Small Data

Small data researchers uncover insights into consumer desires that big data misses.

When Martin Lindstrom became an adviser for Lego in 2004, the company feared those born in the Information Age would prefer video games to their building blocks. Lego’s marketing team visited an 11-year-old German boy to glean ethnographic insights about their customer base. The boy identified a well-worn pair of Adidas skateboarding sneakers as his favorite possession. Contrary to the widely-held belief that children of his generation valued instant gratification – a narrative big data research supported – this child gained social currency through achieving mastery at his chosen skill: skateboarding. His sneakers signaled this mastery to others.

Lego used the insight, gleaned via a small data point, to inform its strategy. The company reduced the size of its building bricks and increased the demands and complexity of Lego construction challenges. By 2014, Lego had become the largest global toy maker, with sales surpassing Mattel.

Small data can include a person’s habits, preferences, gestures, hesitations...