Ask, Measure, Learn: Using Social Media Analytics to Understand and Influence Customer Behavior

338 Pages·2014·22.03 MB·English

by  Lutz Finger

Praise for Ask, Measure, Learn
Big data will soon become one of the most important assets of most
companies. Using big data will be an integral part of many business
models. Right now, though, the vast majority of companies simply sit
on a heap of dark data, without strategy, uncertain how to interrogate
them and unable to interpret the signals they might receive. In Ask,
Measure, Learn, Lutz and Soumitra give companies key pointers to
understanding the big data challenge, and for asking the right
questions when it comes to tackling it.
—TIM WEBER, SVP EDELMAN, FORMER BUSINESS
AND TECHNOLOGY EDITOR, BBC NEWS INTERACTIVE
Big data is an opportunity that individuals and enterprises alike are
grappling to comprehend and leverage in its entirety. The book
skillfully takes readers on a journey from understanding the concept
of big data to deriving value from it.
—N. R. NARAYANA MURTHY, COFOUNDER, INFOSYS
Big data is a mystery, with too many answers to see the real one that
you need. This book may change that. And it is fun to read as well.
—BEN VERWAAYEN, FORMER CEO, ALCATEL-LUCENT
This is an essential read for anyone who has to introduce big data into
their company; it gives a balanced and complete view of the problem,
and is written by people who not only have their finger on the pulse but
are also able to see the changing coming through their extensive,
worldwide network of connections.
—ALEX (SANDY) PENTLAND, PROFESSOR, MIT
Big data is perhaps the newest concept that everyone is talking about,
but few really understand. Ask, Measure, Learn will go a long way in
helping us grasp big data but also learn how to use it.
—J. FRANK BROWN, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND COO,
GENERAL ATLANTIC PARTNERS
Insights, insights, insights…this is the most essential component of
any kind of analytics. No matter whether it is in social media or on big
data. Business leaders need insights and this book shows how to get
there. Ask, Measure, Learn is a very helpful framework and a great
collection of case studies. Use it and you will avoid any
“paralysis by analysis.”
—LOIC LE MEUR, CEO, LEWEB CONFERENCE
This book blows away all the myths around big data and is an excellent
guide on how to use big data to create true business value. A must
read for all companies facing the challenge to incorporate big data in
their business strategy.
—ANNET ARIS, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR OF STRATEGY,
INSEAD
I think this is the right book at the right time. The data revolution has
just started. Every company that is dealing with big data or trying to
become a data-driven business is searching for the V—value—in the
massively growing amount of data available to them. I found very
useful information in Ask Measure Learn and strongly recommend this
book for anyone looking to define their data-driven strategies.
—UWE WEISS, CEO, BLUEYONDER
A great framework and a must read for every organization. Too often,
business intelligence shoots off with data and graphs, forgetting that
essentially, we are looking for insights. Ask, Measure, Learn helps put
the business value back in the driving seat. Using very practical case
studies, the authors show how easy and fun data science can be.
—STEPHAN ROPPEL, DIRECTOR OF E-COMMERCE,
TCHIBO
This book helps with great examples to go from pure data to actionable
Insights. A must read for everyone talking about social media or big
data analytics. The concepts put forward by Lutz and Soumitra show
how important it is to get the question (ask) right in order to
successfully learn from the data.
—BJÖRN OGNIBENI, CEO, BUZZRANK
Recent breakthroughs in technology and the massive adoption of
social media give access to unseen amounts of data. The problem: we
suffer from a sensory overload and are incapable of capturing the
business value of this data to effectively augment our decision making.
Ask, Measure, Learn tackles that problem and helps business leaders
to leverage this untapped opportunity to drive business value.
—BJÖRN HERMANN, CEO, COMPASS.CO

Ask, Measure, Learn
Using Social Media Analytics to Understand
and Influence Customer Behavior
Lutz Finger and Soumitra Dutta
ASK, MEASURE, LEARN
by Lutz Finger and Soumitra Dutta
Copyright © 2014 Lutz Finger, Soumitra Dutta. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Published by O’Reilly Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472.
O’Reilly books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. Online editions
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Editors: Mary Treseler and Ann Spencer Indexer: Lucie Haskins
Production Editor: Melanie Yarbrough Cover Designer: Randy Comer
Copyeditor: Amanda Kersey Interior Designer: Monica Kamsvaag
Proofreader: Eliahu Sussman Illustrator: Rebecca Demarest
January 2014: First Edition
Revision History for the First Edition:
2014-01-22: First release
See http://oreilly.com/catalog/errata.csp?isbn=9781449336752 for release details.
Nutshell Handbook, the Nutshell Handbook logo, and the O’Reilly logo are registered trademarks of
O’Reilly Media, Inc. Ask, Measure, Learn, the cover image, and related trade dress are trademarks of
O’Reilly Media, Inc.
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed
as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and O’Reilly Media, Inc., was aware of
a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps.
While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and authors
assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the infor‐
mation contained herein.
ISBN: 978-1-449-33675-2
[LSI]
To my loved Isabelle, who supported me in every line in this book.Lutz Finger
To Lourdes and Sara, whose love and support have made my life complete.Soumi-
tra Dutta