“User-centric approach to data & analytics”

Simo Ahava

12:00 - 12:45

Almost all modern approaches to tracking, especially of the server-side variety, revolve around rhetoric that seeks to maximize the quality AND quantity of data collected to marketing vendors. All the pitches are aboutgetting your data back” or “avoiding ad blockers” or “increasing data volume”. 
 
However, most of the mechanisms that “take your data away” are doing so with the interests of the user in mind. It is *their* data that you are trying to get. It is *their* choice whether to block intrusive ads. It is *their* decision to use a browser that makes tracking mechanisms ineffective. 
 
In this presentation, Simo explores opportunities for switching from a vendor-centric to a user-centric model in tracking. He tries to persuade you to understand that marginal gains in data quantity are won at the user’s expense. Shifting the model around to focus on what benefits server-side tracking introduces for the user (and there are many!) will get you top quality data for marketing purposes AND let you sleep your nights more soundly. 

Simo Ahava

Co-founderSimmer

Simo Ahava is a recognized expert on customizing web analytics and tag management solutions to improve the entire “life cycle” of data collection, processing, and reporting. His main areas of expertise lie with Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, and Google has appointed him as a Google Developer Expert in these fields. He is especially interested in communication structures within organizations, as he firmly believes that communication breakdowns are the underlying cause to practically all data-related problems.

Simo is particularly invested in demystifying analytics development work, and his main focus is on increasing awareness, skills, and critical thinking around data and development.

Simo is a partner and co-founder at 8-bit-sheep, a digital services boutique. He’s also co-founder (together with Mari Ahava) of Simmer, an online learning platform for technical marketers.

Among other things, Simo writes a popular blog on all things Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager development at www.simoahava.com. An experienced speaker and prolific blogger, Simo can be seen and heard in conferences, product forums, support communities, and developer meet-ups alike.