Got Analytics?

“Got Milk?”

“Go RV-ing!”

“Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner.”

Cue the high-energy jingle for that last one.

These are all taglines that I’m sure many of my U.S. followers remember. They are short, simple, and powerful. Each one created a reminder about what people might be missing out on.

“Got Milk?” reminded people of the health benefits of milk and connected milk with strength, confidence, celebrities, and athletes. The “Go RV-ing” campaign showed America that people were only one purchase away from living the American dream and traveling across the country, from Key West to Anchorage.

Hungry and not sure what to make for dinner? The beef industry wanted you to know that beef was the perfect option. It was always tied to family, togetherness, and a hearty meal, especially something like a beef roast.

Each of these messages was simple, but each delivered a consistent and supportive message across an entire industry. These industries recognized that demand was decreasing, so they pooled their money together into one shared marketing campaign.

That was brilliant.

In the smart buildings industry, and more specifically in FDD and analytics, we face a similar challenge.

We are in an environment where the value of applying analytics to a building is, at best, inconsistent and, at worst, wildly misunderstood. In my opinion, the confusion around what analytics can actually do to change the way buildings are operated has been made worse by the industry itself.

I have heard the benefits of analytics described in many different ways: indoor air quality, energy savings, operational improvements, capital planning, and more. Some say analytics must be used by engineers. Others say it is a tool meant for the “boots on the ground.”

One of the biggest issues with all of those statements is that, in a way, they are all true.

So, if those statements are true, what is the problem?

The problem is that this creates consumer confusion. And confusion never leads to confidence.

Confused consumers, especially those who already lack trust in new technology promotion, will not engage or adopt. They will wait patiently until the dust settles and the industry gives them the same, or at least similar, answers to basic questions like:

“What do you do with analytics?”

“Who is your provider?”

Once that happens, the value will be clearer to potential users. Only then will they finally enter a truly competitive atmosphere within this space and this technology.

I am often asked who our main competitor is in this space. Lately, my answer has changed from a list of companies to “nobody.”

Right now, I see everyone as a potential partner in driving market demand.

Everyone in this space has a responsibility to help remove confusion from the messaging and give the market one simple, clear, and consistent message. We at Resolute want to create friendly competition within this marketplace. We love the idea of putting our technology against other providers and creating an environment where competition drives innovation, with the ultimate benefit going to the customer.

“Got Milk?” was not created by Farmer John to sell more milk than Farmer Fred. It was created together by John, Fred, and all the other dairy farmers in America to drive demand that was diminishing.

So how do we get there?

It will not be easy. It will not be cheap. But one thing it will need is togetherness.

When I say “together,” I mean other companies within the building analytics space working with each other to achieve a singular goal. In our industry, demand has never truly been there, and we have not worked together to create it.

This is evident in the siloed efforts we see across the industry, including all the job postings for “market demand generator” and similar titles. The issue is that these individual efforts can create even more consumer confusion because the value messaging remains as inconsistent as ever.

We need a consistent set of values and messaging that we all follow, and we need to create it together.

The FDD solution providers of the world are not really competitors at this time. If we were, customers would already be asking, “Which FDD solution are you selecting for your building?” instead of vendors having to start every conversation with, “Let me tell you why FDD is important for your building.”

That difference matters.

Again, “Got Milk?” was not created by Farmer John to sell more milk than Farmer Fred. It was created by John, Fred, and every other dairy farmer in America to drive demand that was diminishing.

We need our “Got Milk?”

Are you with me?