The increasing relevance of big data and the proper management of such is a trend that’s showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon; in fact, more data was created between 2013-2015 than ever before combined, and predictions state that by the start of the new decade, 1.7 megabytes of new information will be created each second per every human being on the globe. The strategic processing of big data has the potential to save and earn businesses across many industries significant sums of money, and 73% of organizations have wisely decided to invest in big data going forward.

New technological innovations can bring big data payouts to native advertising, ameliorating and enriching the ad experience for all parties involved. With the emergence of open native exchanges, supply sources can be exposed to demand matching of users programmatically, adding the capability to append third-party data to the stream.

Spending on native ads is expected to rise to $21 billion by 2018, which is nearly quadruple 2013’s figure. As we settle into the new year, it should come as no surprise that big data will continue to be a buzzword in the ever-evolving field of ad technology.

Big data and native advertising: mutual benefit for all

The popularity of native advertising, wherein ad content blends in with the publisher’s editorial content, is growing in large part because today’s consumers are more savvy and discerning than ever before. Consumers know when they’re being spoken to rather than engaged with, and can often spot irrelevant ads and spam from a mile away; a negative user experience in this vein can be hard to forget, and can cost both advertisers and publishers credibility, repeat clicks or visits, and profitability. Native ads are friendlier and more easily digestible than static display ads, and are nearly always welcomed more favorably than their old-fashioned, largely inconsequential counterparts. Advertisers and publishers would be wise to harness big data in order to ensure the successful delivery of relevant native ad campaigns on behalf of trusted brands tailored for the right audiences. Internet users are always looking for new ways to be entertained and engaged, so it’s essential to provide them with what we already know they want. Big data can provide invaluable insight into recognizing users’ needs and propensities, which can then be compiled into actionable data sets that can drive successful native ad campaigns.

The emerging realm of native advertising gives advertisers the ability to get intelligently creative and more efficient in providing an immersive brand experience, rather than simply a forgettable ad impression. By harnessing big data correctly, advertisers are able to increase targeting options, implement advanced optimization techniques, produce granular level contextual identification, deduct actionable campaign insights, and more, thereby resulting in higher CTRs, greater conversions, and a more profitable ROI. Both purchase intent and brand favorability rise in viewers of native versus banner advertising, so it goes without saying that the investment of time, money, and effort with big data should be incorporated into the native advertising life cycle in order to most efficiently decipher users, target specific audiences, and tailor and deliver campaigns accordingly.

Lastly, publishers benefit for the same reason as consumers and advertisers when working with big data, as the publication of more relevant, entertaining content in the form of high-powered inventory will prove profitable with users spending more time on-site, engaging with both editorial and native content more actively, and sharing the aforesaid content over social networks.

Getting into the game of big data

While it may be difficult for reluctant, more traditional-minded folk to get their feet wet in the game of big data, a handful of companies provide the technology and know-how to maximize the potential and profitability of your existing data collection. SQream, a GPU-powered (graphic processing unit) big data analytics SQL database, allows companies to easily integrate and use a lightning-fast software to ingest, store, and analyze large-scale volume datasets up to the terabyte-petabyte level. SQream also boasts the ability to retrospectively analyze data from years back, generating actionable insights for present and future use. There’s also Domo, a user-friendly dashboard from which big data can simply be converted into smart business judgments in real-time.

As we know that big data is here to stay and only shows the promise of getting bigger, the integration of data management platforms (dmps) such as these can help your business get a leg up against competitors, provide more relevant and thus profitable advertising initiatives for consumers, and achieve maximum productivity with minimum effort and expense.

Yoav Vilner is a tech blogger, growth hacker, and startup marketer. He's also the co-founder of Ranky, a startup marketing team. Reach him at @YoavVilner.