Pattern Mining Dictates Unique Content?

The first time I'd learned about big data was in 2003.  I'd been busy doing broadcast and print design by day, and web coding at night. Before long I'd built an 'immersive' site from scratch.
I'd found a cheap website host, and started to dig into the world of web analytics. What I learned was how far I could drill down to see who'd looked at my website. I could see how long people had spent on each page, how they arrived at the site, and where they were viewing it from.  Even back then, the analytics were pretty amazing. From that point on, I understood even if I never designed another website again... I absolutely had to continue to inform myself with the latest in tech startups, coding and development.

For as long as the internet has been active for the public's use, so has data mining.
As tech evolved, so did advertising's role in taking a slice of that data. In 1994, a group of media buyers formed a company called Hotwired, producing the very first clickable banner for AT&T.  Since then, Advertisers have been using this data to hyper-target intended audiences. Here it is 2013, and with tablets, TV's, phone's and computers connected to the internet, we are all surely leaving a trail of valuable bread crumbs.

The little icons for dominos, new england patriots gear and walking dead dvd's aren't on my Facebook page by chance. I'm not saying that it's right, but I know its nothing personal- just business. My use of Facebook and just about every other social media outlet is a consent and agreement to their business. Facebook is not free, they own the rights to all the data they've gathered about me.But that's not what I'm writing this post about. That side of the business has found its vertical, and who knows what the ceiling is.

I think advertising's role in monetizing this data is only a portion of the equation. Political campaigns have also zeroed in on this data with huge wins.   With real time information, who's to say content studios and media outlets can't produce rich media targeted for a specific audience? The analytics would point to a pattern of effective content, dictating what works and doesn't. On a basic level, the same thing is used in digital ads now, where scripting automates font and animation. I'm suggesting it goes a step further with assignment editors dictating daily stories, based off of the real time data. It wouldn't just be regular a.p. news though, I believe it would be a lot more involved with engaging visuals. I think creative storytelling, video and info-graphics would all be at a premium, too. The idea is that everything is produced with the effective audience in mind. The same could apply to branded content, and on-demand mobile series/shows.

The Wall Street Journal and New York Times have converted much of their loyal base into digital subscribers, and now other media outlets are beginning to do the same.
I think this presents a new competitive business model for these outlets, and only time
will tell how the content consumer will respond. I believe one thing that will certainly not change is mobile and data's role in the future.





The views and opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not in any way represent those of the people I collaborate with, or work for.