Big Data is changing the way marketers identify and target their audiences, enabling brands to gain greater insight into competitive dynamics and realize higher returns on their customer acquisition investments. HP Vertica vice president of marketing Chris Selland and his Autonomy counterpart Gabriele Di Piazza appeared on theCUBE at the recent Discover summit to share their observations from the forefront of this transition with SiliconANGLE founder John Furrier.

Marketing is critical to the bottom line, especially in the current economic climate, and the ability to effectively engage customers is only made more important by rapid growth of new data sources, Selland tells Furrier. Di Piazza concurs, highlighting that the structured business information companies have traditionally hinged on for consumer insights is being supplemented by social media interactions, location data and other unstructured streams. Recognizing an opportunity, Hewlett-Packard has set out to help companies tame this Big Data explosion:

“So what are we doing is basically applying different techniques – now that we are a part of HP together with Vertica – to analyze all sorts of different data and apply sophisticated analytics to derive customer behavior, and start to anticipate what is the next best option for conversions,” Di Pizza details. To turn leads into sales revenue, brands must provide highly personalized experiences that address customer demands on an individualized basis, according to Selland. A growing number of CMOs are adopting analytical solutions to achieve their goals.

“I think we are crossing the chasm now with Big Data, and for those who don’t know the terminology, we are kinda getting past the early adopter point,” Selland remarks. “ And what customers want to know more than anything is who’s being successful with this. You know, as you get into more of a mainstream market, this is where the market really explodes.”

Crossing the chasm is an important first step, but to stay competitive, brands have to keep their fingers on the pulse of technology innovation. Mobile will play an increasingly central role in driving sales, Selland predicts, as well will real time analytics, which Di Piazza says will continue to gain traction as consumer expectations evolve.

Watch the interview below for more on how Big Data is reshaping digital marketing.