campaign would turn cult. In a structured, strategic and well planned election, ‘data’ was the force du jour that charted new pathways of reach, interaction and win.
Taking a page from Obama, the campaign used data analysis and micro-targeting to understand voter sentiment, concerns across constituencies, raise funds, identify male-female-minority voter clusters, build engagement models for voters, enroll volunteers , as also rework the advertising and improve on ground efficiencies of volunteer-party teams.
The Bhartiya Janata Party were very clear on its messaging and target audience from day one. In fact its social media spoke on the issues plaguing the country long before election month. In April 2014 the party Google+ had 68 million views with Modi having 3.9 million Twitter followers and 13 million likes on Facebook. 360-degree omni-channel media with ‘data at core’ was used to give Modi and the campaign a voice and competitive advantage leading to a thumping win.
The successful volunteer platform India 272+(mobile app) to engage volunteers used on ground activities with online as a catalyst; amply using internet as well as SMS/missed-calls.SMS, WhatsApp texts and voice calls were made to 130 milllion people; just digitally the campaign reached 230 million translating by estimates as one in four voters.
This use of ‘data’ online, offline, on ground, both with voters and the party team combined with the embracing of technology and other contributory factors made for a unique Indian election and Modi the popular candidate to lead the country forward.
In the history of Indian elections, Lok Sabha 2014 whatever the final outcome will be a landmark campaign; its foundation laid on ‘data’.
#2. Data at the heart of ‘programmatic’
The programmatic wave really hit Indian shores in 2014. While it has arrived, it is yet in a nascent stage but definitely here to stay.
At its heart is ‘data’ – the capturing of millions of data points, evaluating them, drawing insights of people, their profiles, understanding what touches them refined through analytics and technology. Done holistically it ups marketing campaign efficiencies and performance also delivering a better and more personalised customer experience.
With overall digital spend to grow at 30-35 per cent, programmatic is expected to take on a significant share and play a key role in performance driven real-time marketing.
#3. Indian customers rallying toe-tailers
2014 has seen an explosion in e-tail. Hitting headlines have been million dollar funding, investment, buy-in/buy-out for the Flipkart’s, Myntra’s, Snapdeals and the likes as well as the Indian Customer flocking to evaluate and consume online. The primary reason – ‘data’.
The ecosystem works three ways – for the end consumer, the business and the marketer/advertiser.
In a fast-paced option-oriented world, the choice-demanding, price-conscious, time-deprived traffic-suffering Indian consumer can at a click and glance see what is available and for how much amongst brands across industry namely lifestyle, personal gadgets, consumer durables, fashion, sports. Comparative pricing is available online amongst sites and brands. The consumer might have even seen the product at a store or may go in-store to check it out before coming back to buy. As more customers come on, the business bolstered with data and analytics becomes more robust; and for the advertiser/marketer, he has the option to access a sitting pool of his target audience.
#4. Health, lifestyle and wearable tech
Amongst health-fitness doers and proponents there is almost everyone who knows, has seen, heard or read of someone in their circle-family, friend or business associate; using wearable tech like jawbone, fitbit, baby trackers etc., to monitor their self for health and fitness reasons.
Difficult to start but easy to get hooked on as also share; through hardware and software platforms powered by data science these smart devices use ‘data’ and data science to make a meaningful difference to the lives of its users. We saw it as an emerging trend in 2014 but it is clearly a game changer providing tracking, personalised insights and customised experiences. In the battle of the bulge and other lifestyle issues personalised tracking and engagement is becoming key..
‘Data’ here is not only an input but also an output with soft factors like helping to alert, motivate and keep the user on track.
#5. Data as a GDP driver
GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and economy cannot happen without consumption, spurted by marketing to disseminate information to encourage consumption. It is not only India’s corporate but also the bank of SME (Small and Medium sized entreprises) and independents that use ‘data’ and databases, own or other, to interact and engage with existing and potential customers. Email marketing is still thriving and a direct reach mechanism, SMS increasingly used by this business basket, do-not-disturb irrespective. Even a small exhibition of homemade chocolates uses these tools and drives an ecosystem of consumption as do the scores of agency campaigns, movie marketing and data using industries.
2015 and onwards data significance will play an even larger role as data gets bigger, richer, smarter, faster and more complicated.
But for competitive advantage brands and marketers need to truly gain insight, to learn and leverage from unravelling it and most importantly to meaningfully articulate it for its audience, its ‘people’. This will be a work in progress and develop over time; even mature markets are not fine-tuned masters. We must accept that the best of the much touted data management platforms are but tools towards an end.
Riding the wave, adapting, learning, unlearning, being flexible and responsive to data, its platforms and technologies based on the ‘human angle’ is the way forward – coupled with being creative, it is a game changer; a play to win.
