Big data is 'marketing heaven', says IBM Europe CMO Caroline Taylor
IBM’s Europe CMO Caroline Taylor has applauded the use of big data and deemed it “marketing heaven” as she urged companies to embrace it to improve their offering.
Speaking at the Dmexco exposition in Cologne, Taylor said the use of big data has enabled brands to create strong experiences and that those who are worried about the transparency it brings need not be.
“It’s marketing heaven,” she remarked. “We are processing it, analysing it, and gaining insight from it. We’re using it every step of the way from research and development all the way through to marketing.
“Some organisations have found it a bit scary, because with that comes an extraordinary transparency – there’s so much data, so much information around and people can either embrace it or be scared of it and I strongly recommend embracing it.”
Taylor also stressed the importance of collaborating with companies that businesses might not necessarily think of to create a rich experience for consumers, all of which is underpinned by big data.
“I think that collaboration with really unlikely partners, so not the people you partnered with five years ago, helps your customers," she said. "That’s being enabled by big data and the insight you can draw from it and in itself is driving yet more of it.
“We believe that the strongest brand experiences are going to be developed through co-creation, so not just product innovation but true brand experience as well.”
Taylor also revealed that the biggest challenge as a marketer in the current marketplace is trying to achieve the transformation of being a “digital CMO” with the speed in which digital is evolving.
