Examples include:

> Kimberly-clark’s Kleenex marketing team optimises media investment and location by using Google flu-related search data to identify areas where demand for tissues will most likely increase. By using one simple real-time data source to adapt its advertising, Kleenex sales went up by over 40% year-on-year.

> Netflix uses viewing data to assess what directors, actors, and programmes its subscribers like, and then commissions new programmes like House of Cards to add new subscribers.

> Travel service company Orbitz identifies a user’s smartphone operating system to adapt hotel recommendations in real-time. Orbitz knows from its historical data that Apple users tend to spend $20-$30 more than Android users on hotel room bookings.