Digital analytics is like basketball …
If you follow me you know I’m a huge fan of digital measurement, analysis, and optimization. I’ve written books about it, I’ve given talks about it all over the world, and for the last five years I have been building a rapidly growing company around it. The Analytics Demystified brand, at least according to Google, has become more or less synonymous with the subject, and for that my partners and I are grateful.
What you may not know is that I’m also a huge fan of basketball.
This time of the year, when the NBA playoffs are in full swing, is my favorite time of the year. Spring is coming in Oregon, summer vacation is approaching for my kids, and some of the greatest athletes in the world are hammer the boards and performing acts of acrobatic magic, all in an effort to get to the next round.
During last year’s playoffs I started thinking about how similar digital analytics is to basketball and running a championship NBA franchise. Both require great owners, leaders, and coaches. Both depend heavily on star talent. And both have the potential to become transformative for businesses, shareholders, and customers.
A few months back I went with that theme and put together a short presentation. I had the pleasure of giving that presentation at our recent ACCELERATE conference, and I have embedded it below for your viewing pleasure. It’s only about 20 minutes long, so just in case you’re not a fan of the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan, well, you only have to listen to me extol their greatness for 20 minutes …
If you agree with me and think that analytics is a lot like basketball, but if you struggle in your company to meet some of the criteria I outlined, go ahead and give me a call. I’m always happy to talk about analytics and basketball, and who knows, maybe my company can help yours!
By the way, we just published all of the ACCELERATE 2012 Chicago videos for your viewing pleasure. If you’re interested in how ACCELERATE is different go ahead and watch a few. If you like what you see, sign up to join us on October 24th in Boston (it’s free!)
