Agency Visit- MullenLowe

Last week we ventured over to El Segundo to pay a visit to our friends at MullenLowe Media Arts Lab. Matt and Bryan, two Analysts at the company walked us through what it means to be in Analytics. If I had to describe this visit in three words, they would be Educational, and Extremely Helpful.

Matt and Bryan walked us through MullenLowe's office, with an open floor plan and a dog-friendly policy. After our walk around the office, Matt and Bryan described what a day in the life of an analyst looks like. As someone interested in Analytics, this session was particularly interesting for me. Before going into this session I've primarily done work in a very limited part of Analytics, so learning about the different departments analysts can help with was enlightening. Which brings us to my first insight: There are two major functions of analytics: Strategic Research, and Campaign Optimization.

Strategic Research is done while the Brand is in the development stage. It can help answer questions like "Who's our target audience" or even as granular as "Do they prefer dairy or non-dairy milk?" Campaign Optimization is done while the campaign is currently running, it's designed to take a look at how campaigns are performing. Based on that data you can decide which campaigns you need to spend more on, and which campaigns you can turn off.

My second insight was understanding that your job is not done once you launch a campaign, optimization is equally as important. Digital Media isn't like turning in a paper, you don't get to wash your hands of the issue once it's submitted, that's when you get to test, analyse and consistently improve on your previous work. Which if you think about it, is kind of an awesome business to be in. It's just just pass/fail, you get to constantly improve on your previous work.

Lastly I realized how important it is to choose your KPI's carefully. Measurement of your project entirely shapes your reporting, and if you don't have the correct measurement based on your goals, you're in for a world of hurt. It's really important to holistically understand what your client is trying to do so you can best assist them with digital media.

Overall, MullenLowe was incredibly helpful, and I'm thankful we got the opportunity to visit.