Two weeks ago in Salt Lake City I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend and speak at unSummitSLC (I spoke about mobile & cross-channel analytics). unSummit is a half-day, intimate gathering of digital marketers from all over the country and local university students that takes place the day before Adobe Summit each year (this was it’s 3rd year). The idea is to share content/presos about relevant topics in the industry without the pitchiness of many of the presentations at larger conferences. It’s also a great learning platform for students who are interested in analytics (I wish something like this had been around when I was in college!).

This was my first unSummit, and I walked away very impressed and inspired by the day. Some of the biggest names in the industry were there sharing their knowledge and there was plenty of time for Q&A to pick their brains after. There was also a sufficient amount of time for networking, which is always a plus in my book.

A few of my highlights are below:

Oren Kessler from MTV talked about how MTV views the new world of media from an analytics perspective

• TV used to have one core metric (nielson rating)
  – Easy to track, one channel
• Now people want tv whenever from wherever they are (always accessible)
  – This means there was now a need to see all the metrics (from various channels) in 1 place, integrate the metrics with different audience types, create new strategies for reaching audiences across channels, and create successful integrations – all in order to engage with their audience in new ways.

Michele Kiss from Web Analytics Demystified talked about the new world of the web.

There is a place for websites – but consumers will only spend so much time engaging with you there (need relevant, fun content – like kitties). Consumers may be a brand advocate online (via social) but you don’t know if they actually walk into your store and buy

5 Tips for getting started in a world where the website isn’t king

• Don’t cling to the typical
• Don’t think about metrics (start w/goals and objectives)
  – Use leading indicators: what measures will suggest that those goals were fulfilled? Even if they are not perfect.
• Define KPIs – this isn’t a list of every metric we can think to put on a report
  – Understand the goal – talk to the business about what they want, then figure out how to measure it
• Get familiar with other tools and datasets – you’re going to beed to
  – You’re not just a web analyst, you’re an analyst
• Pull it all together – nothing is more useless than channel-siloed metrics

Brooks Bell gave real life optimization examples from her work with AOL.

Some interesting stats she mentioned:

• 73% of customers want targets ads on mobile devices
• BUT 68% are not ok with targeted advertising

In essence: Customers are 2-headed monsters – they want a relevant & personalized experience but need to trust you (#privacy)

Therefore: Earn trust, provide value, don’t break the law

Jesse Weissman from Staples followed this up with some more Optimization nuggets:

State of optimization:

• 2 years ago: target the message
• Last year: target the offer
• Now: right offer, right customer, right price

Jesse noted that for his group, 85% of the testing effort is in the planning. It all starts with a good plan.

These are just some of the great pieces of advice I captured throughout the afternoon. I definitely encourage anyone in the area to attend #unSummitSLC next year, you won’t be disappointed!

And on a fun note – I finally had a chance to try the famous Kouing Aman from @lesmadelines at unSummit. Worth. The. Wait. Yum!