Too Much Noise

I am of the belief that children’s books teach us life’s most valuable lessons.

For example,  “The Giving Tree” for the importance of selflessness and generosity; “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” for the power of transformation. “Love You Forever,” makes my  eyes leak –  love between parents and children is permanent, even in the midst of challenge and chaos.

But one of the books that I think about time and time again is “Too Much Noise,” by Ann McGovern, with its lesson on perspective.

The story follows an old man, Peter, who is vexed by a noisy home. As he seeks a solution, a wise man advises Peter to add a cow, a donkey, a sheep, a dog, a cat and a hen.

You see where this is going.

At Peter’s peak frustration, the wise man finally advises Peter to remove all the animals.

Suddenly the previously annoying noises are welcome.

The analogy of “Too Much Noise” occurred to me this week as our media agency’s performance team saw drastically improved e-comm results by cutting back on a bulk of tactics.

Lift tests; incrementality measurement, attribution – all are challenged with too many touchpoints and too little data. If the measurement signal is “noisy” it may be time to get back to basics.