Chat With a Professor About Data Science

Recently I had a Zoom call with Professor Boxiang Dong from Montclair University. His specializations are machine learning and cybersecurity, and his research has a focus on big data analytics. At first I was bit nervous, but he was very knowledgeable, and I learned quite a few things. We covered many topics related to data science, primarily data science and marketing. One example that he gave that really stuck with me was a sneaker example. Nowadays, sneaker brands such as Nike, Vans, and Converse are very popular. For teens and young adults, the sneakers you have are a way of showing status, and I even have a few friends who buy brand sneakers for cheap and resell them. Little kids do not know as much about brands, and mostly their parents just get them shoes. Adults also do not know as much and just get whatever feels comfortable. Therefore, the primary audience for these sneaker companies are teens and young adults. Have you ever heard of Yeezys, Stan Smiths, Chuck Taylors, Court Royales, or Doc Martins? Chances are if you are younger than 10 or above 30 or and don’t work in the shoe department you probably have no idea what these are. However, if you talk to any high schooler or college student in America today, 80% of them will know exactly what these shoes are. Now these sneaker companies know that, and therefore they will advertise on platforms where there is a large teenage population. Social media apps such as Instagram, Youtube, Tik Tok, and Spotify are great places where there are a lot of active young adults who would see these advertisements. A sneaker company would not want to waste time or money putting as many advertisements on apps such as Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn where the average user is a lot older. After a company figures out the best places to advertise, they have to pay the platform to host their advertisements. This is how free apps, such as all of these social media platforms, get money. They then have to figure out the best way to get their target audience engaged. Who has actually ever watched a full Youtube advertisement when the skip in 5 seconds button is right there? That is why these videos and promotions have to hook the viewer in right away. This can be done in multiple ways, such as telling a story, using bright colors, or through celebrity endorsement. If a popular actor, influencer, or singer such as Taylor Swift was shown in an advertisement, I would probably watch the entire thing. However, even with celebrity endorsements, the celebrity has to align with the target audience. If you are advertising to young adults, having an actor from the 80s wouldn’t be the best endorsement, because your target audience does not know who that is. As can be seen, there is a lot of data science that goes into marketing. You have to analyze so many trends and patterns to determine where your product would be most useful and to who. Then on top of that, you have to use that data to determine where the best place to advertise would be. This was the main thing I took away from the conversation with Dr. Dong, and I really enjoyed the chat we had.