Interviews * Session Previews

Generative AI is different from every computational system we have experienced. GenAI is so much more than a database, a search engine, a calculator, or a rules-based reasoning engine. We now have a tool for improving imagination, creativity, understanding, problem-solving, decision-making, innovation, analytical thinking, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, empathy, communication skills, adaptability, flexibility, logical reasoning, conceptual thinking, curiosity, and open-mindedness. Jim offers some suggestions on new ways to use computers.

The transition from print to Web 1.0 was tough. The leap to Generative AI is likely to be even more dramatic. (Lucky us.) Christopher takes a quick look back at the marketing science of Generative AI in 2009 and 2014, noting the discontinuity between observational methods and randomized control tests. He then marvels at the convergent evolution of bloated, mismanaged state of UX that’s still too real for most of us and argues that the science of data analysis can and should take advantage of this crunchy, dramatic, transition. We’re in for a wild ride, Christopher urges you to climb aboard but please, keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times.

Retail media is evolving and enhancing advertising analysis capabilities. Dave shares how you can benefit from the latest technology for your whole advertising funnel, even if your brands don’t sell on retail websites. Dave walks through the technical side to grow from “digital direct response” to a holistic, cross-channel approach. This is how to put the technology into practice for results-driven marketing strategies.

Most marketing analysts want to work on projects beyond reporting, but most of us don’t have data engineers or an advanced data model to work with. You can elevate your marketing analytics practice to marketing data science using open-source tools. Kate shares real-world examples using KNIME, a free open-source data science platform. She walks through two end-to-end instances (one using Google Analytics 4 and one using Salesforce) to build better automated reporting. Then, she shows how you can employ data science elements to do outlier detection, lead scoring, and ideal customer profile analysis.

What’s scarier than creepy, drooling zombies in a horror movie? Creepy, drooling zombies in your data presentation audience! For analytics and marketing practitioners everywhere, the struggle with presenting insights to bored, confused, and zombified stakeholders and clients is anything but fiction. At the heart of this struggle is a simple yet dastardly villain: not knowing the mechanics for telling engaging and motivating data stories. Lea illuminates the elements that make Hollywood so compelling and how they can kickstart your otherwise dry presentations. With her signature blend of practical, neuroscience-based principles and irreverent “tough love”, Lea will equip you with a fresh data storytelling script that will have your stakeholders finally understanding your insights and shouting “Action!” by the end.

Generative AI offers incredible potential for marketing analytics, but it also comes with a host of challenges and considerations. Martin explores the good, the bad, and the AI of using generative models. The potential for personalization and optimization must be balanced with the risks of bias and overreliance on automation. Martin offers up real-world examples of successful and responsible generative AI campaigns and discusses strategies for navigating the potential pitfalls.

It’s a race between Machiavelli’s “The Prince” and Ringer’s “Winning through Intimidation”. Forced to work for a difficult client, this agency analytics department masters corporate bureaucracy by focusing on tracking. But the client vision of success is mediocre at best, threatening to keep any analytics effort stifled with limited visibility. Facing competing agency stakeholders who brazenly steal credit and media stakeholders who refuse to cooperate, the mix of greed and complacency threatens to drive the business into passive aggressive chaos. This isn’t just a battle for incremental client business, it’s a journey of self-discovery and identity formation.

Learn how to build world-class business dashboards from the author of the best-selling book The Big Book of Dashboards.

A well-designed dashboard can point out risks, opportunities, and more; but common challenges and misconceptions can make your dashboard useless at best, and misleading at worst. This workshop will discuss the tools, guidance, and models you need to produce great dashboards that inform, enlighten, and engage.

This workshop is for anyone tasked with building or overseeing the development of business dashboards and is applicable to anyone who needs to help others better understand data to make informed decisions.

The workshop will appeal to all levels in the organization, from data analysts to C-Suite executives.

The Analytics Power Hour podcast was inspired by the discussions that occur in lobby bars after hours at conferences like Marketing Analytics Summit (specifically, by MAS’s predecessor, eMetrics). For 9 years this bi-weekly show has explored various analytics topics with digital drink in hand and the combined experiences and wit of the hosts and their guests on tap and flowing freely. This will be recorded with MAS attendees as a live (and participatory!) audience exploring important topics of the day.

The time is upon us to optimize 1st Party Data through the implementation of CAPI’s (Conversion API). Unlike conventional (and soon outdated) methods dependent on pixels, CAPI mitigates signal loss, safeguarding the integrity of marketing capabilities. This, in turn, improves audience reach, conversions, Return on Ad Spend, and cost per acquisition across diverse advertising platforms. This is how you can seamlessly integrate first-party signals into ad platforms for a more accurate measurement of digital media performance. Barbara and Claire describe how CAPI unlocks a unified data strategy, augmenting your first-party digital data.

For lots of companies, the full customer experience includes Buy Online/Pick-up In Store (BOPIS), Curbside Pickup, and Ship To Home (STH). Understanding that full experience gets complicated since connecting web analytics and Point of Sale (POS) systems typically require a custom solution. Ciara has worked through this scenario at both The Home Depot and WillowTree, and gets very tactical about it by walking through data collection, transformation, and integration ups and downs.

In today’s complex media landscape, measuring campaign performance includes dealing with hidden or partial information and delayed or infrequent feedback, which can result in incorrect insights recommending the wrong next steps. These are called “wicked” learning environments and can wreak havoc on agile marketing teams and marketers that want to launch, learn, and iterate quickly and accurately. Ely brings 20+ years of marketing and analytics experience to discuss how to survive and thrive as a marketing analytics leader in wicked learning environments.

– Learn how to recognize whether the environment you are in is “kind” or “wicked”
– Discover best practices on measuring marketing efforts and deriving accurate insights in wicked learning environments
– Learn how the growth of LLMs and AI will impact how we measure marketing performance in these environments

We will cover/ You will learn

-What is Generative AI Really?
-Common + Technical Applications for Generative AI
-Prompt Engineering
-Top Tips for Prompt Design
-Regex, dataLayers, SQL
-The Secret to Success with Generative AI
-Q&A/Exercises

Tight marketing budgets provide an opportunity for marketing analytics teams to act as a catalyst for cost-savings and effective marketing strategies. It’s high time for cross-collaboration. Red Hat has a crew of 10 scrappy data scientists from multiple departments who construct upsell, down-sell, and cross-sell models that serve over 75 teams across the organization. Cross-functional alignment is crucial for both the business and the individuals on the team. Greer reveals how you can maximize the impact of cross-functional alignment at your company:

-How cross-collaboration opens doors
-How to structure your team for success through a bottom-up approach
-What the business gets out of a cross-functional project
-What each team member gets out of serving on a cross-functional team

The relationship between analysts and stakeholders resembles interactions at a restaurant. A menu sets expectations, communication is key, and you can even make friends along the way. But sometimes a customer neglects to mention a peanut allergy, a server neglects to mention that the special has nuts in it, or the toddler screams that nothing but ice cream will do. Jeff has been asked for the data equivalent of an eggless omelet and witnessed the need for a data EpiPen. He delivers the inside scoop on how to train your clients to be better patrons. The goal is to end up with a stakeholder who is happy with the meal, well-nourished, and pleased by the experience.

Multi-touch attribution was the gift that kept on promising and never quite delivering. Meanwhile, the MMM workhorse has been getting better and better. It’s now down to understanding what kinds of questions it can answer and which it cannot. With his deep background in digital analytics and data science, Jim turned his attention to Marketing Mix Modeling, Experimentation, and Econometrics. You will gain a clear perspective of what MMM is and how it works, the data required, and a double handful of resources for getting started with adding this tried and true analytical approach to your skill set.

What we’ll cover

-Fostering Data Literacy – they can’t want what they don’t understand
-Follow the Money – it’s all about income, expenses, and bonuses
-Understanding their Needs – providing advice rather than reports
-Watch Your Language – speaking Business instead of Statistics
-Being Proactive – having the courage to stick your neck out

This is very much a workshop situation. Yes, there are some slides to walk through but this will be a working session to talk about your situation. Come prepared to create your own To-Do list and walk away with the confidence to help your stakeholders succeed.

Although there are many differences between the for profit and nonprofit worlds, analytics challenges seem to be a common denominator between the two. How do you achieve the tactical and strategic goals of your business? What’s the key to gaining executive buy-in for your ideas & initiatives? How can you transition towards a self-sustaining model for your clients? Joe has been there and walks you through the notable challenges, failures, and success he’s faced alongside some crucial lessons learned since waltzing into the analytics world 10 years ago.

Every system collects data differently. And then there’s the switch to GA4, consent mode, cookie deprecation, generative AI… the numbers just don’t align. If you are stuck in the usual purgatory of trying to explain why numbers in one system are different from those in another to client, get trending! Myriam and Sarah show how to use trend analysis to navigate the intricacies of reconciling data variations over time. They use real-world examples give you great communication tools to move forward with trend analysis, avoid the debates in the big meetings about which number is right, and stop letting the data drive all over you.

Given the evolution of privacy standards across the industry and the adoption of a consumer-first approach, it’s more important than ever that we actually understand our customers and put their needs first as we think about optimizing our digital properties. With the ever-shrinking ability to measure and personalize due to changing privacy standards, we need to be able to react more rapidly to what our customers are telling us they want. Research & experimentation can help us better understand and quickly react to the needs of our customers. This interactive workshop will teach you how to flip the script from focusing on finding solutions to your organization’s problems to instead focusing on your customers’ problems.

Six-Sigma is a set of techniques for improving processes by identifying and removing the causes of defects and minimizing variability. It’s a great method for maximizing marketing and operational efficacy. Deb describes how to integrate Six Sigma into marketing and operational analytics, and dashboard design. Learn how this robust approach enhances value, efficiency, and business success by knocking down departmental silos. Deb illustrates how several Six Sigma tools and techniques can be incorporated into marketing and operations team workflows.

Creating a robust Next Best Action (NBA) model can be tricky. Emma demonstrates some tips and tricks through the strategic use of analytics. Through real-life examples, Emma describes some of the challenges in both analysis and the implementation of a Next Best Action model and shares:

• Guidance on how to approach the analytical side of NBA
• Tips and tricks for a successful model
• Real-life examples of NBA in action
• Pitfalls to watch for in the implementation of an NBA model in the front line

We will cover/ You will learn

• What is Generative AI Really?
• Common + Technical Applications for Generative AI
• Prompt Engineering
• Top Tips for Prompt Design
• Regex, dataLayers, SQL
• The Secret to Success with Generative AI
• Q&A/Exercises