Let's pretend your goal as an analyst is to eloquently and accurately explain reinforcement learning. Now, let's pretend that you get to try that explanation again and again, and we'll give you an electric shock every time you state something inaccurately and a cookie every time you say something right. Well, you're an analyst, so you're now wondering if this is some clever play on words about cookies. As it happened, we didn't give Matt Gershoff from Conductrics any cookies of any kind in his return to the show. Instead, we gave him a lifetime's supply of opportunities to say, "Well, no, it's not really like that," which is a special kind of nourishment for the exceptionally smart and patient! In other words, the gang walked through a range of analogies and examples about machine learning, reinforcement learning, and AI with Matt, and no electric sheep were harmed in the process.  For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Is your organization customer-centric? Does your product team dive into the demographics of your customers to figure out what features will make them as happy as possible? If so, then you're doing it all wrong! Perhaps. On this episode, the gang chats with Dr. Peter Fader about putting customer lifetime value (CLV) front and center when it comes to developing and executing marketing strategies. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Are you biased? Either you answered, "Yes," or you're in denial. Or you're an AI, in which case you should just go and start your own podcast instead of listening to this one. UNLESS your prediction algorithms told you that this would be the episode where we would finally announce the addition of a third co-host, and you need to collect that data point (and, damn, you're good, BTW). On this episode, though, our THREE (count 'em!) co-hosts dive into different types of biases that analysts (should) grapple with, how they spot them, and what they do to take advantage of them (or mitigate them, as appropriate).  For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

The conceit of this podcast is having real analysts hang out with each other -- enjoying each other's company and talking a little shop. But, for you, dear listener, that hanging out is occurring through your earbuds. What does it take to hang out IRL with other analysts? Guest host Moe Kiss from THE ICONIC joins the guys this week to chat about Web Analytics Wednesdays, MeasureBowling, MeasureCamp, and what it takes to get those local, in-person relationships rolling successfully. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

WHY does Tim simply not give Python its due? Isn't Python a perfectly acceptable -- possibly even better -- option when it comes to diving into programming with data? It's open source, too. Some say it's easier to learn than R. And, frankly, isn't a programming language named after a snake just inherently cooler than one named after a letter of the alphabet? The fellas tackled the topic with Ryan Praskieviecz from EY on this episode...and possibly wound up tackling it in a way that will leave Python lovers that much more ready to strangle them (as pythons are wont to do). For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

It's another one of those on-going lobby bar topics: how much of the data should be made available to whom and in what form? Should all of an organization's data be completely and freely available to everyone in the company, or is that a recipe for messy data being misinterpreted and misused? That's the topic tackled on this show, courtesy of a recommendation from Pawel Kapuscinski. As it happens, it's also Independence Day in the U.S. -- a fact with which the guys had a little fun. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.  

Back in the day, we explained the difference between a visitor, a visit, and a pageview to stakeholders using an analogy of a person walking into a physical store. Now, digital channels are dominating, and physical stores are struggling...which is an opportunity to apply what we've learned about behavioral analysis on the web to in-(REAL)-store consumer behavior. Gary Angel from Digital Mortar (@digitalmortar) returned to the show (our first ever repeat guest!) to walk us through the many, many similarities, as well as to explain some of the unique challenges and opportunities of in-store analytics. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Change. It's scary. It's exhilarating. It's a song by Churchill. Sometimes, be it due to your manager, due to a corporate acquisition, or due to a job change, you just wind up with a voice in your head belting out, "You want me to change, change, change!" In this episode, Nancy Koons from Team Demystified joins us to dive into our collective histories when it comes to switching analytics tools -- where we stumbled, where we succeeded, and how we've come to approach the ever shifting landscape of analytics tools. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.  

It seems like a simple couple of questions: 1) When and where does the analyst's role start?, and 2) When and where does the analyst's role end? And, do the answers to either of these questions change based on the type of organization you're in (in-house versus agency)? As it turns out, Michael and Tim largely agree on the answers to these questions…but their agreement is pretty expansive, so this could be the episode that infuriates you, dear listener! Give it a listen, and be prepared to shake your fist at your earbuds! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.  

"Psssst! Hey! Buddy! Want some analytics? Whatcha' lookin''for? Insights? Recommendations? Maybe some implementation? I got anything you want, and I got it at a great price!…" Sound familiar? No? Well, then you're just not hanging out in dark corners next to executive washrooms the world over! On this episode, Sayf Sharif of SEER Interactive joins us to chat about the how and when of selling analytics — from outside OR inside an organization. Plus, there's a nice throw down about the proper pronunciation of "GIF." For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Do you want to know something about analysts? They're people. And, not only are they people, but they work with people. And people have personalities. Even the hosts of this podcast have personalities. One of the hosts is introspective about the ramifications for those facts when it comes to his work. The other host gets so rattled by the topic that he uses the phrase "a lightbulb went off," when the appropriate figure of speech was actually "a lightbulb went ON." Can you guess which host is which? Give this episode a listen to find out! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this show and a transcript of the episode, visit the show page.

Well into our third year of the show, we decided it was time to show that we've become hard-hitting audio journalists by bringing on a heavy-hitter in the world of display media and grilling him with tough questions. And then we found out we're not hard-hitting audio journalists. And the heavy-hitter we brought on was informative, articulate, and willing to muse objectively about the challenges that face display advertising. So much for the original plan! John Nardone of Flashtalking was actually the first person every targeted by a DoubleClick ad, and that was almost 20 years ago! You will hear that story in this episode, as well as sage little gems about "the mythical allusion that the (media) agency is in fact an agent for the client," as well as how "the technology is ahead of a lot of the advertisers' ability to deploy it effectively." It was a fun and informative discussion! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

FINALLY! It's a show all about Google Tag Manager! Oh. Wait. What's that? We had Simo Ahava on the show and actually covered a different topic entirely? WHAT NINNYHEAD APPROVED THAT DECISION?! Well, what's done is done. With 'nary a trigger or a container referenced, but plenty of wisecracks about scrum masters and backlogs and "definitions of 'done,'" we once again managed to coast a bit over the one-hour mark. And, frankly, we're pretty pleased with the chat we had. You'll just have to go to Simo's blog if your jonesing for a GTM fix. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

So, knowledge management and data management walked into a bar and bumped into Github. The result? Open data and, specifically, data.world! Coremetrics...and then Bazaarvoice founder Brett Hurt, along with Homeaway.com and Bazaarvoice veteran Jon Loyens, joined us to talk about what open data is, why it's gaining traction, and why we all should care. And, if you've been pining to have us record an episode that runs for more than an hour, this one is it! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Have you ever been to a really great analytics conference and had just one great conversation after another with other attendees? We have! And, for this episode, we decided to head up into the hills above Budapest and try to bring that experience to you. With a range of fine and foreign libations in hand, a crackling fire toasting our backsides, and a roaming handheld microphone, we asked the questions, and the Superweek 2017 attendees provided the answers. Except when the audience asked the questions...for an episode releasing four weeks hence!   For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Pop psychology is fun, if not that useful. Pop analytics can be dangerous! What IS pop analytics? It's a term coined (as far as we can tell) by analytics legend Kevin Hillstrom, and we managed to get him on the show to chat about it! The fact that it turned into a therapy session for Tim was just an added bonus. NOTE: We hit a glitch with Kevin's audio 45 minutes into the episode and have done our best to work around it. It was especially painful, in that he had some very nice things to say about the show, but, alas, the choppy audio means we won't be able to repurpose the clip for marketing purposes! We apologize for the glitch. It was something we didn't recognize for what it was when it happened, but now we know! See the show notes, links, and transcription at: http://www.analyticshour.io/2017/01/17/054-pop-analytics-with-kevin-hillstrom/.

Do you care about acquiring customers? Do you care about data? Do you like wearing shoes that have soles that are 2-3″ thick? Put those three things together and it means you care — or should care — about customer data platforms. On this episode, Todd Belcher from BlueConic joins us to explain what CDPs are and what they're good for. Tune in to hear Todd masterfully steer clear of a sales pitch for his company…while Michael transitions on the fly from getting a basic understanding of CDPs…to installing BlueConic on this site…to pitching BlueConic himself! For complete show notes, including links and the show transcript, go to: http://www.analyticshour.io/2017/01/03/053-customer-data-platforms-with-todd-belcher-2/.

2016 is almost in the books! In just over a week, we'll be ringing in the new year, and we have it on Very Good Authority that 2017 will be the Year of Mobile. But, this episode is as much about looking back as it is about looking forward -- looking back on how our industry has evolved, what product launches piqued our interest the most, and what Snoop Dogg-related stunt marketing occurred during the year. We even do a little navel gazing about the podcast itself: our favorite topics and guests (although we love ALL the topics and guests!), and a bit of news about what will be happening with the podcast in 2017. So kick back, bust open a few roasted chestnuts, spike your eggnog generously, and give it a listen! Technologies, services, and random items mentioned in this episode include: more past episodes than are worth linking to, RSiteCatalyst, Hidden Brain podcast: Can Social Science Help You Quit Smoking for Good?, SUPERWEEK, Matt Gershoff, Caleb Whitmore, Adobe Summit, eMetrics, MeasureCamp, Un-Summit, Digital Analytics Hub, Gary Angel / Digital Mortar, Paco Underhill / Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, Jan Exner, Justin Cutroni, Kevin Hillstrom, Measure Slack, Lee Isensee, Tableau, Domo, the Domo stunt at the Tableau Conference, John Scalzi, Joe Haldeman, and Philip K. Dick.

If you're in the U.S., happy election day! In the spirit of the mayhem and controversy that the political process brings, we're tackling a topic that is every bit as controversial: tag management. Does Adobe DTM gratuitously delete emails? Has GTM been perpetually unaware of when it is around a hot mic? What does Tealium have against coffee?! Is Signal broadcasting dog whistles to marketers about the glorious data they can collect and manage? What about Ensighten's sordid past where the CEO was spotted in public (at eMetrics) sporting a periwig? To discuss all of this (or...actual content), Josh West from Analytics Demystified joins us for a discussion that is depressingly civil and uncontentious. Many linkable things were referenced in this episode: Josh's Industry War starting blog post (from 2013), Adobe Dynamic Tag Management (DTM), Google Tag Manager (GTM), Signal, Tealium, Ensighten, Ghostery, Observepoint, Hub'scan, the Data Governance Episode of the Digital Analytics Power Hour (Episode #012),  PhoneGap, Floodlight / Doubleclick / DFA, In the Year 2000 (Conan O'Brien), Bird Law, Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), Webtrends Streams, data management platforms (DMP), the Personalization Episode of the Digital Analytics Power Hour with Matt Gershoff (Episode #031), josh.analyticsdemystified.com, and Tagtician.

You know what season it is? Well, in the United States, we're closing out a 4-year, never-ending cycle of electing a president. The tweets are getting tweeted and retweeted, the Facebook posts are getting posted and reacted to, and the video! Oh, the video! So, what better time to dive into social media ANALYTICS than today? Join Michael and Tim as they dive into this topic -- which they both love to hate -- with Hayes Davis, co-founder and CEO of Union Metrics. You might even want to Snapchat a filtered picture of yourself listening to it to someone! Miscellany mentioned in this episode include: Union Metrics, Great Lakes Brewery Christmas Ale, The Innovator's Dilemma, Oreo's Super Bowl Blackout tweet, WhatsApp, Scott Brinker on People vs. Data/Strategy/Technology, csvkit, SQLite, medium.com, and Is this my interface or yours?

Have you ever read an analytics job description? Have you found yourself wondering, "Is it just me, or is there something fishy going on here?" Who better to verbally cogitate this question writ large than a couple of guys who haven't actually applied for a job in a few years? Join Michael and Tim as they dive into the world of analytics job descriptions and chat about the red flags they find...and the various tangential thoughts that the exercise itself sparks. Resources mentioned in this episode include: the Digital Analytics Association, Google Tag Manager Updates: Workspaces and User Manager by Amanda Schroeder from LunaMetrics, Revamped User Interface in Google Tag Manager by Simo Ahava.

The machines are coming! The machines are coming! Artifiicial Intelligence is here. But what is it, and how long will we have to wait for the technology to completely take over all analysis work? Dennis Mortensen -- founder of x.ai -- joins us on this episode for a deep dive into the topic. You will be surprised by how pragmatic and real AI seems as Dennis describes how he approaches it. And...then his last call will completely blow up the nice, cozy layer of downy comfort that you've settled into during the discussion. So it goes. Artificial intelligences and things referenced in this episode include: x.ai, Alexa, Siri, Cortana, Planet Money Episode #626, Wait But Why on The Fermi Paradox, and Rick and Morty.

Somebody wants to overthink their analytics tools? Tell 'em their dreamin'! We wanted to talk about open source and event analytics and Snowplow sits right at that intersection. Our guest Simon Rumble is the co-founder of Snowflake Analytics and one of the longest users of Snowplow. We wrap up the show with all the places you can find Simon and Tim in the next few months. Fun fact: You will also learn in this episode that conversion funnels go down the opposite direction in Australia. 

What IS customer intelligence? What is a customer? Is the customer best understood by breaking the word down into its component parts: "cuss" and "tumor?" Would that be an intelligent thing to do? Will these and related questions some day be answered by self-aware machines? Will any of these questions be answered on this episode? Give it a listen and find out! The mish-mash of companies, products, and miscellany mentioned on this show include: Adobe, Oracle/ATG, SAS Customer Intelligence, Salesforce.com, Scott Brinker (Chief Martec), Domo, Data Studio 360, Tableau, iJento, Netezza, SPSS, Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, Eight Is Enough, Legend of the Plaid Dragon (and the Slack version), Office Vibe, p-value article on fivethirtyeight.com (and the p-hacking app), and the "AI, Deep Learning, and Machine Learning" video.

As Dr. Phil says, "Never put more into a relationship than you can afford to lose." Not sure what that has to do with Excel but it sounds vaguely wise, which is the whole point. Tim and Michael try to be your relationship coach for Microsoft Excel. Despised by data scientists, but used by everyone else, where are the boundaries and who has what it takes to enforce them. Join us in an exploration of our digital analytics love/hate affair with that most ubiquitous of analytics tools. (Cell) references made in this episode include: Chandoo.org, Juice Analytics, ggplot2, Bullet Charts in Excel, Geeks and Greeks by Steve Altes, Google Firebase.