http://www.mediapost.com/publications/ The inside line on Web Metrics and measurement. en-us Copyright 2009 MediaPost Communications http://www.mediapost.com/rss Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:11:57 EST I've often said that not all Web analytics tools were created equally. Each tool has various nuances that make it either very appropriate or less than effective for your business. While looking at simple lists of features, hearing the sales-speak, and watching product demos is certainly helpful for assessing tool capabilities, limiting yourself to only those activities is never wholly sufficient to put the "tool decision" in context. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117574Judah Phillips <>Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:27:32 ESTI had a chance to talk briefly with Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, at last week's ANA conference. He'd just finished sharing his take on marketing and advertising with 1,200 of us representing marketers, agencies, and supporting service providers. Of relevance to Metrics Insider readers, he said... http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117187Pat LaPointe <>Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:47:57 ESTThe numbers are in. The National Retail Federation (NRF) is, not surprisingly, predicting another dip in holiday spending in 2009, starting with an 1% drop in sales during the eighth-largest U.S. spending holiday, Halloween. It's a dismal outlook for marketers, but one that doesn't have to leave us scratching our heads and biting our nails until the actual sales figures are reported. Even with dour consumer spending and strained marketing budgets, smart marketers can adjust their marketing strategies to divert search traffic from rivals and gain an online competitive advantage. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=116972Stephen DiMarco <>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:31:00 ESTAccording to the most recent Interactive Advertising Bureau Internet Advertising Revenues Report, Internet advertising for the first 6 months of 2009 was down 5.3% year over year, to $10.9 billion. According to TNS Media Intelligence, total U,S, ad spend for the same period was down 14.3%, which means that online advertising is doing a pretty good job of weathering this recession, and is in fact increasing share of spend. That will stand us in good stead as the economy recovers. Digging a little deeper into the IAB report, two trends jump out at me. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=116692Josh Chasin <>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:00:56 ESTReturn on investment of social media campaigns was a big topic a few weeks ago at the Social Ad Summit in New York. As brand advertisers are venturing further into the space, the instinct to put an ROI on their six-figure marketing efforts is only natural. For brands, the value is in the impression, but how does this mindset shift to valuing friends and fans or other social media actions? http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=116521Jodi McDermott <>Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:30:13 ESTAs the planning cycle renews itself, you should be aware of five key questions that have been known to pop up in discussion with CEOs/CFOs, often short-circuiting otherwise brilliant marketing careers. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=116218Pat LaPointe <>Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:15:54 ESTCompanies are more dependent on solid Web analytical data to drive increased revenue and improved efficiency than ever before. Yet, most companies underinvest in the people and technology needed to deliver optimal levels of analysis. In my discussions with colleagues at industry events, it is not uncommon to find one analyst or a very small team of fewer than three analysts responsible for everything related to Wweb analytics, from soup to nuts. And by that I mean all vendor relationships, systems administration and maintenance, tagging specification/verification/QA, AB and multivariate testing, data collection, report creation/interpretation, stakeholder communication, and all analysis activities. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=115611Judah Phillips <>Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:15:11 ESTIn the pressure of the current business environment, humor isn't lost. Here are a few ideas for metrics and measurement tools I've come across in my travels recently that you might like to hear about... http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=115371Pat LaPointe <>Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:01:01 EST I believe that social networking is an evolution, not a revolution. In fact, I was originally going to title this column "Enough Already With the Social Networking," but I realized that was more clever than fair. I don't mean to suggest social networking isn't the bee's knees, nor do I deny that all the kids seem to love the Facebook and the MySpace. Rather, I offer up two somewhat contrarian points of view for your consideration and refutation.The first: In the U.S., at least, Twitter's explosive growth appears to be slowing. The second: on Web 2.0, content isn't king. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=115153Josh Chasin <>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:30:21 ESTA funny thing happened on the way to the CMO's office. Between the realization of an eye-opening, game-changing insight gleaned from advertising test results and Web behavior data, the report you were gleefully ferrying to the C-Suite wilted, turned brown at the edges and started to dribble a slimy substance with a conspicuous stench. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=114723Jim Sterne <>Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:15:30 EST