Practitioner Nominees 2009
Ed Wu
Senior Analyst, Global Consumer Online, Dell
Ed is currently the senior analyst for Dell's Global Consumer Online business. He is responsible for driving strategic analytics initiatives, recommending actionable ideas to fuel the optimization engine, evangelizing, championing web analytics and sharing best practice across our global business units. Ed's prior experience includes marketing strategy, business intelligence, competitive pricing and sales management.
Ed is passionate about web analytics and the author of the Super Web Analyst blog. Bryan Eisenberg best summarized Ed's quality this way “If the quality of a super web analyst are passion, an insatiable curiosity and the ability to communicate effectively, then Ed truly is one super web analyst.”
Ed graduated from Michigan Business School in 2004, as a distinguished student with focus on marketing and general management. Outside work, he is active in the faith community and enjoys reading, writing or just spending time with his family.
What major contribution will you bring to Web Analytics Association and its membership?
I believe the most important role for a Director to play is to help set the vision for WAA and develop strategic priorities based on that vision. To accomplish that, the Director needs to understand not only where the web analytics industry is going in terms of technical innovation, but also what're the unmet needs from business/marketing perspectives.
As a core member in Dell's web analytics community, I am at a unique position to see how Dell, as the # 1 ecommerce company implement cutting edge technology and use state of the art web analytics applications to drive online innovation and better serve its customers. What's more impressive is we started with US first but expanded the program to our global business units fairly quick. Like the cliché goes, this is a journey and we are still at the beginning of it. I am excited being part of the journey as I have the opportunity to really bring technology, vendor, consultant, people and process all together, with the ultimate goal to build the competitive advantage for Dell. Of course I am also experiencing the pains of politics, bureaucracy, organization silos, HIPPOs…you name it.
I believe my experience at Dell will enable me to give the board a balanced view so that we, as a team, can set right vision and strategic priorities for the association.
Why should members vote for you?
I have a passion about web analytics. I dedicate myself and focus my energy for the things I really love and web analytics is one of them. As a college student, I led a team with 13 students on a mountain climbing mission and we conquered the mountain with 24,700ft. To prepare for the trip, my team had to practice a whole year, in their spare time and we had to raise $10,000 fund by selling instant noodles, one pack at a time. During my four years at college, I attended and led three such missions and almost lost my life in one of them.
Of course that's more than 10 years ago and I am not climbing any more because my wife won't allow me. :) Yet I am still a mountaineer fundamentally. I am curious, courageous and I like challenges. I have been doing different jobs but none of them like my current job really satisfying my curiosity and challenging me intellectually. So here I am. Like you, I have learned so much from this community and now I am ready to give back, with passion and dedication. I am willing to spend 10-12 hours a month, or whatever it takes to help bring WAA to the next level.
Where do you think the Web Analytics Association should be in the next two years?
I would like to see WAA to become the ultimate resource for the members to learn and grow in the next two years. WAA forum is a great place, probably more for beginners to ask “how to” questions. eMetrics forum is great but it is expensive (though well worthy) and only few times a year. What it is lacking is a continuous learning experience for practitioners like us. We have mastered the basis and we want to reach to the next level. We want to see more case studies and learn how we can implement similar solutions for our company. Webinar/podcast is a great medium but there is too much sales pitch. We need a better learning and sharing platform and I think only WAA, as the only unbiased and credible professional association, can take up this challenge and fulfill the hungry needs.
In my process to apply for the business school six years ago, I co-founded a Chinese Professional Association where members can share their learnings and network with each other, in their journey to apply for the business schools. Today Chinese Professional Network has become the destination for MBA applicants as well as MBA schools in China.
I believe WAA should start to establish a process and a platform where members from different industries and companies can share their best practices in a confidential and non-competitive environment. I know we have this need and I believe many other companies have the similar needs as well. If elected, I will work with other Board of Directors and committee members to define strategy, allocate resource and make this happen as quickly as possible.
What is the biggest challenge facing the digital marketing industry?
One challenge is the risk of abusing “optimization”. The stories I have seen is we tend to optimize a certain page or even just some elements of the page and rush to declare success when we see a 5% jump in conversion. What we forget is the website is an eco-system and all elements of the site are all parts of the same body. Optimizing one part doesn't mean the whole body is necessarily better off. We should be extraordinarily cautious when we design, test and implement any big changes and very thoughtful in calculating the impact on the overall business, not just the individual parts.
I think WAA can do many things to help its members overcome these challenges. Only the sky is our limit as we have so many passionate people like you and me. I realized this when I was in the WAW in DC last October and I still believe it.
Greg Asman
Director Web Analytics, Aspen Marketing Services
Greg Asman is the Director of Web Analytics for Aspen Marketing Services, the largest privately-held agency in the US. In this role he is directly responsible for all web analytics and social media engagements for our clients. He's been involved in Online Marketing, strategy and development since 1993. Greg has extensive experience in online strategy and development and over 10 years of experience in the travel, retail, and telecom industries.
Greg's web analytics experience covers everything from log file analysis through implementations of all the major packages. He effectively combines online marketing, development, and strategy with predictive analytics to develop optimized solutions for our clients. After a successful exit from his first start-up, Greg joined Deloitte Consulting and became one of the founding member of Deloitte's eBusiness practice. He later joined Scient and from there founded another boutique consulting firm specializing in online marketing strategy and web analytics. Prior to joining, Greg was Director of Online Solutions for Web.com (NASDAQ: WWWW) and joined Aspen in April 2007.
Greg holds degrees in International Business and Management Information Systems from The University of Georgia's Terry College of Business and an MBA from Emory University's Goizueta Business School.
What major contribution will you bring to Web Analytics Association and its membership?
As both a practitioner and consultant, I understand what companies and analysts need to produce the best possible results for our clients. As an Omniture partner, I've developed strategies for implementations that go beyond the standard applications of the tools. To this end, I believe that I can bring a higher level of practical experience and education to the WAA by sharing what I have learned over the past 16 years in the online space.
I have strong expertise in the areas of predictive analytics and targeting, as well as in Social Media. As a participant in MindMeld, I am actively involved in standards recommendations for analytics around social media tracking and analysis. My field experience, combined with the industry work that I am currently volunteering for will help my fellow WAA members have a direct line of communication into the organizations affecting change in the web analytics industry.
Why should members vote for you?
Beyond any other reason, I am passionate about web analytics. It's what I love doing. I actively share learnings with my peers (find me on Twitter – @gregasman) and look forward to engaging in dialog about emerging trends, best practices, and helping new practitioners grow in their web analytics knowledge and experience.
Where do you think the Web Analytics Association should be in the next two years?
The WAA needs to move rapidly into the fields of social media and mobile analytics. These areas are in need of advanced analytics and the WAA must set standards with Vendors, Practitioners, and Consultants; as well as networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace to provide standardized analytics and measurement opportunities. With specific regard to mobile, my years of telecom experience can benefit the WAA in developing standards for how mobile networks should pass information through to sites that will allow for experiences on the handset. There is a tremendous opportunity in mobile (many Japanese companies see 60% more traffic to their mobile sites than online) but communication must occur with the networks and must involve someone like me who understands how they operate.
What's the biggest challenge facing the digital marketing industry?
The biggest challenge is a lack of understanding when it comes to metrics. People simply take metrics as an indicator without ever really understanding what the numbers mean in the sense of performance indicators. This is compounded by using ad networks, email distributors, etc. as the source of data instead of your own site. As a WAA board member, I will seek out ways to standardize the exchange of data between vendor services and onsite analytics platforms for consistent, actionable, and insightful analytics.
Peter Sanborn
Group Manager, Web Analytics, Microsoft Corporation
I have been in the digital marketing industry for the past 10 years. In my current role I manage a team of web analysts focused on improving the customer experience and marketing value of Microsoft.com. Microsoft.com is the 5th most trafficked website in the world and serves a diversity of audiences coming from various job roles, company sizes, and geographic locations. My team deals with both the successes and challenges of running a web analytics program for such a huge and multi-functional site on a daily basis.
In addition to digital marketing and web analytics experience, I bring many years of experience working on non-profit boards. I understand the tension between the aspirations of a group with common vision and the reality of limited resources to bring that vision to market.
What major contribution will you bring to Web Analytics Association and its membership?
Specifically, I would focus on the Web Analytics Certification program; working to scale that program out. I have probably interviewed more than a hundred candidates for different types of analytics roles in my career and there is no standard for what comprises the baseline skill set for a web analytics professional should have. As an industry, we need a more widely recognized “stamp of approval” certification that signals a professional standard. If done well, a flexible and tiered certification program could help to build the membership base and the overall political clout of the organization.
Why should members vote for you?
First, I have experience serving on boards so I am realistic about what can be accomplished and the commitment it takes. Second, I lead an organization that practices web analytics on one of the largest websites on the planet. So, my experience is less theoretical than it is practical. I know what issues practitioners deal with on a day-to-day basis and I would passionately represent the needs/issues of practicing web analysts.
Where do you think the Web Analytics Association should be in the next two years?
Testifying on Capital Hill to defend the interests of ethical, non-invasive web analytics practices. WAA needs to be a stronger force in counter-balancing the much louder voices that claim that any form of web tracking is an invasion of privacy. WAA is in a position to be more of a leader in selling to the public (and their elected officials) the positive benefits of web tracking.
What is the biggest challenge facing the digital marketing industry?
That we call ourselves the digital marketing industry. The industry has developed too myopic of a vision; that is focused just on digital. The power of digital marketing is when it is part of a great marketing strategy that ties together all of the marketing pieces together. How many of us struggle to connect digital marketing activities to hard business outcomes, like sales, particularly those of us managing non-ecommerce sites. I think part of the challenge is that we think too much about digital marketing in isolation and lose the interconnectedness of digital marketing with other parts of sales/marketing.
Rachel Scotto
Sony Pictures Entertainment
As a member of the Senior Staff of Sony Pictures Imageworks Interactive, Rachel oversees the Market Research and CRM teams. Imageworks Interactive functions as the full-service interactive agency and digital marketing arm of Sony Pictures Imageworks. Among others, this business unit supports the studio's interactive efforts for the Theatrical, Television and Home Entertainment groups.
Rachel is primarily responsible for web analytics, online primary research, secondary research, CRM and email marketing. Prior to joining Sony Pictures, she held similar positions in market research and web analytics at Movielink, Creative Planet and Orion Pictures. She also worked at MarketCast, the entertainment research firm under Reed Business. Rachel graduated from the University of Virginia and also holds a JD from Washington and Lee School of Law.
What major contribution will you bring to Web Analytics Association and its membership?
Experience — I would bring 12 years of experience in the web analytics field. I was fortunate to have started this career in 1996 and I have used 5 different tracking tools at various companies. This has helped me learn of the challenges and needs of measuring websites, which in turn can serve to create solutions.
Why should members vote for you?
Problem Solving Approach
As a practitioner for many years, I've seen the constant introduction of new technology that we need to figure out how to track and analyze. I take those challenges and work with colleagues in the web analytics space to pioneer together.
I am looking forward to getting more involved in the work of the Association in any manner I can best serve the analytics industry.
Where do you think the Web Analytics Association should be in the next two years?
- Establish itself as the authority representing a unified voice in the industry in matters such as analytics definitions and tracking standards
- Recruit more members to the association and encouraging involvement in the various committees
- Work with our legislators on matters relating to Internet tracking so that we can be a self-regulating industry to balance the need of web marketers and the privacy of individuals
- Continue to helping spread the education of the web analytics discipline in universities and through boot camps so that we train more qualified practitioners in this field
- Create a mentoring program where experienced members would pair up with new entrants into the field
What is the biggest challenge facing the digital marketing industry?
Establishing the right metrics and standards to measure all the emerging technologies.
Finding enough talent to fill the analytics job openings: Fortunately, more and more companies now realize the importance of web analytics and are assigned more funding in that area. This quick rise in need for more analytics resources creates the challenge of finding and keeping the right employees.
Ray Sibulkin
Executive Director of Business and Marketing Analysis, Edmunds.com
For the past nine years, Ray has been responsible for all web analytics, Business Intelligence and revenue budgeting at Edmunds.com. He has worked with 3rd party applications like Omniture (6 years and member of their Client Advisory Board) and headed the development of Edmunds' Enterprise Data Warehouse, which includes web click stream data, customer leads, marketing performance, behavior segmentation, and DART advertising. In his current role, Ray heads a team of 15 web analysts whose responsibility includes analysis of all marketing campaigns, traffic and advertising inventory forecasting, A/B testing performance, and revenue performance. Prior to working in the web analytic's field, he has had positions in Corporate Finance, Marketing and Strategic planning for Fortune 500 companies.
What major contribution will you bring to Web Analytics Association and its membership?
The great advantage of the analyzing websites is an abundance of data. Web analysts using tools like Omniture has hundreds of reports and metrics available to them. This wealth of information can make it difficult to answer a company's most basic question, “How is my website doing?” It could take a seasoned analyst to properly answer this question.
Value driven metrics and a higher level of standardization is needed. Focus the analytics on selected metrics and reports that have a direct impact to performance, like revenue and profit. Standardize the analytic process and definitions on how to measure revenue and how to allocate revenue by traffic source and web page.
My experience at accomplishing these goals at Edmunds.com will assist me in guiding the Web Analytics Association and its members to this next level.
Why should members vote for you?
Experience. I have 20 years experience as an analyst with over 10 of those years as a web analyst. My tool and application experience includes extensive server log file analysis, use of 3rd party web analytic applications like Omniture, development of an Enterprise Data Warehouse with a MicroStrategy interface. My advanced analytic experience combined with my traditional business and marketing experience provides a unique combination which enables myself to have a clear understanding determining the “the right metric for the right situation”.
Vision. I understand the future challenges web analytics will be facing. I have already faced many of these issues at Edmunds.com. Advances in web page content technology has forced re-thinking analytics. The Web Analytics Association can be a leader in addressing these future challenges by guiding its members and standardizing these new metrics.
Where do you think the Web Analytics Association should be in the next two years?
The Web Analytics Association should continue on its successful path to become the definitive resource for web analysts. This not only includes additional standardization, but addressing new technologies, providing benchmarks and consulting with analytic vendors to influence their roadmaps.
The association should also target educating members on “metrics” that support key company strategies. Basically, guiding members on how web analytic metrics integrate with corporate strategic planning and monitoring. This will provide the framework to provide focused performance driven analytics.
What is the biggest challenge facing the digital marketing industry?
New technologies in page content will lead to new tracking metrics. Page views will become less of a key metric or standard in the future. New technologies in web page generation, like ajax, or increased use of videos will make it more difficult to track visitors using the standard “pixel” technology.
There will also be new tracking capabilities will allow tracking of “events” like such as scrolling, hovering, faceting, and drop down menu use. These “events” are not typically considered page views, but user's interaction with them is key to understanding website behavior and value.
These new technologies will challenge the industry in determining the true “ROI” or “value”. They need to be addressed now in order to have a proactive impact on how the industry tracks and measures their performance.
