Big data is growing exponentially and transforming research. While computational power is valuable, human judgment remains essential to make sense of vast and varied data. As data curators, researchers must structure raw data by identifying meaningful themes, relationships, and questions to answer. This will require leveraging both data analysis skills and the human ability to recognize patterns and draw purposeful connections across diverse information. For research to guide effective business solutions, it is important not to confuse correlation with causation or overly rely on algorithms at the expense of human reasoning.
Qualitative research has become a commodity and is in danger of losing its power to shape business strategy and provide inspiring consumer understanding. Learn what TNS is doing to reverse this trend.
http://www,tnsglobal.com/qualitative
From validating to understanding: Why measuring insights strenght is not suff...InSites Consulting
In today’s business reality, decisions cannot be based on random, uncontrollable factors such as luck. The same goes for the assessment of which insights to take on in the innovation funnel. In this fast-moving environment the risk of failure is greater than ever. Figures reported by the Doblin Group show that 96% of all new product introductions and innovations fail to return their cost of capital. The current market space requires brands to validate each step of the entire innovation process, starting with the validation of insights.
Considering the importance of validating these insights for the innovation process, the need for accuracy is more present than ever. Can insight validation through surveys reclaim its position to provide consistent and rich data for decision-making by capturing the complex consumer reality, while at the same time increasing the engagement level?
Rules of engagement in Health - What can we learn from conversations taking…InSites Consulting
Rules of engagement in Life Sciences & Health by InSites Consulting. What can we learn from conversations taking place on Facebook, YouTube & Twitter? Engaging consumers is key, brands try to win the hearts of consumers through social media. What can we learn from those experiences across brands?
The 2015 Digital Consumer Collaborative CharterDave Norton
Stone Mantel will lead the 2015 Digital Consumer Collaborative. Our goal is determine where content, context, and influence will go in the next three years. Join us as up to 15 companies collaborate together to go deep into the digital consumer's life and innovate for the future.
Qualitative research has become a commodity and is in danger of losing its power to shape business strategy and provide inspiring consumer understanding. Learn what TNS is doing to reverse this trend.
http://www,tnsglobal.com/qualitative
From validating to understanding: Why measuring insights strenght is not suff...InSites Consulting
In today’s business reality, decisions cannot be based on random, uncontrollable factors such as luck. The same goes for the assessment of which insights to take on in the innovation funnel. In this fast-moving environment the risk of failure is greater than ever. Figures reported by the Doblin Group show that 96% of all new product introductions and innovations fail to return their cost of capital. The current market space requires brands to validate each step of the entire innovation process, starting with the validation of insights.
Considering the importance of validating these insights for the innovation process, the need for accuracy is more present than ever. Can insight validation through surveys reclaim its position to provide consistent and rich data for decision-making by capturing the complex consumer reality, while at the same time increasing the engagement level?
Rules of engagement in Health - What can we learn from conversations taking…InSites Consulting
Rules of engagement in Life Sciences & Health by InSites Consulting. What can we learn from conversations taking place on Facebook, YouTube & Twitter? Engaging consumers is key, brands try to win the hearts of consumers through social media. What can we learn from those experiences across brands?
The 2015 Digital Consumer Collaborative CharterDave Norton
Stone Mantel will lead the 2015 Digital Consumer Collaborative. Our goal is determine where content, context, and influence will go in the next three years. Join us as up to 15 companies collaborate together to go deep into the digital consumer's life and innovate for the future.
Ne laissez pas mourir vos prometteuses innovations de rupture !Ipsos France
Les innovations “Breakthrough” sont cruciales dans le succès et la survie d’une entreprise. Pourquoi ? Parce qu’elles vont doubler le retour sur investissement d’une innovation classique, non rupturiste.
D’un point de vue étude, il y a plusieurs questions qu’un marketeur doit se poser pour lancer avec succès des innovations de ruptures.
Why every company needs a Chief Consumer OfficerNatalie Mas
Have you ever heard of the Chief Consumer Officer, the new board member every company should get in the near future? In the new paper of our Head of Consumer Consulting Boards Tom De Ruyck, you'll discover five steps to become a consumer-centric thinking company, where the Chief Consumer Officer plays a central role.
How organisations are considering their audience in business decisionsEmpathy
Empathy set out to explore how NZ organisations are learning about their audience, and how they’re using the resulting information to make business decisions.
We talked to 55 of New Zealand's best organisations, both private and public sector. This is what we found...
Know Your Digital Consumer :: Summer Camp 2014 and The 2014 Digital Consumer ...Dave Norton
We invite you to come to participate in Summer Camp and The Digital Consumer Collaborative. Summer Camp is for any marketing leader, researcher, or strategist who wants to learn how to make better strategic decisions when thinking about digital. The Digital Consumer Collaborative is primary research, done collaboratively and focused on digital consumers. You will participate in deep ethnographic, co-creation, and quantitative using the Mantel Method
[Whitepaper] Nudge Theory: An Effective Way to Transform Negative BehaviorsFlevy.com Best Practices
More Information:
https://flevy.com/browse/flevypro/nudge-theory-key-challenges-3895
Changing the behaviors of people is the foremost issue with every transformation initiative.
Nudge theory is a novel Change Management model that underscores the importance of understanding the way people think, act, and decide. The model assists in encouraging human imagination and decision making, and transforming negative behaviors and influences on people. The approach helps understand and change human behavior, by analyzing, improving, designing, and offering free choices for people, so that their decisions are more likely to produce helpful outcomes for the others and society in general.
Nudge theory helps reform existing (often extremely unhealthy) choices and influences on people. The theory is quite effective in curtailing resistance and conflict resulting from using autocratic ways to change human behavior. The model promotes indirect encouragement and enablement — by designing choices which encourage positive helpful decisions — and avoids direct enforcement. For instance, playing a ‘room-tidying’ game with a child rather than instructing her/him to tidy the room; improving the availability and visibility of litter bins rather than erecting signs with a warning of fines.
Organizations are increasingly using behavioral economics to optimize their employee and client behavior and well-being. Nudge units or behavioral science teams are being set up in the public and corporate sectors to influence people to address pressing issues. For instance, to increase customer retention by changing the language of support center staff to motivate customers to consider long-term benefits of a product; or to make employees to follow safety procedures by placing posters of watching eyes to remind them of the criticality of the measure.
An effective Nudge initiative necessitates much more than deploying a few experts in heuristics and statistics. The senior leadership should lay out a conducive environment for successful behavioral transformation. This entails assisting the Nudge unit to focus, place it appropriately, create awareness, train and de-bias people, implement effective rewards, and follow high ethical standards.
The leadership needs to think about and prepare to tackle 6 key challenges Nudge units face when implementing effective behavioral transformation initiatives:
What should be the focus of the Nudge unit?
Should the Nudge unit be placed at the headquarters or at the business unit level?
Which resources be made part of the Nudge unit?
What are the critical success factors to consider for the unit?
How to communicate the results and early wins?
What should be done to tackle skepticism and resistance to change?
Got a question about this presentation? Email us at support@flevy.com.
working smarter - implementing dynamic, collaborative or connected working pr...ibmvietnam
Outperforming companies are already positioning for growth, concentrating on innovating and expanding. Introducing new services and products. Addressing new regulatory requirements. And moving into new markets.
How to do it? By working smarter - implementing dynamic, collaborative or connected working practices enabled by Business Intelligence and Business Analytic technologies.
The Open Group July Conference Emphasizes Value of Placing Structure and Agil...Dana Gardner
Transcript of a BriefingsDirect podcast about the how to achieve better risk management with better analysis of risk factors and presenting that in dollars-and-cents terms.
Using a Big Data Solution Helps Conservation International Identify and Proac...Dana Gardner
Transcript of a BriefingsDirect podcast on how a conservation group, partnering with HP, is bringing real-time environmental data into the hands of policy decisions-makers.
Building an enterprise security knowledge graph to fuel better decisions, fas...Jon Hawes
A talk from BSides Las Vegas 2019, offering a field guide for how security teams can move from thinking in lists, to both thinking and operating in graphs.
How to Deliver Happiness Through Archetypes and Customer Journey Dave Norton
Throughout history, four fundamental dispositions toward happiness have been described: transformative, altruistic, utilitarian, and perceptive. This research, based on philosophy, psychology, and ethnography, describes how companies can deliver on their promises to make customers happier.
Using nudge theory to achieve a competitive edge with your UXFresh Egg UK
A presentation that covers the history and definition of Nudge theory, plus explains: the three key stages of implementing Nudge theory into your UX; example of nudges from the charity and private sectors; and test results of nudges Fresh Egg has implemented for some clients. To find out more about the EAST model mentioned in the presentation, search online for "Fresh Egg Resources" and download the free whitepaper
The Bright Future of Market Research Smartees WorkshopInSites on Stage
This is the full slidedeck of our Smartees Workshop on 'the Bright Future of Market Research' (11 February, 2014). The main focus is on how both traditional quantitative and qualitative research can be better, fresher and more contemporary by approaching participants and internal stakeholders differently.
Integrated Measurement: Linking PR to SalesTim Marklein
Presentation on "Integrated Measurement: Linking PR to Sales" -- delivered by Tim Marklein, Executive VP of Measurement & Strategy for Weber Shandwick -- presented to PRSA Travel & Tourism Conference May 26, 2010 in Aspen, Colorado
Ne laissez pas mourir vos prometteuses innovations de rupture !Ipsos France
Les innovations “Breakthrough” sont cruciales dans le succès et la survie d’une entreprise. Pourquoi ? Parce qu’elles vont doubler le retour sur investissement d’une innovation classique, non rupturiste.
D’un point de vue étude, il y a plusieurs questions qu’un marketeur doit se poser pour lancer avec succès des innovations de ruptures.
Why every company needs a Chief Consumer OfficerNatalie Mas
Have you ever heard of the Chief Consumer Officer, the new board member every company should get in the near future? In the new paper of our Head of Consumer Consulting Boards Tom De Ruyck, you'll discover five steps to become a consumer-centric thinking company, where the Chief Consumer Officer plays a central role.
How organisations are considering their audience in business decisionsEmpathy
Empathy set out to explore how NZ organisations are learning about their audience, and how they’re using the resulting information to make business decisions.
We talked to 55 of New Zealand's best organisations, both private and public sector. This is what we found...
Know Your Digital Consumer :: Summer Camp 2014 and The 2014 Digital Consumer ...Dave Norton
We invite you to come to participate in Summer Camp and The Digital Consumer Collaborative. Summer Camp is for any marketing leader, researcher, or strategist who wants to learn how to make better strategic decisions when thinking about digital. The Digital Consumer Collaborative is primary research, done collaboratively and focused on digital consumers. You will participate in deep ethnographic, co-creation, and quantitative using the Mantel Method
[Whitepaper] Nudge Theory: An Effective Way to Transform Negative BehaviorsFlevy.com Best Practices
More Information:
https://flevy.com/browse/flevypro/nudge-theory-key-challenges-3895
Changing the behaviors of people is the foremost issue with every transformation initiative.
Nudge theory is a novel Change Management model that underscores the importance of understanding the way people think, act, and decide. The model assists in encouraging human imagination and decision making, and transforming negative behaviors and influences on people. The approach helps understand and change human behavior, by analyzing, improving, designing, and offering free choices for people, so that their decisions are more likely to produce helpful outcomes for the others and society in general.
Nudge theory helps reform existing (often extremely unhealthy) choices and influences on people. The theory is quite effective in curtailing resistance and conflict resulting from using autocratic ways to change human behavior. The model promotes indirect encouragement and enablement — by designing choices which encourage positive helpful decisions — and avoids direct enforcement. For instance, playing a ‘room-tidying’ game with a child rather than instructing her/him to tidy the room; improving the availability and visibility of litter bins rather than erecting signs with a warning of fines.
Organizations are increasingly using behavioral economics to optimize their employee and client behavior and well-being. Nudge units or behavioral science teams are being set up in the public and corporate sectors to influence people to address pressing issues. For instance, to increase customer retention by changing the language of support center staff to motivate customers to consider long-term benefits of a product; or to make employees to follow safety procedures by placing posters of watching eyes to remind them of the criticality of the measure.
An effective Nudge initiative necessitates much more than deploying a few experts in heuristics and statistics. The senior leadership should lay out a conducive environment for successful behavioral transformation. This entails assisting the Nudge unit to focus, place it appropriately, create awareness, train and de-bias people, implement effective rewards, and follow high ethical standards.
The leadership needs to think about and prepare to tackle 6 key challenges Nudge units face when implementing effective behavioral transformation initiatives:
What should be the focus of the Nudge unit?
Should the Nudge unit be placed at the headquarters or at the business unit level?
Which resources be made part of the Nudge unit?
What are the critical success factors to consider for the unit?
How to communicate the results and early wins?
What should be done to tackle skepticism and resistance to change?
Got a question about this presentation? Email us at support@flevy.com.
working smarter - implementing dynamic, collaborative or connected working pr...ibmvietnam
Outperforming companies are already positioning for growth, concentrating on innovating and expanding. Introducing new services and products. Addressing new regulatory requirements. And moving into new markets.
How to do it? By working smarter - implementing dynamic, collaborative or connected working practices enabled by Business Intelligence and Business Analytic technologies.
The Open Group July Conference Emphasizes Value of Placing Structure and Agil...Dana Gardner
Transcript of a BriefingsDirect podcast about the how to achieve better risk management with better analysis of risk factors and presenting that in dollars-and-cents terms.
Using a Big Data Solution Helps Conservation International Identify and Proac...Dana Gardner
Transcript of a BriefingsDirect podcast on how a conservation group, partnering with HP, is bringing real-time environmental data into the hands of policy decisions-makers.
Building an enterprise security knowledge graph to fuel better decisions, fas...Jon Hawes
A talk from BSides Las Vegas 2019, offering a field guide for how security teams can move from thinking in lists, to both thinking and operating in graphs.
How to Deliver Happiness Through Archetypes and Customer Journey Dave Norton
Throughout history, four fundamental dispositions toward happiness have been described: transformative, altruistic, utilitarian, and perceptive. This research, based on philosophy, psychology, and ethnography, describes how companies can deliver on their promises to make customers happier.
Using nudge theory to achieve a competitive edge with your UXFresh Egg UK
A presentation that covers the history and definition of Nudge theory, plus explains: the three key stages of implementing Nudge theory into your UX; example of nudges from the charity and private sectors; and test results of nudges Fresh Egg has implemented for some clients. To find out more about the EAST model mentioned in the presentation, search online for "Fresh Egg Resources" and download the free whitepaper
The Bright Future of Market Research Smartees WorkshopInSites on Stage
This is the full slidedeck of our Smartees Workshop on 'the Bright Future of Market Research' (11 February, 2014). The main focus is on how both traditional quantitative and qualitative research can be better, fresher and more contemporary by approaching participants and internal stakeholders differently.
Integrated Measurement: Linking PR to SalesTim Marklein
Presentation on "Integrated Measurement: Linking PR to Sales" -- delivered by Tim Marklein, Executive VP of Measurement & Strategy for Weber Shandwick -- presented to PRSA Travel & Tourism Conference May 26, 2010 in Aspen, Colorado
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Statistics: Visualizing Data
Introductory Essay from the Locks
The Reality Today
All of us now are being blasted by information design. It's being poured into our eyes
through the Web, and we're all visualizers now; we're all demanding a visual aspect to
our information… And if you're navigating a dense information jungle, coming across
a beautiful graphic or a lovely data visualization, it's a relief, it's like coming across a
clearing in the jungle. –David McCandless
In today’s complex ‘information jungle,’ David McCandless observes that “Data is the new soil.”
McCandless, a data journalist and information designer, celebrates data as a ubiquitous resource
providing a fertile and creative medium from which new ideas and understanding can grow.
McCandless’s inspiration, statistician Hans Rosling, builds on this idea in his own TEDTalk with his
compelling image of flowers growing out of data/soil. These ‘flowers’ represent the many insights that
can be gleaned from effective visualization of data.
We’re just learning how to till this soil and make sense of the mountains of data constantly being
generated. As Gary King, Director of Harvard’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science says in his New
York Times article “The Age of Big Data”:
“It’s a revolution. We’re really just getting under way. But the march of quantification,
made possible by enormous new sources of data, will sweep through academia,
business and government. There is no area that is going to be untouched.”
How do we deal with all this data without getting information overload? How do we use data
to gain real insight into the world? Finding ways to pull interesting information out of data can
be very rewarding, both personally and professionally. The managing editor of Financial Times
observed on CNN’s Your Money: “The people who are able to in a sophisticated and practical
way analyze that data are going to have terrific jobs." Those who learn how to present data in
effective ways will be valuable in every field.
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Many people, when they think of data, think of tables filled with numbers. But this long-held notion is
eroding. Today, we’re generating streams of data that are often too complex to be presented in a
simple “table.” In his TEDTalk, Blaise Aguera y Arcas explores images as data, while Deb Roy uses
audio, video, and the text messages in social media as data.
Some may also think that only a few specialized professionals can draw insights from data. When we
look at data in the right way, however, the results can be fun, insightful, even whimsical--and accessible
to everyone! Who knew, for example, that there are more relationship break-ups on Monday than on
any other day of the week, or that ...
Using AI to Solve Data and IT Complexity -- And Better Enable AIDana Gardner
A discussion on how the rising tidal wave of data must be better managed, and how new tools are emerging to bring artificial intelligence to the rescue.
Everyone's talking about big data – getting our arms around it and putting it to work for us. This paper summarizes a panel discussion at the 2012 SAS Financial Services Executive Summit where industry leaders shared their ideas about big data and what their organizations are doing with it. Aditya Bhasin from Bank of America talked about how to extract more value from the data you already have, even if it's just a fraction of what's out there. Robert Kirkpatrick, who leads the UN Global Pulse initiative, talked about how data can help us better understand global economies and human welfare. Charles Thomas, a market research and analytics executive at USAA, described how his company is navigating the shift to more real-time and predictive analysis. Request the full whitepaper at: http://www.sas.com/reg/wp/corp/50060?&utm_source=NAFCUServices&utm_medium=landingpage&utm_campaign=SASwhitepaper82912. More info at: www.nafcu.org/sas
Notes from the Observation Deck // A Data Revolution gngeorge
Notes from the Observation Deck will provide you with an examined look at the interesting phenomena and trends taking place around us today. We present them to you with the hope of sparking broader conversations, debates and ideas. Please use this as a resource for knowledge, inspiration and enjoyment.
The simplest definition of Big Data is large and complex unstructured data (images posted on Facebook, email, text messages, GPS signals from mobile phones, tweets, and other social media updates…etc.) that cannot be processed by traditional database tools.
We’re entering a new era of digital government that could transform how citizens feel about their state. Here’s what research needs to do, to make it happen.
Bridging the divide between brand and shopper marketingTNS
A new approach to mapping the shopper journey can drive more meaningful integration between brand and shopper marketing, and ensure brand equity translates into sales more effectively. We reveal the four principles that can connect your marketing strategy to what really drives buying decisions.
Getting to know the giant of Africa: opportunities for brands in NigeriaTNS
It’s the largest economy in Africa and one of the fastest-growing on earth, but how well do you really know Nigeria? Here’s our summary of the key opportunities.
Consumer confidence is rebounding in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy. We’ve got the essential strategies for brands looking to align themselves with a positive national mood.
Transform results by focusing on receptive audiences TNS
The best ad in the world won’t deliver results if it can’t reach those likely to buy its product. A future-focused approach to identifying receptive audiences is delivering results where traditional targeting has failed.
The global research programmes that deliver the best value are not the most standardised - and they are not usually the most elaborate. Learn how brands have created strong, flexible protocols by focusing on shorter, smarter surveys, local engagement and active leadership at the centre.
It's a universal archetype that dominates the human consciousness and occupies an emotional space many brands aspire to. But taking on the Hero role demands a very different approach in different markets. We present the essential playbook for would-be Heroes.
Extensive research from TNS proves that social media and search data can accurately predict the results of brand tracker surveys months in advance. The implications for market research are enormous.
Brands cannot succeed at traditional trade without engaging the shopkeepers who control almost every aspect of it. We present a framework for understanding the motivations of traditional trade’s gatekeepers – and influencing their decisions.
Like most businesses, political players want to increase their slice of the available market – and like most businesses, they can only do so through proper, contextual understanding.
A groundbreaking study by TNS proves that mobile apps are not disrupting purchases in anything like the numbers that previous research suggests. Far from being threatened by mobile, retailers are in the best position to take advantage of it.
From Disney princesses to Dove, metaphor is a powerfully emotive tool for marketers. But it’s vital for brands to understand how the meaning of their metaphors changes between cultures.
Brands and retailers alike should be demanding more from online sales. Connected Life reveals the barriers to eCommerce fulfilling its potential – and shows how marketers can overcome them.
The dark days are over: it’s time to meet the new CambodiaTNS
Nestled between Vietnam and Thailand on the Indochina Peninsula, Cambodia is often overlooked in favour of its wealthier neighbours. The country’s history has also cast a shadow over how it is perceived by the rest of the world, and with good reason. The genocide led by Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s resulted in the deaths of an estimated 25% of the population, including many of the intellectual elite.
It’s a great step forward, but mobile-first design is no substitute for genuinely mobile-centric planning. Here’s how to put your brand at the heart of the handset.
Digital markets can adopt different personalities as they evolve. Understanding each one is the key to turning media fragmentation into precise communication opportunities.
Predicting, managing and profiting from new technologies is one of the most important challenges that business leaders face.
It requires them to integrate a hugely diverse range of perspectives in a meaningful way: they must balance the insights of technology specialists with those of consumer experts, they must understand the related technologies that will determine a new launch’s success, and they must predict the moves and motivations of all of the players behind those technologies.
In the Year of the Horse, there is no letting up in China’s passion for luxury horsepower. Despite concerns over economic slowdowns and government regulations, the number of new manufacturers and new models competing in this sector continues to grow.
In ‘Auto insights: the luxe edition’, we’ll take you on a tour of the high-end of the auto market and the changing meaning of luxury itself, including:
Good performance alone cannot crack the complex code that governs the strength of your customer relationships and the sustainability of your business. As competition intensifies, it is essential to get smarter about the experiences that matter, and deliver return on the bottom line.
2. Mind and the machine
It may be immense, fast and
mind-bendingly varied. But
researchers must remember:
Big Data can no more speak
for itself than the smaller sort.
Share this Opinion Leader
2
3. Mind and the machine
Big things can be intimidating. Research
90 percent of the
cannot allow Big Data to be one of them.
We stand on the edge of the most exciting and
transformative period in our industry’s history:
90 percent of the data in the world today was
data in the world
created in the last two years and “data taps”
such as mobile, social and POS will continue to
pour out raw information for us to work with
at an ever faster rate.
However, if our response to the new era of
data is to retreat behind number-crunching today was created
in the last two years
technologies, then clients and indeed humanity
as a whole, will be much the worse for it.
It may be tempting to conclude that human
intuition must surely give way to computers
and algorithms when it comes to keeping up
with Big Data. But now, more than ever, we
need to recognise the immense, unique power
of our own minds when it comes to dealing
with information – and deciding how to act
on the basis of it.
Share this Opinion Leader
3
4. Mind and the machine
So what do we mean by “Big” exactly? created and stored simply by virtue of things
Big Data wouldn’t be half as intimidating if it happening. It’s broken free of human control
were just a question of having more numbers – and therefore isn’t limited as to how big it
to deal with. But Big Data is bigger than that. can get and how fast it comes at us. Data’s
It represents the coming together of several Velocity, the speed at which huge volumes of it
different themes, each of which would be fairly can be generated, is every bit as breathtaking
paradigm-shifting in its own right. as its sheer size. And the speed with which it is
available raises the opportunity and the demand
First of course, is the sheer scale of the data to work with it in real-time.
now being produced and stored. Walmart
currently handles more than 1 million customer Yet perhaps the most challenging shift of all
transactions every hour, in databases estimated is that this size and speed is combined with
to contain more than 2.5 petabytes. Such an an explosion in variety of data forms. Big Data
organisation may soon have created more data comes in all shapes and sizes. Researchers are
every hour than research surveys have ever leaping on new types of data source – and
delivered. With data storage doubling every new types of source are leaping on us: from
year, there appears no constraint on the amount mobile activity to Twitter feeds, geo-location
of information that we are dealing with. information, facial expression capture and
much more. We are quickly moving from
Connected to the size of data but equally dealing in numerical scores to dealing in shapes,
significant is the fact that it now generates itself. movement patterns, expressions – and human
Data no longer needs to be created through a language. And such data does not come readily
questionnaire carefully crafted by a researcher, packaged for analysis; using it must involve
or painstakingly collected by a field agent; it is translating it as well.
Share this Opinion Leader
4
5. Mind and the machine
You created it: you deal with it that we should try to solve, what we think the In his book The Signal and The Noise, US
Faced with such challenges, it’s tempting to answers should look like, and what data forms election poll guru Nate Silver devotes a chapter
believe that computational power, which has we can enlist to help provide those answers. to global warming and the fact that it would
taken the lead in creating this new world of And these judgements are human ones. be impossible to find any evidence of this in
information, must also take the lead in defining the notoriously unstable climate record, were
how we deal with it. In this view of the world, In the Big Data era, the human imagination scientists not armed with a theory telling them
the researcher starts to look less like a person, continues to play an essential role in envisaging exactly what to look for – and which data to
more like supercomputer in a bunker: one what our many different data sources can be prioritise. It’s an important reminder that...
where we simply have to feed in the right made to do, and in aggregating, translating and
bigger
question or combination of questions, plug it coding them to enable them to do it. To take
into the river of Big Data – and wait for the a very simple example, Google can predict a
answer to pop out. But there are significant
dangers to this approach. If Big Data ends up
flu epidemic by spotting spikes in searches on
cold and flu remedies. This is a tremendously
...the
becoming processed and commoditised data,
then we are all in trouble.
cool thing, but it only works because somebody
realised that this pattern is significant – and data is, the more it
needs to become
that it correlates to something meaningful and
Digesting really raw data useful. Similarly, micro-location data gives TNS
It’s a mistake to believe that data can ever a powerful new tool for mapping movement
speak for itself. Data always speaks with a
human voice; it can’t say anything otherwise.
around stores – but it is only powerful because
we have established an understanding of what
articulate.
Every statistic that we deal with is the result these movements mean.
of subjective judgement about the problems
Share this Opinion Leader
5
6. Mind and the machine
From data creators to data curators
In the old days (of six months ago), the raw
numbers that we sat down to analyse weren’t
really raw at all; they were shaped by human
hands even before they came into existence.
The art of designing a questionnaire involves
finely balanced judgements on which questions
to ask and how to ask them. Whether to score
preferences out of five, seven or ten can trigger
some pretty serious debates with good reason –
these things have a big influence on our ability
to spot patterns, make connections and provide
meaningful insight. And judging how to ask of research, we must continue to apply the as linking spend and retention data to customer
questions should, of course, be closely related to same standards to independently generated experience surveys, as we already do at TNS.
the challenge of what you are looking for. Big Data that we would if we had created it In the future, we will find more and more
ourselves. And this will require leveraging much scenarios where the data we aggregate does
In the Big Data era, we are no longer data hard-won experience about how data works. not include traditional surveys at all. In all of
creators, designing the structure of information The skills that once went into the design of these contexts, it’s not just a question of being
from the outset; instead we are data curators, research instruments such as questionnaires will excited about what data can do. It’s equally
working with information that has been remain crucially important in aggregating and important sometimes to step back, look at how
generated independently. As such, we will selecting data sources, and deciding exactly complete and representative a given set of data
face many new challenges and require many how they relate to one another. For now, this is, and ask ourselves rigorous questions about
new skillsets. However, as we evolve the role might involve incremental improvements such what questions it is really qualified to answer.
Share this Opinion Leader
6
7. Mind and the machine
The continuing evolution of analytics competitive relationships, owned and disputed
At TNS, we’ve already evolved from the era of territory and areas of opportunity. We then
ad-hoc analysis, when researchers collected data build on this structural understanding with more
with little reference to how it would eventually action-oriented means of addressing the data:
be used (and then looked through it in the “Groupings” to segment the subject matter and
hope it would reveal something useful). Today “Drivers” to reveal the variables that influence
the design of the instruments for a particular relevant results, including causal connections
piece of research is informed from the start by that can be far from immediately apparent.
the challenge of how best to answer business
questions. This approach may be structured, but it retains
grounds for flexibility. It provides a checklist
The conceptual framework that we use for for where and how to look for patterns and
any type of analysis reflects how the human themes. In the Big Data era, we will learn to and expecting machines to design them in the
brain naturally makes sense of information. look for different types of patterns in vastly first place. We must not fool ourselves that
This framework consists of four different diverse forms of data, but human reason Artificial Intelligence (AI) is ready to take on the
ways of looking at any set of data, whether remains the key driving force in identifying them task of formulating questions and crafting the
it was generated through research or arrived, and drawing purposeful connections between algorithms to answer them. After all, even those
Big Data-style from independent sources. them. 157984631069555555345791326054
that welcome the concept of a technological
“Dimensions” and “Landscape” address the singularity in which human-designed AI
structure of information; the first seeking Computational muscle can give research the
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surpasses that of humans themselves, don’t
out common themes across a data set (the scale and speed that we will increasingly 573457913555555555555502106187
envisage it happening until at least 2045. That’s
key themes defining a product category, for require in the Big Data era, but it is important a long time to wait to take real advantage of
example), the second looking more closely at to distinguish between automating processes 141662046555555555555511579846
Big Data.
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8. Mind and the machine
Data and the human imagination
Imposing structure on Big Data will throw up
some intriguing challenges – and these challenges
Big
will involve logical leaps and lateral thinking
for which the human brain remains our best
available tool. What is a meaningful means of
scoring a positive tweet or Facebook rant? What
Business
aspect of somebody’s location is actually relevant
to the client brief – and what other sources of
information can be integrated or overlaid to give
context to this information? The location of a car
data solutions
by itself is meaningless. If it’s a car unable to fit
into the WalMart parking lot on Black Friday, it
becomes a whole lot more interesting.
When we talk about deploying computational questions that we can ask, and the speed with dangers: that we define in advance what it must
power in the Big Data era, we must therefore which we can answer them. Big Data can unleash look for and how it must look for it, leading to
be pretty clear about what we are asking the potential of human insight and human reason standardisation and blinkered, undifferentiated
computers to do. We must continue to exercise in ways never envisaged before. thinking, and that we confuse correlation with
our judgement as to which information is valid causation, failing to exercise human judgement
and valuable, and how its many varied forms can The greater computational power that will about which results are meaningful and which
be coded in meaningful ways. As data curators, enable us to make the most of Big Data must are not. The challenges of the Big Data era will be
that’s our job. But by unleashing the power of be harnessed to an expanded role for the challenges for the human imagination and human
today’s machines we can dramatically increase human mind. Depending too much on non- judgement as much as for IT infrastructure.
the scope of data that we can use, the range of human processing power creates two potential We need to welcome them as such.
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9. About Opinion Leaders
Opinion Leaders are a regular series of articles from TNS consultants, based on their expertise gathered through
working on client assignments in over 80 markets globally, with additional insights gained through
TNS proprietary studies such as Digital Life, Mobile Life and the Commitment Economy.
About TNS
About the authors
Mark Kingsbury is Global Head of Marketing Sciences,
TNS advises clients on specific growth strategies around new market entry, innovation, brand switching and
leading the TNS Advanced Analytics teams around the
stakeholder management, based on long-established expertise and market-leading solutions. With a presence world and driving initiatives to ensure that TNS defines
in over 80 countries, TNS has more conversations with the world’s consumers than anyone else and understands and delivers best practice approaches to addressing
individual human behaviours and attitudes across every cultural, economic and political region of the world. our clients’ business issues. Mark began his career
TNS is part of Kantar, one of the world’s largest insight, information and consultancy groups. at Research International and held senior roles at
Quadrangle and Ipsos before joining TNS at the start
of 2012.
Please visit www.tnsglobal.com for more information.
Bob Burgoyne is Development Director, Global
Get in touch Marketing Science at TNS. Bob has a background
If you would like to talk to us about anything you have read in this report, please get in touch via encompassing both digital and analogue research
enquiries@tnsglobal.com or via Twitter @tns_global methodologies, answering business questions for
primarily mobile sector clients in both emerging and
developed markets. He now focusses on non-traditional
References research techniques and data sources, exploring the
1. Nate Silver, The Signal and the Noise opportunities which they offer to provide better (richer,
2. Daniel-Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow quicker, more exact) answers to our clients’ questions.
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