Collective[i]™ Marketing Analytics

Heidi Messer, Co-Founder, Collective[i]: Dream Big, Recruit the Right People, Stay Focused & Execute

Tyler Philpot — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:52:57 +0000

Article by Bethpitts. Originally posted on The Next Woman Business Magazine on January 26, 2012. Heidi Messer is Co-founder and Chairman of Collective[i]™, a cloud-based business intelligence platform that enables business leaders to answer their toughest questions through big data analysis. Heidi is also Co-Founder and CEO of World Evolved, a global investment and expansion platform. Prior to Collective[i]™and World Evolved, Hiedi and her brother, Stephen Messer, co-founded LinkShare Corporation, which is host to one of the world’s largest online affiliate networks. Heidi and her brother built and managed LinkShare until its sale to Rakuten for $425 million in 2005. Recognized as an authority on online marketing, Heidi is a frequent speaker at major industry events. She is often referenced in written trade publications and has appeared on national television and radio programs. We spoke to Heidi about her advice for scaling a business; her motto for life; and how it felt to walk away from LinkShare after a decade at the helm. TNW: What was the inspired moment that led you to launch Collective[i]? HM: When we started LinkShare in the mid-1990s, the digital world was all new. Everything required reinvention and innovation because nothing existed. The area we focused on was quantifying the value of advertising space, and a method that could support the creation and proliferation of free Internet based content. LinkShare, created and patented a new form of measurement. We also launched a network that spurred the development of an entire industry. In short, LinkShare allowed the creators of quality websites to monetize their content. Many, many entrepreneurs and businesses flourished as a result—something I found to be immensely gratifying. When it came time to launch a new venture, my goal was to recreate portions of that experience by identifying an area ripe for innovation and one that would empower businesses and innovation through technology. My co-founders and I saw that what’s now referred to as “Big Data” was exactly that. We believe that the next generation of highly successful companies will be organized around data. You see the seeds of this happening as companies like Facebook, Google and Amazon demonstrate that they can sustain billion dollar valuations by incorporating the data they collect into their strategy, operations and marketing. The opportunity is huge and the market need astounding. So large that I’m not sure people have fully internalized how much of their organizations are compromised by the pain of managing the incredible amount of data they now collect. The solutions to how to manage data sets that large aren’t easy. Equally important is making sure that data is accessible within an organization so that it becomes a useful compass for important creative and strategic thinking. We spent three years creating a platform to accomplish that purpose. TNW: How important is technology to the success of your company? HM: Great technology matters. I have been fortunate to work with some incredible developers, engineers, software architects and visionaries. LinkShare’s technology is still the gold standard in that segment. Collective[i]’s platform is absolutely breath taking. I’m so proud of what our team has created. When you built the Collective[i] team, what are the key qualities you looked for to ensure the success of your business? HM: It’s key to have the best players on your team. Smart people can fix almost any problem whereas in the battle between an idea and mediocre people, you can expect that mediocrity will win. I recently heard Reed Hoffman, CEO of NetFlix, speak about the importance of speaking honestly about what you expect from employees. His point was that great companies are like championship sports teams where the culture is based on recruiting the right people and judging them based on execution. I think that is a pretty sound strategy. TNW: What is next for Collective[i]? How do you see technology as a key growth driver? HM: Collective[i] is an unbelievable platform for marketing and business executives who want to leap frog non-data driven competitors. At the core of our technology is that it removes the complexity around data so that the numbers can be used to establish goals, enable collaboration and execute creative strategies with precision. We are technology that enables the art of doing business that had been compromised by the pain of collecting and organizing information. My prediction is that Collective[i]’s platform will be ubiquitous and a defining attribute for the winners of the next generation of leading companies. TNW: Did you learn lessons when launching LinkShare which you applied to the launch of Collective[i]? Which aspects of your launch strategy did you keep the same? HM: A key lesson I learned was how important it was to find and manage talent. We spend a lot of time recruiting, vetting and training. I also learned that entrepreneurship isn’t just about starting companies; it’s about being adaptable and focused at the same time. We are applying the same intense focus that we had at LinkShare to Collective[i]. In both instances, the companies had a clear strategy but remained very agile about the tactics we used to execute. TNW: How did you manage exit process for LinkShare? How did it feel when you sold it and was it difficult to leave the company behind, having founded and run it for nearly a decade? HM: Managing a sale process and running a company is not easy. Fortunately, we had an amazing team of operators in place that kept everything running smoothly during the process. In that end, I am extremely proud because we delivered winning results to our customers, employees and our investors through our exit. While it was hard to leave the company, we picked a buyer based on their ability to provide opportunities for growth and they have done great things with the company since we left. They inherited an incredible infrastructure and team. The opportunity was theirs to lose, which fortunately they did not. In the end, it was a win win for all. TNW: When you sold LinkShare, was there any doubt in your mind that you would go on to found another company? HM: No. TNW: A topic which often comes up in The NextWomen and DWEN communities is scalability. What is your advice for entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses? Make sure you have the foundation in place—the right people, the right funding and the right technology—and then stay focused. TNW: Which three golden rules of online marketing would you advise entrepreneurs to follow? HM: Listen to your customer either directly or through data you collect and respond rapidly. Enlist partners who are smarter than you and focus deeply on areas outside of your core business. Know your goals and socialize them through metrics and rewards. TNW: How has Dell or the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network enabled you to grow your business? What do you see as the benefits of all-women networks such as DWEN? HM: I’ve made some terrific friends and business contacts through DWEN who have, in turn, expanded my network. DWEN is unique in its global focus and by the amount of support it has from Dell’s senior management, I have also been very impressed with the extraordinary team they have assembled to manage and grow the network. TNW: Do you have a motto which sums up your approach to business, and to life? Dream big, recruit the right people, stay focused and execute. TNW: Do you have any role models or mentors? HM: I have had many great mentors. I’m very fortunate in that respect. Dick Parsons, the former CEO of AOL Time Warner is terrific. He’s incredible in his ability to manage and motivate people to excel even in very challenging situations. Julian Brodsky, the co-founder and former CFO of Comcast, is the best dealmaker and financial mind I know. My mother is an extraordinary businessperson and role model. She inspires me in every way. My business partners (who also happen to be my husband, Tad Martin and my brother, Stephen Messer) provide me with invaluable advice and encouragement. The Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) celebrates the wonderful accomplishments of women in business, whilst looking forward at how we can progress and learn from each other. Natural networkers and relationship builders, women have innate flair for entrepreneurship. With DWEN, Dell is helping women in business to expand their networks while offering technology capabilities designed to help them innovate and grow their businesses. The NextWomen is in partnership with DWEN to bring you a series of 40 interviews with the world’s most influential female founders, investors and decision makers: The NextWomen DWEN Interview Series.

Chairman of Collective[i] to Lead Big Data Panel at DLD Munich

Isabelle Forbes — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:07:00 +0000

MUNICH, GERMANY – January 20, 2012 – Heidi Messer, Chairman of Collective[i], will lead a panel at DLD in Munich entitled, “Socializing Big Data: How Brands Capitalize on Information.” DLD (Digital – Life – Design) is a global conference network on innovation, digital media, science and culture, which connects business, creative and social leaders, opinion-formers and investors for cross-disciplinary conversation and inspiration. The panel will be led by Diane Brady, reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek and author of a new book, Fraternity. Other panelists will be Stefan Olander, Vice President of Digital Sport at Nike, and Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey. “Socializing Big Data” will cover how the unprecedented proliferation of structured and unstructured information about market trends, human motivation and influence has transformed business, particularly as social networks provide valuable opportunities to gather data about consumer behavior. The session will explore the Big Data challenge, how to be strategic about finding insights and the development of creative approaches to business within a data driven landscape.

Data to be a defining tech trend in 2012

Tyler Philpot — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:01:01 +0000

Originally posted on Yahoo News: Data to be a defining tech trend in 2012, on December 26, 2011. The start of this year was marked by a tech industry obsession with where to put growing mountains of information gathered online and by sensors increasingly woven into modern lifestyles. External drives boasted seemingly unfillable capacities and companies touted services for storing bits and bytes at massive data centers in the Internet “cloud.” As 2012 approaches, focus has turned to searching for trends, patterns and other useful insights about people’s preferences and behaviors that might be buried in troves of data. “Big analytics toward the end of the year became the big term and into next year it will be the big term,” independent Silicon Valley analyst Rob Enderle told AFP on Friday. “Analytics is really the core of what will be happening in everything from medical research to advertising.” The theme for this year’s Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco was unlocking the power of “big data,” and the topic was dissected by top Internet company executives at an array of industry gatherings. “Analyzing data can tell you what resonates and what doesn’t,” Enderle said. “Applied to elections it could be the difference between winners and losers.” An IBM computer called “Watson” that made headlines by beating a human Jeopardy! television quiz show champion at his own game demonstrated the power of data analytics, according to the analyst. “Could you imagine Watson used for legal or medical research?” Enderle asked. “You can do some amazing things by drawing conclusions from information you already have but couldn’t make heads or tales of before now.” He predicted that analytics would drive major breakthroughs in the years ahead. Large businesses out to recapture the intimacy of running small shops in tune with local customers are turning to a startup that gleans insights about people from cold, hard data. Collective[i] will come out of stealth mode in January with a unique service that helps businesses better understand even their smallest customers through real-time data analysis. “We are bringing analytics and business intelligence to the masses,” said Collective[i] vice chairman Stephen Messer. “What Ford’s assembly line did for cars we are doing for analytics,” he said. The New York City-based firm operated by Cross Commerce Media has been in test mode for seven months, winning fans such as US gift service 1-800-Flowers and flash-sale website Gilt. “At the end of the day, what I am always trying to do is re-create the relationship we had with customers when we started with one flower shop in Manhattan in 1976,” said 1-800-Flowers president Chris McCann. “Collective[i] has given me the ability to do that in a different way than has been done before,” continued McCann, who was 15 years old when he joined his older brother in their first florist shop. While analysis companies typically present clients with charts showing break-downs of market or sales data, Collective[i] figures out why numbers turn out as they do. Messer gave the examples of deducing that people buy more macaroni-and-cheese when the outside temperature dips below a certain temperature, or that folks see the dish as a prime alternative to soup. Stores can tailor ad pitches or promotions to the weather as well as their customers, he explained. “Others give you the facts, we give you the ‘why’,” Messer said. “What it means is that companies are listening to their customers again and not just pitching you products you don’t want,” he contended. Analytics will let companies more shrewdly target money spent on advertising, potentially saving money in the multi-billion-dollar ad market.

Knowledge + Collaboration

Tad Martin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:24:49 +0000

Why do we measure marketing performance? Though this question may at first glance seem too obvious to bother asking, I believe it is an important one to consider. At its simplest, the purpose of capturing performance data is to acquire information – that is, the who, what, where, and when of what happened in a campaign – in order to gain knowledge – that is, an application of this information to determine how to achieve specific objectives in the future. In our increasingly measureable world, today’s marketer has access to more performance data than ever before. Sophisticated measurement technologies have made it possible to gauge a visitor’s most minute actions on a website – for example the exact amount of time a user’s mouse hovered over a display ad. However, turning data into information about performance and ultimately into knowledge that can be applied to improve future outcomes remains incredibly difficult for marketers, in part because of the way that information is currently shared and how knowledge develops within the organization. The following scene has been relayed to me time and again by the many marketers with whom I have spoken about my company, Collective[i], and it may sound familiar to you, too. Once a week, the marketing team meets to discuss performance and to make some decisions about what should be done to improve future results. Each member of the team reports on what they’ve learned about their particular channel, whether that’s search, display, social, email, etc. Team members share information and start piecing together an overall understanding of performance and media spend, but at the moment in which knowledge is beginning to form, the conversation turns to argument – or stops all together. The problem is that a weekly marketing meeting simply isn’t an effective format for exploring the vast amounts of information that has been collected, thus hindering the knowledge creation process. First, meetings are limited by time, as there is only so long a group of people can gather. Second, by the very nature of communication and the human mind, there is only so much information that can be absorbed through verbal conversation. Details are easily forgotten and connections can be difficult to make. Finally, by the time the meeting happens, the data are static and have been manipulated by each channel manager to tell a story, often one that serves the interests of that particular channel. This is no one’s failing, but technology can help. Knowledge management and collaboration tools can help marketers run their organizations more efficiently in a number of ways, but particularly in creating a more effective means of collaborating and accessing the intellectual power of the entire team. If all marketers were given access to the same information as their peers, it would be easier for them to make the connections between different channels that those weekly meetings attempt to forge. With all information accessible to all parties at all times, greater transparency exists and there is less room for argument. Furthermore, collaboration tools can facilitate asynchronous discussion about performance, allowing people to ask questions as they arise and have the answers accounted for. The open and recorded sharing of information means that insight into performance can develop more continuously and fluidly, rather than in the contrived setting of a meeting and will have the effect of making your marketing organization more efficient and promote better decision-making. Knowledge is limited by the means through which it is shared and acted upon. However, without effective tools for communication, little knowledge can be gained and knowledge is what leads to truth…which should be every marketers ultimate goal.

Driven by Data: Your Bank Can Predict Your Divorce

Tyler Philpot — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:11:45 +0000

Article by James Bailey. Originally posted on Techonomy: Revolutions in Progress on November 15, 2011.

Studies have shown that one of the best predictors of overall corporate performance is a company characterizing itself as “data driven.” The panel, “Computer Science or Data Science? Panning for Gold in the Information Stream,” at Techonomy 2011 in Tucson, Ariz., this week explored how data science has taken its place next to computer science as a fundamental element of IT. McKinsey’s James Manyika moderated the session that included panelists Francis deSouza, Group President at Symantec, Marissa Mayer, Google’s VP of Consumer Products, Doug Merritt, CEO of Baynote Systems, and Heidi Messer, CEO of Cross Commerce Media.

Needless to say, data scientists are scrambling to keep up with the explosion of data now being created with mobile devices. Google’s Mayer looks on those data streams as online expressions of body language. “We have data coming alive on the network that did not exist three years ago,” she said.

Panelists agreed: The better a company can understand who a consumer is, the more usefully it can offer what a customer is actually interested in. Not a week later, but right then and there.

There is also much to be learned from understanding big data across time. Banks, for example, worry about their customers divorcing, because divorce causes a change in credit-worthiness. No problem. They can now see a divorce coming before the couple does. All from the data.

Not all companies have embraced the power of big data. Messer said her company’s biggest competitor is the Excel spreadsheet. There is no graceful way to segue from a spreadsheet culture to one driven by petabytes. To stay current, organizations have to take a deep breath and make the commitment. They already have the data. What they need is the will to be driven by it.

Tad Martin interviewed by Ingrid Vanderveldt

Tyler Philpot — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:54:56 +0000

Ingrid Vanderveldt, Dell’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence, interviews Collective[i]™’s co-founder and CEO, Tad Martin.

Mr. Martin explains the opportunity behind Collective[i]™’s new unified analytics solution designed to help marketers make sense of their growing amounts of disparate data.

The Social Enterprise

Isabelle Forbes — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:07:16 +0000

Insurrections in the Middle East during the “Arab Spring” have been the most arresting and newsworthy examples of social media’s power to induce tremendous systemic change. However, in his article, “Social Power and the Coming Corporate Revolution”, David Kirkpatrick elucidates how social tools will transform the world of business – whether or not companies are ready to handle the positive and negative implications. While he mentions ways in which executives must become more accountable to their employees and customers in a world where one unhappy worker or angry customer can easily become a PR disaster, what I find most interesting about these new technologies is the way in which social and collaborative tools give a company access to a great deal more of their employees’ intellectual force. Kirkpatrick writes: “The aim is to tap a company’s internal social energy to speed collaboration and innovation. Craig Herkert, CEO of SuperValu, which owns or supplies over 4,000 U.S. grocery stores, is a convert to Yammer. “With the old way, all information flowed via e-mail. Now store managers and support staff all over the country can post on Yammer what they’re doing, what they’re proud of, or say, ‘Hey, I’ve got a problem. Does anyone know how to fix it?’”

Yammer and tools like it, a great first step in helping facilitate the collaboration of an organization or community. Over time we will see this expand beyond the simple two way communication and the tools that facilitate this communication will capture, store and analyze them in a way to transfer greater intelligence throughout and among organizations.

Collaborative tools allow information to move more freely through the organization, fueling a smarter, more efficient business. How are you using collaborative tools in your company?

Space Art Launching From NYC Gallery This Weekend

Tyler Philpot — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:03:27 +0000

NEW YORK — When American space tourist Richard Garriott launched to the International Space Station in 2008, he carried with him a collection of original artwork to display on the orbiting outpost in a unique weightless exhibit. These pieces of art that flew in space, and graced the walls of the space station, are now set to make their terrestrial debut here this weekend.

The Celestial Matters art exhibition features works of art by 10 American artists that were displayed on the International Space Station during Garriott’s flight. The show also includes artwork that was created by Garriott himself while he was in orbit.

The free exhibit, which is presented by Zero G Art, opens today (Oct. 14) at the Charles Bank Gallery in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and will run through Sunday (Oct. 16).

The artwork on display is inspired by the intersection of science, technology, space travel, and the innate and insatiable human desire to discover new things and explore new frontiers, said event organizer Heidi Messer-Martin, of Zero G Art. [Photos: The First Space Tourists]

“It’s a tribute to what happens when imagination and scientific study meet,” Messer-Martin told SPACE.com. “It shows you what the potential of human beings really is. It’s the next level of evolution — first, is the ability to do something, and then comes the ability to analyze and process that, and the next step is the appreciation of it. I think art is the culmination of all that.”

There’s something about space

The Celestial Matters exhibit will be the first time these pieces of art are shown on Earth. They made their debut in space during Garriott’s flight, when he became part of an elite group of space tourists who paid millions of dollars to journey to the International Space Station with private aerospace firm Space Adventures.

Garriott’s own life is somewhat of an intersection between science and art; his mother is a professional artist, and his father, retired NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, spent just over 59 days in orbit over the course of two missions. The younger Garriott’s childhood dream of becoming an astronaut was thwarted by poor eyesight, but he never gave up the desire to fly in space.

“By the age of 13, when I found out I was ineligible to be a NASA astronaut, I became devoted to flying privately, knowing that the only way I was going to go would be if there was a thriving business that took people,” Garriott told SPACE.com.

The entrepreneur, who made his fortune in the world of computers and video games, linked up with Virginia-based Space Adventures, a space tourism firm that offers rides to the International Space Station on Russian Soyuz rockets. [Infographic: Spaceships of the World]

Garriott reportedly paid $30 million for his trip, and spent 12 days as a visitor on the orbiting laboratory in October 2008. While in orbit, Garriott paid homage to his artistic and scientific roots through the art exhibit he set up on the space station. He also used the opportunity to create some of his own unique pieces in the weightless environment.

“I think people today feel very separated from spaceflight,” Garriott said. “They don’t feel tangibly associated with it. This art exhibit in space, and from space, is a great way to humanize this otherwise cold activity and help bring space to the masses. We wanted to bring the inspiration and thinking about space to people in a new and different way.”

Dreaming big

The artwork highlights the beauty of exploration and discovery, and the importance of continuing to push the boundaries in science, art and life.

“The International Space Station is a symbol of collaboration,” Messer-Martin said. “The fact that a private citizen like Richard Garriott, who is totally self-made, could find a way there, and the fact that there are companies like Space Adventures that enable people to get there — I think even ten years ago, it would be beyond peoples’ imagination that they could do this. This exhibit is a symbol of human potential in every element, and it’s a tribute to that.”

The Celestial Matters exhibit can be viewed from noon to 7:00 p.m. EDT at the Charles Bank Gallery, 196 Bowery (at Spring Street) in New York City. It runs from Oct. 14 to 16, and all donations or proceeds from sales will benefit the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, a nonprofit educational organization.

Written by Denise Chow, SPACE.com Staff WriterDate: 14 October 2011 Time: 07:00 AM ET

Photographs from the event can be found on GuestofaGuest.com.

Collective[i]™ Supports Challenger Center For Space Science Education With Revolutionary Art Exhibition

Isabelle Forbes — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:29:03 +0000

NEW YORK, NY – October 3, 2011 – Collective[i]™ is pleased to announce its sponsorship of Celestial Matters, a ground breaking exhibition of artwork inspired by, flown in or created in space, which is making its debut on Earth in New York City. Proceeds from the exhibition will benefit Challenger Center for Space Science Education, the celebrated organization founded by the surviving spouses of the 1986 Challenger disaster to promote scientific literacy and space exploration.

Celestial Matters is the result of a historic civilian space journey by the legendary game developer Richard Garriott de Cayeux, during which artwork by ten American artists was exhibited aboard the International Space Station. Celestial Matters examines the connection between human existence, technology, space travel and the insatiable human desire to explore new frontiers. For the first time, the art from this exhibition will be available for the public to view.

New York, known for its vibrant art scene and home of a rapidly growing technology sector, was selected as the appropriate forum to commemorate this unprecedented union of the arts and the sciences. The show will open with a celebratory gala on the evening of October 13th, 2011, where Buzz Aldrin, famed astronaut of the Apollo 11 moon-landing mission, will be in attendance along with other prominent members of the aerospace community. Honorary benefit committee members include former President George H. W. Bush*; Sally Ride*, the first woman to travel in space; and former astronaut, Alan Bean*.

Collective[i]™ (www.collectivei.com) teamed up with another leader in New York’s burgeoning technology community, Portalarium, (www.portalarium.com), to make this exhibition a reality.

“Collective[i] is proud to be associated with pioneers like Buzz Aldrin and Richard Garriott de Cayeux who represent the human potential realized by advances in technology,” said Tad Martin, CEO of Collective[i]™. “By the same token, we recognize the importance of Challenger Center to ensure that the next generation is prepared to continue their legacy”.

WHAT: Zero G Art presents Celestial Matters
WHERE: Charles Bank Gallery, 196 Bowery, New York, NY
WHEN: October 14th-16th, 2011 (Free Admission)

For more information, please contact Jonas Fischer, VP, Marketing of Collective[i]™ at (646) 833-3360.

*Honorary committee member.

GRP For Online Video?

Isabelle Forbes — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:19:19 +0000

Neilsen’s recently launched GRP product for online video claims it will bring brand advertisers to the web. On the surface, GRP for online video is a sensible step toward creating unified metrics between digital and traditional media. However, there are still a number of obstacles that may deter brand advertisers from embracing this new system.

As Jon Gibs, SVP, Analytics + Insights at Neilsen points out in this interview with beet.tv, even with GRP for online video, fundamental differences in measures between TV and online video still exist. He says that while it would be great to reach a point where one GRP for Hulu is equivalent in media buying terms to one GRP on TV, there are different levels of accountability, effectiveness and audience delivery for each of these mediums that must ultimately be included in the measurement system in order for it to represent a true apples-to-apples comparison.

Will a system like this be enough to draw brand advertisers to digital? Do measurements for other traditional media like out of home and print have digital correlatives? What are other ways that cross media measurement can be achieved?