MICROSOFT and ESOMAR launched an innovative challenge at the 70th World Congress, a call for big data analysis combined with visionary insights, a Hackathon (sprint-like event) for the members of the Congress.
During the challenge, Microsoft provided participants with Microsoft Surface Books, Microsoft Office analytic tools, three Big Data sets, and two days to develop actionable insights. In these specific conditions, the participants needed to crunch the data and create a winning strategy for one of three leading device brands.
Reed Cundiff from Microsoft USA, stated, “We believe that the future of market research has multi-source synthesis and real-time analysis at the center. Microsoft wanted to partner with ESOMAR to enable hackathon participants to see and work in that future state.”
A variety of experienced international professionals at several career stages in the Market Research Industry accepted the challenge. Over the two-day hackathon, multiple teams effectively analyzed data across brand tracking, product experience and social data. The hackathon culminated with 20-minute insights presentations to a jury of top research executives of the Microsoft, Unilever and Heineken companies.
Ultimately, Daniel Cuende, Innovation manager of CUENDE Infometrics, who had partnered with college student Youssef Medhat Kassem, achieved the winning strategy.
Cuende noted, “I can only say that I am very happy. It has been fun, an intense challenge and it has helped me adopt extreme approaches, thinking out-of-the-box to provide valuable insights within such a short time and using such large datasets”
Finn Raben, from ESOMAR commented “We are both delighted and honoured that with Microsoft’s partnership and support, an ESOMAR event hosted a “first-of-its-kind” session, and showed the way forward for our industry. Talent, data and technology are the script for the future, and following this successful first edition, we are excited to partner with Microsoft on future events of this type.”
The hackathon contest took place in September 2017 in Amsterdam as part of the 70th ESOMAR Congress during Sunday 11th and Monday 12th and it was covered by ESOMAR TV.
