Avinash Kaushik: Curious

Stayin' Alive in Tech

"We didn't let tools define what we wanted to do. We figured out what the business value is and then we created a data existence that allowed us to answer those questions.”

A sense of awe runs throughout this episode with Avinash Kaushik, one of the godfathers of web analytics. Avinash is a data visualization expert and Digital Marketing Evangelist at Google and takes a step back with us to wonder at the magic of the Internet while delving into how data can better serve businesses. Avinash has maintained Occam’s Razor, one of our favorite blogs, since 2007, and has been encouraging us to reimagine how we gain business insights from the massive amounts of data laid at our feet in modern times. He speaks about the practitioner’s role in data analysis and how having access to every possible data point doesn’t make humans smarter; it can often lead us astray or paralyze us without the proper analysis.

And for those of you who are interested in making a career in digital marketing, Avinash is the person to listen to. He tells us why one of the most future-proof professions will prove to be data analytics and the number one personality trait that will make a person great at it.

But most notably, Avinash brings sincere optimism for finding the balance between data and humanity. Enjoy hearing what this humble guest has done to help transform the industry of web analytics, both for marketing and for strategic decision-making at the highest levels.

Find Avinash on LinkedIn and Twitter.

SHOW NOTES/LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• Avinash’s bi-monthly blog, Occam’s Razor, including the article that is required reading for Timeshare CMO employees: “It’s not the ink, it’s the think.”
• Be Real-World Smart: A Beginner's Advanced Google Analytics Guide
• Avinash’s two best-selling books: Web Analytics: An Hour A Day and Web Analytics 2.0
• AntennaPod.org podcast manager
• “Customer Centric Web Decision Making” Avinash’s Google Tech Talk
• Udacity’s Nanodegree in Digital Marketing
• Jim Sterne and his book “Artificial Intelligence for Marketing: Practical Applications”
• Top Ten: Signs You Are A Great Analyst, one of Avinash’s first blog posts from 2006, and Melinda’s first comment on the blog

MUSICAL INSPIRATION FOR THIS EPISODE ON SPOTIFY:

"Curious” by Holly Valance

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Stayin' Alive in Tech is an oral history of Silicon Valley and technology. Melinda Byerley, the host, is a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley and the founder of Timeshare CMO, a digital marketing intelligence firm, based in San Francisco.

We really appreciate your reviews, shares on social media, and your recommendations for future guests. And check out our Spotify playlist for all the songs we refer to on our show.