I'm not sure whether to be impressed by this infographic or annoyed. It shows both what's powerful about infographics and their weaknesses.
With the right headline, data and design, infographics can help raise awareness of an issue and associate a brand with a theme. Kudos to McKinsey for getting the basics right, leading to it being shared by tens of thousands on Slideshare - interesting they're getting good exposure using the new infographic feature on Slideshare, maybe just because it's new. Expect Slideshare to be polluted by a lot of infographics in 2014....
Anyway, here's the infographic in question, weaknesses to follow...
The biggest weakness is that the claim of the headline isn't backed up by the data and worse still, the data sources they use are out of date - 2011 - heinous! Not really, but it doesn't build credibility... They are trying to make a bold point and totally fail to substantiate it - even the recent blog post announcing this Big Data infographic only has a couple of sentences with no links to further sources. I used a question mark in our headline...
McKinsey likely have more up-to-date research themselves, but maybe that wasn't in the brief when they outsourced the infographic package? We at least try to include sources inline with our infographics - like this one on B2B strategy, ideally with Bit.ly links.
Still, the sharing of this infographic shows a fair level of interest in Big Data even if many still don't get #smalldata and analytics right. Our poll on our digital trends 2014 post also showed a good level of interest in Big Data - still #3 out of 10 marketing activity. If you are looking for up-to-date research see our recent alert on European research on Big Data adoption and challenges.
By Dave Chaffey
Digital strategist Dr Dave Chaffey is co-founder and Content Director of online marketing training platform and publisher Smart Insights. 'Dr Dave' is known for his strategic, but practical, data-driven advice. He has trained and consulted with many business of all sizes in most sectors. These include large international B2B and B2C brands including 3M, BP, Barclaycard, Dell, Confused.com, HSBC, Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, M&G Investment, Rentokil Initial, O2, Royal Canin (Mars Group) plus many smaller businesses. Dave is editor of the templates, guides and courses in our digital marketing resource library used by our Business members to plan, manage and optimize their marketing. Free members can access our free sample templates here. Dave is also keynote speaker, trainer and consultant who is author of 5 bestselling books on digital marketing including Digital Marketing Excellence and Digital Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice. In 2004 he was recognised by the Chartered Institute of Marketing as one of 50 marketing ‘gurus’ worldwide who have helped shape the future of marketing. My personal site, DaveChaffey.com, lists my latest Digital marketing and E-commerce books and support materials including a digital marketing glossary. Please connect on LinkedIn to receive updates or ask me a question.
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