The hippo, and why websites suck

May 27, 2008 | Internet Marketing

Google analytics evangelist Avinash Kaushik thinks one of the reasons why so many websites "suck" today is because of the hippo - as in the "highest paid person's opinion." And, yes, you're likely a hippo - a CMO pulling in a six-figure income, often found pontificating about what does and doesn't work online.

Hippos use tried-and-true metrics such as unique visitors and click-through rates to decide on the best design for your landing page or what content is best suited on your product site. Yet, despite your mounds of data, Mr. Kaushik thinks you are the “least closest to the customer.”

It was a blunt indictment, considering Mr. Kaushik offered it during a talk before roughly 200, well, hippos—marketing executives from Procter & Gamble, Victoria’s Secret, Coca-Cola and Timberland—at an invite-only client conference held by Resource Interactive, a Columbus-based digital agency.

Get the full story at AdvertisingAge

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