In his Research File, Colm Carey writes on why big data shows scant regard for people
Darren Harris is a double Paralympic athlete. He has a degree in mathematics and has studied psychology. In a talk on BBC Radio 4’s Forethought, Harris compares people and prime numbers. Both are unique and indivisible. Prime numbers are abstract, people concrete. Both maths and psychology try to find out what makes things different and similar.
Harris sees statistics as a murky world which yields enormous power in our lives. It reduces people to numbers, representing the richness of life as a series of data points. Normality is defined as where you sit in relation to an average or some other arbitrary measure. As we collect more data, we move further away from people themselves.
Blind from an early age, Harris became accustomed to hospital visits. He got used to short encounters with doctors who took blood samples that were sent for testing. At one such encounter a doctor surprised Harris by asking him how he felt. What followed was a conversation rather than a consultation. It made him feel like a real person.
Harris believes that people, rather than numbers, determine success. We don’t get the best out of people by bombarding them with facts and figures. If that worked, we would all do our 30 minutes of physical activity. We would eat our five portions of fruit and veg a day. We would drink no more than three or four units of alcohol.
Harris says the problem with big data is that it tells us everything and nothing at the same time. Everything, because it reveals hidden patterns and relationships in the numbers. Nothing, unless those numbers are given the kind meaning that derives from having proper conversations with people. “How are you?” and “how do you feel?” are about understanding. Once asked, the next skill is to listen in way that allows people to realise you care. Without this we cannot know what is important, what people believe in, what are their hopes and fears. A monosyllabic response does not mean that people have nothing to say, it means that they are not convinced you are listening. Marketers and researchers in particular, take note.
Allan Fromen of Massachusetts-based IDIC told Esomar’s Research World magazine that as well as the benefits it offers, big data also presents enormous risks. In the wrong hands it may lead to erroneous conclusions as large sample sizes can uncover statistically significant findings not particularly meaningful which may be counterproductive.
Harris believes that the essence of a person-centred approach is like prime numbers. We are all unique and indivisible. But our obsession with big data can cause us to lose sight of the individual. It is worth heeding Harris. He is living proof of the uniqueness he espouses. His thoughts reflect the value of a qualitative approach in a world overly-concerned with stats.
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
Research from the Said Business School at the University of Oxford claims that retailers often do not need to offer price promotions, multi-buys or discounts at festive times of the year. They can actually undermine the celebratory mindset of target consumers with these offers by sending mixed messages that might actually reduce sales.
But credit cards groan under the weight of impulsive spending. We eat, drink and make merry to the tune of the upbeat ads that sparkle around us. We are in child mode with the advertisers acting as indulgent parents. Satisfy your every whim. Don’t worry about the consequences. Tomorrow never comes. Except that tomorrow does come.
It comes on January 1. The indulgent parents turn into the parents from hell. Our inner child is pushed aside as our adult superego resumes command. Those nice soft advertising voices become shrill and accusing. You are now a fat, slovenly, useless, weak minded piece of work. You deserve to be punished. Give up eating, smoking, drinking and having fun.
Get your obese body to the gym. You deserve to be punished for what you have done. Research by Carat shows 80 per cent of us claim to do some exercise, with walking the most popular choice. The Pulse study says young men and adults over 55 spend more time exercising, showing yet again the importance of the over 50’s for marketers.
Happily, the punitive advertising period tends to be short lived. Once January arrives, the focus switches to summer holiday ads with pristine beaches, beautiful people and a promise that once you leave home you can enjoy a few weeks of mid-year indulgence. Mintel reports that one in ten UK holidaymakers start their research less than a week before booking.
One in four use a mobile device for research and 14 per cent booked using a smartphone or tablet. These mobile bookers are more price driven and spend less time deciding where to go. The recession saw an increase in package holiday bookings as people sought bargain all-in holidays. Mintel predicts a move back to a la carte planning as the economy picks up.
JOYCEAN EXPERIENCE When there is less money around, holidays makers tend to go for package holidays. But Mintel predicts a move back to self-made breaks as the economy improves, like the one featured in this Tourism Ireland ad shot in Swenys shop in Dublin.
