Trend five: Data visualization
December 12, 2012
What can we expect to see in 2013?
I think one of the exciting trends is that we’ve been seeing
companies like Google, IBM, and GE jump deeply into the data
visualization game. But with that demand, there have been many
agencies and consulting firms who are now going to be offering a
lot of supply. The great thing about this area is you're going to
have growth. You’re going to have more companies offering to do
data visualizations, and we’re going to have more companies who
want this as a way to engage with their customers.
What are the implications of this trend for brands?
The important thing to remember for brands is: How do you do
this in a way that's really going to add value to your brand
program? A good way to think of it is: How do I engage my customers
with data that they want to engage with? Meaning, how do I
build something that they want to spend time with, that they want
to get their hands dirty with, that they're going to learn
something from? It all comes down to value. In the way that a
company designs a car that you really want to drive because you
enjoy driving it and you're allowed to explore the road any way you
want; a great data visualization is one that allows customers to
really look at the data and engage with it in a way that they find
interesting.
Which brands will stand out?
The brands that will stand out are the ones that really get
this—the ones that don’t build the data visualizations for
themselves or just look pretty, but who focus on what's important
in terms of the customer’s needs, the type of conversation
customers want to have, and what they want to get out of it in the
end.