About the person: Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Eckert brings over 25 years of experience in the communications industry—as a journalist, press spokesperson, marketing and investor relations manager, and consultant. A trained historian, he runs the communications consultancy momentum communication. His focus lies on data- and technology-driven industries, especially finance and IT.
Who are you and what do you do?
I’ve always been fascinated by technological innovation. That’s why I work with data, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation. As a historian, I’m especially interested in the broader context—how innovation impacts society and how companies can position themselves within this environment.
What were your first touchpoints with digitalization—or even data literacy?
That depends on how you define digitalization. I’ve been into tech for ages. I got my first computer at around 16 or 17—it was a Sinclair ZX81, which came out in 1981. I started writing basic programs on it. Funny thing: the data was saved on cassette tapes, and the data noise sounded like a fax machine—a kind of synthetic chirping no one today would recognize. At one point, I even considered using the ZX81 to control our washing machine…
What was your first book on the subject?
My first book on the topic was from the same time—early 1980s. I was into integrated circuits back then. It covered things like AND, OR, NAND, and NOR gates, and how to link them in circuits. I actually bought the chips and experimented with them.
What was the first story you told that was based on data—but not about data?
Tough question. I didn’t really start telling stories until later. When I worked at BayernLB in the early 2000s, I was head of marketing and often told stories grounded in data—but there, data was typically the main topic. We looked at sales funnels, website performance, and ad effectiveness.
But stories where data served as the context rather than the content… let me think. Probably during the repositioning of BayernLB in 2005. The key question back then was: evolution or revolution? Do we break radically with the past or evolve certain themes, leave others behind, and refocus? I reviewed our business models and future plans and created a picture of what would stay, what would go, and what would be new. Based on that, I argued for evolution—with clear reasons. The board liked it.
What was the first story you told about data—and how did you present the data?
I don’t recall precisely, but I’m sure it was a presentation at BayernLB around 2000 or 2001. I was presenting the results of an ad effectiveness study and drawing conclusions for our media planning. I probably showed the data using good old bar charts or tables—quite naively, to be honest. I didn’t yet know how to visualize data properly, let alone think in terms of data literacy. That concept didn’t exist back then. But of course, market research already relied heavily on data interpretation methods.
Are you a “slow thinker” in all aspects of life—or are there moments where Hans-Wilhelm thinks fast?
I actually think quickly most of the time. And that’s not self-praise—especially if you’ve read Kahneman’s book, which I assume you’re referencing. Quite the opposite. Kahneman explains that most of our thinking is fast, because it conserves energy and helps us function efficiently in everyday life.
The slow thinker in me is just as lazy as in everyone else. I get through my day with 90 to 99 percent “fast thinking”—which isn’t really thinking at all, but rather deeply routinized, intuitive action. But Kahneman helped me to call on that lazy controller—System 2—more often.
What’s your tip for our readers?
Read Narrative Economics by Robert Shiller. It’s mind-blowing how he compares the spread of stories to viral infections—and the book came out before COVID. There’s so much in there we can build on to refine our models of how narratives go viral and how to use them for prediction.
What’s your favorite quote?
“The head is round so that thoughts can change direction.”
– Francis Picabia, writer
Thank you for this great conversation, and cheers to you! May the data be with you.
We published a review of the book “Storytelling with Data” by Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Eckert on our blog back in June 2021. You can revisit the article here.
