What does big data mean for branding and brand trust?

This largely depends on the nature of the organisation. With a company such as Samsung, for example, greater brand awareness resulting from widespread promotion and increased growth of its Galaxy S3 smartphones has led to an uplift in interest for other technologies such as its smart TVs and wearable tech. The establishment of consumer trust in one part of the business has helped drive interest in other areas. However organisations such as Unilever or Procter & Gamble can’t rely on the same cross brand support or protection. Because I buy a Gillette razor, I probably won’t connect this with Duracell batteries or Iams dog food. So if there’s an issue with razors it’s unlikely to impact my dog food purchasing habits.

Brand relationships and allegiances can however be much more complex, and big data has an important role to play in helping reveal what’s really going on. Take Orange and EE as an example. EE led the drive towards 4G adoption, and it’s probably fair to say that take-up hasn’t been as extensive as initially anticipated. How much of this was due to lack of customer demand, or was the issue more about previous Orange customers not really understanding EE’s involvement due to its major rebranding?

Contact centres and other customer engagement channels can play a key role in helping drive a better understanding of brand values. Serving as a hub for data collection, contact centres harvest both statistical (volumes, outcomes) and emotive responses (giving experience to data), helping organisations to shape their interactions and responses more effectively. As a specialist outsourced contact centre partner, Echo Managed Services works with organisations, such as the Royal Air Force and the Financial Times, helping them learn from their contact centre big data feeds and fine tune their responses and processes accordingly. However it’s essential that organisations don’t abuse big data’s increased insight. The focus needs to always be around the responsible use of data, a commitment to non-invasive marketing, and a greater emphasis on quality of service.