Can machine learning help us design better ideas, brands, products & services?

An ever-increasing number of brands and agencies are exploring how best to use tech to enhance how they can get their products and messages in front of consumers and also, how they evolve the products themselves.

James Hirst

Managing Director Rare

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Are brands relevant to today's consumer? This was the question, that back in 2017, Rare posed during a panel session at a conference in New York. The panel, which was focused on targeting Millennials featured industry leaders from Heineken and Gillette.

A lot has been said about the so-called Millennial generation, but two areas stand out. One that their attention is short. They want something and they want it now.

The second point is their influence as the first digital native generation where using technology is second nature. A shift that is only increasing as Gen X enter the fray and Millennials mature.

However, this desire for speed and technology is not just limited to Millennials or Gen Z. There are many people who, although defined by age as Gen X or Baby Boomer, have a similar mindset. Regardless of age these consumers are just as likely to use technology and have equally short attention spans.

If you have read Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari you’ll be familiar with his view that the reason why we are the only ‘Homo’ species to still exist is that our species developed the ability to transmit information about things that do not really exist (The Cognitive Revolution).

At that time, all those million years ago, it ensured our species survival. Today, with technology advancements rewriting the way information is being transmitted, some argue this is still the case.

For us marketers, it is certainly true. Utilising technology has topped the marketing agenda for the last few years. AR, VR, Blockchain, AI, voice, the list of new technology impacting the creative industries goes on.

We are all familiar with Scott Brinker’s infographic which shows that advertising and marketing technology are a booming sector. An ever-increasing number of brands and agencies are exploring how best to use tech to enhance how they can get their products and messages in front of consumers and also, how they evolve the products themselves.

KEY TAKE OUTS

It makes data useful. The more data the better. But we don’t have to solely rely on data sources from within the business. By adding additional supplements from relevant external data sources, we can ensure the associations are extremely strong.
It’s Agile. The process allowed us to run a number of different queries and explore the different associations. Once trained, we could adjust our search queries and overlay this to the data we already had.
It’s Fast. We were able to generate hundreds of word associations from our queries within 24 hours. Once we had refined our search queries and picked which associated words were relevant, we were then able to access an image bank containing hundreds of segmented images which could be downloaded with hours.
It’s GDPR compliant. Because we are using data that has either been provided to us directly with consent or supplemented by data that is available in the public domain, we are not at risk of becoming non GDPR compliant.
It can push boundaries yet offer reassurance. An important piece of feedback from our initial pilot was brands weren’t using it to replace traditional methods. Instead it allowed clients to further enhance the positioning they were taking in new campaigns. Using this process empowered marketing leaders to present a strong business case for the creative work with confidence.

CAN MACHINE LEARNING HELP US DESIGN BETTER IDEAS, BRANDS, PRODUCTS & SERVICES?

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Guest Author

James Hirst

Managing Director Rare

About

James develops the commercial and strategic vision for Rare, shaping the unique offer of design-led innovation and creativity for brands and ensuring design sits at the heart of our client’s brand building and innovation agenda. James has a passion for developing sustainable, long lasting client and agency relationships based on great work, partnership and a mutual respect.