Analysis on the Article Marketers flunk the big data test by Patrick Spenner and Anna Bird.

1. MARKETERS FLUNK THE BIG DATA TEST
BY PATRICK SPENNER AND ANNA BIRD

2.  INSIGHT 1

3. BIG-DATA EXPLOSION IS DRIVING A SHIFT AWAY FROM GUT-
BASED DECISION MAKING OR IS IT?
 There are many
who don’t
use data at all
and the
few who use it do
it badly.

4. MISTAKES OFTEN DONE BY DECISION MAKERS.

5. GUT FEELING
 For marketers Data is last on their list.
 Information came just by past experiences.
Butin today’s volatile business environment, judgment built
from past experience is increasingly unreliable. With consumer
behaviors in flux, once-valid assumptions can quickly become
outdated.

6. STATISTICS?
 Almost half population (44%)
of managers struggle with it.
 Only 5% managers maintain
their stats book.

7. SOME ARE DANGEROUSLY DISTRACTED BY DATA
 THEY DON’T HAVE THE STATISTICAL APTITUDE OR
JUDGMENT REQUIRED TO USE DATA EFFECTIVELY.
 EVERY TIME THEY SEE A BLIP ON THE DASHBOARD,
THEY ADJUST — AND END UP CHANGING DIRECTION
SO OFTEN THAT THEY LOSE SIGHT OF END GOALS.
 THESE PEOPLE CAN WREAK HAVOC BY CREATING
ENDLESS FIRE DRILLS AND PREVENTING ANYONE FROM
STICKING WITH PROJECTS LONG ENOUGH TO ACHIEVE
THE BEST RESULTS.

8.  INSIGHT 2

9. So what’s the solution?

10. THE BEST IS TO FOCUS ON GOALS AND FILTER
OUT NOISE

11. KEY QUALITIES OF “FOCUSERS”
 Comfort with ambiguity.
 Ability to ask strategic
questions based on
data.
 Narrow focus on higher-
order goals.

12. MANAGERIAL RELEVANCE

13. Managers should drive
effective data use, the best
marketing leaders reiterate
critical business goals
constantly (to keep them
front-of-mind despite
distractions)

14. MANAGERS SHOULD TEACH MARKETERS TO PUT DATA FRONT
AND CENTER IN THEIR DECISION MAKING.

15. Managers should Sensitize
marketers to common data
interpretation mistakes.
This enables even the
most distractible data
lovers to overachieve.

16. THANK YOU
-RAHUL CHAWLA