I’m not one to worry about the distant future. Remembering to pick up my laundry is challenge enough. Then Steven Spielberg casually mentioned civilization’s inevitable move from a carbon to silicon base-his matter-of-fact way of saying when robots take over the Earth. By then, data is not only the new creative, he is the new creative director.
Man vs. Machine: There are many things machines do far better than people. In media, the robotic radio PPM compared to the all-too-human diary is a good example. The vagaries of the diary measurement may be costing radio millions each year in a simple but hidden way. Diary reporting is no longer adequate for how audience estimates are used to select media.
Marketing Mix Modeling: Today, many advertisers leap over conventional measurements like audience, demos and CPMs, and go directly to consumer response to make their media decisions. The tool of choice is complex Marketing Mix Modeling. Advertisers take the pieces of last year’s brand marketing spend and match that to brand sales to see how they  read the whole story here.
