Big Data or Big Questions?

The SAS Forum Switzerland set a new record this year with 350 participants.FROM CHRISTOPH OGGENFUSS*For open-minded marketers, the SAS Forum Switzerland is almost a "class reunion" that one does not want to miss. With 350 participants - a new record - it is also clear that business analytics is no longer just a topic for statistics-oriented exotics, but rather a place where open-minded professionals from the areas of marketing/sales, controlling and risk management meet.After the introductory keynote, the very inspiring, international trend spotter Magnus Lindkvist, was offered in four parallel tracks topic-specific solution updates and relevant practical cases.Are we prisoners of the present?The title of Magnus Lindkvist's keynote was "When the future begins - how to think about the future in turbulent times." His central thoughts can be summarized as follows:- We are prisoners of the present, blinded by news headlines- Change is two-dimensional: horizontal and verticala) Horizontal manifests itself through geographical expansion of business activity (globalization) - "more of the same "b) Vertical means creating something truly new that did not exist before, e.g. through the application of new technologies. Vertical change drives progress.- Compete or Create: Most companies are consumed with competitive activities - more, faster, better. Creative, on the other hand, means creating something different, something new, a truly unique position. But that can mean breaking rules, searching for the new in abstract space, and - possibly making enemies in the process.Active listening requiredThe speaker Michael Buck from Confidera in Germany also made some key statements about the digital transformation in which we find ourselves. He explained that companies need to develop new listening skills in the age of social media. Classic market research approaches do not go far enough. Active listening must permeate the entire company and become part of the corporate DNA. As far as classic push approaches in marketing are concerned, he also recommends throwing them overboard sooner rather than later. According to his observations, many consumers have already arrived in the pull world - "on demand" - but most companies are lagging behind this transformation.Big Data as part of the solutionThe topic of Big Data was, of course, omnipresent throughout the entire forum. I asked myself whether we had not succumbed to a fatal confusion here. In data-driven marketing, the starting point is to answer key customer-related questions. Big data or analytics should then help to find answers to these questions. So first the what and then the how. Big Data is not the goal, but part of the solution. In personal conversation with trend spotter Magnus Lindkvist

"Disrupt yourself!"

Magnus what is the relevance of Digital Transformation for the business world?LINDKVIST The 80's were characterized by "computerization" and around the turn of the millennium "connectivity" was very influential with a great impact on the distribution systems of companies. Currently, I see a movement towards "information gathering". Payment systems are emerging that work without banks or self-driving cars that are not developed by established car companies like Daimler-Benz.Do you see digitization as a transformative process or is there disruptive explosive power in it?LINDKVIST Competition is leaving the traditional lines of the industries and is coming from small, "stupid" companies - from "below. The examples of Kodak and Instagram clearly show the explosive power that digitalization can have in conjunction with new business models. My recommendation is therefore: "Disrupt yourself!"Which industries do you think are most exposed to digital transformation?LINDKVIST 10 years ago, it was the sale of books, music and software as "packed information". Today, it is the companies whose business model is based on gaining an information advantage. In five years, it will be the companies that interpret information as a purely binary phenomenon "0-1", e.g. the GRIN companies (Generics, Robotics, Internet, Nanotech).