Modern methods and myths
At the latest since Donald Trump won the US election, Big Data and the so called microtargeting are considered to be communicative silver bullets. Six questions on this to Ivo Banek, partner at Communication Works.
28. March 2017
How important was Big Data for Trump’s victory?
It is said that Trump’s campaign has sent tailor-made messages to different voters, based on the modern means of digital communication. If you trust some self-appointed spin doctors and data gurus, Big Data and so called psychographic profiling played a crucial role.
What exactly is this about?
Roughly speaking, about the digital traces we all leave online and which can be used to identify our interests and preferences. Like, when you google for a new car, you will be bombed with car ads next time you open a web page.
That’s not new, is it?
Right. What’s new is that from all our activities online a psychological trait is compiled: whether we are conscientious, extrovert, open to new experiences – our needs and fears and how we are likely to behave. With this, you can provide targeted content for each personality, in our example: the matching car model for each type, plus the relevant arguments for buying it.
Sounds like absolute control.
And like the perfect conspiracy theory, with omnipotent puppet-masters in the campaign offices. In reality, it’s not quite that simple. The method can work for short-term activation, like in an election campaign. But people do not want to be manipulated long-term. They see through such methods and learn to defend themselves.
Does Big Data help targeting? / Foto: Ivo Banek
Big Data and the brave new communication world – just a bubble?
Simply the latest attempt to predict and influence peoples’ behaviour. The method, however, has three fundamental problems. First: It works only as long as it is not unmasked. But when you promise different things to different people – which is the essence of „targeted content“ – you create contradictions, at the expense of your credibility. Second, your competitors can use the same insights and send the same messages: You don’t create uniqueness. And third, this is one-way communication, without real feedback an organisation can learn from.
What’s the alternative?
You can absolutely use data from the web to understand needs and expectations of voters or customers. Only, this should not be the base for manipulation, but for dialogue. People want to have a say, in politics and in products they buy. When Communication facilitates such a process, it creates value for all – open, transparent and sustainable.
