Web Analytics is a data-driven and figure-oriented discipline, yes. Web Analytics is a job profile requiring statistical exactness and data combination aspects, agreed. But what a Web Analytics Manager can also be is one of the most creative persons in the company. Recently the Harvard Business Review announced the Data Analyst to be the sexiest job in the 21st century. I partly agree. And would like to stress that being a Creative Director in combination with a Web Analyst might even be sexier … if that’s what you are looking for when talking about your role in your company.
Become a “Creative Analytics Director”
Why? In times of combining offline and online data, of adding value to a purely only focused campaign by acknowledging the impact for the offline world or in times of data driven cultures and discussions around the smoking break or lunch time it is the duty of every Business Analyst to enrich his or her knowledge by checking in with the offline marketing world.
Have a look at one of the sexiest tasks of an offline Marketing Manager: choosing a model for the next bikini campaign for example. Well, that would be something for every marketing person, correct? It should be! At least for the Digital Analyst. And here´s why: When planning the next shoot for the bikini promotion the offline Marketing Manager will consult his/her Model Booking Agency to check on their recommendations concerning the individual models and their selections from the current fashion line.
Then the (external or internal) Creative Director will decide on which models to use and choose them. Definitely with a big portion of subjective taste as it’s always been. This is fun! But ultimately it is wrong.
Sharing Knowledge with the Offline Marketing Team
Instead of this long used methodology the Digital Analyst should get on this stage and let the Offline Marketing Manager learn an important lesson: get more insights by looking at data! Or in other words: Data still beats Opinion.
The Analyst should be able to tell the Creative Director and the Booker of the Model Agency which models to choose. The criteria can be hair colour, size, skin colour, race or even added accessories for the shoot. Simply by checking in on the Analytics figures. Because it can all be included in the online analysis: do blond haired women sell bikinis better than brown-haired models? Do dark-skin models sell better leisure outfits? Do long-haired models sell business costumes better?
Making money by asking the right questions and answering in a data-driven way is the Analyst’s job
To ask unusual questions and coming up with the data-driven answers is one of the main tasks of a Head of Analytics. The above is just a fashion example that by simply adding parameters of hair colour, skin colour etc. to the implementation will solve the problem of finding the right model for the next shoot. An easy way to create a unique and relevant campaign and delete gut feelings in the modelling business.
Business Success through Analytical Cleverness
A fashion customer at Webtrekk was able to increase their seasonal turnover – only for the bikini campaign – by 38% and therefore add $960,000 dollars to their revenue. How sexy does that sound?
No matter if it’s a model photo shoot or any other information that you can combine with Analytics data from the offline world use it to become a Creative Analytics Director for your business.
Whatever Data there is – check on the relevant combination of offline data (shoots, weather, stock exchange, internal data from DWH, CRM etc.) and enrich the knowledge
And by the way: talking about the creative part in an advertising: Even good old David Ogilvy, one of the best Creative persons of the last century said, that “if an advertising does not sell, it is not creative.” But he also said: “Never stop testing and your advertising will never stop improving.” Although he did not even have a clue about the testing possibilities around Web Analytics and the digital world.
Back to the models and their “value”: There will be a time when models walk around at castings showing their personal Online Revenue Dashboards and not just their latest Hawaii beach photos. It will happen.
Completely agree! Add in Optimization Testing (AB / Multivariate) and you have the perfect synergy to identify areas for improvement, design multiple creative solutions, and finally deploy them all to determine the new champion performer(s).
This exact mix has worked extremely well for me as it makes execution on new ideas much faster and clients benefit hugely as it allows far more proactive tactics for addressing weak performing initiatives than when having to wade through the traditional creative/development/analysis cycle.