Big Data and Health Care

An interesting example using the case of sleep apnea contributing to car accidents.

P&G Wins Effie

P&G tops the list of the ten most effective advertisers.  " ... IBM and Microsoft, tied with EA, come in at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. “Effectiveness” is defined as success based on a mix of brand-specific metrics and goals including ROI, sales growth, brand awareness, and spurred action, as assessed by Effie jurors.... " 

Intuit Using Big Data to Delight You

In GigaOM:  Some months back I gave a talk at Intuit on the leveraging of data resources.  This is not an outcome of that, but an intriguing direction that they are taking.    How do you construct 'data for delight'?  Of course the phrase is not dissimilar from what we worked with in the consumer goods industry.

" ... That, Intuit Senior VP of Big Data, Social Design and Marketing Nora Denzel told me, was the reaction of one of her co-workers after getting a view of her personal finances using Mint.com. Company bias aside, the story is telling of how individuals might expect to directly benefit from analytics today. Large companies use big data techniques as methods to simultaneously increase revenue and save operating costs, but the most-direct benefit to consumers is usually a targeted advertisement or a list of possible social networking connections. That’s pretty lame. A consumer service that actually cares about your bottom line…? Well, that’s something. ... " 

Target Connects to ShopKick

In an interesting development Target has connected to the ShopKick rewards program.  I spent some time looking at ShopKick and was impressed by the approach. " ...  Target guests nationwide can earn points for shopping at Target that can be redeemed for a variety of rewards. “We’ve learned from our guests that they appreciate being rewarded for doing what they already love to do -- shopping at Target,” says Bonnie Gross, Target VP marketing and guest engagement. “In our test launch, Target guests in seven cities had the opportunity to experience shopkick at Target and we received rave reviews. Now guests nationwide can start earning valuable points just by shopping our stores.”

Game Dynamics of Customer Loyalty

Good piece on the topic. Gaming principles applied to customer acquisition using virality and examples in a number of current systems. Good to answer client questions about where this can work now.

Crowd Modeling and Simulation

Crowd Modeling and Simulation. A favorite topic as we examined in store behavior. This takes it much further, but the elements of simulation are useful.

Mindshare and Unilever

Mindshare retains Unilevers 1.38 billion US advertising business.

Google Knowledge Graph

In ReadWwriteWeb: A look at how Google is reoriented search to include more semantic knowledge. And provides a connection to related knowledge.

Wolfram System Modeler

Newly announced by Wolfram Research a System and equation modeling tool based on Mathematica. Have not looked deeper yet, but this appears to be quite impressive. The post linked to here has quite a few details including visualizations. Worth a much closer look. See also their system modeler web site.

NFC Use Expands

In Computerworld. NFC is a wireless transmission method, operating over a few centimeters, that is typically used for payment from smartphones. It is now being seen for broader applications. We explored it for tethering laboratory sensors. Expect to see further application.

Future of Gamification

Detailed PEW report on the topic of gamification. Useful overview.

Scaling and Power Laws

Good examination of power laws in the newly revived Exploring Complexity blog. An important idea that is introduced clearly here.

Supply Dynamics

Recently visited:  Material Demand Aggregation: Your Solution for Better Supply Chain Performance
Leverage aggregate demand WITHOUT consigning material, installing software, modifying ERP systems or redeploying personnel. 

Occasion-Based Marketing at Coke

In CPGMatters:   A classic approach to quantifying  in-store behavior.  Coke finds some insight along the way:

Occasion-Based Marketing Triggers Coca-Cola's Solutions 
Understanding shopping occasions and trip missions to the grocery store has always been important for Coca-Cola. But these insights took on greater meaning when research found that nearly six of ten trips (57%) are occasion based with shoppers looking for solutions ...  “If we can put those two together – trip mission and consumption occasion – that’s very powerful,” he said, adding that understanding how shoppers move through the store can help Coke offer products grouped into relevant solutions at key engagement points along the path to purchase. ... "
"

Mobile Grocery Shopping

Are you ready?   Catalina's acquisition of Modiv media.  What will the outcome of this be?  Are consumers ready to broadly utilize in-store scanning?  Based on our research this has advanced for years, and it is inevitable.  " ... More mobile apps are popping up as tools for shoppers to find manufacturer deals and make lists as they trawl the supermarket aisles.... "  And there are specific implications for grocery: "... Since few shoppers can wait for Amazon to ship their gallon of milk, smartphone usage in grocery stores is an entirely different beast than in big-box and electronic retailers, where the "scan and scram" phenomenon of price comparing runs rampant.... " 

A Business Intelligence Tool

I have worked for a number of small and medium size business intelligence applications.  When a business has to address these kinds of problems without a consultant it is often an issue to properly scope out the problem.  or at least find a starting point to outline the approaches available. .  In a recent search for tools I found this complimentary tool from IBM that addresses typical problems found in this area.  And determines the achievable ROI available As they state it:

Can your organization optimize queries? Do you use data cleansing technology? Is there strong executive support for business intelligence? The answers matter. Now find out what they mean for your midsized business. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. It can be difficult to gauge your company’s use of business analytics compared to the competition. Are you using the right tools? Are you doing enough?

It is also useful to understand that what you are doing adheres to typical standards in use.    This approach also lets you scope out analytics that connect to the problems you are addressing.  Without a connection between data and methods, it is hard to get started.

The tool assigns a rating of how your company's approach compares to the best-in-class performance of a company your size in each of the business analytics categories that you identify as a concern, and then clearly outlines steps your company can take for continued improvement in key areas of business analytics. At the end of your personalized report, you will have access to Aberdeen's Research Reports on business analytics.

The Aberdeen report lets you figure out how to take the next steps utilizing business analytics.  I am reviewing that now for a specific application.  A useful approach to getting started for the small or medium size business.

This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines  of a smarter planet. More on that here: goo.gl/VQ40Cg 

Smarter Commerce for the Mid Size Business

Good futures piece on this topic.
To help companies understand the Smarter Commerce Institute, the SMB Group and CRM Essentials are working on a series of posts discussing how technology is empowering today’s customer, and why companies have to change their approach in order to build strong relationships with them. This is the final post in the series ... 

Curse of Innovation

In Innovation Excellence:  Enumerating the curses of innovation. Regarding Intellectual property, and of course the patent system.

Semantic Smarts in Search

A report on how Google is adding new semantic smarts into its search." ... Reportedly spotted by several users, the search pages are now displaying semantic data nestled to the right of the regular results. Such information tries to tie in relevant facts related to the subject of your search rather than just providing links to external Web sites.... "

Synthetic Biology Accellerator

I have heard the term 'synthetic biology' used many times.  Most recently in the funding proposal for a startup.   It is usually is misused in odd ways.  These folks seem to have it right.  It is about simulating biological processes.  From low level to high level models.  Those simulations can be useful in understanding them. It combines engineering and biology.  It can be used to extend the process design beyond existing biology.   It is not about making  living things.

Tailoring Billboards

Onstar patents a system to tailor billboards to individual drivers:

" ... Like the billboards Tom Cruise encountered in Minority Report, the OnStar-linked ads would be tailored to passing motorists based on personal information they’d shared with their telematics service. Perusing the patent’s text, nightmare scenarios flooded our thoughts. Kids in the backseat? Be prepared to see ads for Happy Meals and nearby amusement parks. Headed to the doctor’s office? A friendly reminder to schedule a colonoscopy, in flashing 40-foot letters.

The most alarming aspect of the patent is how it proposes gathering personal data. Expectedly, the patent covers the use of location-based information from OnStar’s turn-by-turn navigation system. But more intrusively, it also includes the use of in-vehicle cameras to determine unspecified demographics of vehicle occupants. Even power seat positions could be used to estimate the age of a driver.... " 

Working Styles

Mindjet has an interesting document on workings styles. Surprisingly without any registration required.   Good overview with useful links,

Brochures

A long time interest is about the way computers have been sold in media.  The Computer History Museum has an online exhibit of brochures that sold computers with the same advertising principles that sold soap at the time.  I remember seeing some of these, somewhat after that time.  Of course you were not selling to the individual consumer at that time, but providing support to a salesman that would visit.   It was a different context, but the words and explanation provided is instructive.  In my own enterprise, computers that did payroll and inventory were called 'electronic brains', and proudly displayed behind glass walls in public lobbies.

Customer Centricity

We worked with Professor Peter Fader of Wharton in the enterprise.  His book on Customer centricity essentials is now out in its second edition.    "  ... Despite what the tired old adage says, the customer is not always right. Not all customers deserve your best efforts: in the world of customer centricity, there are good customers…and then there is pretty much everybody else. Upending some of our most fundamental beliefs, renowned behavioral data expert Peter Fader, Co-Director of The Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative, helps businesses radically rethink how they relate to customers. He provides insights to help you revamp your performance metrics, product development, customer relationship management and organization in order to make sure you focus directly on the needs of your most valuable customers and increase profits for the long term.... " 

Charmin App Improved

Charmin App Updated: " ... Procter & Gamble brand Charmin has introduced the SitOrSquat: Restroom Finder application for mobile devices, which lets users rate public bathrooms. Charmin launched a similar application in 2008, but the new version has a simplified rating system and a Spanish-language option....   " 

The Data Breadth of the Supply Chain

Today I gave an invited talk "End-to-End Supply Chain: Innovation, Design and Development" at the University of Cincinnati.  I emphasized the integration of Big Data methods and Analytical capabilities.   From Marketing to the Store Shelf.  Integrating data sensors of many types to deliver decision making capability.  The talk was well received and has started to make me think more about this topic and how it can be delivered more simply and widely.   Thanks to Oracle and Teradata for providing some of the slides and support.    Want to help support further thought about this topic?  Let me know.

Solving a Data Science Problem

Vincent Granville on ways to solve a data science problem. An interesting case study that uses a number of common analytic methods.  Well described:  " .... Here we discuss four approaches to solve the following marketing problem: identify, each day, the most popular Google groups, within a large list of target groups. You want to post in these groups only. The only information that is quickly available for each group, is the time when the last posting occured. Intuitively, the newer the last posting, the most active the group. There are some caveats such as groups where all postings come from one single user - a robot - for instance groups that focus on posting job ads exclusively. They should be in your black list.... "

SAS and Teradata

On SAS and Teradata joining forces.  More appliances:  " ... Over the years SAS has worked with many data warehousing vendors. In particular, in the recent past it has collaborated with a number of database vendors to support in-database analytics. However, as far as I am aware the recent announcement of the "Teradata Appliance for SAS High-Performance Analytics - Model 700" is a first, not just for SAS but for any two companies that are respectively in the warehousing and analytics arenas.....  " 

Graph Databases

A recent piece by Mark Montgomery led me to Philip Howard in Bloor on Graph Databases.  An introduction. Which led me to the WP article on the same.   Obvious application of directed labeled graphs, which has a long history in analytical methods.  I can construct these with a package like CMap Tools.    Can I relate the resulting graph to a database?

Reviewing the Buying Brain

An interesting review of The Buying Brain.  Very positive.   Overdone I think, there are aspects of neuromarketing methods that although useful in conjunction with classical methods, remain unproven.

ThreeJoy

Via David E Goldberg    Who we worked with in the enterprise on genetic algorithm methods.

ThreeJoy Associates, Inc. is a leadership coaching firm and change consultancy established to serve individual and organizational clients in higher education to help them grow and develop to better align with the creativity imperative of the 21st century.... " .

See their blog.

What is in-Memory Analytics?

Bill Franks provides a good overview.    Read the whole piece, well put.  " There’s been a lot of noise lately about the concept of in-memory analytics.  As a recent example, if you followed the press around some major conferences in late April, you’ll notice that a lot of messaging was present around in-memory analytics products.  Many people have been asking questions about how in-memory can fit into their mix and how it relates to other options like in-database analytics.  So, what’s up with in-memory analytics? .... "

It is about volume, speed and complexity.  And with increasing data availability, we need more power to transform data into business value.

Wal-Mart Localizing Stores

Wal-Mart is Localizing its stores with Facebook.  I recall this general idea proposed during the early days of web sites being commonly available.  Long before Facebook.  A very good idea to promote local ties to stores.  This could also lead to new kinds of local behavioral data.

Tasting Jams and Dating Sites

Match making online. Head versus heart.   A dated WSJ article which led me back to some of our matching work for many other purposes.    But does it work for matching of products and needs?  Or products and associated products?   This still remains a challenge for retail analytics that has produced insights but not necessarily exact solutions.

Texting Increases Truth

A study seems to show texting increase truthfulness.  Less shading of the truth.  I wonder if this is caused by the limitation of the size of the message? Less ability to shade the truth.  Less time  required, and thus the ability to spill the thought more quickly?  Do Tweets have the same effect?

Organizing Your Business for Innovation

In Innovation Excellence:  A favorite topic, when added to constructing innovation rich contexts.  " ... Innovation is the process of linking an invention to satisfy a specific need in a business or social context. The people who work on finding ways to do this are called as innovators. The people who take the existing technologies and package them together and commercialize it as an offering and build organisational structures to support this, are called entrepreneurs.As I explained in my other blog “Why companies need innovation? A market competition perspective”, innovation is not a choice today for any company rather it is a must for sustainable growth in today’s marketplace.... " 

Intel Employee Magazine

IQ by Intel is a Flipboard like design, with bright graphics, using social measures to promote the Intel brand to younger demographics.  More in Adage.

Wearing Health Devices

In Technology Review:  On wearing small health devices.  Small monitors have been around for a long time.  The challenge may be how to deal with the data and the analytics needed to provide value.

Byron Sharp and the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute

Byron Sharp, professor at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, University of South Australia, has been a long term correspondent.  My former enterprise is a major sponsor.  So I continue to get his mailings.   Note in particular his excellent book: How Brands Grow, mentioned many times here.  Also his TEDx talk.  He adds in this recent mailing that he is now tweeting, so you can follow him here.

He also links to a special issue of the Journal of Advertising Research: on Empirical Laws in Advertising that he edited. Subtitled:  What We Know About Advertising: 21 Watertight Laws for Intelligent Advertising Decisions.  This came from a 2008 conference at Wharton. A comprehensive and excellent document on the topic that I am just going through. Great content.

Also, his excellent blog and a publications list.

If you are interested in Advertising, Brands and the science of engagement, his work is a must follow, or consider sponsoring his work.

Thanks Byron.