By

Rob Skinner

MD

2nd August 2018

2 min read

According to The Economist the world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil or diamonds, but data. Tech titans Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta have all been listed as the most valuable brands of 2018. In fact, the majority of the top 10 happen to be technology companies with Microsoft and Samsung also making an appearance. And unsurprisingly there are now very few people who would choose to live without Google’s search engine, Amazon’s next day delivery or AI.

Whether you’re commuting, exercising in the gym or streaming TV, pretty much every daily activity creates a digital trace. From smart watches, cars and TVs all connected to the internet, there is an abundance of valuable data being generated every second. The way we use technology and data continues to evolve and it’s predicted that self-driving cars will generate 100 gigabytes of data per second. Whilst technology aims to create an easier life for the consumer, businesses are using data to learn more about their customers and the benefits of data don’t just stop there.

Access to data has allowed organisations to remain competitive and stay one step ahead of their rivals. Companies have the ability to survey the entire economy, by keeping a watchful eye on what people are searching for, what people are buying and what they’re liking and sharing on social media. Interestingly 97% of businesses use data to power their business opportunities and 76% use data as an integral part of creating a business strategy. Data now sits at the heart of pretty much every organisation and it’s vital businesses use this data to their advantage.

As a PR agency, we understand how important an organisation’s data is. Whilst many businesses use their data to identify shopping trends and provide recommendations to customers, we use it to help your PR and marketing efforts? Yep, you heard me. Here at Skout we believe in natural storytelling, which involves utilising a business’ own data to create content for press articles, blogs and even content to be used across social media.

Why not give it a try? Have a dig around your database and you might be surprised with what you find!

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