Data of all sizes

As revealed in the review of the year’s biggest developments, data, whether big or smart, was still a hot topic in 2014. But what exactly were people saying about it?

“Predictable I know but for me has to be data: It is starting to dawn on us that the data economy not only impacts organisations we work for but the way we ourselves work too.” Colin Strong, head of Industry, GfK

“I can’t attempt to answer this question without making reference to ‘big data’. Or ‘small data’. Or ‘wide data’. Or ‘deep data’. At the end of the day it’s data, and the industry needs to quickly adopt a point of view on this before consultants and data science houses come down their respective chains to ‘eat our lunch’. We have the skills in the industry to lead on the data debate, and we just need to have the confidence to be brave about it. Special mention also to ‘real time research’ – life wouldn’t be complete without that half hourly feed of data with no explanation, would it?” Andrew Wiseman, MD, ICM

“In 2014, the big buzzword was, yet again, ‘big data’. While this continues to be an important focus for our industry, at Viacom the emphasis is less on ‘big’ data and more ‘smart’ data. It’s not purely about the volume, but much more the quality first and then the interpretation thereof. We are making great strides in using data to our advantage in various aspects, be it through analysis of video consumption for scheduling of linear and non-linear services, marketing and product development.”Christian Kurz, vice president, Research and Insights, Viacom International

“Big data continued its two-year run as the biggest buzzword.”Steve August, chief innovation officer, Focus Vision

“Big data. Often used incorrectly.” Virginia Monk, MD, Network Research

Mobile buzz

Mobile was, according to some, another buzzword to continue a successful run from 2013.

“I would probably argue that it was the same as 2013 and 2012’s buzzword, namely mobile. This year, however, we’ve seen companies actually embracing the technology; and more importantly, we’ve seen clients including mobile in their strategy and budgets. We anticipate this to continue to sky rocket in 2015, with mobile being used both as a device for responding to surveys and with passive technologies tapping into improved geo-location functionality, as well as mobile web and in app advertising effectiveness.”Ben Hogg, MD, EMEA – portfolio business, Research Now

Check back on Monday December 22 for a review of 2014’s best campaigns