Event of the year

In my opinion there was not a single event in Poland that deserves a special mention. However, the PBI tender for internet research should at least be noted. It will be of greater significance in early 2016 when a new standard provider will be verified by the market and research audience. The first half of 2016 looks very promising.

On a global scale, two events are particularly noteworthy. One of them is the purchase of shares in ComScore by Kantar. In my view it will mark the beginning of a period of the acquisition and integration of research companies and their services. Integrating services in the research field will be challenging. Customers are increasingly calling for comprehensive services, not just partial research. The integration of knowledge on the part of publishers and advertisers will make the “oldschool” business model of research companies become, slowly, a thing of the past.

The second most important event was the free access to the TensorFlow library granted by Google. It clearly shows what is more important – data or algorithms – and conveyed an explicit message: we can provide free access to technology for the entire industry, as our advantage comes from knowledge, which is the data, and not the ability to process it.

Success of the year

Gemius’ success, as well as my own, was the IAB Europe Mixx award for the Behavioral Panel Synthesis – a unique and reliable method of collecting and combining data from various online devices. It proves that a Polish company can successfully compete with major players in the research industry. It shows that, thanks to the Polish market, we were able to develop a technological idea that became the absolute leader in its field.

Man of the year

The Anonymous Data Scientist. This year, an entire group deserves to be noted – one which, through their dedicated and diligent work, has been committed to ongoing innovation, both worldwide and in Poland, concerning the process of acquiring the knowledge necessary for marketers to make well informed decisions.

Trend of the year

In Poland, as for the world, 2015 was a year of attribution modelling. Regardless of the fact that it is not yet widely used, attribution modelling is the direction we will follow in years to come. The use of data from multiple sources to determine interactions between a campaign and its audience clearly shows the direction the research industry will follow.

Deep learning – the key word for the past year. The increasing use of advanced data modelling. This trend, conventionally initiated by the acquisition of DeepMind by Google in 2014, is ongoing and will continue in the years to come.

Campaign of the year

“Smutny autobus” [Sad Bus] and “BE a MAN”. Both campaigns are symbols of our times. They show a skilful use of the communication channels now available to the marketer, commitment building and the emotional involvement of the audience. Proof that a well constructed narrative can impact the audience. In combination with current communication channels, it gives us virtually unlimited possibilities. A new and wonderful era for creative people is on our doorstep.

Another noteworthy event was Toyota's “Lane Change Assist" campaign. Brilliant in its form, the ad was completely “destroyed” by the Polish voice-over. When the ad’s audience is not treated on a par with its creator, its effectiveness drops dramatically. Either we create simple messages or we boldly stick to the original idea.

Forecast for 2016

Two internet research programs conducted in Poland. A growing need for combined research such as cross-media analysis. Increasing significance of immediate access to research results to be used to optimize the decision-making process for marketers. Further development of deep learning. The trend of sharing knowledge, algorithms and everything else – except data.

This next year will be a time of change and will force research companies to redefine themselves. The “data science” days are coming.