Why and how Big Data is being replaced by human psychology

Making the Internet human again

By 2020, the amount of digital data detailing just about every aspect of our lives will exceed 40 zettabytes. To put that figure into perspective, 40 zettabytes is 40 trillion gigabytes. (Estimated to be the equivalent of all the grains of sand on all the beaches on earth.)

Little wonder therefore, that a child will grow up finding the notion of total privacy as foreign as blue bags of salt in crisp packets, or bottles of Tipp-Ex. People from all stratas of society in our high-tech dystopian world are resigned to the fact that details of their personal lives are increasingly being left to the stewardship of an ever-decreasing circle of power-brands.

In this pseudo-Orwellian world, Data Scientists have reassigned the 20th Century title of ‘Mad Men’ to ‘Maths Men’ (poignantly pointing to the fine-line between intellect and insanity).

Former giants of creative advertising like David Ogilvy would, no doubt find the tortuous over-analysis of a creative-led ‘A’/ ‘B’ test direct marketing piece — reminiscent of a poor soul suffering with obsessive compulsion disorder. (So wracked with self-doubt and worries over job security dictated by quantifiable results, that he or she would rather rely on dispassionate data, than impassioned creative empathy).

Increasingly, rather than ideas steering innovation, data drive ideas. Purely from a brand communications perspective, this fundamental mistake is akin to allowing the medium to dictate the message. (Which may be forgivable — if it wasn’t for the fact that human psychology has been left out of equations).

Bargain beacons

Take technologies like iBeacons. Micro-location, proximity based targeting have become the equivalent of a second hand car sales person who won’t let a customer escape a showroom, at least without putting up a decent fight.

If this sounds like the rants of a Luddite – please think again. I am actually a long-term admirer of tech but only when tech is relevant and supportive rather than it becoming the Internet of Things – with ‘things’ denoting ‘humans’.

On a more serious note, the repercussions of ‘over-processed’ intrusive marketing may turn out far more costly to business and people than they first appear. To appreciate why, it is worth looking at a broader snapshot of society.

Throughout the world, cases related to mental health issues brought on by a lack of personal identity and security for the future, are on the rise. In America a suicide is committed every 13 seconds. In the UK, incidents of young girls self-harming are also increasing. ‘Cutting’ is often cited as representing the frustration of lack of self-control over impossible to obtain lifestyles dictated through connected standards and ideals as propagated 24/7 online.

Around the world, faith in all aspects of brand leadership - political, cultural and religious - is at an all time low. Some disenfranchised minorities overexposed to online branded communities offering  their interpretation of authenticity and enlightenment feel compelled to literally go to war against what to them appears as a shallow, over-commercialised world.

Recent reports suggest that there is an even a growing neurosis amongst people who feel a sense of rejection when online messages and emails are not promptly returned. Or worst still, evidently answered by teams of social media mechanical administrators who are clearly writing and responding according to a facile set of brand guidelines dictating guidance on appropriate vernacular for individual target groups.

Praying for common sense - the interpretation of data

Unrefined data is like crude oil: full of rich potential but at its source — it’s gunk. As with any filtering industry, organisations and consultants have emerged to help process the electronic  effluence . However data without correct interpretation can, like all forms of statistics, turn out to be disingenuous. Moreover the final arbitrator of garbage in-garbage out  remains human (for now) who as mentioned are led by superficial brand rules rather than common sense.

Case studies showing how technology is not aligned to the real-world

• Online Florist

Take a recent press story concerning a local UK church community. A 53-year-old pastor’s wife ordered a floral tribute from an online florist, run by a large supermarket brand, to send as a commemoration to a recently deceased parishioner.

The web designers working on the site operated by Marks and Spencer (considered  a bell-weather brand for retail marketing best practice) assumedly programmed the site to come across as friendly and authentic as a typical local florist.

At the checkout page, the pastor’s wife was offered the opportunity to include a special message to accompany the bouquet. She wrote: “Thank you for your care and practical help for Margaret in her last days . . . With love from her church family, Christ Church Teddington.”

As the message contained the word ‘Christ’, it was automatically censored. (At the time, ‘gay’ was also included in a list of banned words.) The only way the floral tribute could be sent was to bypass the ‘easy-to-order’ website and speak to someone over the phone. (Reminiscent of the days when people  called reliable local florists  before the small businesses were usurped by large brands).

• Nutella spread

Such data-driven disastrous communications are on the increase. In another case, the Nutella spread brand, came under fire for banning the words ‘lesbian’, ‘Muslim’ and ‘Jew’ – none could be used as part of their data-driven personalised jar-advertising campaign.

The company explained that its algorithm was designed to filter out such words, including the words ‘palm oil’ (in reference to an ingredient included in the chocolate spread).

My book, Brand Psychology, supported by research from some of the world’s leading psychology, business and management authorities, explains how the most complex data-processing system ever created the human mind, attempts  to make sense of modern ‘sophisticated’ marketing. In it, I explain the importance for brands to understand the nuances of why people buy or otherwise using techniques that cannot be outsourced to data scientists.

Today’s consumers are attuned to marketing gimmicks. (By the age of eighteen months, an infant cannot only recognise a brand logo in a store, but also control a branded app on a mobile.)

In such a data-driven world, it is more crucial than ever for brands to take a very human lead to win consumer trust and secure loyalty.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is outdated

Back in the days of Mad Men, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs was very much in vogue. Its raw simplicity enabled armies of suited and booted ad execs to sell products and services based on a prescribed set of basic human requirements. Today, the model is out-dated but not through the discoveries of data scientists, but by discovering that the more ‘sophisticated’ marketing communications become, the greater the need to build a pyramid of marketing strategies whose foundations are based on human psychology (rather than physiological needs) and peak is crowned with authentic human understanding.

You’ll find the new model is just one of many brand psychology aspects that are fully explained in the book . (Even available to buy on e-readers.)