big data

Leave a comment Posted on big data, Data Analysis, Quantified Self, reflection

2017’s gonna be different…let me count the ways

The end of the year most often finds me reflecting on the year that’s ending and planning for the year ahead.  I can’t help it.  It’s just the way I’m wired.  Over the past ten years or so my year end reflection considers what I’ve accomplished and how I handled (or not) situations and people that used to have me baffled, frustrated or both.

I love Producthunt.com for the work they to do track new apps.  I subscribe to their Daily Digest and one this week caught my eye because it calls out the trend of Quantified Self: the ability to collect data on yourself for the purpose of tracking aspects of your life you feel need tracking.  Believe me when I tell you that you can track almost any aspect of yourself.  A sample from the site include:

Capsule.ai – the app that helps you remember everywhere.

8,760 Hours 2.0 – How to get the most out of next year.

Forksy – А chat bot for tracking calories and eating healthy.

Joy – Track and improve your mental health.

Fitmeal – Keep track of what you eat via Messenger.

Instant 4.0 – Google Analytics for your life, now with a chatbot coach.

The Gyroscope App – See the complete story of your life.

Gratefulness – Learning to be grateful, one text reminder at a time.

Exist for iOS – Personal analytics to help you understand your life.

Dreampire – The first audiovisual dream-sharing network.

Releaf – a thoughtful approach to cannabis treatment.  Mindful management of your medical marijuana.

On one hand I see the attractiveness of having an app track a piece of yourself or your whole self, however it begs the question: Now that you have all that data, what are you going to do with it?  

I see the same thing in the small business realm – the tools and means are available for most small businesses to capture relevant data about their operation and their customers, but once they capture it the data sits on a hard drive with no one to review it, analyze it, think about the implications of the analysis, and take steps to improve the business as a result of the analysis.

I’m not knocking the apps above or any app that can provide a person data on an aspect of their life they find important, however if the individual isn’t prepared to review the data, analyze it objectively, develop conclusions and take steps to improve their life, maybe resolutions are the easier, quicker way to go.  For me, I’ll grab another cup of tea and finish my reflection and begin my plan for 2017.  

Happy New Year.

Leave a comment Posted on advertising, Artificial Intelligence, big data, privacy

Anyclip anyone?

Have you heard about Anyclip?  I had not until I read a recent brief about the company.  According to their website, AnyClip is the world’s first personalized, content-driven video advertising platform.

Our team is on a bold mission to personalize video ads by blending them with relevant content. We identify consumers and their preferences on the most relevant digital media and deliver them a personalized video ad experience.

From a single video ad, the company is able to recreate anywhere from 10 to 30 new versions that stay true to the tone and messaging of the brand. Each version is catered and customized for different target audiences and publisher sites.

Companies like Anyclip will contribute to the high-growth slice of advertising.  Digital video ad revenue is forecast to rise from $8.5 billion in 2016 to $23 billion in 2021, according to BI Intelligence estimates. 

It’s not assumed that consumers will embrace video ads.  By 2020, the number of people in the US using ad blockers is expected to more than double from 44 million in 2016 to over 100 million, causing a loss of as much as $12 billion in ad revenue, according to analytics firm Optimal.

For those consumers who are open to receiving video ads, they abandon non-relevant videos at alarming rates.  According to Wistia, 3% of people abandon a 30 second video within the first second, over 50% abandon after the first second but before the wrap-up and less then 1% abandon at the video’s close.  For a video lasting between 30 seconds and a minute, the abandon rates are 5%, 56%, and 5%.  

Even if the video is seen as relevant the first time, abandon rates approach those above for repeated showings.

The amount of advertising in its various formats clamoring for our attention are fighting an uphill battle.  Relevancy, repeat impressions, timing, ad blocking and avoidance all conspire against the advertising efforts of retailers and service providers.  

Anyclip hopes to answer the relevancy question with artificial Intelligence-assisted content in a video format.