Comments on: Random metric names and symbols is not an equation

By: Joseph Carrabis

Joseph Carrabis — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:52:28 +0000

Howdy,
Thanks for this. I haven’t laughed this hard in a good long time (I almost stopped watching when she mentioned “engagement”, I’ll admit).
Joseph

By: ikongsgf

ikongsgf — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:39:35 +0000

The t-shirt was distracting but I prefer:

cute nerdgirl + real math – buzzwords = smarter clients

The learning curve to “compete on analytics” is steep. If your competitors prefer the above “fuzzy” equation, let ‘em!

Note to self: Don’t mess with @annaobrien! At least, don’t post crap equation and let @annaobrien catch it…

By: Metric, “twilight Galaxy” | Twilight Blogger

Metric, “twilight Galaxy” | Twilight Blogger — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:25:41 +0000

[...] » Blog Archive » Random metric names and symbols is not an equation [...]

By: Anna

Anna — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:05:34 +0000

From now on I will your proposed equation for all my measurement needs. Who can find any flaw with (Cute girl + little t-shirt X buzz words) / unicorns?

By: Simon T Small

Simon T Small — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:46:14 +0000

Wait wait, I think I get it…

(Cute girl + little t-shirt X buzz words) / unicorns = clients getting sucked in

Can they setup my Twitter account? I can’t figure it out.

By: DR. WHAW? Sunday Digest – Week-ending October 4, 2009 « One true sentence.

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:22:46 +0000

[...] Random metric names and symbols is not an equation from Random Acts of Data — I can’t express enough how awesome this post is. [...]

By: Allison Sumpter

Allison Sumpter — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:09:20 +0000

As I stated on Twitter, Anna, this stuff is Greek to me right now. I’m just starting to learn in this arena. But this post is very well organized with a breakdown I can follow and do very much appreciate. Glad I stumbled upon it! And you!

By: Bas Berkenbosch

Bas Berkenbosch — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 20:25:54 +0000

@ Don
Where were you educated on marketing? And which textbooks did you ever read after that? Where do you really stand? Or do you just float? Hoping things just work out?

By: Anna

Anna — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 20:15:59 +0000

@benkunz The high level goals are simple enough, I agree. It’s the nooks and crannies that get complex. I think what happens is people who have never worked with measurement don’t have experience in distilling mass amounts of data down to key focuses of measurement. Many try to fit everything into some magic formula, but that’s not what matters. The goal is not to create a massive overall equation, but rather to narrow down to what metrics really reflect the goals of the initiatives. For some companies it maybe acceptable to use some sort of buzz metric to represent prevented attrition of customer base in the ROI formula. In others that’s not going to work. So, getting back to you point, yes in theory it’s simple, but in practice it can be messy.

By: Blair Goldberg

Blair Goldberg — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 20:11:13 +0000

I cant’ agree with you more Anna. (Re: your response to @don)

The whole point of marketing analytics is to be able to make more educated decisions. Anyone who’s looking for epistomologically certain knowledge of *anything* is bound to be disapointed. As Kierkegaard says, you can’t be truly certain of anything, we can only look for what is the most probable.

Working without these kinds of analytics is the equivalent of closing your eyes and trusting your internal compass to know that you’re walking in the direction you intend. (Admittedly, if you *only* rely on these kinds of analytics, it ends up being like driving a car by watching the rearview mirror)