Understand society through data Using data effectively is about more than just gathering large amounts of information about a customer. It is first and foremost about looking at the person behind all the data. By Nicolai Lisberg | Photos: The Geomatic image library
Digitalisation connects us and helps us share data that contributes to more relevant communication. Companies are collecting more data than ever on potential customers in an attempt to target their advertisements to the right audiences. However, companies often do not know how to use the data correctly, thus forgetting that cultural and personal diversities exist. “To truly understand the real person behind the data, it is crucial that we embrace the differences arising from our individual circumstances, abilities and preferences in life,” says Martin K. Glarvig, president 78 | Issue 89 | June 2016
and founder of Geomatic, a development and knowledge centre specialising in consumer insight analytics. “If you are not critical of the data you gather, you will probably end up getting it all wrong. Just because you see some patterns in the data, it does not necessarily mean that you can act on them promptly without human interpretation. You have to understand what and who is behind the data. If not, the data remains noise.”
Bringing online data to the next level To reach that understanding of a consumer, Geomatic combines their digital
behaviour with a matching demographic profile from the physical world. They look at where the consumers live and what they do for a living in order to identify who is behind the data, and thereby avoid what they call mass marketing. Data is collected from national census bureaus and combined with survey data. By then linking these offline data-sets with the online behaviour, Geomatic can segment consumers into different categories. For instance, studies show that families with kids often order food online in the late afternoon, while students usually place their orders after eight o’clock. By being aware of these habits, Geomatic is able to apply online data for bringing communication to the next level. “If a car company wants to sell their newest premium model, they start looking