Groundhog Day

I have an odd fascination with February 2nd. Yes, it was my grandfather's birthday. One of the reasons I never forgot my grandfather's birthday is because it is also one of the quirkier holidays to most Americans – Ground Hog's Day.

This holiday fascinates me. On this one day, sane and rational people gather at Gobbler's Knob, a hill outside of the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, around the den of a rodent, anxiously awaiting what the groundhog will do when he emerges and looks for his shadow. If he sees his shadow, it's a sign that winter will last six more weeks. It signifies that spring will be early if he doesn't see his shadow.

It's all fun, but it made me think of our marketing decisions and what data points we observe to make our decisions. On Groundhog Day, everyone observes the underlying data of the groundhog's behavior and makes assumptions based on it. For us marketers, if the underlying data we're analyzing isn't carefully vetted against the overall campaign strategy and goals, the assumptions we make as marketers may be off the mark. And when those assumptions are off the mark, our conclusions may also be off target.

Sometimes, the underlying data we're using is something we've just become used to – sort of like an annual tradition of making weather-related decisions based on the random action of a rodent. We're used to it, we look forward to it, and sometimes the groundhog is right.

This year, to ensure we're analyzing the correct data for our marketing recommendations, we started by looking at each campaign strategy to carefully and clearly understand what we were attempting to do and why. We then looked at what data was available to our teams so we could track results against our strategy. This exercise, while laborious, pushed our team to test assumptions, take a fresh look at data sources, and provide rich and meaningful analysis. This analysis of each of our campaigns, in turn, helped inform our marketing recommendations for this new calendar year.

With the year now a month in, we have a fresh look at our work and are optimistic about the results we hope the work generates. We encourage you to do the same and look forward to the positive outcomes it will bring.

If you haven't yet, take some time with your team and take a good, hard look at the data sources you're using to make your marketing recommendations. It's inspiring to take a fresh look at these sources, as it can lead to new insights and better results than relying on tradition or random actions.

Here's to a great 2025!