In an increasingly automated media world, the human touch is becoming all the more important

OK, I may be getting ahead of myself slightly here. But it has led me to think about what this increasingly automated world will mean for the future of the creative industries, specifically media.

Taking advantage of the BBC’s handy app detailing the likelihood of one’s job to be fulfilled by a robot, I was alarmed that 'media' doesn’t even register. Neither does 'strategy' Ousted already!

Branching out, because as we all know the roles of agencies are becoming ever increasingly blurred, I was happy to find that as a 'marketing associate professional', it 'wasn’t very likely' that I'd be replaced. There's a 33 per cent chance, a little better than a chef (36.6 per cent) and actor (37 per cent – though maybe when thinking of Arnie that figure seems quite low!). With a slight shift of the search terms, my odds were looking even better – as a marketing/sales director, the risk had reduced to just 1 per cent. Cue a quick shift to changing one’s job title.

On a serious note, what does all this really mean? It’s clear to see that automation within the world of media is already happening. In 2014, according to a report by Forrester and the ANA, over 40 per cent of all digital ads were traded programmatically. The benefits of such data-driven transactions are unarguable. Not only can we provide more relevant and tailored communications, based on genuine audience learnings rather than conjecture, but the potential for more cost effective, incremental audience reach is huge.

People are using more devices, more frequently and this is a massive opportunity for brands. Increased device understanding allows brands to establish more meaningful relationships with their audiences, building communications over time and in the manner most relevant to the environment to which they are going to be consumed.

With automated buys no longer being the pure remit of the digital arena, but gaining traction within the world of TV and radio, it’s a phenomenon which isn’t going away and nor should it. Cost efficiencies, speed, increased data pools and the ability to amend communications in real time are immense and I would argue provide huge scope for creativity. By really knowing who we are speaking to, and most importantly, being able to act on it, the possibilities are infinite. Though, as has always been the case, it’s only when you marry science and data with the creativity of art that real innovation occurs.

Big data is all very well and good, but you need that layer of human understanding and interpretation to bring it to life and to make it meaningful. In order to really resonate with today’s increasingly connected consumer, the role of us media/marketing types may be evolving, but commensurately, it is becoming increasingly important.

Being able to not just look at, but truly understand, data and technology is a key component, but our role is to understand actual people and what makes them tick. From there, we still need to identify trends and fashions which are important to them, and respond to those nuances. Technological advancements within our industry are making elements of this easier – and should be celebrated –but they can never wholly replace human understanding and empathy.

It’s exciting times for the communications industry, and major shifts are occurring, but, could a robot do our job? I’d definitely pull the plug on that idea.

Hayley McRae-White is strategy director at The Village Communications