IBM and Twitter announced a partnership that will incorporate Twitter data into IBM data, further enhancing IBM solutions. In addition to data augmentation, IBM plans to train over 10,000 consultants from around the world to be experts in social engagement, with a Twitter certification program in the works.
The alliance is strategic. By incorporating social data into their solutions, IBM is propelled into the marketing playing field, and Twitter is further positioned as an enterprise solution.
The deal reflects the shift in today’s digital marketer’s mindset that social data is an untapped resource too rich to ignore. The first generation social media platforms are focused on the conversations with limited context and even more limited analytics.
“…this is not just about watching for a company’s name mentioned in Twitter, or analyzing sentiment…the goal is to help companies make business decisions by mining Twitter.”
Advancements in technology and data science have allowed this wealth of data to be harnessed, making it accessible and actionable for businesses. The new wave of social data refinement platforms, like People Pattern, impact far more than just strategies for social media campaigns, but also strategies for other digital media channels, traditional marketing channels and product development. Frankly, we don’t like to be–and shouldn’t be–painted with just the “social” brush.
When it comes to marketing software, IBM is not the first brand that comes to mind. Adobe, Salesforce and even Oracle are more closely associated with CMO functions. IBM has been slow to embrace social data, and have thus far stayed primarily on the sell-side of the CTO and enterprise opportunities.
This partnership exhibits a progressive shift in IBM’s strategy, adding another layer to their more traditional data sources. As far as the social networks go, Twitter has the most open, public and rich dataset, marking it the obvious partnership choice for IBM. In addition, Twitter’s strategic acquisition of social media API aggregator Gnip has provided the social platform with the infrastructure to support large enterprise clients, like IBM.
The partnership between IBM and Twitter reflects an important shift in enterprise strategy, with implications that extend beyond the two companies. As methods of analysis improve, data collection has become refined enough that companies are able to make astute business decisions based on insights gleaned from social media.
First generation social media management companies should be concerned–no longer are brand mentions and sentiment score enough. New data technologies have become far more advanced, and finally more accessible, empowering marketers to make bold and informed decisions more so than ever before.
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