Big Data: curse or blessing?

An interesting debate is taking shape after John Hegarty's harsh opinion on big data. The founder of BBH says big data is just the latest magic phrase that agencies put on their flags because they do not have good enough ideas. I think he is more or less right about a new trend in bullshitting, but I would like to prove why he is fundamentally wrong about big data.

Hegarty states "I'm not sure I want people to know who I am. I find that slightly Orwellian and I object to it. I don't want people to know what I drink in the morning and what I drink at night. I think there's a great problem here - throughout history we have fought for our freedom to be an individual, and you're taking it away from us.".

Will digital revolution kill learning?

A few years ago I thought that mobile app developers would soon rule the communication business and investors would push all their money into app startups. It happened for a while, indeed, but today investments seem to move  from app creation to development tools creation. I will now deal with only one of the reasons, the most important one in my view.

The undisputable responsibility of a rap song writer

Once upon a time I wrote a rap song for a candy bar commercial. It was quite a nice job but I never thought it would be a campaign that defines my approach to marketing communication.

Don Draper and the French Revolution

When was the last time you went up to someone with an important plan in your mind? Do you remember the first sentence? You probably do, because it's crucial. And the same applies to your hairstyle, clothes and non-verbal communication. But what about brands?

How do toilet seats improve technology?

Microsoft announced that the Kinect interface can now detect small hand gestures, so sooner or later the mouse can be eliminated. I don't agree with that a hundred percent, but I am convinced that Kinect is the most important digital improvement of our era, and not because it will kill other interfaces, but because of a study on office mice and toilet seats.

Say goodbye to the old rules of democracy

I am reading the book Alone Together by Sherry Turkle and I think it reveals quite a lot of annoying facts about how today's technology changes people psychologically. On the other hand, partly because of the weakness of the civil society in my country, Hungary, I began thinking about potential positive outcomes of the digital revolution, for example ways that technology could improve the democratic system.

Producers, don't worry. All sizes of smartphones and tablets will survive.

In the last few months there has been a lot of debate about the optimal size of a mobile device. Every week, you can read some new forecast or analysis of how different sizes are doing in the market. My opinion is that this all will be forgotten and all devices will find their place in the lives of consumers, just like "oldschool" filofaxes.

What will come after facebook ads?

Facebook is redesigning its looks once again, and it will most probably give more space for ads. It seems to be a logical step but I believe it is backed up by the wrong anticipation of how advertising will work in the future. Facebook is not the only company that shifts their activity focus from the needs of consumers to the requirements of brands. But putting the consumer and the brand on opposite sides of the story is a mistake.