Navigating Uncertainty through Data. Navigate a Black Swan or Coconut Uncertainty environment using digital data resources. The keys to navigating a rapidly evolving digital landscape is to successfully measure, gain insights from the wisdom of the crowd, hypothesize, test, rinse, and repeat.

1. Sparkline Analytics
Navigating
j Vij
ey aku
m aar
c om
Uncertainty
oa tics.
Vin
through Da
ea naly
parklin
ta
aj@s
vino
oaj
@vin
plus
.co /vvg
vnjv din
vv linke
.co/
vnjv

2. Sparkline Analytics About this presentation
• Presented at the Google INSEAD CMO Academy.
• Presented on Wed 25 Sep 2012 at INSEAD (Singapore
campus).
• PDF copy available at http://vnjv.co/cmoacad

3. The Internet is a Black Swan
Speaker Notes
• Black Swan events: high-impact, hard-to-predict,
and rare events that are beyond the realm of normal
expectations in history, science, finance and
technology (Nassim Nicholas Taleb)
• In the context of 20 years ago the Internet is a Black
Swan.
• In 2012 the Internet is still a Black Swan. Innovation
Sparkline Analytics
and disruption is far from over.
• The question is, how do you navigate the ripples of
this uncertain medium and its users?
• One approach: data & insights
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ecstaticist/5697878837/sizes/l/

4. Sparkline Analytics

5. Speaker Notes
• The marketing technology landscape is
overwhelming.
Sparkline Analytics
• Lots of disjointed tools leads to data silos that spit
out confusing and sometimes contradicting metrics
and data.
• Marketers & product managers are floundering in a
deluge of data.
• The challenge to you is to look at the data
holistically, ignore the noise, cut out the unnecessary
metrics & dimensions, and most of all to glean
meaningful insights.

6. Sparkline Analytics Framework for Succeeding Online

7. • Vinny
Sparkline Analytics
• 2012 - Chief Consultant /
Sparkline Analytics
Founder – Sparkline
Analytics
• 2007-12 – Senior
Conversion Specialist,
Google Southeast Asia

8. Sparkline Analytics Digital Analytics Framework

9. Can you know it all?
“
[T]here are known knowns; there are things we
know that we know.
Sparkline Analytics
There are known unknowns; that is to say there
are things that, we now know we don't know.
But there are also unknown unknowns – there
are things we do not know we don't know
”
United States Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld (Feb 2002)

10. Can you know it all?
“
[T]here are known knowns; there are things we
know that we know.
Sparkline Analytics
There are known unknowns; that is to say there
are things that, we now know we don't know.
But there are also unknown unknowns – there
are things we do not know we don't know.
”
United States Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld (Feb 2002)

11. Can you know it all?
“
[T]here are known knowns; there are things we
know that we know.
Sparkline Analytics
There are known unknowns; that is to say there
are things that, we now know we don't know.
But there are also unknown unknowns – there
are things we do not know we don't know.
”
United States Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld (Feb 2002)

12. Can you know it all?
“
[T]here are known knowns; there are things we
know that we know.
Sparkline Analytics
There are known unknowns; that is to say there
are things that, we now know we don't know.
But there are also unknown unknowns – there
are things we do not know we don't know.
”
United States Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld (Feb 2002)

13. Google Analytics Intelligence Events
Speaker Notes
• Google Analytics (GA) Intelligence Events aim to
surface the unknown unknowns for your business
Sparkline Analytics
through your web analytics data.
• Constantly monitors your data and alerts you
whenever there are any significant changes (+ve or –
ve).
• Highlights specific areas to focus on and investigate.

14. Google Analytics Intelligence Events
Speaker Notes
• Case Study: Shoes of Prey
• Download full case study at http://vnjv.co/sopgaia
Sparkline Analytics

15. “We constantly monitor the
Intelligence Alerts reports
to look for unusual spikes
in overnight traffic from
referring sites … Since the
Sparkline Analytics
web moves at light speed,
we want to ensure that we
are speaking to people
writing about us as soon as
they publish and not a week
or two later – because that’s
the equivalent of two months
in web time!”
Michael Fox, Co-Founder & Director of Operations, Shoes of Prey

16. Speaker Notes
• A spike in intelligence alerts with an unexpected
surge in traffic from referrals.
Sparkline Analytics

17. Speaker Notes
• Analyzing the referrals, Shoes of Prey saw a surge in
traffic from polkadotbride.com
• Engagement from that source is also pretty healthy.
High time on site and pages/visit.
Sparkline Analytics

18. Sparkline Analytics 10% increase in sales

19. 10% increase in sales
Speaker Notes
“We knew that their [Polka Dot Bride’s] audience would
be receptive and it was a natural choice to partner with
them,” he says. “Together we ran a competition for
their readers to design and win a pair of wedding shoes
on Shoes of Prey. This helped kick-start the launch of
our range of wedding shoes, and we’re seeing great
sales as a result.” Michael credits the 10% uplift in
Sparkline Analytics
sales following the release of the new wedding shoe
range to this intelligent approach.

20. “So much happens around
us that we don’t always
know, and Intelligence
Alerts allows us to become
aware of these ‘unknown
Sparkline Analytics
unknowns’ and make sure
we’re responding
effectively.”
Michael Fox, Co-Founder & Director of
Operations, Shoes of Prey

21. Sparkline Analytics Digital Analytics Framework

22. Speaker Notes
• Every search conducted on a search engine is a
signal of intent.
Sparkline Analytics
• Thus the stored search query history for a search
engine can be viewed as a “database of
intentions” (term credited to John Battelle).
• Querying this database can reveal powerful insights
into what is top of mind right now and how
preferences & tastes change over time.
• One such database: Google Insights for Search.

23. Sparkline Analytics

24. Speaker Notes
• Use Insights for Search to see if there are subtle
changes in trends.
• Here is an example looking at whether people
search for 5-, 4-, or 3-star hotels more.
• What’s interesting to see is that while search
volumes for 3-star hotels have remained steady in
the last 8 years, queries for 5- and 4-star hotels are
starting to decline.
• What next? Find out why. Interview your users.
Observe behaviour. Modify strategy. Test & learn.
Sparkline Analytics

25. Sparkline Analytics

26. Speaker Notes
• It’s interesting to see that in 2 of the top 10 markets
– India & Malaysia – searches for 3-star hotels
exceed searches for 4-star hotels.
• Related & rising terms can provide further insights
(e.g. particular interest in Delhi).
Sparkline Analytics

27. Sparkline Analytics

28. Sparkline Analytics
Speaker Notes
• Search query volumes can often be a predictor for
real-world events.
• For example, strong correlation between search
terms related to flu symptoms and flu outbreaks.
• Google.org’s Flu Trends tool aims to estimate flu
activity in a country by analyzing flu-related search
term volumes.

29. Sparkline Analytics Social Listening & Predictions
http://vnjv.co/Sj5djk
• Evaluated Tweets & conversations to predict trades
• Outperformed other strategies by 1.4-11%
• Outperformed the Dow Jones Industrial Average

30. Speaker Notes
• While Insights for Search & social listening is great
for understanding overall consumer intent, don’t
forget to also speak to your own customers.
• Speaking to your users no longer needs to be painful
or expensive to set up.
Sparkline Analytics

31. Sparkline Analytics On-Site Surveys

32. Sparkline Analytics On-Site Surveys

33. Sparkline Analytics On-Site Surveys

34. Sparkline Analytics Off-Site Surveys

35. Sparkline Analytics User Testing

36. Sparkline Analytics User Testing

37. Sparkline Analytics User Testing

38. Sparkline Analytics Digital Analytics Framework

39. Sparkline Analytics Digital Analytics Framework

40. Sparkline Analytics A/B/Multivariate Testing
Speaker Notes
• HiPPO = Highest Paid Person’s Opinion
• Democratize creativity
• Take the HiPPO out of the equation

41. Sparkline Analytics On-Site Testing – A or B?
A
B

42. Sparkline Analytics On-Site Testing
B
15% increase in clicks

43. Sparkline Analytics Digital Analytics Framework

44. Thoughts for Tomorrow
Sparkline Analytics

45. Getting on the Big Data Bandwagon
Sparkline Analytics

46. Exponential Data Growth
Digital information in the world –"
Sparkline Analytics
videos, photos, music, text, etc.
2010
800 exabytes
46
2020
53 zettabytes

47. Exponential Data Growth
Sparkline Analytics
Source: unknown

48. Getting on the Big Data Bandwagon
Sparkline Analytics
Source: http://www.capgemini.com/technology-blog/2012/09/big-data-vendors-technologies/

49. What’s different about Big Data?
• You don’t have to be stuck with a pre-defined
database schema (~ give up control).
• Databases are no longer rows & columns –
Sparkline Analytics
rather, they are networks of objects.
• Data is not rows in a table – they are objects
with attributes that can evolve over time.
• Run ad-hoc queries over large datasets in quick
time.

50. Big Data: Easy to get started with minimal costs
Sparkline Analytics

51. Is the CMO’s Successor the “Chief Growth Officer”?
• Recommended
reading:
http://vnjv.co/Sjbjjq
• The marketer’s job is
to get more users.
Sparkline Analytics
• Leverage large
platforms (e.g.
Facebook, iOS) to
scale rapidly.
• Your marketer also
needs to be an
“engineer” in order to
exploit these
platforms.

52. Sparkline Analytics
aar
oa j Vij
ey aku
m
tics.
c om
Q&A
Vin parklin
ea naly
aj@s
vino
oaj
@vin
plus
.co /vvg
vnjv din
vv linke
.co/
vnjv