Category Archives: Data

Book Review: The System.

At a recent workshop, I asked students to explain how online ads were planned and sold. Puzzled faces stared back at me. The word ‘programmatic’ was mentioned. “Okay, how does that work?” I asked. One student said that advertisers send a profile of the kinds of people they want to reach to a Demand SideContinue reading “Book Review: The System.”

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism

(Quick review of this must read new book by By Professor Shoshana Zuboff) You are living through a new type of capitalism – Surveillance Capitalism- that changes the rules of the game, needs to be understood in its own terms and controlled before it controls us. Our “Data signals” (from services we choose to use likeContinue reading “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism”

What will Facebook do next ?

Scandal ! ( click/share), Shock ! (click/share), Outrage !!( click/share), Anger !**! (click/Share) This is how Facebook grew its audience very fast and sold lots of ads over the past few years. It became, as the jargon has it, ” a publishing platform” and exercised the minimum possible control on what got posted lest itContinue reading “What will Facebook do next ?”

Why all marketers should get out of the office more

A show all marketers should see is Martin Parr’s photos at the National Portrait Gallery If only to see the original artwork for the excellent “Oneness” idents for BBC 1, a  fine example of that classic thing – a great creative idea executed in a fresh way. The idea – like the best ideas –Continue reading “Why all marketers should get out of the office more”

Calling all brand owners, take back control!

Programatic trading of media is clever automated technology that is spawning (AI enabled) services which will automate the creation of ad messages as well – more efficiency and cost reduction then. (This does not matter a lot as most ads- online- are fairly formulaic response/offer type stuff already) But Programatic also attacks one of ourContinue reading “Calling all brand owners, take back control!”

Content marketing – is it right for your brand?

Sir Martin Sorrell has made his first investment at his new company in a shop called Media Monks- which “is a creator of agile and dynamic digital content” What Sir Martin does, the industry talks about. So, let’s not break the habit of a lifetime Is this a hot investment ? Why is Content anContinue reading “Content marketing – is it right for your brand?”

THE BIG TENSION- the insight behind successful brands today

(This article was first published in Directory – and is reproduced with their kind permission) Son (25) and daughter (23) have returned home after university: the perfect opportunity for this planner for some close-up observation of two millennials with their always- to-hand smartphones and dirty, untidied bedrooms. I pause at this point to give someContinue reading “THE BIG TENSION- the insight behind successful brands today”

How consumer culture is changing

At the privacy of our own keyboards people give up all sorts of interesting insights into what they want – and no  data source is better that search. So.. Google trends is always worth a look – as well as Think with Google for a barometer for changing consumer culture- and therefore what people nowContinue reading “How consumer culture is changing”