OMMA BEHAVIORAL - DATA POWER BOOSTERS

If you came away with anything from OMMA's Behavioral Conference on Thursday in New York, it was the notion that general agency professionals and brand marketers are simply confused by the complexity of data and analytic delivery and measurement options.

Rishad Tabaccowala, member of the management board at Vivaki, opened the session with a keynote that drove home the need for simplicity. KPIs and results are the currency utilized to judge performance. The "pipes" that target audiences, driven by data, should hide behind the walls, managed by the "plumbers" of data and analysis.

Rishad went on to offer three reasons agencies get hired .... Insights, Inspiration (as opposed to perspiration and hallucination), and Ideas.

An audience question that follows stumped the the panel on "Which Data Finds The Right Audience".... "Who can qualify the quality of third party online data?"

It's a sad commentary on our state of affairs when the data is referred to as so much snake oil.

Very much like STP's Power Booster, few understand the origination and quality of the data but tentatively accept the fact that adding layers of data segments to their targeting options (or in STP's case adding it to your tank) will somehow enhance performance and outcome.

Therein lies the problem that slows acceptance of online as a viable alternative. The industry is running ahead of itself with little regard for mapping a destination or taking the time to truly learn and educate along the way.

Matt Freeman, CEO, Mediabrand Ventures

YOUR DATA .... YOUR PRIVACY

Current web searches, even when anonymized, can still reveal personal information about the user.

Over a new quantum version of the Internet now being developed, search engines could return queries to users .... and with the assurance that no one has copies of the data.

A new kind of memory storage, required by quantum searches, is already being demonstrated in the laboratory.

The development of a quantum Internet is a new wake up call that will, in five to ten years, turn data providers, aggregators and behavioral marketers on their ears.

As the eight hundred pound gorilla in the room, Google stands to be most affected by these developments and will likely turn to a tiered business model that will require paid search, by the searcher, for it to remain profitable.

Free "search and surf" may continue to thrive for some time next to a paid model but it is only a matter of time before the use of the Internet will begin to mirror that of cable .... free search for those that are not concerned about privacy and paid search for those that want to maintain privacy.

It's my opinion that privacy will eventually trump free "search and surf".

How all this will affect the future of our business remains to be seen. Quantum technology requires the use of quantum computers which are yet to be developed and a new type of data storage (quantum RAM).

For a more technical overview of quantum Internet initiatives and data collection, read the article in the October 2009 edition of Scientific American.

WHO WAS THAT VISITOR ?

Since Sydney Poitier's starring role in Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, much of the guesswork in the targeting of media on the web has been reduced to a closer approximation of "look-alike demographic clusters"....otherwise known as Behavioral Targeting or BT.

But BT is,for the most part, anything but precise. BT suggests surfing performed on the web appended with purchase behavior will, when driven by an algorithm, effectively place the PC (not person) it tracks in a demographic bucket.

Unfortunately, many non look-alikes will also be placed in that demographic bucket by proxy. WHY? Because BT is based on assumptions.

BT marketing efforts are often focused on retargeting .... reaching those consumers that visited a site, then abandoned the site. Up until now, all retargeting efforts focused on banner ads reaching those anonymous visitors. Very often, that strategy reaches exisitng customers as well .... resulting in advertising waste....or worse, sending the wrong message.

Today, and far into the future the business will be about data. Data that performs more effectively than cookie based tracking. Data that will be collected and refined with the transparency that consumers demand and deserve. Data that will be more stable and reliable. Data that will move beyond the banner into hyper-targeted e-mail, postal mail and personalized TV spots which will, in turn, drive up ROI.

There are one or two organizations crafting models that will make today's BT performance seem like two tin cans and a string compared to the iPhone.

Interested in more details? Drop me a note for more input.