I began this blog with a sort of lament. I felt that software suppliers, by no fault of their own, had started to dominate analytic software with their own vocabulary and techniques.
The classic example in marketing is the word "Hoover" which has entered the vocabulary to mean a vacuum cleaner, a more obscure example comes from livestock farming with Ivomec. Ivomec is an endectoparasiticide - that means it kills things inside and outside the animal's body. Although Ivomec is a brand name it has entered the vocabulary of UK farmers who say "I'm going to Ivomec them".
This is a tribute to the marketing of these products. However there is a real problem for marketers of these products, if I ask for a Coke (because I mean a black cola soft drink) and I get a Pepsi I'm reasinably happy, but the marketing efforts of the Coca-Cola company have been wasted.
Back to Marketing Metrics. Google with their Google Analytics have really led the way. However we find words that they have created or adopted, some go beyond Google and are used by other software suppliers but some stay with Google.
Let us just consider the word BOUNCE. This is firmly a part of Google reports . It measures the quality of a visit because if someone arrives at your site, then leaves, this is called a bounce. In other words they have not gone to any other pages. Google don't own the word, but you will see that anyone using it has, not knowingly, "got" it from Google.
Next time you meet a word in this area, ask yourself: Is this generic or is it related to one firm?
The answer may not be easy to find, but in the process you will understand the idea and you will have a better chance of remembering it. Have a great Boxing Day.
The Metricman
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