PraiseforDoesitWork?
Anexceptionalguideonhowtodriveresultsandmakeadifferenceinthe
ever-changingmarketingindustry.TheprinciplesinDoesitWork?onsetting
andtrackinggoals,executingondata-drivencreative,andachievingbusiness
results,areapplicabletoamyriadofinitiativesandwillhaveahugely
transformativeimpactonhowyoudobusiness.
—CAROLYNEVERSON,VicePresident,GlobalMarketingSolutions,Facebook

Highlyapproachable,pithy,realandveryengaging.Thebeautyofthis
bookisthatit’saboutmarketingtoday,notjustbeingabetterdigitalperson.
DoesitWork?isalsoperfectforanylevelofexperiencewithactionable
insightsforstrategydevelopmentandexecutionalexcellence.That
combinationmakesitanidealreferencebook,amainstayinyourmarketing
arsenal.
—KIERANHANNON,CMO,BelkinInternational

Marketerscontinuetofaceamultitudeofdecisionsaroundhow,where,
andwhentoengagewithcustomers.The10principlesShaneandJasonshare
cantrulyhelpmarketersfocustheireffortsintheplacesthatwilldrivetheir
businessforward.
—DANIELLETIEDT,ChiefMarketingOfficer,YouTube

Ayellowbrickroadofthinkingthatcanhelpleadingmarketerstakeonthe
fragilebalancebetweentheartandthescienceofdigitalmarketing.
—MICHAELKOTICK,BrandDirector,NestléPurinaNorthAmerica

Inaworldwithanabundanceofdata,muchofitfree,itisremarkablethat
creativityandbusinessprofitsareprimarilyfaith-based.JasonandShaneride
toourrescueinDoesitWorkwithtenilluminatingprinciplesthatwill
transformyourabilitytoleveragetheBigDataopportunity.Asyougofrom

zerototeninthebook,bepreparedforyourbusinesstogofromzeroto
glorious!
—AVINASHKAUSHIK,MarketingEvangelist,Google&MarketMotive,andauthorofWeb
Analytics2.0

Overtheyears,I’veworkedwithcountlessmarketerswhotrytomeasure
everythingjustbecausetheycan.DoesitWork?bringsintosharpfocusthe
onlyrealmetricthatmatters.Byhelpingchangethefocusandconversation,
ShaneAtchisonandJasonBurbyaregivingCMOs,CEOsandall
shareholdersTHEstandardagainstwhicheverymarketingdecisionshould
evaluated.
—JOSHJAMES,founderandCEO,Domo

Howdoyoubesttakeadvantageoftheeverchangingopportunitiesthat
digitaloffersyourbrandtoconnectwithyourcustomer?DoesitWork?
providesprinciplesoneverythingfromsettinggoals,buildingteams,driving
greatcreativeandmostimportantlyunderstandingactualbusinessvalueto
yourorganization.


—JOANNEBRADFORD,HeadofPartnerships,Pinterest



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ToTerrance,Ron“TJ”Powers,
DeanR.,andScottGreene


CONTENTS

ForewordbySirMartinSorrell,CEO,WPP
Acknowledgments
Introduction
01BUSINESSGOALSAREEVERYTHING
02ACOLLECTIVEVISION
03DATAINSPIRESCREATIVITY
04FINDINGUNICORNS
05CULTUREPREDICTSSUCCESSANDFAILURE
06MEASUREWHATMATTERS
07WHATIT’SWORTH

08NEVERSTOPIMPROVING
09ONESIZEFITSNOONE
10FRAMEWORKFORINNOVATION
11CONCLUSIONANDNEXTSTEPS
AppendixA:WhatCMOsNeedtoMakeDigitalMarketingWork
AppendixB:“DumbWaystoDie”:DetailedAnalysisofClaims
ContributorBios
Authors’Note:ContinuingtheConversation
Endnotes
Index


FOREWORD

“DOESITWORK?”ShaneAtchisonandJasonBurby’sapproachtodigitalmarketing
comesintheformofaquestion.Andthat’sexactlyasitshouldbe.
Imettheauthorsofthisbookforthefirsttimein2005.Theywereentrepreneurswho
hadbuiltadigitalagencycalledZAAZ.
Itwasaremarkablefirmforthetime,drivenbyonesimpleconviction:dataisof
valueonlyifitdeliversinsight;insightisofvalueonlyifitinspiresideas;andideasareof
valueonlyiftheydeliverclearandmeasurablebusinessresults.
WPPacquiredZAAZin2006.Ayearlater,AtchisonandBurbyexplainedtheirideas
inabook,ActionableWebAnalytics,anditwoninstantrecognition.Irememberthat,in
2007,thebookwastheoverallwinnerinitscategoryoftheWPPAtticusAwards—our
influentialannualcompetitionfororiginalpublishedthinkinginmarketing
communications.
Sincethen,dismissiveasalwaysoftheoriesthathavenopracticalapplication,
AtchisonandBurbyhavecontinuedtoexposetheirideastotheultimatetestbyputting
themintopractice:firstatZAAZandlateratoneofWPP’slargestdigitalagencies,
POSSIBLE.Theirideasworked,andmanyothersintheindustryfollowedthem.

AtWPP,we’velongandpubliclybelievedthatdigitalmediaanddatainvestment
managementwerekeyareasfortheallocationofthoughtandinvestment:bothbecauseof
theirincreasingintrinsicimportanceandalsobecauseofthebewilderingspeedwithwhich
theycontinuetodevelop.
Asinitiatorsofsuchchange—andlearning,asalways,fromthemarketplacelessons
oftherecentpast—AtchisonandBurbyhavenowtakentheirsleeves-rolled-upapproach
todigitalmarketingonewholestepfurther.
Ilovethisbook’stitle:DoesitWork?Threesmall,toughmonosyllables—anda
questionmark.It’saquestionweshouldbeaskingabouteveryactivitystemmingfrom
everypartoftheWPPgroup.
Thebook—again,typically—isaspracticalasaroadmap;yetthatmakesitsound
toolinear,perhapstoomethodicaltobeinspiring.Intruth,it’sabookthatencourages
leapsofimagination.Itdoesn’ttellyouwhattodo;ithelpsyouthinksofreelyand
inventivelythatyou’llworkoutwhattodoforyourself:andthat’salwaysthebestway.
Anditneverallowsyoutododgethatcrucialquestion:Doesitwork?
IdohopethatagreatmanyWPPclientsreadandapplythisbook.Iftheydo,itwill
besomucheasierforourcompaniestomakethemevenmoresuccessful.


SirMartinSorrell
CEOWPP


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Firstofall,we’dliketothankthemanyfriendsandcolleagueswhohavesupportedour
ideas,challengedourthinking,andhelpeduslearnovertheyears.AtPOSSIBLEwehave
theprivilegeofworkingcloselywith1,300-pluscolleaguesaroundtheworldsupporting
amazingglobalbrands.Inparticular,we’dliketothankthefollowingpeoplefortheir
significantcontributionstothebook:ThomasStelter,JasonCarmel,HalinaLukoskie,Liz

Valentine,JasonBrush,JonMcVey,BradGagne,MichaelWatts,NickLeggett,Dmitria
Burby,JustinCooke,AdamWolf,AndersRosenquist,AndrewSolmssen,PaulJ.Kerr,
AndreyAnischenko,TylerBrain,AliciaMcVey,BenReubenstein,DanielleTrivisonno
Hawley,DarinBrown,DianeHolland,BrandonGeary,JessicaOstrow,AngelaGriffenMeyers,Chien-WenTong,MikeReeder,TonyAguero,ElaineNg,GusWeigel,Liz
Fairchild,SarahMcCarthy,TonyDesjardins,JamiePattan,JimChesnutt,JustinMarshall,
KennyPowar,KrisztianToth,KunalMuzumdar,LucasPeon,LauraWolf,Martha
Hiefield,andTonyaPeck.
We’dalsoliketoextendaspecialthankstoJoeShepter,whohelpedtakeourideas
andthinkingandformulatethemintothe10principlesinthebook.Abigthanksalsogoes
toDonyaDickerson,ExecutiveEditoratMcGraw-Hill,forherenthusiasmaboutourbook
andencouragementthroughouttheprocess.
Eachofthe10principlesinthebookhasgrownoutofourexperienceleadingclient
workforsomeofthebestbrandsaroundtheworld.Overtheyears,wehavehadmany
conversationswithclients,friends,andindustrythoughtleaders.Someofthemwereso
productiveandinfluentialtoourthinkingthatwedecidedtointerviewanumberofpeople
whenwritingthebook.Allofthemhelpedshapeitscontentandcontributedreal-life
storiestosupportourpoints.Inthatregard,wewouldliketothankAliBehnam,Andrew
Connell,AvinashKaushik,BrentHieggelke,BrianLesser,ChrisKerns,ChrisScoggins,
CurtHecht,DanaCogswell,DeanAragon,DeepNishar,DeniseKarkos,DougChavez,
EddyMoretti,EmilyBrooke,GraceHo,GuidoRosales,Jean-PhilippeMaheu,Joe
Shepter,JohnMellor,JonahPeretti,JoshJames,KieranHannon,LarsMadsen,Marc
Connor,MarkRead,MattMason,McGregorAgan,MikeFridgen,PhyllisJackson,René
Rechtman,RichardHyde,RichardNunn,NickNyhan,MikeDodd,SamDecker,Scott
Lux,SteveJarvis,TedCannis,andYoncaBrunini.
We’dalsoliketoextendaspecialthankstoSirMartinSorrell,CEOofWPP,notonly
forwritingtheforewordtothisbook,butalsoforcreating—togetherwithMarkRead,
CEOofWPPDigital—anenvironmentwherewecanlearn,trynewthings,takechances,
attractgreattalentandclients,andmostimportant,dogreatworkforourclients.
Aboveall,we’dliketothankourfamilies—Tasha,Keegan,Francis,Taco,Dmitria,
Cade,Blake,andAvangeline—forputtingupwithourfrequenttravel,late-nightphone

callsandtexts,andeverythingelseyoudotosupportusinchasingourdreams.


INTRODUCTION
HOWTOSAVELIVESWITHADVERTISING
In2013,weallfellinlovewithacheekypublicservicecampaigncalledDumbWaysto
Die.IntendedtopromotesafetyontheMetroinMelbourne,Australia,itfeaturedamusic
videothatlistedthemanyfoolishwaysyoucoulddie.Theyincludedeatingsuperglue,
invitingaserialkillerintoyourhome,andsellingbothyourkidneys.Attheend,thevideo
saidthatperhapsthedumbestwayofalltodieistogethitbyatrain.
Thevideowentviral.Viewedmorethan100milliontimes,itwasdeclaredbymany
tobethemostsuccessfulpublicserviceannouncementever.DumbWaystoDiewentonto
wineverymajoradvertisingaward,includingthemostCannesLions(theindustry’stop
honor)ofanycampaigninhistory.
Butdiditwork?Thesimpleansweris“ofcourse.”Asitsagencypointedout,itnot
onlywonawards,italsogenerated$50millioninglobaladvertisingvalue.Itbecameso
popularthatMetroevenmademoneybylicensingittoalifeinsurancecompany.OK,but
diditwork?
Let’sthinkaboutthatforamoment.WhatwastheMetrotryingtoachieve?Ifwe
takethetitleofthevideoseriously,itwantedtosavelivesbychangingthereckless
behaviorofpeoplearoundtrains.Andinitially,itclaimedgreatsuccess.Twoandahalf
monthsafteritsreleaseinNovember2012,theMetroannouncedthatithadseenachange.
“Thebiggestimprovementwasinthenumberofcollisionsornearmisseswithvehicles
andpedestriansatlevelcrossings,”gushedoneofficial.1Sheclaimedareductionof31%.
Ifyou’relookingfordatatogaugetrainsafetyandchangesinpublicbehavior,near
missesatlevelcrossingsisn’tabadmetric.Theyoccurwheneverapersonordriver
willfullyignoressafetygatesandotherwarningsthatatrainiscomingandtriestodash
acrossthetracksbeforeitarrives.Bydefinition,theymeasurerecklessness.Andsince
manymorepeoplenarrowlymissbeinghitbytrainsthangethitbythem,thosestatistics
arelessnoisyandallowyoutomakemorecertainconclusionsovertime.

Unfortunatelyforthecampaign,however,nearmissesdidnotcontinuetheirhopeful
trend.Infact,theygotmuchworse.By2014,TransportSafetyVictoriaissuedawarning
tothepublicbecausesuchincidentshadincreasedby66%intheyearaftertheadwas
released,puttingthemattheirhighestlevelinfouryears.2Bythatmeasure,thead
certainlydidn’twork.
Undeterred,MetroTrainswentfishingfordataagainandsubmittedthecampaignfor
severalmarketingeffectivenessawards.First,itsaid“riskybehavior”haddecreased20%.
Then,itsagencyreleasedacasestudythatclaimedtheadhadreduceddeathsand
accidentsby32%overthetimeframeofthecampaign.Youcanfindadetailedanalysisof
thevariousclaimsinAppendixB,buthere’sabriefsummaryofwhytheydon’taddup:
1.THEYCHERRYPICK.TransportSafetyVictoria(TSV),the
authoritythatcollectsMetroTrainsstatistics,tracksninedifferent
categoriesofincidents.Ifyoutakethosenineandstartlookingatdifferent


timeperiods,youshouldalwaysbeabletofindsomethingthatindicates
success.Infact,someofthecategoriesdidshowimprovementin2013.
Othersshowedtheopposite.Andifyouaddupalloftheincidents
together,theyshowedalmostnochangefrom2012to2013.Thatdoesn’t
soundeffectivetous.
2.THEY’RENOTSTATISTICALLYSIGNIFICANT.Wehadour
marketingsciencesdepartmentanalyzethedata,andeventhough
statisticalsignificanceisnotasimplematter,theclaimsclearlydonot
makethegrade.Thereasonisthatsafetyincidentsarerare,andthedatais
extremelynoisy.Insomeoftheninecategories,only11incidentsoccur
onaverageinanygivenyear.While20%and32%maysoundimpressive,
theymightonlymeanadifferenceoftwoorthreeincidents—and
fluctuationsofthatkindarecommon.
3.THEVIDEODOESN’TADDRESSTHEREALPROBLEM.
ThebiggestcauseofdeathsonAustraliantrainsisnotcarelessnessor

recklessness.Rather,suicidesaccountfor80%ofallfatalitiesnationally.3
Inaddition,Melbourneyoungpeoplehaveapeculiarfascinationfor
ridingontheoutsideoftrains,apracticeknownas“trainsurfing”or
“couplerriding.”Thecampaignaddressedneithertopicdirectly,nordoes
itseemtohaveimprovedmatterswitheither.4
4.THECLAIMSIGNOREOTHERFACTORS.Wheneveryou
analyzetheeffectivenessofacampaign,youhavetoaccountfor
everythingthatmayhavemovedthemetrics.Youcan’tattributeallthe
perceivedimprovementtoasinglead.Andpriortothecampaign’s
launch,TSVwasalreadytakingaggressivestepstoimprovesafety.In
early2012,forexample,itbecameapartnerinTrackSAFE,anational
publicawarenessandtrainingprogramaimedatreducingsuicidesand
railwayaccidents.Inaddition,theagencyhasmadenumerousinvestments
insafetysince2010,includingupgradingtechnology,increasing
conductortraining,improvingcrossings,andaddingfencingtokeep
peopleoutofdangerousareas.Alltheseactivitiesshouldhavehadan
impactaswell.
Notsurprisingly,manyexpertscriticizedDumbWaystoDie.AformerMetroTrains
employee,whohadworkedforyearsonlevelcrossingcommunications,declaredits
claimsforsuccess“socialmediabulls**t.”5†Aprominentsocialpsychologistdeplored
“themythofstupidity”promotedbythead.6Anda2014studybytheVictoriaTransit
PolicyInstitutecontendedthatsafetymessagingthatfocusedondangerwas
counterproductive.Publictransit,itheld,isconsiderablysaferthanalternativessuchas
automobiles,buthasanundeservedandexaggeratedreputationfordanger.Adsthat
emphasizethatdangerencouragepeopletousemorerisky(nottomentionless
environmentallyresponsible)meansoftransportation.Insteadofsavinglives,thesekinds
ofmessagesprobablyincreasethelikelihoodofdeathbyothermeans.7
InAppendixB,we’llcontinueourdiscussionofDumbWaystoDieandlookatsome



oftherealproblemsfacedbytheMelbourneMetro.Inthemeantime,let’sstopbeing
negativeandexamineacampaignthatsavedlivesandalotofthem.
Thebeautyofinnovationandthebeautyofdoingthingsisthatit’satrialand
error.Assoonasyoumoveahead,youcanlearnonthethingsthatyoudidvery
goodandthethingsthatyoudidbad.Youneedtounderstandwhyyoufailed
andthentrytocorrectthemistakeandtrytoavoidthatinthefuture.
—GuidoRosales,EuropeGroupIntegratedMarketingDirector,TheCoca-Cola
Company

VINNIEJONESTOTHERESCUE
In2011,BritonssawahilariousPSAcreatedbyGreyLondonstarringVinnieJones,an
ex-footballerinEurope.Dressedasagangsterandsnarlingwithslang,hedemonstrated
howhands-onlyCPRcouldsavethelivesofpeoplehavingacardiacarrest.Thepunchline
oftheadwasthatyouneededtopushhardandfast(whichVinniehadhelpfullytattooed
onhisfists)tothebeatoftheBeeGees’“StayingAlive.”Itwasaneasy-to-remember
lessonthatperfectlymergedmessagewithpurpose.

Diditwork?Thistime,theanswerisaresoundingyes.Greyanditsclient,theBritish
HeartFoundation,madethatcaseinapersuasivewhitepaperforthe2014IPA
EffectivenessAwards.Itfirstpointedoutthat60,000peoplesufferacardiacarrestoutside
ofahospitaleachyearintheUK.Yourbestchanceofsurvivalinthatcaseisifyouget
CPRfast.Butatthetime,only25%ofpeopleintheUKwereconfidentenoughto
performCPR.Asaresult,onlyashocking7%ofcardiacarrestvictimslivedtoleavethe
hospital.8
TheBritishHeartFoundationcomparedtheUKstatisticswithanumberofother
places,includingSeattle,whereeverychildhasbeentaughtCPRingymclassforthelast
30years.There,thesurvivalratejumpsto50%.9
Next,theyconductedasurveytolearnwhysofewpeoplewerewillingtoattempt
CPR.Itrevealedthatfearandignoranceplayedleadingrolesintheproblem.Priortothe
campaign,74%ofpeoplesaidthatlackofconfidencewasafactor,while77%citedalack

ofknowledge.
VinnieJonesstruckatbothoftheseproblems.Withanunlikelycharacter,acatchy
tune,andplentyofhumor,itdisarmedthefearsofviewersanddeliveredusefultoolsfor


savinglives.Farfewerpeople(5million)viewedtheadthansawDumbWaystoDie,but
intheyearafterthecampaign,theBritishHeartFoundationidentified30peoplewhose
livesweredirectlysavedbyit.Moreimportant,thelargermetricsalsomoved.The
numberofUKresidentswholackedconfidencetoperformCPRdroppedto65%,andthe
numberwhodidn’tknowhowfellto70%.SincefewothermajorinitiativestoteachCPR
wereunderway,agoodpartofthecreditmustgotothecampaign.10
Inotherwords,boththeMelbourneMetroandtheBritishHeartFoundationproduced
brilliantcontent.InthecaseofVinnieJones,thatcontentwaseffective.Inthecaseof
DumbWaystoDie,itwasn’t.Thismatters.

ACTIONABLEANALYTICS
We’vebeenthinkingabouttheproblemofmeasurableobjectiveswithmarketingfora
longtime.In2007,wewroteabookcalledActionableWebAnalytics:UsingDatato
MakeSmartBusinessDecisions.Atthattime,peoplewerejuststartingtogettheirheads
aroundaconceptthatnowseemstobetopofmindforeveryone:websitesandother
digitalpropertieshavesomethingthatotherformsofmarketingdon’t.Theyhave
memories.
Everythingauserdoesonadigitalpropertycanbe—oroftenis,bydefault—
recordedandstoredaway.Backin2007,peoplewerestartingtolookatthisinformation,
analyzeit,andfigureouthowwellorpoorlytheyweredoing.Insteadoftrustinga“web
designguru”(andtherewereplentyofthemaround),peoplewantedtoknowwhattheir
customershadactuallydoneonawebsite.Theywouldthenusethatinformationtoboost
performanceandresults.
Thebiggestproblem,wefelt,wasthatbythemselvesmanyofthesuccessmetrics
peoplewereusing—suchasimpressions,pageviews,timespentonsite—werelargely

meaningless,apositionwestillhold.Apageviewmattersonlyifitrepresentsapotential
customerorsomeonewhomightshareyourbrandwithothers.Asharemattersonlyifa
sharerhasfollowers.Followersmatteronlyiftheyareinyourpurchasedemographic.So
wearguedthatwebstrategyhadtobebroughtintotheoverallcontextofabusiness.Ithad
tomovemetricsthatmatter,notinfluencemeaninglessstatistics.

ANEWSTART
WewroteActionableWebAnalyticswhenthedigitalworldwasmuchsimpler.Backthen,
youhadsomedigitaltechnologybutnothingliketoday.Therewasnosocial,notahuge
amountofthirdpartyrecommendation,andrelativelyprimitivemobiledevices.Since
then,thingshaveobviouslychanged.Thehighlightsinclude:
∙Dataandinsighthaveincreasedexponentially.
∙Customershavebecomevastlymoremobile.
∙Tabletsandsecondscreeningarecommonplace.
∙Socialmedia.Enoughsaid.


∙Thekey18–34demographicwasraisedondigital.
∙Transparencyhasincreased.
∙Audiencesarefragmented.
∙CMOsplayamuchlargerroleforbrands.
∙Siloshavebecomearealproblem.
∙BigDatahasarrived.
∙Disruptivetechnologiescropupeveryday.
∙Innovationisnowamandateformarketers.
∙Competitionisfiercer.
∙Locationdataisavailableandimportant.
∙Stakesarehigher.
∙Thespeedofchangeisaccelerating.
∙Andnooneseemstoknowwhattodowithitall.

Asallofthesehavehappened,ourcompanyhasevolvedaphilosophythat’sdifferent
fromthecleanbutnarrowworldofourfirstbook.WecallitDoesitWork?™.It’sa
strategyforachievingbusinesssuccessfromdigitalefforts.

OURMETHODOLOGY
WedidnotcomeupwithDoesitWork?onourown.Infact,itwasaprocessinvolvinga
lotofpeopleandtime.Wewantedtomakesureitworkednotonlylocallywherewelive,
butalsoincludedawideglobalperspective.Todothat,wereliedonfoursourcesofdata
andinformation.
OURTEAM.Ouragency,POSSIBLE,hasmorethan1,300employees
withofficesspanningfivecontinents.Weselectedexpertsfromeverydigital
fieldtohelpusunderstandthenuancesoftheirwork.Theyincludesmart
peopleincreative,data,brand,socialmedia,mobiledevices,technology,
innovation,andmuchmore.Theyalsobringdifferentperspectivesfrom
aroundtheworld.
INDEPENDENTRESEARCH.WealsocommissionedForrester
Consultingtodoresearchonourbehalf.Theyinterviewed30globalCMOs
onwhattheyfeltwasworkingornotworkingintheirmarketing.The
resultingreport,“WhatCMOsNeedtoMakeDigitalMarketingWork,”
appearsasAppendixAattheendofthisbookandisquotedthroughout.
INDUSTRYTHOUGHTLEADERS.Weinterviewedandcorresponded
withmorethan50thoughtleaders,CMOs,CEOs,innovators,dataanalysts,
venturecapitalists,andmore.Somecamefromglobalcorporations,suchas
Coca-Cola,eBay,Procter&Gamble,Microsoft,andSAP.Otherscamefrom
leading-edgetechnologycompaniessuchasGoogle,Bittorrent,andUrban


Airship.Theirconversationshelpedshapeourthinkingandourapproach.
You’llalsofindsomeoftheirwordsthroughoutthisbook,andtheirthoughts
arecollectedattheendofeachchapter.Ofcourse,theydon’talwaysechoour

ideasperfectly,andsometimestheydisagreewithus,butwethinkdifferent
perspectivesarealwaysvaluable.
OURSELVES.Lastandperhapsleast,we’vebeenintheindustryfor20
yearsworkingwithalargenumberofhighlyrespectedclients,including
Microsoft,ProcterandGamble,AT&T,Sony,andFord.Inaddition,wehave
writtenorbeeninterviewedaboutdigitalmarketingeverywherefrom
Fortune.comandBloombergTVtoContagiousandCommunicationArts
magazines.

WHYAQUESTION?
WeknowDoesitWork?soundsalittlestrangeforabusinessideology.Itissomethingthat
wefollowandacton,butweuseaquestiontodescribeit.Ifyou’rewonderingwhy,it’s
becauseofthepaceofchange.Disruptivetechnologiesareemergingeveryday.Itwould
befantasticifweknewhowtheworldwilllookinfiveyears.Butifwe’rebeinghonest
withourselves,wedon’tknowwhatitwilllooklikeinfivemonths.Nottomentionthe
factthatitwilllookdifferenttodifferentpeople.Thefutureisimpossibletopredict.
Don’tbelieveus?Everyyear,theConsumerElectronicsShowbringstogethersome
oftheworld’sbestandbrightestmindsintechnology.Together,theyselecttheproducts
theybelievearethemostexcitingwiththegreatestchanceforfuturesuccesstopresentat
theevent.Youmightthinkthatthisesteemedbodywouldbeprettymuchrightaboutits
predictions.Afterall,theyhavesomuchinformationattheirfingertips.Manyofthem,in
fact,earnalivingbytellinguswhattechnologywe’llbeusingnextyear.Theymustbe
goodatthis.
Notsomuch.Theyturnouttobevastlybetteratpredictinggoatsthangame
changers.From2004to2006,forexample,thejuryhadanunfathomableinfatuationwith
theZenVisionseriesofiPodcompetitors(surelyyourememberthem).In2009,ittouted
thegame-changingnatureofthenow-defunctPalmPre.In2011,itswoonedoverthe
MotorolaXoom.In2010,theyjumpedonthe3-DTVbandwagon,atrendthatstillhasn’t
caughton.Ifthemosttech-knowledgeablepeopleintheworldcanbesoconsistently
wrong,whatchancedotherestofushave?

Inaddition,wealsohavetheproblemofchange.Consumersmigrate.Theirtastes
constantlychange.Theirideasofprivacychange.Thewaytheyusesocialmediachanges.
Andsomeofyourcustomersmaybeverydifferentfromothers,butyouneedtoknow
howtoreachallofthemeffectively.Onesizedoesn’treallyfitanyoneanymore.Sowe
havetoforgetprescriptionsandtheloftypronouncementsofexperts.It’stimetostart
askingquestions.It’stimetoadmitwhatwedon’tknowtheanswers—butwecanfind
themout.

THE“DOESITWORK?”PROCESS


Below,we’lldescribethe10principlesthatcomprisetheDoesitWork?philosophy.Butin
essenceyoucanthinkofitashavingfourrealsteps:
1.SETGOALS.DoesitWork?goalsareaseriesofspecificobjectives
thatyousetbothforyourbusinessandeveryprojectorcampaignyoudo.To
themweapplyDoesitWork?criteria,orsolidmetricsthatdefinewhat
successshouldlooklike.Weusethesemetricstohelpusunderstandprogress
againstourgoals,what’sworkingornot,andhowweshouldreact.
2.INSPIREBRILLIANTCREATIVITY.Creativeintuitionisvitaland
essentialtoeverythingwedoindigital.Whilethisbookwilldealmore
extensivelywithdata(afterall,that’swhat’snewtothemarketingworld),
datamustbeintheserviceofcreativity.DumbWaystoDiewasagreatideaif
theobjectivewastogettonsofviews.VinnieJoneswasagreatcreativeidea
iftheobjectivewastogetplentyofviewsandalsoeducatetheaudience.It
useddatainaterrificway:toidentifyanareawhereanadcouldachieve
something.Thedatadidnothindercreativity;itensuredthatitwasnotjust
brilliant,butalsoeffective.
3.MEASURETHERESULTS.Measurementisnotapassiveactivity.
It’saprocessofdeterminingwhat’sworking,makingadjustments,and
learningfromtheresults.Youshouldnotmerelyseeifsomethingworkedor

not.Youshouldknowhowwellitworkedandwhatthatteachesyouabout
yourcustomers.
4.MAKEADIFFERENCE.Ratherthansimplygettingindustry
recognition,wewanttomakesurewehelpbrandsandbusinessesmeettheir
goals.Whetherwe’retryingtosavelives,boostrevenue,orachieveglobal
success,DoesitWork?helpsusknowthatwe’vemadeadifference.
OneoftheinterestingthingswelearnedfromtheForresterstudyandourinterviews
isthatsomeregionsoftheworldaremuchclosertoourideasthanwethink.Marketersin
Chinatendtosetmuchclearerobjectivesupfrontandtieperformanceandeven
compensationtowhetherthingsworkornot.MarketersintheUnitedStatesandEurope—
andespeciallythoseoperatinginstressedeconomiessuchastheUK—rarelydoso,ifat
all.Clearly,thereisroomforimprovement.

COREPRINCIPLES
DoesitWork?isorganizedaround10principles,whicharealsochaptersofthisbook.You
shouldseethesenotasaroadmap,butasawaytothinkaboutdataanddigital,andhow
tomoveyourorganizationtotakebetteradvantageofitschallengesandopportunities.
PRINCIPLE1:
BUSINESSGOALSAREEVERYTHING


BusinessgoalslieatthecenterofDoesitWork?Withoutthem,youcan’tunderstand
effectiveness,measureprogress,orlearnanything.Putsimply,ifyoudon’tknowwhat
successlookslike,youcan’tknowifyou’redrivingit.
Goalsareanoverarchingconcept—theyaretheaspirationsofacompanyorthe
outcomeyoudesireforanactivity.Theyarewhatyouaretryingtoachieve.Buttheyalso
requiremeasurement,orDoesitWork?criteria.Asetofmetricaltargets,theyreflectthe
factorsthatpushabusinessintherightdirection.Bymeasuringprogressagainstthem,
youcanlearnwhatyou’redoingwell,whereyouneedhelp,andwhatchangesyoumight
needtomake.

PRINCIPLE2:
ACOLLECTIVEVISION

Ifyourgoalssitinadrawer,theycan’tdoyouanygood.That’swhyeveryoneina
companyhastounderstandandworktowardthem.Doingthisinvolvesmakingsurethat
everyteam,initiative,andcampaignhasitsownDoesitWork?criteriathatladderupto
oneormoreofyourbusinessgoals.
Acollectivevisionisnotjustessentialtomakingprogresstowardyourgoals;italso
helpsbreakdownsilos.Globalcomplexityhasincreasedtheneedforcommunicationand
coordinationacrossdifferentpartsofanorganization.Bymakingsurewehavefull
alignment,wecanbuildacommonunderstandingofhoweveryoneshouldworktogether
toachieveourgoals.
PRINCIPLE3:
DATAINSPIRESCREATIVITY


Mostofthetime,marketersthinkofdataasasuccess(orfailure)metric.InaDoesit
Work?context,itshouldnotbeusedsimplytoevaluateperformance.Itshouldalsobe
usedtoinspirecreativity.
Databyitselfdoesnotprovidesolutions—itcanonlyprovideaclearervisionof
opportunities.Itcanenablemarketerstopursueboldideasanddefendthemfromthose
loudvoiceswhoalwaysthinkthey’retheexperts.Todothis,weneedtotaketheresearch
anddatawehaveanddistillitintosimple,powerfulideasthatinspirecreativepeople.
PRINCIPLE4:
FINDINGUNICORNS

TocreateaDoesitWork?culture,youneedspecialpeople,thosewhoareabletousedata
creativelyandachieverealresultsforyourbrand.Ouransweristolookforunicorns,
peoplebornfordigital.We’llmeetsomeofthem,andseethetraitsthatmakethemsmart,
flexible,low-keyteamplayerswhoadapteasilyandlovetomakethingswork.We’llalso

lookatwhattheywantoutoftheirjob.Theynolongersimplywanttobecreative,they
wanttomakeadifference.DoesitWork?channelsthatdesireintoconcreteachievements,
suchasbuildingrevenueforabrandormakingcustomers’liveseasierandmore
meaningful.
PRINCIPLE5:
CULTUREPREDICTSSUCCESSANDFAILURE


Sohowdoyoumakeunicornshappy?Buildagreatculturefordigital.Culturestartsatthe
topandflowsnaturallydown.Inthemodernbusinessworld,thatcallsforlackofegos,a
flathierarchy,encouragementofideas,andtheabilitytotakerisksandacceptfailure.
Beyondthat,DoesitWork?triestodelivereveryoneasenseofaccomplishment.Our
workshoulddosomethingmeaningfulforourbrandsandthewiderworld.
PRINCIPLE6:
MEASUREWHATMATTERS

Todaywehaveplentyofreadilyavailablemetrics,butwe’llneverknowwhatworksifwe
sticktothem.Insteadwehavetomeasurewhatmatters,notwhatiseasy.Thismeans
takingontoughtopics,suchasunderstandinghowdigitalaffectsofflinetransactionsand
howshort-termcampaignscanimpactlong-termbrandvalue.Butitalsomeansbeing
realisticaboutmeasurement.Wehavemanythingswecanmeasure,butweshouldonly
measurethemifwecanactonthem.Measurementwithoutactionisawasteoftime.
PRINCIPLE7:
WHATIT’SWORTH


WithDoesitWork?,wedon’tmerelywanttoknowwhatworksanddoesn’t.Wealsowant
toknowwhatworksbetterthansomethingelse.Everymarketerhas10thingsshecando,
butifaskedtochoosejustthree,shehasadifficulttime.
Theanswertoherdilemmaisrelative-valuemodeling,ortheprocessofassigning

dollarvaluestoactivitiesandbehaviors.Thesevaluesdon’thavetobeabsolute—and
oftentheyaren’t—buttheystillcanbeextremelyuseful.Thereasonisthattoday,wedon’t
alwayshaveclearinsightintothevalueandeffectivenessofthingswedo.Whatisatweet
worthtoyourbrandcomparedtoanInstagramlike?Modelscanhelpyoubridgethisgap,
understandtherelativevalueofactivities,andprioritizebetweenthem.
PRINCIPLE8:
NEVERSTOPIMPROVING

Aredigitalpropertieseverperfect?Quickanswer:no.EventhemostseasonedUXexpert
cangetthingsdrasticallywrong.Yetmostmarketerssimplylaunchprojectsandleave
themtotheirowndevices.Hugelostopportunity.Aprojectismerelyahypothesisofwhat
mightwork,andit’sprobablynot100%correct.That’swhyweshouldalwaysleaveroom
(andbudget)forimprovement.
Technicallyspeaking,thisisknownas“optimization.”That’safancywayofsaying
youtestoutwhat’sworking—andnot—onyourdigitalproperties.Askifaheadlineabout
freestuffworksbetterthanoneaboutcashback.Thentest.Whenyougettheresults,you
canactonyourlearningsandimproveyourunderstandingovertime.
PRINCIPLE9:
ONESIZEFITSNOONE


Customersarenotallthesameanddon’twantagenericexperience—especiallyina
personalizeddigitalworld.Somefindmotivationinsomethings,othersinothers.One
SizeFitsNoOneshowshowwecanidentifyandtargetdifferentgroupswithdifferent
experiences.Theendresultmaybealiftinsales,butitcouldalsosimplyprovideamuch
betterexperienceforyourloyalcustomers.
PRINCIPLE10:
FRAMEWORKFORINNOVATION

Inthecurrentenvironment,innovationissimplypartofthejob.You’llalwaysneedto

learnanddonewthings.FromaDoesitWork?perspective,innovationisanongoing
processbasedonsolidprinciples:goals,measurement,andaction.Wewanttomakesure
thatourinnovationprocessdrivesbetterresults.
Wealsoneedtounderstandwhathappensafterwebuildnewthings.Makeanapp?
You’reenteringanewarenawithdifferentexpectations.Younowhavearelationshipwith
yourcustomers—arealrelationshipthathasrealconsequencesifyoudon’tmaintainit.
Youhavetodeveloptrueproductmanagementprocessestoensurethatyourbrandstays
freshandrelevanttothepeopleyouvaluemost.
Asweintroduceeachprinciplewealsoincludealinktoashortvideotobringthe
principletolife.Thesecanbefoundonthefirstpageofeachchapter.Forexampleyou
canseethelink“POSSIBLE.com/principle1”ontheopeningpageofthe“BusinessGoals
AreEverything”chapter.

THEPURPOSEOF“DOESITWORK?”


Muchofthisbookwillfocusonareasthatmayinitiallyseemdistantfromthemost
importantthingstothemarketingindustry:ideasandcreativityitself.Thisisanillusion.
Thisbookisaboutafieldthatreliesonbrilliantideasandcreativity.Dataandprocess
canneverreplaceimagination.Theycan’tremoveriskordoyourhomeworkforyou.
Theycan,however,helpcreatetheconditionsthatallowmagictohappen.
YoushouldlookatalmosteveryDoesitWork?principlethroughthelensofcreative
ideas.Wesetbusinessgoalssoweknowwhatthoseideasshoulddo.Webuildacollective
visionsothateverypersoncanbeonthesamepageandcontributetocreativesolutions.
Weneedunicornsbecausethey’rethekindofpeoplewhoaren’tafraidtothinkoutloud
andeithercomeupwithgreatideasorhelpthosewhodo.Weneedtomeasurewhat
mattersbecausemeasurementitselfcanbecreativeandcanhelpsuggestnewwaysto
approachmarketing.
Atthesametime,youwantcreativitytobeeffective.DumbWaystoDieisgreat
creative.ButtheawardsitreceivedshouldhavecomefromthefilmfestivalatCannes,not

theadvertisingone.WithDoesitWork?,brilliantideasachievebusinessobjectives.

FINALTHOUGHT
DoesitWork?mayseemaneasythingtoadopt,butit’snot.Itmandatesalong-termshift
inhowyouapproachdigitalandmarketingandyourcustomerrelationshipsoverall.Itwill
changenotmerelyhowyoulookatdataandcreativity,buthowyoustaffyour
organization,prioritizeamonginitiatives,andorganizeandincentivizeyourpeople.Itwill
changeyourrelationshiptoagenciesandclients,andmaybeevenwithcustomers,too.
Changeslikethatdon’tcomequickly;theytakeastrongcommitmenttomakingthings
better.Butthegoodnewsis,youcanstartimplementingtheseideastoday.Juststart
asking,“Doesitwork?”Theanswermaysurpriseyou.

THOUGHTLEADERSWEIGHIN
Attheendofeverychapter,we’llincludequotesfromthethoughtleadersandPOSSIBLE
expertswhohelpedshapethisbook.We’vetriedtoincludepeoplefromaroundtheworld
andacrossindustriessothatwecouldpresentdifferentperspectivesonourtopics.Some
oftheseperspectivesechoourown;othersshowanothertakeontheissues.Hopefully,
they’llallhelptriggeradditionalthoughtsandideas.Youcanfindbiographiesofall
participantsintheContributorBiossectionatthebackofthisbook.
Thetemptationwithdigitalplatformslikesocialmediaistotreatthemwith
acertaindegreeofreverence,simplybecauseofthetechnologicalupgradeto
whatisessentially“humanconnection.”Itmusthavethesamecriteriaasany
otherchannelswhichconnectusaspeople.Itmustfascinate.Itmustengage.
Ultimately,itneedstostimulatetheresponsethatissoughtbyyourbrand
and/orbusinessgoals.Weoftengetlostonthetechnologyfront,thinkingthat
wehavetomaneuverinsomespecialway,ratherthanfocusingonwhyit’s
worthanyone’stime.
—DEANARAGON,VPCXBrandandCEO,ShellBrandsInternationalAG



Thethingthatadagenciesstrugglewithisthey’reverygoodatdoing
thingsthatarecool,buttheyfinditveryhardtodothingsthatwork.
—MARKREAD,CEO,WPPDigital

Dataorinsightsbythemselvesdon’tmeananything.Youneedtoactivate
peopleandmotivatethemtodosomething,andthewaywe’vebeenableto
dothatisthroughreallycrystallizingourfindingsintoevocativestories,rich
withcomponentsthatthenleavethecreativeswithsomuchtogoafter.
—PHYLLISJACKSON,VP,NorthAmerica,Consumer&MarketKnowledge,P&G

Theycaredtonsaboutawards.Ididn’tgiveas**t†aboutthem.Itwasa
hugedivergence.Icouldtellthattheircreativewasalmostgearedtowards
gettingthemanaward,andIdidn’tthinkitwaseffectivefordrivingour
business.Itwasahugeproblemforme.Iamfinewithawardsasasecondary
goal,butithastodriveourbusinessfirstandforemost.
—STEVEJARVIS,VP,StrategyGlobalTour&Transport,Expedia,Inc.

Thebestideasdon’tcomejustfromthedesigners.Theycomefromthe
designers,andtheycomefromthecreativepeopleanduserexperience,but
theyalsocomefromendusers,andtheycomefromtheanalysts,andthey
comefromthejanitorandanybody.Andsoencouragingheuristicevaluations
process,encouragingthiswholeideathateverybodyisempoweredtocreate
themostcrazy-assideaandthatwecanputanakedRichardBransononthe
homepageandseewhathappens,wejustcontrolforriskbyshowingitto
maybe1%ofthepeople.
—AVINASHKAUSHIK,MarketingEvangelist,Google&MarketMotive,andauthorofWeb
Analytics2.0

IwasingradschoolattheMITMediaLab.Sometimes,wewouldcreate
brilliantideastherethatreallywereimpracticalandthatcouldn’tactuallylive

intheworld,buttheywereanamazingdemo…Othertimes,therewere
thingsthatwerelessimpressivedemosthatactuallyyousawandyouthought
aboutitforalittlewhile.Yousaid,“Oh,Iseehowthiscouldimpactculture.I
seehowthiscouldhaveasociologicalimpact.”…Thosearethekindsof
ideasthatIlike.Whenyouseesomethingandyousay,“Wow,whydoesn’t
thisexist?Whydoesn’tthisobviousthingexist?”Thosearetheideasthat
reallyareexcitingtome.They’retheonesyoucanusuallyputintoaction.
—JONAHPERETTI,FounderandCEO,BuzzFeed

Insightscancomeoutofdata,butthey’rerequiredtodriveamazingideas
andcreativitythatengageconsumers.
—CURTHECHT,ChiefGlobalRevenueOfficer,TheWeatherCompany

Icouldn’ttellyouwhatthenextsocialplatformis,orcommerceplatform;
however,itiscriticalthatwestayimmersedinup-and-comingcapabilities
andbepreparedtoactifitsupportsourcustomervision.
—SCOTTA.LUX,VPeCommerce&MultiChannel,Diesel

Mostcompaniesstillprofoundlyunderleveragewhatdigitalcandofor