In the light of AI infiltrating all areas of business, and more particularly marketing, market research, audience analysis, there still are limitations when it comes to making sense of human behaviours. Limitations that can only be fulfilled by authentic human cultural intelligence.
Currently, machine learning and AI tools are doing a fantastic job at gathering big data in a very efficient way. Much like Clark Kent, for those who grew up in the 80s and the 90s, those tools allow you to run through an immense volume of data in a split second. As the tools learn and grow, they have the ability to uncover trends and patterns in the data.
Yet, the main caveat around those tools is that they don’t have the ability to unpack the data and create actionable and granular insights. This will no doubt come in time but a few limitations still exist both in terms of multilingual content (and the ability to convey granular cultural values, norms, trends, patterns through automated translation tools) but also in deciphering cultural and subcultural nuance. You’ll often know a trend is happening, a topic is trending and conversations are sparking but you’ll be left with very little certainty about why that is and what that means to your brand.
A few months ago, we were working with a global FMCG client who was looking to identify trends and communities in China in order to spark further brand engagement and acquisition. In order to do so, they’d undertaken research through an AI-powered insights platform and identified various areas of opportunity and communities to engage with. Looking at fashion as a benchmark, the tool gathered a wealth of insights, which the client wanted to make sense of.
The client understood that running the results through our local (human) strategic experts, was the only way to get an authentic cultural lens in the date. We often like to refer this as a three-step model: validate, refocus and challenge. And getting a close sight into the data and insights gathered by the tool.
1. Validate
In the era of AI, human curiosity and due diligence are king. A quick sense check of the data and insights gathered can be invaluable. In this case, an influential environmental figure was identified in the name of Yu Yuan. The contribution of our local Chinese experts confirmed that she was a positive association for the brand. Coming across various media titles, social platforms, she proved to be “a pioneering figure in the zero-waste movement” particularly when it comes to zero packaging, and a growing influence in the environmentalist sphere in China. A welcome progressive move from an FMCG brand looking to make a stance on their sustainability commitments in China.
2. Refocus
The platform suggested that human rights are a trending topic associated with fashion, which the brand could capitalise on based on the sheer number of online conversations across influencer profiles. While this was true, an additional consideration was to be taken when coming from a global brand. Our Chinese connexion highlighted that “Human rights is a delicate and sensitive topic, especially when it is entangled with international relationship. It would be strongly advised to replace references to human rights with employee rights or animal rights. Recently, international fashion brands that refused to use cotton in Xinjiang because of human rights issues with the Uyghur community were heavily boycotted by Chinese consumers.”
3. Challenge
Currently, one of the limitations of some tools resides in understanding why a topic is trending and whether the association with a brand is relevant or not. This may surface in various ways: the topic may be trending for the wrong reasons or the association between the brand and the influencer/ trend/ event may simply be incompatible. Relying on automated translation, it becomes very difficult for global strategists with little to no local knowledge to make sense of it.
In this case, the tool brought to the fore Chen Man’s photography for Dior as a source of inspiration and benchmark. In running it through our Chinese connexion, we were able to raise certain considerations about the local perception of the campaign at the time: “Although the campaign and imagery generated a lot of noise, it was mainly negative. Chen Man's photography portrait of a Chinese model for Dior was heavily debated and viewed as 'insulting Chinese beauty' for its exoticism and failure to represent what the Chinese regard as a true representation of Chinese people.”
AI can be a really powerful tool to gather trends and top line insights in an ever-growing sea of big data. Learning how to best utilise it will certainly support some short-term, fast-growth strategies. It is however important to understand that this technology is still in its infancy, and learning from existing (sometimes out-of-date) sources of data. The human, local, expert touch is still critical to deciphering granular cultural insights and to getting under the skin of audiences and their behaviours. Failing to do so could lead to costly brand reputation damage.
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