How much data do you need to drive? (Image credit)

I had a good long drive the other day, and I got to thinking about measurement.
Driving a car is a lot like running a business, or a marketing campaign. It’s real time, everything is moving, and you need to take into account your actions, actions of others, and the environment.

Let’s look at the data you need when you drive.
There are the numbers:

• Speed
• Fuel
• Rpm
• Temp
• And speed limit

Then there are other variables: light, weather, the angle of the road, other drivers.

Question: would it make your driving more efficient if all that other data were turned into graphs and statistics?

Didn’t think so.

Which is all a very roundabout way to say what Einstein said: not everything that matters can be measured, and not everything that can be measured, matters.

When you’re running a business or a marketing campaign, keep your eyes on the road.

What does that mean, specifically for marketing? It means if I’m your customer, look up from your spreadsheet from time to time and say hi. I’d appreciate it.

What do you need numbers for, and when do you go with your gut? Please comment.

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