In reviewing the outlook of web analytics for GM it looks very promising. Earlier this year GM made a public announcement that they were pulling Facebook ads. They cited the lack of return on investment. These actions lead me to believe that they are constantly reviewing their web presence and are concerned about the direction they take. I do however think that they may be slow to act on emerging markets and are still overly cautious with making web related decisions. The company is very traditional and is accustomed to working in a particular manner, these ideals will be difficult to change.
I think that it would be beneficial for GM to try to do some smaller campaigns in smaller niche web markets that are generally youth oriented. Even if the ads don't bring direct sales from the youth, they can influence their parents to create sales. It will also raise the "hip-ness" factor of the company to bring a desire back to the brands. GM once tried to market Oldsmobile with the "This isn't your fathers Oldsmobile", but they still targeted an older generation, and it never took off.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Hiring Analysts
I did a search of candidates on LinkedIn to fill the Web Analysts position for AutoAnything and found Kevin Eggers. His background is in managing teams, projects and web products at a company that does similar work. He is currently working for Dataium where he describes them as "Dataium is the largest aggregator of online automotive shopper behavior data, and the only provider of streaming, in-market shopper intelligence. Dataium provides an unprecedented view of the shopping stream by offering a cross-source, multidimensional view of online activity from almost any point of origin."
His background of working in the web realm at a company that specializes in data acquisition and aggregation seems very relevant.
In an interview I would try to isolate ways that he creatively worked with the data. I would also try to see how specific he was with recommendations that he might have provided for growth scenarios.
I would really like to see creativity when dealing with the numbers to get fresh ideas for growth. The attention to detail also needs to be high.
His background of working in the web realm at a company that specializes in data acquisition and aggregation seems very relevant.
In an interview I would try to isolate ways that he creatively worked with the data. I would also try to see how specific he was with recommendations that he might have provided for growth scenarios.
I would really like to see creativity when dealing with the numbers to get fresh ideas for growth. The attention to detail also needs to be high.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Web Analytics Jobs
I did a quick search of Dice.Com to look for a web analytics position that looked interesting. The one that I found for AutoAnything seemed promising. They are looking for a Web Analytics Manager. The position covered much of the work that we have done in class as well as included some other skills that I have acquired from my current position.
The first thing that made me choose the position was that it was in a field I find interesting. I enjoy most everything related to cars, working on them, racing them, or just talking about them. The company has also been around for several years, since 1979, which makes it more attractive compared to a small start-up.
The key skills needed for the position are to be able to analyse the data coming in, and be creative in the interpretation. The person also needs to be a good communicator to be effective at being a liaison between several departments.
The biggest hurdle with this position is that they are looking for a specific amount of experience in the field. To make myself more attractive, I would have to find a way to relate my current career experience to apply to this position. Also, by doing some preliminary scenarios for the company prior to an interview could be useful.
The first thing that made me choose the position was that it was in a field I find interesting. I enjoy most everything related to cars, working on them, racing them, or just talking about them. The company has also been around for several years, since 1979, which makes it more attractive compared to a small start-up.
The key skills needed for the position are to be able to analyse the data coming in, and be creative in the interpretation. The person also needs to be a good communicator to be effective at being a liaison between several departments.
The biggest hurdle with this position is that they are looking for a specific amount of experience in the field. To make myself more attractive, I would have to find a way to relate my current career experience to apply to this position. Also, by doing some preliminary scenarios for the company prior to an interview could be useful.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Communications Across the Sales Channels
When communicating across franchise and parent companies their is often a disassociation between them. This can often wreak havoc in building a corporate brand and being successful in the market. On the other hand a cohesive group will be strong and successful.
I recently purchased a new vehicle from a Chevy dealer. At the time they were under construction with a renovation, but I didn't think much of it. During the discussion with the sales person it can to light that this was a corporate driven initiative. The dealer wasn't given much choice other than to renovate or lose their franchise. It was then that I realized that all of the local Chevy dealers were going through the same transformation.
The idea for Chevy was to get a consistent look for all of the dealerships across the country. The dealers would then be brand identifiable, even without looking at the sign above the lot. While there was a great cost for the dealers, it was made up with marketing from a corporate level that made it look like it was custom for each dealer (due to the consistency).
I haven't reviewed the exact sales numbers since the dealership overhauls, but from the little news I have read GM sales have been increasing.
I recently purchased a new vehicle from a Chevy dealer. At the time they were under construction with a renovation, but I didn't think much of it. During the discussion with the sales person it can to light that this was a corporate driven initiative. The dealer wasn't given much choice other than to renovate or lose their franchise. It was then that I realized that all of the local Chevy dealers were going through the same transformation.
The idea for Chevy was to get a consistent look for all of the dealerships across the country. The dealers would then be brand identifiable, even without looking at the sign above the lot. While there was a great cost for the dealers, it was made up with marketing from a corporate level that made it look like it was custom for each dealer (due to the consistency).
I haven't reviewed the exact sales numbers since the dealership overhauls, but from the little news I have read GM sales have been increasing.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Case Study
When Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Hampshire revised their communication strategy they had already done interviews with several of the important stakeholders, including the subscribers. To understand the results of the change in communications they will need to re-interview many of the same demographics to see the change.
Additional measurements should be taken to see how comprehensive the reach was. By doing interviews or surveys of prospective insurance purchasers they can see if they have moved above any of the competition as target providers.
The communications with local offices can be done with satisfaction surveys. They could also review locations to see if the local offices are compliant with broadcasting the new messages.
Additional measurements should be taken to see how comprehensive the reach was. By doing interviews or surveys of prospective insurance purchasers they can see if they have moved above any of the competition as target providers.
The communications with local offices can be done with satisfaction surveys. They could also review locations to see if the local offices are compliant with broadcasting the new messages.
Measurement Plan for Higher Learning
I decided to review Michigan State University due to the size of the institution. I find that sometimes these larger institutions will try to rest on the reputation of prior years instead of pushing to greater things.
The first item that needs to be looked at is the mission of the university. Without this we don't know what we need to measure or where we want to go. The following is an excerpt from the mission statement:
Other audiences such as staff, parents, and the media all have additional stakes in the process as well but in a lesser role.
The objective will be to connect with the mission to as many students as possible. By making a connection to the students that the university is focused on research and philanthropy they can recruit the and guide students to be better people.
The initial benchmark will be to compare news coverage of current achievements of MSU students both past and present.
To determine a measurement tool I went to Google News and did some searches for MSU related topics. The thought is that MSU is a prominent institution and that they will likely be covered by larger news agencies that are included in the Google News section.
In my research for this to get an idea of their success I filtered through pages of results from Google News and was a little disappointed in the coverage. I realize this is sports season, but it took a page and a half to find the first non sports related article. While the one article I did find outside of sports seemed on target to the mission of the school. It was focused on a study performed at MSU. The second article I found was unrelated to the school directly but was about a students living conditions off campus.
If feel that while the sports coverage is good for MSU (as long as they are winning) since it gives a sense of pride to all students, the administration needs to focus on getting more publicity for the achievements of the school.
The first item that needs to be looked at is the mission of the university. Without this we don't know what we need to measure or where we want to go. The following is an excerpt from the mission statement:
As a public, research-intensive, land-grant university funded in part by the state of Michigan, our mission is to advance knowledge and transform lives by:When identifying the audiences that are important we need to look foremost at the students, past, present, and future. Those audiences will determine everything that MSU is. If the past students fail or all become disenfranchised it will become difficult to recruit new students. If current students leave, you have no legacy. If future students decide to go elsewhere there is no reason to have a school.
- providing outstanding undergraduate, graduate, and professional education to promising, qualified students in order to prepare them to contribute fully to society as globally engaged citizen leaders
- conducting research of the highest caliber that seeks to answer questions and create solutions in order to expand human understanding and make a positive difference, both locally and globally
- advancing outreach, engagement, and economic development activities that are innovative, research-driven, and lead to a better quality of life for individuals and communities, at home and around the world
Other audiences such as staff, parents, and the media all have additional stakes in the process as well but in a lesser role.
The objective will be to connect with the mission to as many students as possible. By making a connection to the students that the university is focused on research and philanthropy they can recruit the and guide students to be better people.
The initial benchmark will be to compare news coverage of current achievements of MSU students both past and present.
To determine a measurement tool I went to Google News and did some searches for MSU related topics. The thought is that MSU is a prominent institution and that they will likely be covered by larger news agencies that are included in the Google News section.
In my research for this to get an idea of their success I filtered through pages of results from Google News and was a little disappointed in the coverage. I realize this is sports season, but it took a page and a half to find the first non sports related article. While the one article I did find outside of sports seemed on target to the mission of the school. It was focused on a study performed at MSU. The second article I found was unrelated to the school directly but was about a students living conditions off campus.
If feel that while the sports coverage is good for MSU (as long as they are winning) since it gives a sense of pride to all students, the administration needs to focus on getting more publicity for the achievements of the school.
Distance Learning Case Study
When reviewing the effectiveness of an online program there are several considerations that can be used. Items such as the employment rate of graduates, the average salary of graduates, or the number of students enrolling specifically due to the added feature of online studies.
For Lawrence Technological University I would suggest two measurements, the graduation rate of those attending online classes versus those using on campus study only, and secondly the alumni donation rate of campus only versus online students. These measurements will provide an insight into the number of students that are committed to the university. If a significant number of students drop or transfer before graduation that was using online studies, there may be issues. Also, the number of donations or lack thereof from online students could create future issues with funding the university.
Outside of internal measurements that can be made, LTU can also rely on studies from USNews and other evaluation sources. USNews did rank the Online Graduate Engineering studies one of the "Top Online Graduate Engineering Programs".
The audiences that they need to target with the measurements are prospective students from high schools and transfers from other colleges. They should also target LTU administration that gives online directives as well as the IT support teams. If the students are not targeted or a bad relation exists the students will not enroll no matter how good the program is. Likewise, if the LTU staff don't have confidence in the program they will make the experience poor for students.
The communications from LTU seem to be somewhat effective for me. I am a transfer student that attended a local college and am attending LTU remotely. If they didn't have effective communications I would never have considered them an option.
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