Ekimetrics’ Matt Andrew on the power of data science in marketing

Matt Andrew is UK MD of global data science & AI firm Ekimetrics. I recently caught up with him to discuss the role of data science within marketing, how brands can effectively harness their data, and why he foresees an acceleration of the trend towards data in-housing.

Tell us about your role – what does a typical day look like for you?

I like to be hands-on with clients and stay close to the work. This means in a growing company like Ekimetrics, my working days are busy with meetings (mainly with or about clients but some internal, especially with our global teams), proposals, client pitches, reviewing client work, agreeing marketing content and so on.

The workload like this whatsapp number list allows both the vendor and the affiliate to focus on. Clicks are the number of clicks coming to your website’s URL from organic search results.

Interviewing is taking a lot of time at the moment as we’re growing at a phenomenal pace. Fundamentally, we’re a people business and recruitment is key to our success. The continued commitment to hybrid working means we can attract a broader range of talent, both geographically and those that need more flexibility balancing work and other commitments. Diversity in the workplace is as important to us as diversity in data – one tends to beget the other – and I’m proud of the make-up of our team.

I’m acutely aware I can’t do everything, which means I’m careful to choose what I spend my time on. This is equally true in both my professional and personal life. I try to make sure that whatever I’m doing, I’m completely present. So if that’s drawing with the kids, working on a client on a new brief, or working out, it has my undivided attention. Being busy can result in late nights from time to time, where I’ll read and engage more with the wider industry, but overall, I continue to advocate for and develop my skills in achieving the often-elusive work/life balance for both myself and my team.

How can brands navigate the post-cookie world?

The main issue with the death of cookies is that it exposes an over-reliance on an imperfect solution and a misheld belief that digital’s measurability equates to its power. We have never had a complete view; attribution was always flawed and so as marketers, we’re forced to return to the craft of marketing. This in itself will help to build trust further than the sense of ‘big brother’ that has pervaded for the last decade or so, though measurement of marketing activity remains critical to making the best decisions.

We advocate for the use of an analytics framework built on a modern version of econometrics that is forward-looking and encompasses frequent, granular data, as opposed to the historically typical econometric approach of looking back every year or two. This allows for a shared language and shared view of ROI (I could write a book about how ROI is used and misused), which is critical to a business-wide understanding and ensures measurement relates from period to period. Consistently using a range of methods ensures strategic and operational decisions are sourced from the same, single version of the truth.