What’s Fresh?

According to a recent report by comScore, up to 31% of internet users cleared cookies from their machines during the month. Why is this a concern? Well, cookies are used to identify unique visitors to websites and if people are clearing their computer of cookies, when they revisit a website they are getting a new cookie redeposited on their machine. This can result in website traffic statistics being skewed to show a larger unique audience than is really there. This study provides crucial hard data in framing on-going discussions about how unique visitors are calculated and reported. Privacy issues are going to continue to generate debate about website audience measurement techniques as consumers try to wrestle control of their information back from marketers.

I lived in Italy and learned a key lesson from my flat-mate. Instead of sticking a fork in the boiling water and scorching her tongue on the spaghetti to see if it was done, she plucked out a strand, whipped it high over her shoulder, and turned around to see if it stuck to the wall. It did. Score. Dinner was ready and delicious.  

We use Omniture’s Sitecatalyst to see what sticks. Now that Google is actively advertising their analytics solution, we expect the marketing intelligence tool category to become ubiquitous. 

Marketing folks that can create actionable insights from these tools will keep clients from burning their tongues over and over. And, they will have the foresight to tell clients that throwing roma tomatoes at the wall may at best net them a lick of juice and 2 seeds.