For the next Google Firestarters we are combining forces with Google’s celebrated series of events on the Future of Data to tackle a subject that I've been wanting to take on for a good while. So called ‘Big data’ has almost become the very epitome of marketing hype - a phenomenon that has become an obsession for many in the media and marketing industry, governments, startups and large incumbents alike. The promise of big data is that it will revolutionise marketing and much more besides through the extraction of value from huge data sets. But should we believe it? Does Big data really mean big insights for marketers and planners? Or is it just hyperbole?
To help us navigate these complex but intriguing questions we have one of the most renowned and knowledgeable provocateurs on the subject of data – Tim Harford. Tim is the renowned economist, writer and broadcaster. He’s the author of the million-selling ‘The Undercover Economist’ and more recently of ‘Adapt’, and is a columnist for the Financial Times. He’s won awards both for his FT columns and his BBC radio series ‘More or Less’, which debunks dubious statistics wherever they may lurk, and is a well-known conference speaker including at TED, and Wired. So I'm excited to have him speak at Firestarters.
The event is kicking off at 6.00pm on Thursday 13th November at Google HQ in London. As always I have some guest passes to give away to readers of this blog so if you'd like one leave a comment below or drop me a line.
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