The Adobe Web Analytics Competition was a pretty unique opportunity for me and my teammate Alex. We entered with little more than a general understanding of what web analytics is and a diehard commitment to win if at all possible. At the start of the competition, we received some basic training on how to use Adobe’s analytics software, and then they left us on our own to figure out how to find business opportunities within the client's site traffic data.
The client was dogfunk.com, a prominent online snowboard retailer. We found it easy to become immersed in the analytics tools and the client’s website as we spent hour after hour combing through reports, searching for ways to add value.
We were lucky enough to have a great team dynamic. As we found opportunities on the site, we discussed and debated them endlessly to ensure our ideas were well vetted and that we had a compelling story to tell. After all, if we couldn’t convince each other, how could we ever convince a panel of seasoned judges that we knew what we were talking about?
We also brought in outside research to support our recommendations. This paid off big in the end. We embedded a quote in our presentation on analytics best practices written by an Adobe consultant. It turned out that the author was one of our judges. We couldn’t have asked for better validation of our work.
After solidifying our recommendations for the site, we went to work building a presentation we thought would wow people. We considered our audience beyond the panel of expert judges and thought about the client showing our presentation to executives from their company. This strategic move really impacted the way we structured things and even led us to create executive summary booklets – something I think helped us stand out from the other competitors.
And after all this, we practiced fanatically in front of audiences as small as our wives and as large as a classroom full of students. We may have gone overboard in terms of the amount of time we put in, but we were determined to test the theory that there is a correlation between effort and success. Luckily for us, this test turned out positive.
At the end of the day, Alex and I felt confident that we could take the skills we acquired and find meaningful work in the burgeoning industry of web analytics. It seems that the competition has even opened some doors with Adobe and we’re excited to explore job opportunities with a renowned leader and a terrific company.
I would recommend this competition to anyone interested in web analytics, Adobe, or even just $15,000. Only one caveat: winning came at a big cost in time for us. We had to set other things aside and sometimes forget them altogether. But it was worth it.
Team Name: Check Plus Plus
Alex Sakaguchi, Marketing, Class of 2011
-Merritt Aho, Marketing, Class of 2011
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