Good morning: The measurement challenge

Good morning, Marketers, may all your KPIs be green and your clovers four-leafed today.

The carpenters’ rule of “measure twice, cut once” is some of the best advice there is. Especially if, as in marketing, your measuring stick frequently changes. 

Google’s decision to end the use of third-party cookies in Chrome is one such. That means an end to view-through conversions, a favorite way for folks to prove the ROI on digital advertising. 

Despite that, there has been considerable debate about whether that measurement was actually any good. 

The great thing about digital marketing is that you can measure everything. That is also the terrible thing about it. There are so many different measurements that it is very difficult to tell which is the one you actually need. As a result marketers get caught in the position of having to replace their yardstick with a speedometer and maybe an altimeter, too. 

A great way to find out which metrics you should be using is to immerse yourself in over 45 sessions at our MarTech virtual conference March 29 and 30 (registration is free). We’ve made it easy for attendees to select relevant talks ahead of time so their schedule is personalized and ready to go on these two big days.

Constantine von Hoffman

Managing Editor

Shorts

What we’re reading. Humanitarian groups are feeling the impact of digital ad halts in Russia and Ukraine. And Shake Shack is trying out Bitcoin to lure younger consumers.

Quote of the day. “The vast majority of Russian people are very clear headed and understand the dark gravity of the situation they’re in. And, at the end of the day, they appreciate a good pizza.” – Christopher Wynne, whose company owns the 190 Papa John’s stores still operating in Russia. 

About The Author

Constantine von Hoffman is managing editor of MarTech. A veteran journalist, Con has covered business, finance, marketing and tech for CBSNews.com, Brandweek, CMO, and Inc. He has been city editor of the Boston Herald, news producer at NPR, and has written for Harvard Business Review, Boston Magazine, Sierra, and many other publications. He has also been a professional stand-up comedian, given talks at anime and gaming conventions on everything from My Neighbor Totoro to the history of dice and boardgames, and is author of the magical realist novel John Henry the Revelator. He lives in Boston with his wife, Jennifer, and either too many or too few dogs.