Is big data the answer

Big data has arrived, no doubt about it. Every where you turn whether its blog posts, industry titles or the great and the good of the corporate world people are talking about big data and its ability to bring clarity and predictability to businesses and brands.

Maybe I am being naive or perhaps I have not truly understood the full capabilities of this new way of working but surely the challenge that marketing professionals and brands face is what are people going to want tomorrow.

Given that my opinion, preferences and desires are constantly ebbing and flowing and ultimately being influenced by a myriad of different sources in our always connected society how can what I bought yesterday ever be a sure indicator of what I am going to purchase tomorrow.

After all data can only show us what has happened and over a given period of time it can highlight trends in people's behaviour which has a definite use. But this is only useful whilst my preferences and behaviour remains unchanged the second these start to change the data becomes less valid.

So in a world where change is the constant can big data ever be truly effective as a predictive modelling tool.