In 2023 we saw data have a significant and ever-present impact on communications. It was used on a massive scale to power the launch of ChatGPT, which took AI into the mainstream, presenting opportunities and headaches (reputational risk, bias issues, and ability to produce authentic-sounding misinformation on an industrial scale) for pressed communications pros.
by Alex Waddington
Netflix showed that data really can be the star of the story by releasing an 18,000-row spreadsheet of viewing hours for 99% of its content, which attracted huge coverage and attention around the globe.
A Scottish Minister scored an own goal and was - eventually - forced to tell the truth about a hefty roaming charge being footed by the public, after the correlation by media and political opponents of open data from Scottish Parliament and the dates of football matches.
Down in Westminster, the UK Government was repeatedly ticked off by the official stats watchdog for dodgy use of data. (I've argued previously that if we're serious about tackling misinformation, public figures need to adhere to gold standards when it comes to use of stats).
And, of course, innovative use of data throughout a big priority comms campaign helped one council improve the lives of its residents and win an UnAward - more of that in due course.
Time to stop sleepwalking?
Data and statistics are still often seen as interlopers in the communications world, which is typically thought of as the domain of creative people, not number crunchers. "I do words, not numbers," is often heard.
But 2024 may mark - and require - a more sustained shift of old traditional attitudes. It is 6 years since CIPR first started its work on AI and Big Data, warning the profession was in danger of sleepwalking into the future. Data literacy, skills and confidence remains low among professionals, according to surveys - despite the external world becoming ever more data-informed.
This creates opportunities but also risks - especially in the era of data-driven journalism, subtle but mis-use of data by nefarious actors, and ever more data-driven corporate operations.
If communications wants to continue to demonstrate value in tough economic and political (small p and big P) times - for they are here - and nail down a seat at the top table, then remaining stubbornly 'words-not-numbers' and opinion-driven simply isn't an option.
Here's my take on the way we'll see data continue to shape communications over the next 12 months.
1. Microsoft CoPilot will make superpowered - and safe - data insights a reality
No set of predictions for 2024 would be complete without talking about AI - and without data, there is no AI.
Last year Microsoft formally launched Co-Pilot, which applies ChatGPT-type tools to the complete Microsoft Office suite of tools. If your organisation uses Microsoft, your IT folks and leaders are no doubt weighing up whether to deploy Co-Pilot (and whether it's affordable, as it costs extra per person). For some of you, it may appear on your desktop in the coming months. When it does, it could be a game changer for generating powerful insight.
Here's some possible use cases to whet your appetite;
- You could ask AI to take an Excel spreadsheet, and perform phrase and thematic analysis on 2,000 cells of open text comments from your residents survey - or just the ones that mention the word 'communication'.
- You could take a spreadsheet showing campaign interactions during a certain date range, and a spreadsheet showing service interactions during a similar date range, and ask AI to assess the correlation between the two, and therefore the effectiveness of your campaign.
But despite the potential power and time-saving this will offer, AI will still sometimes hallucinate (this risk will reduce over time, says the Open Data Institute). A good level of data literacy will still be needed in the brave new AI world to check the most important insights back against the raw data.
If you're about to spend a big chunk of your annual campaigns budget based on AI-derived insights, you (and your team) will need the ability to verify it manually and answer questions on the limitations of the analysis.
2. The need for data in strategic comms will continue to grow
The Government Comms Service (GCS) CEO Simon Baugh has said modern communicators need "the data analysis, numeracy and software savvy of an engineer with the story-telling, creativity and empathy of an artist", while the owner of the world's fastest growing agency in 2022, Shayoni Lynn, (which helps huge public sector clients run major, big-money campaigns to change behaviour), believes that data literacy is a key skillset that communicators should embrace, fully compatible with creativity.
In collaboration with Darren Caveney, it was exciting, rewarding and encouraging to work with several councils in 2023; they wanted to go really deep into their social channels to work out whether their hunches and practices were backed up by hard data. The findings have helped them to be more focused, efficient and effective in delivering for internal stakeholders and supporting the lives of residents.
As the world becomes ever more data-driven, and budgets tighten, the need for data literacy in communications becomes ever more important. A 2022 survey (albeit of agency PR and comms pros) suggested 44% of communicators had presented statistics they didn't actually understand - and in a profession where accuracy really matters, that's not good.
2024 may not become the year that data literacy becomes a must-have deal breaker skill in comms. But it's likely to be the year more professionals - at all levels - up their data game, and start to see and reap the benefits.
3. Data will play a role in award-winning work
In 2023, for the first time, the comms2point0 UnAwards recognised teams and individuals who had used data impactfully in their work. Full disclosure, my consultancy Whetstone Communications, sponsored it!
Buckinghamshire Council used data to improve lives by understanding their audience and how to reach them - and walked away with the top prize. Essex Fire and Rescue Service saved money and time, was highly commended, and helped keep people safer by recruiting more volunteers, using a simple but brilliantly effective data-informed approach. The details of these projects are out there for all to read and learn from in the CommsFiles.
And if the volume and quality of entries in the first year is anything to go by, the judges in 2024 are going to be extremely busy.
4. Telling visual stories with data will become much easier
User-friendly data visualisation tool Flourish (created by a top Guardian data journalist) was bought by Canva in 2022. With Canva being widely used by resource-constrained comms teams to support BAU and campaigns, expect to see curious and innovative comms pros doing more with visual communication as new tools become available as part of the core product. And, of course, new AI tools as yet unknown will make turning dry datasets into attention-grabbing, easy-to-understand graphics much easier for non-data experts.
5. Journalism will show the way with data - and tease what's possible
Hardly a week goes by without a data-driven story hitting the headlines, with time-strapped and under pressure journalists ever more alive to the opportunity to unearth insight from spreadsheets - something comms pros need to be alert to, given how much data publicly-funded organisations hold and produce. Data specialists are found in most big newsrooms and that's likely to start to trickle down into freelance and regional media.
There's always been a steady stream of journalists making their way over into PR and communications, and as this continues in 2024, expect to see journalists with impressive data skills moving over into comms (especially agency side), turning heads among leaders with a fresh approach to finding and telling stories.
For communicators that take a little time to learn from others, and invest in their own data literacy and skills, and really embrace the opportunity this year, there's a real chance to shine and stand out in future career moves. And if you want ideas and inspiration for data communications, following the best data journalists out there is a great way to go.
* Alex Waddington is the founder of Whetstone Communications, a consultancy that helps public sector and not-for-profit communications teams get more comfortable with data.
* To Register Your Interest in Whetstone’s forthcoming webinars on first steps in using data in communications, you can use this form.
* You can stay up to date with innovations and ideas in the field of data-informed communications through Alex's free monthly Substack, Data Communications Chronicles.
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