Skip to main content

The ENORMOUS Internet

Image result for big data

Hey guys. Did you know the internet is HUGE! I mean massive. The internet provides a intercommunication of so many different devices which allows them to send and receive data to each other, otherwise known as the 'Internet of Things'. This data being sent on the internet can be utilised by marketers in so many ways including analysing the customer buyer habits across so many different platforms and obtaining previously unavailable information which can be used to gain deeper insights in customer behaviour. This is a very valuable factor when considering marketing efforts but there are downsides to this. People who simply don't want to use the internet or be connected throughout online services may be disenfranchised where their ideas aren't heard of or they can't affect certain things they may want changed, as well as the amount of data available may raise privacy concerns about how people can control their own spending habits and lives.

But how did we come about to have so much data ready to be used? Well to put this into perspective we need to know how much data we actually have. From the start of civilisation to 2003 we created 5 exabytes of data, which equals around 1 million gigabytes. Now onward from 2003 to present day we are creating that same amount of data every two days. Now all this data isn't ready to be used or easily understandable. It's massive and can't be analysed by traditional methods. We call this data 'Big Data'. To me this is an incredible example of all the data we can utilise (for good reasons of course). So let's put this into context. Imagine having access to people who uses the internet's behaviours online, where they've visited, what they like, who they communicate with and more. By having the right analytical tools to dissect these huge amounts of data, this can open pathways to match patterns online, predict behaviours, directly drive revenue or just use this data to integrate it with your strategies as a business.

Image result for right wrongWith all this data comes great responsibility however. Know when to use it and in an ethical manner. Firms can focus on profit through targeting irrational behaviour, meaning communicating an advertisement of McDonald's to an obese person. This is purely a manipulation of data and the consumer would not really want the product.


Another factor to consider is the "Filter Bubble" effect. Programs that analyse data leave out outliers but outliers in a real human context are the people that are interesting or inspiring. By leaving these "outliers" out we leave out people who have the potential to make a bigger difference.


All in all the massive amounts of data present in the internet can be utilised very well by marketers in order to gain insights and benefit the company. But we must consider ethical factors when targeting the customer base and also consider factors outside the analysis of big data, because things may be left out.

Thanks for reading :) Hope you all enjoyed.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Connecting with Consumers: The IMC Approach

Resonating with a consumer is the main goal of any marketer. They want the consumer to feel connected to the message they are conveying and remembering it when the time of purchase arrives.  But how do marketers try and connect with such a diverse range of people in an ever-growing society. It's called an Integrated Marketing Communications plan or IMC for short. This plan allows you to have a clear step-by-step plan to be successful in your marketing campaign.  Step 1: Know your target market You need to have a clear understanding of your target market. What are their hobbies? How do they read the news? How do they like being communicated to? This is such an important step because you don't need to waste resources on every single potential customer but instead a smaller, like-minded part of the market.  Step 2: Know which channels to use Now that you know your target market, how can you reach them? Questions need to be asked like...
2 comments
Read more

Infectious Ideas

What's the most powerful thing known to man ? No it isn't Superman, its Word of Mouth or WoM. I know you're thinking but word of mouth can't shoot laser beams out of its eyes but think of it from this perspective. Imagine coming up against thousands of angry people with their own opinions about you, throwing slander and abuse towards yourself. Well some companies face this daily, but there is a trick to spread good word of mouth. Cross-fit is a fitness program  designed to push people to their limits. Now why would anyone want to be pushed to their absolute limits? Well in terms of social currency people like to share their thoughts, opinions and interests where they look good to others, and this shows as there are a constant stream of testimonials towards Cross-fit streamed on their YouTube channel. They also tend to associate testimonials with people with disabilities, health issues or older demographics, enabling consumers to feel a level of physiological ar...
3 comments
Read more

Optimise & Monetise

How good is Google. I mean seriously it's probably the best thing out there. When you don't know something, who's the first "person" you ask ? Definitely Google. It simply has every thing you are looking for. But how do the best websites always end up on the top of the page? Google is the Google for a reason. They have developed a ranking algorithm  which sorts through the millions of web pages and ranks them from a few categories. These include the location and frequency of the keyword you search, content of the page, quality and relevance and more. By sorting through these it allows for the most appropriate web page to top the list. Very smart and simple. But we as digital marketers are continuing to progress how we market out products and have started to used a structured approach where companies can increase their position of their website. This is done through Search Engine Optimisation.  The way companies do this is by increasing the amount of keywords...
9 comments
Read more