Comments on: ***** The Medium is the Metric for Online Ads http://blog.jimnovo.com/2007/02/14/medium-metric/ Moving from a Low Accountability to a High Accountability Business Model Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:03:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Jim Novo http://blog.jimnovo.com/2007/02/14/medium-metric/#comment-260 Jim Novo Fri, 02 Mar 2007 04:33:46 +0000 http://blog.jimnovo.com/2007/02/14/medium-metric/#comment-260 Thanks for the comment William, I guess I’m guilty of not being clear on my position. I’m with Ya on the In-source thing, if your company has the talent. If not, Outsource. Either way, my point was I have seen analytical efforts provide the highest benefit when they are centralized so that you get both consistency of platform / metrics and 3rd party analysis that is not subject to the data torture often prevalent in the silos. How we get there is still up for debate, and I submit the CEO melt-down scenario is probably the most likely route at this point. This is, of course, a reactive model and it sure would be great to have a proactive substitute for analytical panic – knowing it is going to happen, what can we do now to prevent it? Thanks for the comment William, I guess I’m guilty of not being clear on my position. I’m with Ya on the In-source thing, if your company has the talent. If not, Outsource.

Either way, my point was I have seen analytical efforts provide the highest benefit when they are centralized so that you get both consistency of platform / metrics and 3rd party analysis that is not subject to the data torture often prevalent in the silos. How we get there is still up for debate, and I submit the CEO melt-down scenario is probably the most likely route at this point. This is, of course, a reactive model and it sure would be great to have a proactive substitute for analytical panic – knowing it is going to happen, what can we do now to prevent it?

]]> By: William Gaultier http://blog.jimnovo.com/2007/02/14/medium-metric/#comment-256 William Gaultier Thu, 01 Mar 2007 20:58:58 +0000 http://blog.jimnovo.com/2007/02/14/medium-metric/#comment-256 Jim, have been a subscriber of your newsletter for a while, and finally responding to one post. I agree with Ron Shelvin above, this function should be IN-sourced. We actually had a client recently say "We know you are our agency of record, but we really want to control the analysis of data internally" and I suspect many more to come. On the note of multi-channel analytics, I thought I'd mention that we have recommended two partners to our clients who really seem to "get it" and really have figured out how to take duplication of results (and a whole lot more) coming from offline and online. Check them out Blackfoot Interactive (http://blackfootinc.com) and Database Marketing Services (database-marketing.com). Jim, have been a subscriber of your newsletter for a while, and finally responding to one post. I agree with Ron Shelvin above, this function should be IN-sourced. We actually had a client recently say “We know you are our agency of record, but we really want to control the analysis of data internally” and I suspect many more to come. On the note of multi-channel analytics, I thought I’d mention that we have recommended two partners to our clients who really seem to “get it” and really have figured out how to take duplication of results (and a whole lot more) coming from offline and online. Check them out Blackfoot Interactive (http://blackfootinc.com) and Database Marketing Services (database-marketing.com).

]]> By: Jim Novo http://blog.jimnovo.com/2007/02/14/medium-metric/#comment-125 Jim Novo Tue, 20 Feb 2007 00:20:09 +0000 http://blog.jimnovo.com/2007/02/14/medium-metric/#comment-125 All, thanks for the comments. It absolutely will be a challenge, and it may not happen until the CEO has the kind of meltdown I described - there is simply too much at stake for the various "emperors" out there. I really think web analytics will drive some of this - the success folks are having with a cross-silo attitude and "unified analytics" approach are highly visible, and at some point, someone is going to ask, "Why don't we use this approach elsewhere in the company?". That will be the beginning. To be clear, I don't have a problem with "brands", but I include the entire customer experience in the definition of one. I do have a problem with "branding", meaning the use of impression tonnage to try and convince people your company or product is "this". Your company or product is only "this" if "this" is the experience people have with it.  There is way too much transparency now to get away with the "if they have an ad on TV everybody must be using it and love it" consumer mentality of the 50's. After all, many great brands have been created without doing ANY "branding" style advertising at all. The challenge is for marketing folks to understand how this is done and do it for their company, and a lot of this work involves understanding the role service and <a href="http://marketingroi.wordpress.com/2007/02/09/ing-directs-emotional-connection-with-customers/" target="_blank">excellent process execution</a> plays in a brand. All, thanks for the comments. It absolutely will be a challenge, and it may not happen until the CEO has the kind of meltdown I described - there is simply too much at stake for the various “emperors” out there.

I really think web analytics will drive some of this - the success folks are having with a cross-silo attitude and “unified analytics” approach are highly visible, and at some point, someone is going to ask, “Why don’t we use this approach elsewhere in the company?”. That will be the beginning.

To be clear, I don’t have a problem with “brands”, but I include the entire customer experience in the definition of one. I do have a problem with “branding”, meaning the use of impression tonnage to try and convince people your company or product is “this”. Your company or product is only “this” if “this” is the experience people have with it.  There is way too much transparency now to get away with the “if they have an ad on TV everybody must be using it and love it” consumer mentality of the 50’s.

After all, many great brands have been created without doing ANY “branding” style advertising at all. The challenge is for marketing folks to understand how this is done and do it for their company, and a lot of this work involves understanding the role service and excellent process execution plays in a brand.

]]> By: Chris http://blog.jimnovo.com/2007/02/14/medium-metric/#comment-103 Chris Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:35:14 +0000 http://blog.jimnovo.com/2007/02/14/medium-metric/#comment-103 I think few can argue on any logical level and say that your advice here isn't good... but it can be very dangerous to go about pointing out that the emperor has no clothes! Not saying it shouldn't be done, but some caution and political adroitness is necessary in most cases, I would think. I think few can argue on any logical level and say that your advice here isn’t good… but it can be very dangerous to go about pointing out that the emperor has no clothes! Not saying it shouldn’t be done, but some caution and political adroitness is necessary in most cases, I would think.

]]> By: Ron Shevlin http://blog.jimnovo.com/2007/02/14/medium-metric/#comment-102 Ron Shevlin Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:33:46 +0000 http://blog.jimnovo.com/2007/02/14/medium-metric/#comment-102 Jim, great post. While a firm like the one I work at would probably love to be the "master record keeper", in all good faith I would recommend to any CMO that it absolutely must be an IN-sourced function. Otherwise, its like putting the fox in charge of the hen house. But, alas, I don't see it happening in too many firms too quickly. The analytics groups don't have the clout and the strategic vision to take the macro view. The "brand folks" (as you call them) will play whack-a-mole with these analytical initiatives and proposals popping up down and then in an attempt to keep them down. But over time, I think what you laid out will happen.... it's a matter of when, not if. Jim, great post. While a firm like the one I work at would probably love to be the “master record keeper”, in all good faith I would recommend to any CMO that it absolutely must be an IN-sourced function. Otherwise, its like putting the fox in charge of the hen house.

But, alas, I don’t see it happening in too many firms too quickly. The analytics groups don’t have the clout and the strategic vision to take the macro view.

The “brand folks” (as you call them) will play whack-a-mole with these analytical initiatives and proposals popping up down and then in an attempt to keep them down.

But over time, I think what you laid out will happen…. it’s a matter of when, not if.

]]> By: Robert http://blog.jimnovo.com/2007/02/14/medium-metric/#comment-101 Robert Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:11:52 +0000 http://blog.jimnovo.com/2007/02/14/medium-metric/#comment-101 Nice thoughts here. While lying with statistics is nothing new, the notion that being brutally honest might be more lucrative in the long run is definitely a whack upside the head for most marketing and sales departments. We'll see. Nice thoughts here. While lying with statistics is nothing new, the notion that being brutally honest might be more lucrative in the long run is definitely a whack upside the head for most marketing and sales departments. We’ll see.

]]> By: Adelino de Almeida http://blog.jimnovo.com/2007/02/14/medium-metric/#comment-100 Adelino de Almeida Thu, 15 Feb 2007 16:04:12 +0000 http://blog.jimnovo.com/2007/02/14/medium-metric/#comment-100 And this is why time series analysis/marketing mix modeling is so important a capability: a good model can estimate the contribution of each medium to the outcome (sales, click, calls, etc.). It can even account for non-traditional media such as sponsorships, endorsements, naming rights, etc. and can do all that at an aggregate level, that is, without resorting to client level data. And this is why time series analysis/marketing mix modeling is so important a capability: a good model can estimate the contribution of each medium to the outcome (sales, click, calls, etc.). It can even account for non-traditional media such as sponsorships, endorsements, naming rights, etc. and can do all that at an aggregate level, that is, without resorting to client level data.

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