Analytics Is King

We interrupt your regularly scheduled analytics broadcast for another confession: I love social media. First it was LinkedIn, now it’s all social media. Everything that’s happened as a result of participating in social media over the last few years has been positive. Well, maybe not everything, but darn near close to everything

One of the greatest parts about the space is that you never know when it is going to present you with interesting opportunities. Social media helps you discover everything from speaking engagements to guest blog post opportunities to, gasp, job possibilities.

A few weeks ago, I received a message (through social media, of course) from David Armano asking if I would be willing to get together for a drink while we were all in New York (for different reasons). When I showed up, there was Rick Murray, who I’ve also followed and admired for a long-time online. After our discussion, I was so pumped up that I remember going through every last detail of it in the cab.

These guys were interested in having me join the team? I was incredibly excited.

After more conversations (you know how these things go and don’t need me boring you with the details), I received an offer from the folks at Edelman to come to Chicago and take on a role as Vice President, Digital Analytics. In case you didn’t gather from the context inherent in the first few paragraphs here, I’ve decided to accept their offer and join the team.

WAIT… Did I just say move to Chicago and join Edelman Digital? Does that mean I’m leaving Austin? What about Ogilvy? I need answers!

Let me take a second and try to address some of the questions:

Yes, I am moving to Chicago. Before the initial conversation with David and Rick, I had no plans of returning to the Midwest anytime soon. Sure, I love Chicago. Yes, I absolutely love everything about Minneapolis. Of course I love going home to Cleveland. But, the winters! Opportunities to work with guys of this caliber are not presented everyday, especially to those of us who are numbers dorks
Yes, it also means that I’m leaving Austin. After moving here in February 2010, I felt like this would be home for a long time. I love everything about the city and its people. I’ve made some tremendous friends here, and be damn sure I’ll be making plenty of return trips (aside from SXSW, of course)
It does, in fact, mean I’m leaving Ogilvy. This was the most difficult decision of all. Even in a relatively short period of time, the “Ogilvy red” has made its way into my veins. I love the people. I love the culture. It has great clients. This move should in no way change your opinion of that firm. It’s TOP NOTCH.

To say I am excited to join the likes of Jill Knisley, Zena Weist, Dave Fleet, Michael Brito, Chris Lightner, David Almacy, Phil Gomes and of course David and Rick was just something I couldn’t miss out on. These people are incredibly talented, and I can’t wait to work with them!

A few quick things before I continue to plan….errrrrr…. panic about moving cross country for the second time in two years in just a few weeks:

Several people helped me with this decision along the way. To Kyle Flaherty, Bridget Jewell, Allan Schoenberg, Damion White, Lisa Grimm, Gina Gretchko, Katie Huntley and Sonny Gill…. I can’t thank you all enough. Difficult decision and your unwavering support made it a lot easier. Again, thanks!
I’m going to miss my friends in Austin, “like whoa!” That, “like whoa” is credited to Lauren Warthan, who I’d most definitely put in this category. It’s going to be tough to leave such a great group of people, but hopefully we can all hang out again soon!
Go Bulls! The, “anyone but Lebron” motto will continue in the Windy City…

SWEET HOME CHICAGO (apologies Robert Johnson)

"In learning to know other things, and other minds, we become more intimately acquainted with ourselves, and are to ourselves better worth knowing" - Philip Gilbert Hamilton When in doubt, look to English authors for inspirational quotes. Truth be told I struggled for a long time finding a quote that I thought would fit the tenor of this post. In the end, Hamilton's quote here about the exploration of people and ourselves I think fits rather nicely. I'm taking this opportunity to announce that I've decided to join Ogilvy's 360 Digital Influence Group as Vice President of Digital Strategy and Analytics. If you know me at all, the decision to leave a place is not something I take lightly. In fact, many of you can attest to the fact that I agonize over these kinds of decisions. Is the time right to make a change? Am I going to the right place? Are the people I am going to be working with great? How will the people I am leaving react? Of course I ask myself a lot of other questions, but these are the ones that cause me the most pain and anxiety. When I outlined these questions as they pertained to joining Ogilvy I had to answer yes to all of them. They have incredibly smart people, amazing clients and are doing high quality work. The chance to join one of the world's largest PR firms doesn't come across your doorstep very often, especially one with the reputation of Ogilvy. I'm very excited to be joining the team there. Of course, it crushes me to simultaneously leave WCG. The work they are doing is of the highest quality. They have amazing clients. They have amazingly talented people. I want to take this opportunity to thank them for the chance to come here and work with you and your clients. I genuinely feel grateful to have known and worked with all of you. These kinds of decisions don't come without the help and guidance from many people. I won't name them all here (chances are good I would forget someone), but the people I'm talking about know who they are. For all of the advice you provided over the last several weeks I am eternally grateful to all of you. Thank you. As an old boss once said.... onward and upward!

BIG NEWS: I'm Moving to Chicago and Joining Edelman Digital

A New Year with New Challenges. I'm Joining Ogilvy 360 Digital Influence.

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