Sexy Little Numbers: How to Grow Your Business Using the Data You Already Have

Maex certainly has the chops to write a book about numbers. He runs the Global Date Practice analytics team for advertising behemoth Ogilvy & Mather, and it's his job to help clients uncover insights that drive real growth. He acknowledges that most folks don't find numbers "sexy," but he suggests that it is time to at least consider them attractive. Maex predicts that within the changing world of marketing and advertising, there will be only two types of jobs: technicians, "who make sure the automation runs smoothly," and magicians, "who take advantage of all the tools available to create and implement ideas that boost sales."Maex uses matrices, graphics, and assignments ("Things to Do Monday Morning") to inform readers about data-driven ideas like lifetime value, customer segments, Netmining, and digital networks. He also covers the importance of measurements and what should be measured, and provides persuasive arguments for why analytics is where it's at today, even if%E2%80%94as he knows all too well%E2%80%94analytics and creative don't always have "a happy marriage." To bring numbers to life, Maex includes numerous case studies, like Kodak and TD Ameritrade, and his cheerful can-do approach makes numbers interesting%E2%80%A6 if not quite sexy. Illus. (Aug.)