The state of the analytics union


Gartner recently published a study "Marketing Data and Analytics Survey 2020" that finds that most clients aren't getting the value they expected from their analytics implementations.

The results of the study are not entirely surprising and represent a huge opportunity for analytics experts. I have first-hand knowledge of multi-billion dollar companies that have purchased Adobe Analytics (AA) but are grossly under-investing in qualified resources to implement and support the platform. 

They hire resources that are not required to be experts in AA with the expectation that they can learn on the job, just to save a few dollars in hourly rates. Big mistake! It’s like buying a Ferrari and then filling it up with regular gas and taking it to the local mechanic for service.  Upskilling in-house talent can only work if you have core expertise in-house (or contracted). But we’re often seeing clients who are lacking that in-house expertise and leaving their resources to fend for themselves. 

We, the analytics community, need to continue to coach these clients on how not to be penny wise and pound foolish. 

Secondly, the human race is still learning to interpret data correctly and trust what it’s telling us (confirmation bias). It’s human nature to second guess the machine. For example, there are many studies that show that machines are able to diagnose cancer with a higher level of certainty than doctors. However, patients still trust doctors more than they trust machines. Apparently, because machines can be wrong. Except that doctors can be wrong more often (they are human, after all).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Milwaukee Appliance Hand Truck

Image
Milwaukee Appliance Hand Truck, leaning against my shed Also known as a cart or a dolly. The model is HDA700. I paid around $120 for it. Here's a list of the features. Wrought iron frame 800 pound load capacity 6 inch non-marking wheels (solid, non-inflatable, never go flat) Stair climbers to help move loads up and down stairs and curbs Padding to prevent the cart from damaging the appliance (this is the white strip in the picture above) Belt or strap that goes around the appliance to secure it to the cart and keep it in place Manual ratchet belt tightener, the buckle-like part at one end of the belt (more on this below) Belt tightener handle (this is the red handle in the picture above) to add more tension to the belt once the manual ratchet has been used to the tighten the belt  I recently used this hand truck to move a big ass 320 pound refrigerator out of my garage (where it was delivered) and up a couple of steps to the deck, up one more step through the doubl...
Read more

My Experiments with the PICAXE 08M2+

Image
PICAXE 08M2+ I generally prefer to do things the hard way. For example, you can either microwave a frozen dinner or cook from scratch. The microwave option is a good backup plan, but cooking from scratch has far too many advantages, as I outlined in a recent blog post on the do-it-yourself way of life. In the electronics and robotics world, the analogy of cooking from scratch is to build circuits using a bare bones micro-controller chip (e.g. the PICAXE ) rather than a fancy board (e.g. the Arduino ). Therefore, once I get a circuit working with the packaged Arduino approach (e.g. this robot I built recently), I usually try to replicate the circuit using more basic components like the PICAXE. My decision to consider the PICAXE was influenced by Charles Platt's coverage of it in his awesome book Make: Electronics . But essentially, I am a minimalist and I want to see how much I can get done with a bare bones chip rather than a bulky board-based micro-controller like the Ar...
Read more

Utility trailer buying guide

Image
Introduction I recently bought a utility trailer . (I'll explain momentarily what that is and why you might consider buying one.) Going through the process (research, preparation, purchase, registration, setup and maintenance) has taught me that it's not a simple endeavor and very little good documentation exists in the public domain (e.g. on the Internet). Hence, this post. Research In dictionary terms, of course, "to trail" means "to follow" (or to trace the path of a primary vehicle). Alternately, Wikipedia defines a trailer as an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle. So, let's get acquainted with what a utility trailer is and why you might consider buying one. If you're a hardworking, blue collar American you probably already have one -- it's the back half of your pickup truck . Well not quite, but that's the reason Australians refer to a pickup as a utility vehicle. A pickup is characterized by the presence of a flat...
Read more