Despite all the hype around big data, Emirates global senior vice president of advertising Chris Galanto has warned that it could make it a lot harder for campaigns to get off the ground as clients begin to over-analyse.
Galanto, whose airline recently sealed an alliance deal with Qantas, isn’t writing off the benefits of Big Data but believes it needs to be done without killing the potential for companies to be agile in their marketing and advertising.
“I see a lot of challenges for airlines as more activity moves online and the demand for measurable activity grows,” Galanto told AdNews. “So this age of big data may prove more and more difficult to get projects off the ground because clients have new benchmarks and you have to look at KPIs. Sometimes you over-analyse. It becomes a little more difficult to become agile and get campaigns out there.”
The other danger in the over-analysis of data is trying to get so close to the consumer that they become tired of the message your company is trying to promote, Galanto said.
“The flipside is with the consumer, who we are talking to all the time. They may become tired of all these companies trying to engage and be their friend. So it really is a challenge to offer something valuable and make them want to interact with your brand.” Galanto admits, however, there is still a way to go for Emirates in breaking down and using data effectively. He predicts it will require a lot more manpower but is keen to have at least some of the expertise sitting in-house.
“You need data analysts and people who know what to do with the information. Right now you get the information in but you still need – not just from an advertising and creative point of view but from the product side – the right products that can talk to people. It will require some additional resources and people that can really add value to interpreting that data. We do work with agencies but we do like to acquire some of the expertise in-house as well so it can be managed, overseen and coordinated from within.” Galanto said an improving world economy – leaving aside Europe – had triggered an uptick in advertising in
other regions.
This article first appeared in the 31 May 2013 edition of AdNews, in print and on iPad. Click here to subscribe for more news, features and opinion.
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