Hasta La Creative!

The ready availability of data that consumers volunteer about themselves underpins many of next year’s marketing plans. We should be prepared that it will not remain so readily available in 2014.

Our ability to watch, record, analyze and apply insights into consumer behavior and intent would make a mind-reader blush. Big data has changed the way we envision the very function of marketing, moving us away from trying to imagine what consumers want to focus on to what we know they will need and do. Our use of data is also changing how we staff marketing departments (how many of those marketers recently fired by Unilever will be replaced by apps?). Data’s ready availability — especially online — is what’s driving the wildly optimistic monetization plans for social-media platforms.

Only we don’t really know if our scrutiny matters to consumers, because they don’t really know what we’re doing.

Continue reading at AdAge.com