 We’re hearing so much about big data right now, and that it will change the way we live, and the way we make decisions. We are already seeing the benefits for businesses. Speaking about his company's own use of data analytics, Justin King, the Sainsbury's CEO, said that the most effective and measurable marketing spend is the money he spends on Nectar. This is a very tangible example of big data in action, but it's not all about marketing. Londoners benefit from live travel information whether they are seeing it at bus stops or train platforms, or on their mobile. Car drivers using Tom Toms or Garmins are all unconsciously sharing live traffic intelligence with each other, for mutual benefits. And of course, the PR world is listening to the online conversations about the brands and organisations it represents. According to The Times, the LAPD is already using Los Angeles' crime data to prevent crimes or catch criminals in the act of one. What was once the stuff of sci-fi fantasy is here. Big data is all around us, but there is still an uncertain - but exciting - future in it for communications. We don't need a crystal ball to know that it presents an opportunity to change the way we communicate, but it also presents a business challenge in terms of the privacy debate. Research indicates consumer confusion in an era of disclosure and sharing online. While the public wants brands to listen, they don't want brands to intrude on their conversations. They want a response from businesses that they complain about online but they don't want to be monitored and they have fears about the trail of personal data they leave on the internet. This uncertainty points towards the need for clearer policies from Government and businesses, and education - we as individuals need to understand how to navigate the data minefield as much as businesses do. And when we're all comfortable about our data and how it is handled, the opportunities are endless - there will be benefits for the economy and our society as a whole. And that's where it's exciting for communications. The most effective strategies and creative campaigns have always been founded on insights. Yet with an industry that has up until quite recently, been preoccupied with AVE - and now Facebook 'likes' - there's always an inevitable amount of tactical comms driven by a need to fulfil quotas for output. Big data will give us the ability to create layers of insights about the audience, and allow us to reach them in a far more targetted way but also in a more meaningful and engaging way. It will afford us the ability to set objectives that are truly measurable and it will make communications a better discipline for it. And we shouldn't get overawed with the term "big data" - in many instances the analytics needed for robust insights in our world would be a fraction of those involved when compared to the likes of Nectar. However, as corporate and brand communication moving ever closer together - with corporate affairs being played out much more in the glare of the public eye - it could well hasten the integration between advertising and communications. Before communications can use big data there is a more immediate job that needs to be done, and that’s helping clients with issues around it. In house communications specialists won’t embrace big data’s opportunities until their own businesses have established a clear policy and positioning of their use of customer data, and until they start to sow the seeds of a healthy reputation within it. These are the battles they will need to fight first, but the future is bright.
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