Giving meaning to data: SMG's John Sheehy

The president of global operations at Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) said while the industry is banking on data, the ultimate aim is coming back to a purpose to create human experience that transforms lives and businesses.

Sheehy noted that while the communication business used to be one-way and transactional, consumers behaviour has changed and two-way communications are now expected.

“Previously, we generated awareness for the product, we talked to consumers and they listened. However, now they are much more social, much more based on community and entertainment. So when we look at this information, we need to look at how we can relate it to human relationships,” he told Campaign Asia-Pacific.

The human experience will transform behaviour, and subsequently bring in results. Setting the right KPIs, such as the level of awareness and depth of engagement clients want to achieve, is very important if one is to derive meaning from data, he explained.