Uncovering Aha! | Data-Savvy Brand Strategy
53 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 13 ratingsLearn how to uncover unexpected business opportunities in data, then use creativity in strategic planning, digital marketing and social media to deliver results. From the Callahan agency.
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Episodes
Retail wrap-up 2020: Setting goals for 2021
December 16, 2020 17:14 - 25 minutes - 34.5 MBNow’s the time to assess your retail strategy, review your playbook, and think about your KPIs. Retailers and brands have permission from their customers right now to implement unprecedented levels of change. This is the opportunity to rethink and reinvent what the future looks like for retail, whatever brand or business you're part of, and incorporate those ideas into your goals for 2021. In our final podcast of the 2020 Retail Wrap-Up Series, Joe Cox, Director of Communication Strategy, ...
Retail wrap-up 2020: The current state of customer loyalty
December 08, 2020 16:23 - 25 minutes - 34.5 MBCombine the traditional scramble for loyalty during and proceeding the holiday season with the fact that 75% of shoppers have tried a new product this year, and it makes for an exceptionally top of mind topic for C-suite executives and marketers. Kristin Demel, retail strategy director talks with Joe Cox, director of communication strategy, about how brands can address shifting loyalties, why it's different for everyone based on the specific needs and values of your consumer, and which bra...
Retail Wrap-up 2020: Black Friday ethics
November 20, 2020 01:26 - 23 minutes - 31.6 MBRetailers and brands must consider Black Friday ethics in the midst of the 2020 holiday shopping season. Safety is obviously top of mind, as is the financial situation many shoppers are in, due to the pandemic, which creates many challenges and ethical issues to address. In this episode, Kristin Demel, Retail Strategy Director at Callahan, talks with Joe Cox, Director of Communication Strategy, about the top three ethical considerations for retailers and brands this season.
Retail Wrap-up 2020: Shopper modes are the new purchase channels
November 12, 2020 02:58 - 19 minutes - 26.3 MBIn this third episode of a multi-part holiday retail series, Joe Cox, Director, Communication Strategy at Callahan talks to Kristin Demel, Retail Strategy Director, on the five shopper modes and how retailers and brands must evolve their online, in-store and digital experiences to meet consumer expectations and shift from reactionary tactics to intentional action.
Retail Wrap-up 2020: Top 10 holiday tactics that will suffer this year
October 27, 2020 14:28 - 33 minutes - 46.6 MBIn the second podcast of this multi-part holiday retail series, Kristin Demel, Retail Strategy Director at Callahan talks with Mark Tribble, VP of Brand Management on why the phrase omni-channel is outdated as part of a discussion on the top five holiday retail tactics that are likely to see drastic changes this year.
Holiday Retail Series: Factors making this a one-of-a-kind retail holiday season
October 13, 2020 18:41 - 20 minutes - 28.8 MBThe 2020 retail holiday season will be one unlike any others, with new challenges and major shifts for most retailers. This is the first podcast of a multi-part holiday retail series designed to discuss upcoming challenges and opportunities this holiday season with the goal to help brands and retailers make the shift from reactionary to intentional.
How efficient is your media reporting?
October 06, 2020 20:49 - 17 minutes - 24.4 MBTeams are spending a lot of time compiling massive amounts of data, to prepare reports for the next status meeting only to run out of bandwidth to analyze and recommend optimizations…only to have taken too long to inform the next media cycle. Jan-Eric Anderson, president at Callahan, and Zack Pike, head of data at Callahan, explains three ways your team can stop wasting time in media reporting by utilizing front-end data analysis, leveraging technology and getting comfortable trusting the ...
Front-end analytics, revisited
September 24, 2020 14:59 - 21 minutes - 29.3 MBFront-end analytics means using the data you have, to drive decisions when planning. It's about predicting the areas of marketing with the highest potential. You have access to the data, but how do you make it actionable? Jan-Eric Anderson, president at Callahan, and Zack Pike, head of data at Callahan, explain three important components a marketer must have to make data actionable, and discuss the benefits to implementing front-end analytics.
How efficient is your marketing data?
September 02, 2020 19:25 - 19 minutes - 26.7 MBMaximizing the productivity of your marketing analytics team is always about the data, and the time it takes to analyze large sets of data to uncover key insights. In this episode, Callahan’s president Jan-Eric Anderson and head of data Zack Pike talk about what technology they use, and how to staff an analytics team with the right roles to the most out of a team of analysts.
How machine learning can inform your marketing
June 23, 2020 19:55 - 21 minutes - 30 MBMachine learning and artificial intelligence are phrases that get used frequently and oftentimes interchangeably. However, the two are quite different in their abilities to inform your data and marketing plans. In this episode, Callahan’s chief strategy officer Jan-Eric Anderson and head of data Zack Pike talk about what the two technologies can do and how to leverage them within a your proprietary data.
How customer feedback should inform your sales data
May 29, 2020 17:01 - 20 minutes - 27.8 MBGuest experience - and customer feedback about their experiences, is a critical component to sales performance in a store. In this episode, Callahan’s chief strategy officer Jan-Eric Anderson and head of data Zack Pike talk about how to integrate customer experience feedback into and alongside more numerical data, and what sources of customer feedback you can start with.
How to leverage “free” third-party data
May 11, 2020 16:50 - 17 minutes - 24.1 MBIncorporating free data into your marketing dashboard can be a good way to add additional insights. In this episode, Callahan’s chief strategy officer Jan-Eric Anderson and head of data Zack Pike discuss the pros, cons and challenges of utilizing third-party data, how you can get started, and what to watch out for.
Creating meaningful brand experiences in a post-pandemic world
April 17, 2020 20:21 - 24 minutes - 33.9 MBWhat happens in a post-pandemic world? How have consumer behaviors shifted, how do we continue to meet their needs and how do these changes affect our company as a whole? In this episode, Callahan’s activation strategist, Joe Cox, and chief strategy officer, Jan-Eric Anderson, discuss what brands should be considering and why the time is now to make big changes.
How data can inform brand and marketing decisions amidst COVID-19
March 23, 2020 21:23 - 16 minutes - 22.5 MBNavigating your marketing plan and brand response during this COVID-19-generated pandemic is no easy feat to say the least. In this episode, Callahan’s chief strategy officer Jan-Eric Anderson and head of data Zack Pike discuss how to use data from health organizations and make informed business decisions about how best to navigate the coronavirus’ effect on commerce and community.
What consumers expect from companies during COVID-19
March 18, 2020 18:51 - 28 minutes - 38.9 MBCoronavirus has reshaped a lot of consumer behaviors in a short amount of time. In this episode, Callahan’s activation strategist Joe Cox and chief strategy officer Jan-Eric Anderson discuss what consumers are expecting from companies, and what the differences and similarities are between a company response and a brand response.
How brands can make responsible coronavirus preparations now
March 12, 2020 20:23 - 6 minutes - 9.46 MBAs companies around the world make coronavirus preparations, they are making decisions that affect their business, their employees and their marketing strategy. Decisions that may change as the situation evolves. Jan-Eric Anderson, chief strategy officer at Callahan, offers some perspective and explains why you should not wait to take action within your company.
Navigating C-Suite and personnel change
March 09, 2020 16:30 - 17 minutes - 24.2 MBThe only constant is change - so how do you navigate the change inside your business as C-Suite leadership and other key personnel leave an organization? In this episode, Callahan’s retail strategy director Kristin Demel and chief strategy officer Jan-Eric Anderson discuss data-driven tactics you can use to navigate this kind of transition and make sure your business is set up for success with new leadership and employees.
Our 2020 Oscars predictions can also uncover aha...and this year's winners?
February 05, 2020 22:50 - 22 minutes - 30.8 MBCallahan's senior business analyst used his spare time once again to construct an algorithm - this time to determine which movies have the highest chance of winning "Best Picture" at the 2020 Oscars. In this episode, we explain the correlation between his Oscars model and how this same predictive modeling approach can uncover aha when applied to business and marketing challenges.
The 2020 Aha Bowl: How data models built for sports can drive informed marketing decisions
January 10, 2020 22:06 - 19 minutes - 26.7 MBCallahan’s senior business analyst built his own statistical model to investigate the college football ranking system. In this episode, he explains his method, how it could be applied to a business’ own marketing and analytics efforts, and whether or not the selection committee let the “best” four teams in this year.
Are you data driven? Or data inspired?
December 03, 2019 11:00 - 17 minutes - 24.3 MBIt would be tough to find a company that would say data isn’t important. But, what is the expectation of data as a marketing function or resource: does it drive, or inspire your decisions and planning? In this episode, Callahan’s chief strategy officer Jan-Eric Anderson and head of data Zack Pike discuss how organizations end up having a tendency for one or the other, and how you can position your leadership to focus more on being inspired by the opportunities your data uncovers.
Black Friday success strategies
November 26, 2019 11:00 - 20 minutes - 28.4 MBBlack Friday has shifted from being “the” shopping holiday of the year to “a” shopping day amidst a calendar year full of perpetual sales. How do retailers find success - and what should they measure to define that success? In this episode, Callahan’s retail strategy director Kristin Demel and chief strategy officer Jan-Eric Anderson discuss the metrics that should matter most to retailers on the eve of 2019’s Black Friday, and how to build affinity for your product or brand in the months le...
Why an out of stock analysis matters
November 18, 2019 11:00 - 14 minutes - 19.9 MBHaving product on shelves is an obvious requirement for customers’ ability to purchase it. But, why drive a consumer to a store if the product’s not on shelves - and why isn’t it there? In this episode, Callahan’s retail strategy director Kristin Demel and head of data Zack Pike discuss the importance of understanding the factors behind out of stock products and how to incorporate that data into your marketing plans.
How brands should approach virtual reality
November 15, 2019 18:18 - 20 minutes - 27.7 MBVirtual reality has become mainstream enough that it’s time for brands to think about what kinds of experiences to offer. In this episode, Callahan’s director of social and emerging media Ben Smith talks about VR’s emerging trends, what brands should really be prepared for, and how to start thinking about VR from a marketing perspective.
Rethinking the customer journey
September 25, 2019 15:08 - 20 minutes - 27.6 MBCustomer journeys are nothing new to marketing plans. But, there are more personal factors - and context - to consider now. In this episode, Callahan’s activation strategist Joe Cox and chief strategy officer Jan-Eric Anderson discuss the major trappings of a traditional customer journey, and identify three questions you can ask to start to evolve your approach to developing them.
Predicting college football attendance with data
September 10, 2019 18:30 - 18 minutes - 25.9 MBWhat’s really behind a football fan's decision to go to a game? In this episode, Callahan’s senior business analyst James Meyerhoffer-Kubalik walks Jan-Eric through a predictive model he built that measures variables from concessions to the weather that effect a football game’s attendance by fans.
An insider's look at current retail challenges - and opportunities - for brands
August 28, 2019 18:54 - 17 minutes - 24.1 MBKnowing how navigate retail is critical to the success of any brand with shelf space. In this episode, Jan-Eric talks about emerging retail trends - challenges and opportunities - with Kristin Demel, Callahan’s Retail Strategy Director. She has some recommendations for your channel strategy and how to evaluate Amazon for your brand.
Find insights in micro and aggregate data
August 05, 2019 10:00 - 17 minutes - 23.7 MBIt's easy to generalize performance of your retail locations when looking at data. Sometimes, the true aha insights are lurking in the details. In this episode, Zack and Jan-Eric discuss the potential power of those insights in micro sets of data, how you can separate them and uncover what they mean to the bigger picture.
Why your ad agency should handle your campaign reporting
July 12, 2019 16:43 - 17 minutes - 24.4 MBAnalytics are a critical component of any marketing campaign. But who should be in charge of that reporting? In this episode, Jan-Eric and Zack make a “controversial” case that your ad agency is the most qualified to take on the responsibility of marketing analytics, and detail four factors to consider to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.
The case for adding marketing analytics
June 28, 2019 14:41 - 16 minutes - 22.3 MBOften, a company’s internal analytics functions are housed somewhere within the finance department to monitor things like cash flow and other operational data. In this episode, we make a case for establishing marketing analytics as part of that team’s function, which would then be able to inform a CMO’s decisions with more detailed sales data.
Forecasting Facebook's future trends
June 14, 2019 16:44 - 18 minutes - 25.2 MBBen Smith, Callahan's Director of Social and Emerging Media, recently attended Facebook's F8 conference for developers. In this episode, Ben shares his insight and perspective on the overall health of Facebook, its coverage in news, and what emerging trends could shape future marketing tactics on the platform.
Marketing & Analytics Hierarchy of Needs, Part 3 of 3
May 29, 2019 13:42 - 11 minutes - 15.3 MBInspired by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we’re taking our own marketing-specific angle to his pyramid. In this third episode, we detail Level 5: Prediction – how you can leverage the insights established within the previous layers to predict your marketing activity.
Marketing & Analytics Hierarchy of Needs, Part 2 of 3
May 13, 2019 10:00 - 17 minutes - 23.6 MBInspired by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we’re taking our own marketing-specific angle to his pyramid. In this second episode, we detail Level 3: Internal factors, and Level 4: External factors – and how you can establish and define both within your existing business plans.
Marketing & Analytics Hierarchy of Needs, Part 1 of 3
April 30, 2019 15:26 - 13 minutes - 18.6 MBInspired by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we’re taking our own marketing-specific angle to his pyramid. In this first episode, we detail Level 1: Delivery of activity, and Level 2: Efficiency and optimization – and how you can establish and define both within your existing business plans.
How golf data can tee up new marketing insights
April 08, 2019 10:00 - 17 minutes - 24.6 MBDone right, business analytics can allow a marketing team or a golfer to understand the problems that are worth solving. In this episode, we talk about how a research model that predicts professional golfers' future performance can inform your own approach to marketing and help identify what really matters to maximize your ROI.
Transform your standard dashboard data reporting to get more insights
April 01, 2019 09:00 - 18 minutes - 25.9 MBWhen running a marketing automation program, most systems provide adequate campaign reporting analytics. But often, these systems make it tough to discover insights that go much deeper than basic performance metrics. In this episode, we talk about what it takes to pull your data out of systems like Marketo and uncover new insights by overlaying additional data sources.
A predictive model that forecasts Oscar winners in advance? Inconceivable!
February 11, 2019 21:41 - 22 minutes - 30.9 MBCallahan's senior business analyst used his spare time once again to construct an algorithm - this time to determine which movies have the highest chance of winning "Best Picture" at the 2019 Oscars. In this episode, we explain the correlation between his Oscars model and how this same predictive modeling approach can uncover aha when applied to business and marketing challenges.
Uncover fresh insights with predictive analytics
February 04, 2019 11:00 - 13 minutes - 18.6 MBRecurring analytics and data reporting can help a company track overall performance of product sales over time. In this episode, we look at how to inform traditional data reports with predictive analytics, which can predict the future for a business – but they may not tell you want you want to hear.
The CMO’s frustration with analytics and how to solve it
January 17, 2019 17:02 - 16 minutes - 22.3 MBA CMO is under pressure to make informed decisions that affect a company's short- and long-term goals and initiatives. Oftentimes, data and analytics are a great resource for a CMO - but not always. In this episode, we discuss how a CMO can use predictive analytics as a powerful tool alongside more traditional data and analytics reporting.
The Aha Bowl: How data models built for sports can drive informed marketing decisions
January 04, 2019 11:00 - 16 minutes - 14.9 MBCallahan’s senior business analyst built his own statistical model to investigate the college football ranking system. In this episode, he explains his method, and how it could be applied to a business’ own marketing and analytics efforts.
Analytics technology selection priorities: Innovation & customization
December 03, 2018 11:00 - 13 minutes - 18.7 MBIn a previous episode, we explained the Callahan Intelligence Platform tech stack. Since then, we've made some changes both big and small. In this podcast, we talk about those updates and the benefits of implementing innovative new technology.
The power of combining seemingly unrelated data sets
November 12, 2018 20:13 - 20 minutes - 28.6 MBOftentimes, the data that’s right in front of you is more useful than you think, though not necessarily on its own. In this podcast, we explain how to think creatively with your data, and where to find combinations that can make all the difference.
Mr. Smith goes to conferences – and explains VR and other tech and social innovations
October 22, 2018 09:00 - 18 minutes - 25.1 MBCallahan’s Director of Social and Emerging Media, Ben Smith, recently attended several tech conferences and took a Callahan client on a tour of the Facebook HQ. Today, he shares his thoughts on where consumer technology is headed, what that means for brands and marketers, and how they can leverage early adoption opportunities in meaningful ways.
Five marketing analytics myths debunked
October 08, 2018 09:00 - 19 minutes - 26.4 MBSome marketing analytics myths are so common, they get asked and answered without much consideration as to whether or not they’re the right kinds of things to be asking. In this podcast, we bust five recurring myths that every marketing leader has heard.
How to make Facebook data work harder for your marketing
September 24, 2018 09:00 - 19 minutes - 26.7 MBEver struggled to get your social media ROI to mean more than likes, shares and comments? Callahan’s Ben Smith explains the importance of having a thorough data strategy when it comes to marketing on Facebook – and how to move well beyond just boosting your posts.
What do Facebook's data privacy problems mean for marketers?
September 13, 2018 16:53 - 18 minutes - 24.9 MBWhere others see challenges surrounding the use of data on Facebook, Callahan’s Ben Smith sees opportunity for marketers.
How media planning with front-end analytics is better
August 15, 2018 20:33 - 16 minutes - 22.9 MBAnyone involved with media planning has an appreciation for data. In this episode we discuss how a greater volume and depth of data can be applied and integrated better than ever before, which can lead to an increasingly positive impact on business results.
How to build an analytics team
July 30, 2018 08:00 - 19 minutes - 26.3 MBTo make decisions with data, you need an analytics team to manage and analyze it all. But what kind of people - and positions - do you need? Because no two businesses are alike, here are the kinds of questions to ask, and personality traits to look for, when hiring for data and analytics-based roles.
Not every store is created equal (why and what to do about it)
July 16, 2018 08:00 - 17 minutes - 24.6 MBIf you've got 500 or 1,000 locations spread across all or part of the country, it's reasonable to assume that there are different types of locations in that ecosystem. But marketing plans and media support are often uniform, as if they are all the same. That’s a major disconnect - and a major opportunity.
How to select marketing analytics technology
July 02, 2018 08:00 - 21 minutes - 29.7 MBWe've talked previously about tech stacks that can assist in analytics. This episode, we're talking about if you're interested in building your own, what are the types of things that you would need to build, and why technology alone is not the key to success.
Making sense of messy data
June 18, 2018 06:00 - 16 minutes - 22.8 MBIn marketing, we have a real problem with messy data. There are thousands of systems, and nothing talks to each other. We explain how to deal with it.