Big Data Solutions

At the enterprise we were an early and big implementor of SAP solutions.   I am in the midst of gathering representative examples of big data analytics.  Correspondent Chris Herbert sends me an article about some of their solutions for retail:   " ...  Today’s retail business is a real-time, information-driven enterprise. Every customer interaction and movement of a product through a distribution network is measured and used to refine pricing strategies, update inventory decisions and tailor customer incentives on websites, email and mobile devices ....  "

Also, related, he sends along a link to a recording of their recent HANA webinar. Password is:saphana

On Who and Whom

In the Language Log:  On Who and Whom.  I had read somewhere else that the distinction between these two are disappearing, based on written word  analyses.  Here he reprints an article in the New Yorker that has James Thurber discussing, humorously, the distinction and how to deal with it.  Language is fun.

Name Wizard is Back

I was reminded of Mark Wattenberg's Name Voyager.   Has not been around for a while.   Perhaps due to some licensing issue?   The site also contains other interesting visualizations.  We examined it for some internal visualization needs.  It deserves another look.

Using Social Media

McKinsey chimes in on how to use and demystify social media.  Well done.

Multiple Location Augmented Reality

Augmented reality to provide 3D remote interaction:

"Microsoft is developing an augmented reality system that allows users in different locations to work together on a tabletop and share and handle objects. Demonstrated at a conference in Austin, Texas, the MirageTable deceives the eye of users into believing they are using a seamless three-dimensional (3D) shared task space  .... "

On Big Data

Paul Hofmann, formerly of SAP, now with Saffron Technologies has a presentation on Big Data.  Good short overview with examples that is worth reviewing.

High Performance Computing Clusters

Was just introduced to HPCC Systems.  As an open source solution to a 'Big Data' problem to support a large scale enterprise simulation.  Well worth a look for those interested in the topic.  More to follow.

Patterns in Everyday Numbers

Cool numbers.   A site to investigate the patterns in everyday numbers.The kind of site that would be good to show to children to get them interested in the patterns in numbers and lead them to a love of math.

Camera Phone Tech

A recent project has me looking at the value and limitations of camera phone technology.  So it was good to see this instructive article on the subject in ComputerWorld.  An introduction.

Faster Pharma

Novartis speaks of continuous manufacturing in pharmaceuticals.  " .... the CEO of pharmaceutical giant Novartis, Joseph Jimenez, suggested big changes are in store for the way his company makes drugs. A new, experimental method for producing pills could drastically reduce production times, increase revenue, and improve quality, he said.... "

Costco Pushes Mobile Apps

And additionally pushing social networking.   I have worked on Costco projects, and am still a frequent customer, so I look forward to more of the details here:

Costco makes plans for boosting its online sales
Costco.com already sells about $2 billion worth of goods, but it lags far behind Amazon and Wal-Mart in online sales. The Issaquah-based chain plans to introduce new mobile apps this month in an effort to significantly expand its online business .... " 

Shopper Decisions Made In-Store

76% Purchase Decisions Made In-Store
New Study Released By POPAI Explores The Changing Behavior & Purchasing Decisions Of Today’s Grocery Shopper ...

Sands Research adds:   " ... Building upon a long line of major shopper research trend studies, dating back to 1965, POPAI's 2012 Shopper Engagement Study once again paved the path for in-store research by adding a combination of groundbreaking EEG and eye-tracking technology to attitudinal findings and shopper interviews in-store. The Study found, from both pre- and post- intercept interviews and EEG with Eye-tracking, that today's shopper is making more in-store decisions on what to buy than ever before. Today's in-store decision rate has reached an all time high of 76%, which is a six percent increase over POPAI's landmark 1995 Study ...  " 

Tapping the Power of the Feature Phone

I was recently pointed to the idea of using voice interaction to provide intelligence in the still 63% of cell phones today that are not 'smart' but are dubbed  'feature phones'.  An interesting idea.   More on this video.  Via Almira Labs. Will the prevalence of smart phone become universal, or will there always be room for simpler phones?  It does sound anti technology progress, but I think there is real room for this idea.

Tribute to Moms on Mother's Day

An update to P&G's tribute to Mom's on Mothers day.  Just received through the P&G alumni services wire.

Employee Loyalty

Employee loyalty has declined for a very long time. It used to common for people to stay with firms for many years.  But now companies do not in general provide any assured pensions or retirement rewards.  Often people sign on only to get lines in their resume, and lesser still, specific experiences and skills.  Knowledge@Wharton addresses recent studies in employee loyalty.

MobileRQ

I was recently introduced to MobileRQ by a correspondent and its developer Tyler McKinley.  Some nicely thought ideas of how to use multiple streams of data to drive travel experiences:

" MobileRQ Traveler is a “big data” mobile analytic platform that enables airlines, hospitality and the larger travel ecosystem to increase traveler touch points, strengthen traveler loyalty, and drive revenue. Most importantly this all happens within your own mobile app.

MobileRQ lets you engage your customer with your own contextually relevant mobile messages.
This rich new mobility platform establishes a traveler’s context through unstructured data analytics and delivers your own high relevancy mobile offers to them. Today’s connected traveler constantly seeks ways to experience, explore and stay up to date. As the travel provider you can meet these needs directly through the mobile phone with high relevancy messaging before, during and after their trip.... "

Gamification of Processes

Brainyard overviews Gartner statistics on the gamification of processes.  Pointing to a continuing trend.  I like the idea well applied, but have often seen it poorly done.  I am not convinced that 'badges'  work well in many contexts.  Playful perhaps, but meaningful?  It also has to take into account the cultural setting in which it is employed.  I like the idea of using some game dynamics for knowledge sharing:  ' ... . "[You can design a program so that] instead of just replying yes or no, I have to give an answer as to why it's yes or no. I have to put my reasoning behind it. And you, and 20 other people who are part of my game group, might look and see what my rationales for making my decisions are. It's a sharing--they get to see what my thinking is--but it's also a feedback on my decisions in the game. So, that element of sharing knowledge and coming to a decision about what might be a best practice is used a lot in our game design." ... '  

History of Data Science

A short but informative history of data science.  I lived through lots of this history and recall its effect on the enterprise.    Good resource.

On the Economics of Information

In the WSJ:   An examination of the value of information, using the Facebook IPO as an example.  Their take, you are worth about $81 to Facebook.

McKinsey on the Future of Work

The suggestion that the decrease in employment and hiring in the recent recession was unique.  Because of the explosion of technologies in the years before the recession, many jobs, now replaced by technology solutions, will never return.   I have already seen the strong reluctance of companies to hire.  Full report here.

Analytical Ecosystems Explored

Just brought to my attention: 
Alan Greenspan, marketing manager at Teradata,  is quoted: " ... When business justification calls for more than one system, organizations need a way to manage, monitor and control all aspects of the analytical environment—from the hardware and software components to the process and flow of data. This level of management keeps the complexity of the ecosystem low while providing high value to the business.... "

Free Data Science E-Book

I was reminded of the free, in-progress data science e-book again.  Only 86 pages so far.  An interesting example of crowd sourcing technology information.  Downloadable here. A very nice idea, with lots of useful and relatively simply put how-to's are included.

" ... Our Data Science e-Book provides recipes, intriguing discussions and resources for data scientists and executives or decision makers. You don't need an advanced degree to understand the concepts. Most of the material is written in simple English, however it offers simple, better and patentable solutions to many modern business problems, especially about how to leverage big data.

Emphasis is on providing high-level information that executives can easily understand, while being detailed enough so that data scientists can easily implement our proposed solutions. Unlike most other data science books, we do not favor any specific analytic method nor any particular programming language: we stay one level above practical implementations. But we do provide recommendations about which methods to use when necessary.... " 

Driverless Cars Licensed for Test in Nevada

Google continues its test of driverless automobiles.   A view of the future,  when this will become common? Or will the idea be thwarted by accidents?    For this test a million dollar bond has to be posted and two people must be in the car at all times.

Big Data can Show Large ROI

Intriguing piece with some case studies about how big data can lead to ROI.  By examining the real relationships in the data.  This points to may potential opportunities.

Virtual Peapod Store in Chicago Tunnel

The approach uses simple smartphone scanning.   " ... A Chicago "L" station is about the last place you would think of to pick up a carton of milk. But online grocer Peapod has turned a busy CTA station at State and Lake streets into a virtual supermarket aisle, enabling commuters to use their smartphones to scan and buy any of 70 items.... " .

Nice thought for quickly doing shopping on the way home where Peapod is already established.  I could see this being implemented in many such locations for advertising and shopping in new contexts.

3D Vision Allows Group Drone Flying

From the Fraunhofer Institute:    In continued development of advanced imaging and control, this development is added to the broader development of drone sensors.  Multiple, simple even disposable drones,  could be a novel solution to sensor problems.  We may live in a different world then.

" ... They can be deployed as additional surveillance resources during major events, or as high-resolution 3D street imaging systems. Intelligent swarms of aerial drones are a universally useful tool for police, crisis managers and urban planners. Special 3D sensors developed by Fraunhofer researchers ensure fl awless aerobatics and prevent collisions. ... "

Mobile no Longer Optional for Visualization

Notes In Znet:  I largely agree.   Tablets have become the new normal for viz.  I don't think I would acquire a visualization application that I could not display on, and interact with, on at least one common mobile device.  I am doing that with a mobile application right now.

Mind Mapping Expertise

From the Biggerplate mind mapping library blog:   " ... Liam meets mapping expert Philippe Boukobza: 
Last week I was extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to meet with mind mapping expert Philippe Boukobza who runs a number of excellent blogs for mind mappers, including the excellent "Visual Mapping Blog" ...  '

I had not seen the visual mapping blog before.   Looks to be a very good source.

Front Line Workers Need to Innovate

I much agree. It is ultimately essential.  But in real life experience the effort is often seen as wasting time.   Real rewards for it are often slow in coming.  We are still attached to the focused, one task, assembly line mentality.

Data Philosophy vs Science

In data management.   More akin to social science versus physics.   There is science involved, but it is of the statistical rather than the precise law kind.   It can be useful either way.

Orange Ads Work Better on Facebook

Tailoring ad effectiveness.   Makes sense to look at this analytically.

Not Unlike Continual Improvement Processes in Factories, CPG Giant Taps Data to Constantly Refine Digital-Ad Effectiveness

Digital is consuming more of Procter & Gamble's media budget and has become so important that the world's biggest advertiser is fundamentally changing how it creates those ads and applying what it learns to other parts of the marketing mix ... "

Mobile Clorox

Clorox meets moms in the aisles with smartphones.  Emarketer article about how the CPG company is using mobile marketing.   ' ...  "We are always asking: Is this really demonstrating a true understanding of who the mom is and what she needs at that moment? And what value are we actually providing?" ... '

Image Analysis Game

A crowd-sourced image analysis game.    I worked on several image analysis systems that had crowd-sourced and gaming components, so the details here are interesting.  " ... Analysis and related diagnosis of medical images, regardless of the source and imaging modality, are tasks that require a great deal of expertise, demanding significant training of medical practitioners prior to being able to accurately interpret and diagnose such images. This is particularly true in analysis of microscopic data, creating challenges in resource-limited settings and developing countries, where properly trained health-care professionals are difficult to find..... "

Wal-Mart Shelf Winners

The winners of the Wal-Mart crowd sourced product selection contest have been announced.   Bottled water, eyeglass repair and food storage were the category winners.    By my view,  the actual crowd-sourced innovation displayed was yawn-inducing.   The event site.

Analytics is not that Complex

In Forbes:  I agree, it is not rocket science.  It is, in its best form,  as simple as possible.  Best if originally sketched out on the back of an envelope. Or on a tablet with a concept or process mapping program, after an interview  with the right business people.

First get the right data.  Then design some simple dashboards designed to support and alert the decision makers. That can often be enough.  Proceed from there to improve the processes.   Yes, sometimes it does need to get complex, because businesses can be complex.  But starting simply is always the best approach. It is a set of tools and resources you can use.  Starting with a simplest and most straight forward, and ending with complex machines.

Alan Turing Bio

An interview with the biographer of Alan Turing.   A pioneer of computer science, artificial intelligence, codebreaking and the modeling of biological systems.  All topics of interest that will continue to improve our knowledge of intelligent advisory systems.

Journaling Productivity

Using a journal to increase productivity.   “One of the big reasons to keep a diary is to record small wins that otherwise might slip through your memory,” she says. “You can leverage the progress principle and allow yourself to get that boost from realizing you are making progress. And it’s also helpful to record major setbacks – or minor ones that recur – so you can think about how to get rid of inhibitors blocking your progress.” Here are four tips from Amabile on how to start improving your productivity today.... " .   We discovered that this approach could be integrated with knowledge management as well, but it did not fit with culture and was never broadly implemented.

Targeting Men in Retail

Retailers and manufacturers  react to increasing percentage of men shopping.  Nielsen stats and the establishment of  'Man Aisles'.

Augmented Reality on Tablets

A dated article that came up recently, how the augmented reality (AR)  company Metaio is looking at the use of AR on tablets.  See their site for interesting recent applications of AR.   Initially I thought of the ideal context of AR as on the more portable smartphone,  but once you start of thinking of enhanced packaging, AR advertising, and the more general at home uses of tablets for shopping, the view changes.    The increased screen view of the tablet also naturally increases the possibilities.

Myths of Predictive Analytics

With brief registration, a reasonable look at the topic.  I would prefer first a better definition of the topic as well.   All analytics aims to be predictive, but like any forecast, it is not perfect.  It has been done for many years.  " ... Predictive Analytics is powerful, it can help you predict an event or a behavior at a an individual customer level. It can help you spot golden nuggets from the deep-wide-big data ocean; But is also one of the techniques which is not very well understood. With all the recent buzz about Predictive Analytics, it does seems like a new technique in the tool box. Is that so? Is it a crystal ball? Does it always work? In this white paper, we will ground ourselves in the reality of building and maintaining an impactful Predictive Model and exploring these and other myths ... "

Enemies and Innovation

Enemies sparking innovation.    Martin Lindstrom writes an interesting piece about competition producing the need to innovate.   Coke - Pepsi and Apple - Microsoft are covered as examples of this kind of hyper competitiveness. " ... to this day, retired executives at both beverage companies claim that the real reason why their brands achieved world dominance was, in the fighting words of one executive, "Every day we went to work, we went to war." Had Pepsi and Coke not had each other, the chances that their brands would spread to more than 100 countries around the world would have been very slim.... " 

Data Discovery

Data discovery is not a term I have heard much recently.  We experimented with the topic as part of a broader artificial intelligence program.  It linked well with what was also called 'case based reasoning' and 'associative memories'.  Saving the experiences and interactions of the company in data form. For examination and re-use later.   Bottom line:  How do we get useful patterns from data?  Now we have lots more usable data, from increasing sources.  So it makes sense to revisit the topic.  Good non technical introductory view here from the HBR.  Emphasizing how it can be integrated into the organzation.

More Open Source Courses

Students respond to yet another example of free online courses.  This prototype example from MIT on Electrical Engineering.  The knowledge is starting to spread, the form of education is changing.  But can only the elite well-endowed universities afford to do this?  And how will learning of this kind be valued by employers?  I welcome the availability.

Operationalizing Business Analytics

A piece from the SAS blog on operationalizing business analytics.    An important topic I am just working with " ...  Business analytics is maturing – and so is its role in forward-thinking organizations. Once mainly used in traditional batch-type environments, it's now being embedded into real-time business decision operations and processes to create immediate and significant value.... " 

Slashdot's Business Intelligence

The iconic Slashdot site has opened a new portal: SlashBI  that focuses on business intelligence. " ... SlashBI is designed to offer the latest news and expert commentary on everything related to business intelligence. We encourage feedback, commentary, and a thoughtful debate ... " 

Gmail Meter

I used Google's Gmail Meter for the first time today.  If you use Gmail for significant quantities  of mail, it is an excellent way to understand your email uses.  It creates a standard business intelligence report and mails it to you.  It also creates a spreadsheet of your data, so you can create your own tailored report.  Been looking for something like this for some time.   Nicely done.

Health Chain Solutions Wins Innov8

I mentioned in a recent post that I had a conversations with Health Chain Solutions LLC:   It was reported today that  " ... they have been selected as the innovative business model in the recent Innov8 For Health 2012 Business Concept Expo, which was held on Friday April 20, 2012 at the Metabolic Disease Institute at the University of Cincinnati.

The intent of the Expo is to identify innovative companies which have the ability to solve health care issues related to the Triple Aim of Better Health, Better Care, at Lower Costs. Based on the established criteria, the participants were judged by a panel of industry experts from Healthcare, Business Management and Investment Banking.... " 

Well deserved, read the link above to the full press release with more details, and my other posts on this company.

Catalina Acquires Modiv Media

We worked with early forms of Modiv Media in store scanning devices and location oriented processes.   Even provided some design adjustments when it was being delivered by Symbol.  Now they have been acquired by big merchandising promotion provider Catalina.   This continues to be a new means of delivering increasing amounts of data for shopper behavior analytics.

Being an Analytic Entrepreneur

Analytics Entrepreneur.   Vincent Granville is highlighted and interviewed.    An interesting concept that is detailed here. I think it makes sense to think of it that way.  Like any entrepreneur, you need to bring together people, resources, software, markets and leading edge concepts to make the capability happen.

Facebook and Socially Interactive Health Care

In ReadwriteWeb:  Is Facebook poised to revolutionize Health Care?  The idea of socially interactive health care is something I have looked at for some time, and the players mentioned have the assets to make it happen.  The design and culture issues will be key.  And how personal health care data will be shared.   More will be announced on Tuesday.

A Refrigerator is a Peripheral

We experimented widely with the network in the 'future home'.  As part of that effort we visited Microsoft's future home.  I was never impressed with how much they had thought through the network to address the myriad, and quickly changing devices in a real home.  The technological devices change every two years, but you expect your refrigerator to last twenty years.  Now we are back at that issue.  How they are taking another run at a home HomeOS and what it might include:  " ... Applications developed for Microsoft's HomeOS include one that generates an e-mail with photos snapped by in-home cameras whenever a front or back door is opened or if the doorbell rings, face-recognition reminder systems, and Microsoft Kinect cameras that provide gestural control for devices. Microsoft has released new details on HomeOS.... " 

Neuromarketing Science and Business Association

Newly formed group I was informed of by Steve Sands: The Neuromarketing Science & Business Association (NMSBA) is the global trade association for all those engaged in neuromarketing. The NMSBA is headquartered in the Netherlands and its organization is managed by Carla Nagel. The board determines the agenda and to discusses urgent matters. The NMSBA has a chairperson for every country involved.

Shopping App and Product Discovery

In GigaOM: A key aspect of in store applications.   It drives the potential of pointing out new products to the user.  " ...  in its first survey of performance statistics, it found that 50 percent of its users discovered new products using the Checkpoints app in the fourth quarter last year. InMarket doesn’t have comparative data for previous quarters but the figure shows that brands are able to drive a lot of discovery of products through shopping apps such as Checkpoints ...  " 

Headphones in the Workplace

An HBR article on the effect of wearing headphones in the Workplace.   Largely, a view that suggests that the inability to capture random and casual information can inhibit creativity.  Of course if you are not at the office,  or there is no office, then this does not matter as much.   A few experiences I had where I gathered real insight at the 'coffee cart' may not have happened if I had been wearing headphones.    It may well depend on the kind of work you do, focused,  detailed work will be made more efficient by screening out the noise.

PARC Emphasizes Business Models

I have mentioned a number of times we actively worked with PARC.  We sought them out to better understand changes in some of the technologies they pioneered.  Now they position themselves as being  more about business models.  Which does make sense.  You could make the case that many of their innovations,  like Ethernet, the personal computer and 'windows'  failed, at least for them, because they never considered the right business model to make them work.  The article has some other interesting thoughts and overview visuals from their conference.   Notably their view of open innovation.

" .... The Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) is known beyond Silicon Valley for its role developing products—Ethernet, WSYIWYG editors, laser printing. But mentions of those historic heights were kept at a minimum during this week's Power of 10 conference. The message of the day was clear with the first words to greet guests at the registration table (via both conference workers and a commemorative bookmark). "Just wanted to let you know, 'Xerox PARC' is so 10 years ago. Today, we're 'PARC, a Xerox company.'"faster in the process ....  "

See also, the PARC Blog.

Tableau in Cincinnati

There will a meeting about Tableau data visualization software in downtown Cincinnati on May 31, starting at 2:30 PM.   More details and registration here.

SAP and Predictive Analytics

Not unexpected given the increasing need for analytics, via Doug Lautzenheizer,

SAP says there are five things you need to understand about predictive analytics:

1. Predictive analytics is nothing new but the emerging "big data" trend changes things.
2. While it's a "data statistician game," many business users have a need and want tools.
3. This will sit on top of their in-memory HANA which promises real-time analysis from big data.
4. Not that SAP will ignore other databases, mind you...
5. And, for the time being, this is only available via the "Ramp-Up Program" for early-release testers.... 

Moore's Law Survives

Have read about the imminent demise of Moore's law for some time.   Now development of new chip designs by Intel seem to say it will survive  longer yet.  " ... Moore pointed out that the number of transistors on a chip doubles every year. The current form of Moore's law has been set since 1975, when Moore altered the pace to a doubling every two years. Remarkably, the computer industry has maintained that pace ever since, training us to expect computers to become ever faster in the process .... " 

Putting Hotspots in Pavement

When building our first innovation center I remember the difficulty of getting the space adequately wired among all the store shelves.  This and other issues had us slicing trenches in the concrete floor.  This Engadget post brings up a company that builds hotspots into pavement.  Could have used it back then.

Science of Humor

Mind Hacks on the science of humor.    Another example of non conscious reaction.  And what better engagement for retail than laughter?  How can this result purchasing behavior?  Brand engagement?    Links to a Ted talk by Sophie Scott that I have not seen yet.

Expert Integrated Systems

A short video by IBM Research on integrated expert systems.  Insightful thoughts I agree with.   " ... Why expert integrated systems? " ... An IBM Research perspective from Brenda Dietrich, Dario Gil, Chid Apte and Jurij Paraszczak ...  ".   See more here on the topic.    Based on our own experience,  the rules of expertise needs to be integrated with the quantitative methods of analytics.   Based on some recent client interactions, I plan to write more about this soon.

Brain Responses and Neuroeconomics

In Science Daily:     Neuroeconomics: Studying Brain Responses Gives Marketers Increased Ability to Predict How People Make Decisions

ScienceDaily (Apr. 24, 2012) — Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is typically used by medical professionals to visualize the internal structures of the human body. By using MRI to study the brain, Ming Hsu, assistant professor of marketing at the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business, found a method to characterize how the different regions of the brain function in concert to enable people to anticipate and respond to competitors' behavior .... " 

College Libraries Exploring Pinterest

My own involvement with libraries would not make me expect this.  But libraries are doing more experimentation than they used to. Moving from text centric to image focused.    I have wandered the stacks checking out the spines.  And libraries discovered long ago you could arrange books on a shelf to 'sell' them with their covers.  Now I want to see books arranged as a curriculum  ... or maybe even an extended story?  And why not do the same thing virtually?

GSMP InSight Launched

GS1 reports they have a new site that summarizes global standards activity:

Building Standards to Deliver Business Value: InSight is GSMP’s initiative to provide access to the Global Standards Management Process (GSMP) activities. InSight enables the GS1 global community to view work group progress reports. These reports can be viewed at the Executive, Management, and Project levels (click links below) ....  "

Data and Visualization Blogs

A good list of data and visualization blogs, have not heard of a number of them. Worth exploring.

Machine Learning, Analytics and Learning

A favorite topic when we sought to implement artificial intelligence in the enterprise was machine learning.   Ultimately we integrated what is now called 'business analytics' and AI, to considerable success. I always made the point that ALL analytics, AI or otherwise,  needed to integrate learning, at one level of automation or another.   All analytics models need updating, revalidation, renewal and collibration.  Utimately all of our models were reconfigured or replaced.

Steve Miller reviews online open courseware by Caltech's Andrew Ng,  professor and practitioner of machine learning.   A good place to renew my own learning and yours.  Starting with his machine learning course.   Will get back to you  on that.  Miller writes:

" ...  I’ve already gone through the first few weeks of pre-recorded video lectures and much like what I’ve seen. Ng’s an outstanding teacher and the short lectures are perfect for an attention-challenged learner like me. The periodic quizzes keep me on my toes. And I love the approach of using an open source, high-level, mathematical language like Octave – a topic of several lectures -- to program the learning algorithms for class assignments. I find if I can program the model in Octave, I have a pretty good understanding of its operation .... "

P&G Thanks Moms

Long time colleague Stan Joosten writes:

Digital Friends,

With 100 days to go until the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games we have launched our global P&G Thank You Mom campaign.  It is the biggest campaign in P&G’s nearly 175-year history and will run from now through the end of the Olympic Games.  The campaign recognizes and celebrates the moms behind the athletes by thanking moms for all they do and is founded on the insight that behind every amazing athlete is an even more amazing mom. 

To mark the start of the campaign, today we have globally launched our “Best Job” short film that celebrates the role moms play in raising Olympic athletes and in raising great kids.  To view the film click here. (warning: have tissues ready!)

We are also inviting people to join our P&G Thank You Mom campaign through the Thank You Mom app, which allows people to thank their moms by uploading a personal message, photo or video. Users can also invite friends and family to do the same. To visit the app please click here.

I hope you’ll be as excited as I am about this campaign.  We have several chapters ahead for how the “Thank You, Mom” campaign unfolds and builds towards the London 2012 Olympic Games. Please feel free to share any insights, suggestions or questions.  I would love to hear your feedback.  And of course, please feel free to share with your friends and family – especially all Moms in your lives.....  " 

Office Tablets

Tablets are more mobile than a laptop.  Good for applications like healthcare.  But in general business applications?  I have had an iPad for about a year now.  An upscale sophisticated  toy?  Have used it most every day.  It is a convenience.  Quicker boot than a PC,  easier to do a quick demo or search with.  Bigger screen than a smartphone, easier on the eyes.  Especially for visualizing data, diagrams, images and seeking patterns.  If the future is about images and visualizing, it will be there.

With a client recently, on the way out the door,  I pulled it out of my case and did a thirty second demo to drive home an idea.   An elevator device?   Companies I have worked with have handed out hundreds of them to their executives.   I heard confusion from some of their people ...  why?   What do I do with it?  I still have to carry my phone around.  Thousands of Apps, but not enough specific focus.   ReadWriteWeb takes a further look at what they may be good for.

Avon Social Networks

An article in Knowledge@Wharton about strategic changes at Avon.   The point that they were an early innovator in what has come to be known as 'social networking' is an interesting one.

SNCR Sponsors Social Media Summit

I see that SNCR, the Society for new Consumer Research  is co sponsoring an upcoming social media summit: " ... The Corporate Social Media Summit is back for its second year, offering you 'the' conference designed for the corporate. We promise to help you advance your engagement strategies, exceed ROI expectation, and discover where social media going in 2012 and beyond... with exclusive case studies from 'front line' Social Media practitioners, including: eBay, Expedia, 24 Hour Fitness, Walgreens and many more. ... ".  

I am a senior fellow of this organization.

Building Pharmacist Relationships with Apps

Walgreens builds Apps  To help you find a pharmacist.  I have used this App for prescriptions, but not for building pharmacist relationships.

P&G Pioneers Content Management

In Forbes:  A historical piece about how P&G pioneered content management.  Essentially the use of stories. " ... The company decided to innovate by telling these women stories through a newly-commercialized technology called radio. Not just any stories, mind you, but compelling episodic tales of families facing strife, drama, joy and pain – often punctuated with multiple plotlines and cliffhanger endings.... " 

Memory Formation

In ReadwriteWeb:  It has been known for a long time that our memories are a malleable thing.  But have we now been introduced to something very different than just reading a book, watching a play, or even watching TV.  How are the new image based interactions online effecting children in new ways?   Is this more than the supposed popcorn subliminal tests of the 50s?  The aroma engagement of the 90s? Or the neuromarketing of the 2000's?  Is this something we do not yet understand?  Consider what this means for all the children growing up with a tablet in hand ....

Counting Clicks

Roger Dooley does a good job on the recent work regarding how much clicks really do count.  Fundamental issues.  I recall in the early days of internet advertising, some of my colleagues were involved in the practice of using measures like clicks being directly connected to prices charged to the advertiser.

Cloud Plus Smarter Commerce for Mid Size Businesses

Smarter commerce is starting to happen for the midsize business.  Laurie McCabe does a good job describing about how this is happening and how it is evolving.   Another movement we are starting to see is how cloud usage is starting to surge for these same businesses.   I typically talk to several such businesses every week, from  startups to well established enterprises.  The companies often need to share data among clients and employees, or between employees.  Working together accurately is smarter.  They well remember the 'old' days of using memory sticks, or emailing data among participants as needed.    Sticks were misplaced and emails lost in the deluge of communications.   It was unclear which item  had been updated.   Software was also often not updated as it should be.   Confusion could reign.

This is especially true as new kinds of sensor information were gathered ... from retail registers, manufacturing equipment, truck based GPS and mobile cameras ... the confusion and operational need to get real time data to analytical models made this problem yet more difficult.  Analytics work well only with correct and appropriate and timely data.

Smarter commerce is better commerce.    Smarter data is also shared data.   It can be updated and integrated   into the right models, and the model can be re-run to provide adaptations.  Akin to the mid course navigation correction concept.  The updated data, models and results are then passed back to the people that need the results.

In a conversation I had recently it was suggested that it was not as necessary for the small to medium sized business to worry about the security concerns introduced by the use of Cloud concepts.  I disagreed.  You still have to do things right.  Using the cloud haphazardly can expose you to hazards just like a lost drive can.

As I write more players are starting to provide cloud based sharing and collaboration. The world is getting for  all players, big and small, to share data.  Smarter commerce should be ready for it today.

See also IBM's site on this topic.   This article has a number of useful examples of how the cloud is being used today by companies of all sizes.


This post was written as part of the IBM Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet.

Visionaries Spot the Future

In Wired:   Several notable visionaries describe how they spot the future.  Including several we worked with.  It is always about a context.  Notably Paul Saffo:  " ... A longtime technology forecaster, Saffo is a managing director at the Silicon Valley investment research firm Discern. Formerly the director of the Institute for the Future, he is also a consulting professor in Stanford University’s engineering department.
There are four indicators I look for: contradictions, inversions, oddities, and coincidences. In 2007 stock prices and gold prices were both soaring. Usually you don’t see those prices high at the same time. When you see a contradiction like that, it means more fundamental change is ahead.... " .   The other comments are good also.

Cray Urika

Taking a look at Cray Computer.  Years ago, in 1996, when they had just combined with  Silicon Graphics,   also an early platform we used,  I gave a talk to their executive group at a retreat outlining enterprise uses of their hardware and software.  Now they have a ' big data appliance for relationship analytics'  URIKA.   Good to see them making a play for a new space.

If You Like Will You Buy?

From the Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative:

Intriguing data and behavior analysis opportunity:

IF YOU "LIKE"  WILL YOU BUY? NEW DATA ON SOCIAL MEDIA EXPOSURE AND PURCHASE BEHAVIOR
A WCAI Research Opportunity Sponsored by a Multinational FMCG Company 
May 4, 2012, 12:00 – 1:00 pm EST
 Don't miss out on one of the best multi-channel advertising data sets to be made available to the academic community. Over the past two years, this major multinational Fast Moving Consumer Goods ("FMCG") company has carefully collected data for a specific product category in a Western European Country. Using household scanners, television monitors, and network card data capturing devices, the company has recorded what its panelists have bought, what they've watched on TV, their banner ad exposures, and what's been presented to them on their Facebook news feeds. The company's products can be found in all major grocery chains, and their brands have strong presence across television, online and social channels..... " 

Health Care Supply Chain Solutions

Just had an enlightening discussion with Dave Swart,  of Health Chain Solutions Ltd.  They address the question of how you utilize increasingly available health care data to improve the system, from the provider to the patient.  Think of a health care system like a supply chain.  Change behavior in all parts of the chain, decrease costs, improve performance.   Part of a very complex work process.

We are going to need lots more of this kind of systems thinking in the coming years.  Their simple data analysis process makes lots of sense. Check out their site and think of how they could help you reduce costs in this increasingly expensive health supply chain.

Fujitsu enters Big Data

In a recent interesting development, Japanese hardware and software giant has proposed a software suite that addresses big data. " ... The company announced server software aimed at handling large, diverse file systems, quickly scanning volumes of data, and rapidly storing and reading information from databases. Fujitsu is also developing dedicated hardware for the new packages, which it will launch by the end of next March, said Kazuo Imada, head of the company's cloud platform development group... " 

Technology and Its Use Continue to Speed up

A graph displays the penetration of many common technologies into US households.   Source at the link and larger graph there.  See the comments in the link for some remarks on how this kind of data has natural biases.   Still very instructive.

Transforming the Front End of Innovation

Intriguing webinar case study of work by Kimberly-Clark.   I plan to attend.  The idea of using concept development is something we are using effectively to this day.

" ... Join Cor Bosselaar, Portfolio Leader at Kimberly-Clark, to learn how Kimberly-Clark is enhancing the front end of innovation to enable bigger and better ideas -- that drive bigger and better business results. During this session, Bosselaar will explore how Kimberly-Clark dramatically improved idea and concept development with a central, global collaboration process and tool.... " 

Introverts and Innovation

In the HBR Blogs:  Although Myers Briggs tests are not technically meant to label introvert-extrovert, we did experiment with it broadly to help people understand styles of both customers and colleagues.  It was commonly thought that an extrovert would more likely be able to push an innovation to value.   While introverts were more likely to think through alternative options more closely. Though some internal research only weakly supported that.   This article provides some worthwhile thoughts about the value of both styles.

Social Media Advertising Exploding

In AdAge:  A good opinion piece predicting the continuing increase of using social media to engage.   Suggestion is that a  battle will ensue between digital media and social media enabled agencies.   Its all about advertising vs using social media to build new kinds of engagement.  It is once again about the realm of context.  You cannot simply deliver old form advertising in a completely new context.   It needs to be retooled to make it work.

Dissolvable Packaging

An experimental topic for some time.  It always requires a second protective layer for making sure that encounters with water or high moisture don't cause problems.  It can improve the cleanliness or simplicity of the introduction of ingredients in certain applications.

Future of Data Visualization

From the Tableau Software Blog:  On the future of data visualization.   Well put, but in addition being able to interact with a visualization so it can fit both a changing environment and the needs of the user will be key capabilities.

Microsoft Mood Analysis

In GeekWire:  Microsoft research proposes a search that uses mood, interests and education from Facebook activity.  Non conscious and inferred information is always interesting.

Classic Nintendo Games are Hard

NP-Hard to be exact.   A specific form of problem that has many examples, the traveling salesman problem is known to be NP-Hard, that cannot be solved by a cadre of computers that can do things that computers still cannot do today. A technical discussion. I am not sure exactly what this means in a practical sense today,  but it is to me a surprising result.

Synthetic Environments

Simulations are synthetic environments.   It has been a long time since I too a look at Purdue's Simulex Inc.  which creates macroeconomic and agent oriented environments and infrastructures for the military and Fortune 500 companies.  Their case studies section does a good job of explaining how this works.

Oracle and BI Simplicity

Oracle and big cloud analytics.    " ... Oracle’s mass emphasis on cloud computing, analytics and big data are the results of a future in business data management that demands simplified solutions through limited budgets, Oracle President Mark Hurd said Wednesday during a keynote at Oracle OpenWorld Tokyo 2012. "It’s simply too hard and inefficient to continue on with the IT infrastructures of today. Vertically integrated, engineered systems and the cloud are all symptoms of the same reality – [users] need a simple, more effective way to drive IT," said Hurd..... "

Nanotech Revolution

Was pointed to this series of articles by Gwyneth K Shaw on nanotechnology news and tech.  Largely non technical and readable.  That led me to a series of articles and information in the Guardian: Nanotechnology World, with similar features.   In our enterprise I attended a number of meetings on nanotech, but not being a chemist or material scientist,  I could not follow all of the implications.  Together these two resources provide a good introduction.

Digitization of Manufacturing

In the Economist:  Is this the third industrial revolution? They do a good job of providing an overview of technologies that are prompting this, but not necessarily the issues that will slow up its progress.  A blurring of the distrinction between services and manufacturing.  We will get there, but a number of things, like the changes in labor needs, will impair it.

Kimberly-Clark on Mobile and Social

An interview with Kimberly Clark  on the future of mobile and social:  " ... Jeff Jarrett, vice president for global digital marketing at Kimberly-Clark, said the company has "seen a nice return on investment from our digital spending." He said the company is increasing spending on mobile searches, and he added, "Nearly all of our brands will have mobile sites by the end of this year .... " 

Segmentation plus Merchandising

Merchandising has been around for a long time.  We did lots of experimentation trying to understand the specific behavior of consumers in laboratory, virtual and actual stores.  In each case with carefully interviewed real shoppers.  We also sought to understand how these 'old' behaviors linked to new behaviors like those online, and especially in mobile settings.   It all comes down to the specific behavior of consumers in this rapidly changing domains.     How does the behavior of people online and in brick and mortar vary?   General segmentation of these behaviors has always existed, but how is it known quantitatively and accurately?   Leading to specific decisions that can lead to lower costs and increased profits.   This is a relatively new challenge for analytics.

In a recent RetailWire, this is expanded,  note the mention of three decades work, which I participated in from both the experimental dimension and dealing with the data itself:

" ... Say your final farewell to the mass market. It's taken at least three decades of work and experimentation but, thanks to technology, truly customer-focused, targeted merchandising and marketing is now finally possible.  Data analytics now gives retailers the ability to define their customer segments based on shopper needs, behaviors and traits, and specify marketing approaches that meet the demands of each segment ....  As discussed in a recent Shopper-Centric Retailing eBook produced by DemandTec, an IBM Company, combining merchandising optimization technology with shopper segmentation now gives retailers the power to identify and incorporate a host of segment behavioral differences into their merchandising and marketing decisions..... " 

The power is suggested is considerable, especially when linked to new engagement capabilities: in-store, on mobile, and producing accurately tailored merchandising.     It also connects well to the levels of investment made in each of these contexts.  Marketing mix is a challenging process.  Improving and even optimizing the results are now made possible by a new realm of data that now makes possible new accuracy in merchandising.

Read the short article linked to above and the full white paper attached for more detail.   I am optimistic that we will continue to see improvements in this area.    More data and improved analytics will lead the way.  Smarter commerce will result.

Face Matching in Forensics

Image analysis continues to be a strong interest.   Similarity and tagging of images continues to move ahead, but is not yet completely solved.   Face matching is an area that has progressed because of needs in security and social applications.  Here is a relatively good article that provides some details which could be useful more generally.

Fighting for the Fifth Screen

It is a challenge.  With tablets and phones, and now watches and even goggle-glasses, added to all the screens popping up everywhere,  there is real motion  to get every last bit of attention and information serving delivery space filled out.  This Fastcompany article states it well.  Once again I recommend Keith Kelsen's book and my related writings on the subject.  We are moving quickly in serving up how this works and will evolve.   Next are the details of how will this work, what will be shown and how the interaction will be tailored.  How can that data then be used?   What models of interaction will be needed?    We are working on the details.

See also the 5thscreen blog for more.

Gamification for Fitness and Wellness

An example of how gamification and social networking can be used for fitness and wellness programs.  " ... A major West Coast health plan has jumped on the social gaming/networking trend in fitness and wellness applications. Blue Shield of California is already offering one such program to its employees and will soon provide two more. The company is also trying to sell its employer customers on the idea that this approach can help engage workers in their own healthcare. Blue Shield launched Wellvolution, a wellness initiative for its own employees, in 2009.... "

Quantification of Social Behavior

Averages are wrong.   " ...  The key here is the word "average." This is quite likely the wrong way to think about social behavior.  This is actually quite common in social behavior reporting that I see online.  Take another example from Pew Research: "The average American has just over two discussion confidants (2.16) – that is, people with whom they discuss important matters. This is a modest, but significantly larger number than the average of 1.93 core ties reported when we asked this same question in 2008."  [1]  I am also guessing that the use of average here is probably wrong.  Why? ... " 

Integrated Insights

Clorox and Roundy's develop a collaborative shopping program.  More here.  Identifying gaps between beliefs and behaviors.

Uncanny Valley of Targeted Advertising

An article from a while back on the phenomenon of 'uncanny valley' in targeted advertising.  The emotional experience of knowing you are being watched.   Noticed it in the early days of Google Adwords, and it has become increasingly sophisticated as more data is being captured and mined.