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    Building a world-class data org | Jessica Lachs (VP of Analytics and Data Science at DoorDash)

    enJuly 14, 2024
    What is the role of a centralized data team?
    How did DoorDash cultivate a culture of ownership?
    Why are soft skills important in DoorDash's interviews?
    What metrics should teams focus on for growth?
    How does DoorDash evaluate candidates during the hiring process?

    Podcast Summary

    • Centralized data team modelA centralized data team model enables better alignment, collaboration, broader perspective, and greater impact on business decisions by allowing data teams to have a seat at the table and focus on metrics that drive growth and revenue.

      Building and scaling a data team requires a centralized model with a seat at the table for analytics as a business impact driver. According to Jessica Lacks, Vice President of Analytics and Data Science at DoorDash, a centralized model allows for better alignment of goals and collaboration between teams. It also enables the data team to have a broader perspective and impact on business decisions. Additionally, defining metrics that drive short-term outputs with long-term impacts is crucial. For example, instead of focusing on retention, teams should find metrics that contribute to growth and revenue. Overall, a centralized data team with a business-focused mindset can help companies make better decisions and stay competitive in complex markets.

    • Centralized Data TeamA centralized data team with a seat at the table as business partners can lead to alignment, consistent methodologies, growth opportunities, team culture, and improved business performance.

      Having a centralized data team with a seat at the table as business partners can lead to numerous benefits for an organization. This approach ensures that data teams are aligned with the company's goals, have consistent methodologies and metrics, and can identify growth opportunities. It also fosters a team culture of learning and collaboration, making it easier to attract and retain top talent. However, it's essential to be intentional about setting aside time for exploratory work and deep dives to uncover new opportunities and insights. One example from DoorDash saw their data team identify referral as a promising consumer acquisition channel during a hackathon, leading to significant growth for the company. By maintaining a high talent bar, offering growth opportunities, and promoting a consistent methodology and team culture, a centralized data team can drive impactful results and improve overall business performance.

    • Referral marketing fraudDeep dives into referral marketing uncovered significant fraudulent behavior at DoorDash, leading to improvements in efficiency and a better understanding of the channel's true value.

      Deep dives into marketing channels can uncover hidden issues and opportunities. At DoorDash, a deep dive into referral marketing uncovered significant fraudulent behavior, leading to improvements in efficiency and a better understanding of the channel's true value. Data teams can prioritize long-term projects and find time for deep dives by establishing clear priorities, communicating trade-offs, and aligning with business partners. When hiring data team members, look for curiosity and self-motivation, as these traits lead to proactive problem-solving and valuable discoveries.

    • Soft skills assessment in interviewsEvaluating problem-solving and adaptability during interviews is crucial for hiring well-rounded candidates. Real-world business cases help observe candidates' decision-making and reaction to ambiguity and being told they're wrong.

      Assessing soft skills, such as problem-solving and adaptability, during interviews can be just as important as testing for technical skills. The interview process at DoorDash includes a coding exercise and business case to evaluate these skills. The business case presents real-world problems and allows interviewers to observe how candidates handle ambiguity, make decisions without full information, and react to being told they're wrong. The interviewer shared her personal story of becoming a data scientist without a traditional background, emphasizing the importance of having a strong desire to solve problems and the ability to learn new skills as necessary. She also highlighted the value of having a non-traditional background in hiring and building a team with diverse skills and expertise. This approach not only helps in driving business impact but also inspires individuals starting out in their careers to believe that they can succeed in fields they may not have a lot of background in.

    • DoorDash cultureDoorDash's early team embodied a culture of extreme ownership and customer-first mentality, with employees regularly participating in dashing and customer support to better understand the product and its audiences.

      DoorDash's early team embodied a culture of extreme ownership and customer-first mentality. This was evident in their hands-on approach to growing the business, such as handing out promo codes and going out dashing to understand the customer experience. The sales team, including Joe Gracio, was a prime example of this ownership culture, as their compensation was tied to merchant sign-ups but they still joined in on early morning promotional efforts. During times of crisis, like site outages, the entire team dropped everything to prioritize customer support. This culture of ownership and customer focus continues to be a significant part of DoorDash's success, with employees regularly participating in dashing and customer support to better understand the product and its audiences. The early team's commitment to extreme ownership and the customer experience played a crucial role in DoorDash's growth and continues to be a defining aspect of the company's culture.

    • Metrics and Cross-functional ExperienceExploring different roles within a company and gaining a well-rounded understanding of the business is important for employees and the company. Clear and simple metrics that drive long-term outputs should be defined, and understanding how metrics relate to each other is crucial for effective decision-making. Teams should translate every decision into its impact on the final business metric.

      At DoorDash, they encourage employees to explore different roles within the organization to gain a well-rounded understanding of the business. This cross-functional experience not only benefits the employee but also the company as a whole. Another thing that stands out from the conversation is the importance of defining clear and simple metrics to drive desired business outcomes. According to the speaker, it's crucial to find a short-term metric that drives a long-term output, and keeping things simple is essential. Complex composite metrics can be hard to understand and work with, making it difficult to make informed decisions. Furthermore, understanding how metrics across the company relate to one another is vital. By quantifying things in terms of a common currency, teams can make trade-offs between different areas of the business and make decisions more quickly and effectively. Lastly, the importance of translating every decision into its impact on the business's final metric, such as gross order value (GOV) and volume, was discussed. This approach allows teams to understand the potential impact of their decisions and make informed trade-offs between different areas of the business. In summary, the key takeaways from the conversation are the importance of cross-functional experience, clear and simple metrics, understanding the relationship between metrics, and translating decisions into their impact on the final business metric.

    • Impactful MetricsFocusing on a few impactful metrics, even if not perfect proxies, can lead to significant improvements in the long term. Overlooking edge cases and fail states can have a significant impact on consumer experience, engagement, and profitability.

      Prioritizing and focusing on the most impactful metrics, even if they are not perfect proxies, can lead to significant improvements in the long term. This was a lesson learned at Airbnb when they focused on improving one metric at a time, such as cancellation rate, instead of constantly switching between multiple metrics. Additionally, it's important to not overlook edge cases and fail states when setting metrics, as they can have a significant impact on consumer experience, engagement, and profitability. For example, at DoorDash, focusing on eliminating "never delivered" orders led to meaningful improvements in reducing churn and costs. While managing a global data org may add complexity due to differences in currencies, languages, and regulations, the problems faced are often similar to those encountered in domestic markets.

    • AI tools for productivityImplementing AI chatbots can help team members write SQL queries and edit data, saving time and resources for the analytics team while empowering individuals to learn and grow within the team.

      Leveraging AI tools can significantly improve productivity and empower non-technical users within a team. During the discussion, the guest shared how DoorDash implemented an AI chatbot named Ask Data AI to help team members write SQL queries and edit data, freeing up time and resources for the analytics team. This approach not only saves time but also empowers individuals to learn and grow within the team. The guest emphasized the importance of having a diverse team with various backgrounds and experiences, as it leads to a unique learning environment where team members can teach each other new skills. Additionally, the guest recommended exploring the Libby app and supporting local public libraries, and mentioned enjoying the TV shows "The West Wing" and "Alias," as well as Korean sunscreens.

    • Sunscreen, Sleep, Influential WomenSunscreen is essential for skin health as we age, Korean sunscreens are effective, sleep is important for problem-solving and clarity, women have significantly influenced the speaker's career, and seeking the truth with kindness is encouraged.

      Sunscreen is crucial for protecting the skin as we age, and Korean sunscreens have been impressing the speaker with their effectiveness. Another valuable tip shared by the speaker is the importance of sleep in solving problems and gaining clarity. The speaker also mentioned that women have significantly influenced her career, from her inspiring colleagues in male-dominated industries to her mother's determination to change careers later in life. When she joined DoorDash, she didn't focus on its potential for success but was driven by the experience and the people. Two moments that stood out for her were becoming the number one player in the market and the widespread use of DoorDash by consumers. To engage with the speaker, follow her on LinkedIn, where she shares insights from her experience building a global analytics org at DoorDash. Lastly, she encourages everyone to seek the truth and speak it kindly.

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    • The Most Complicated Object in the Universe: https://today.uconn.edu/2018/03/complicated-object-universe/#

    • The Myers-Briggs personality test: https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Products-and-Services/Myers-Briggs

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    • An inside look at how Figma builds product | Yuhki Yamashita (CPO of Figma): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/an-inside-look-at-how-figma-builds

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    • Dylan Field live at Config: Intuition, simplicity, and the future of design: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/dylan-field-live-at-config

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    • Inside Canva: Coaches not managers, giving away your Legos, and running profitably | Cameron Adams (co-founder and CPO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/inside-canva-with-cameron-adams

    • The Science-Business Mismatch That Puts Your Change at Risk: https://changemanagementreview.com/the-science-business-mismatch-that-puts-your-change-at-risk/

    • Daniel Pink on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielpink/

    • Trello: https://trello.com/

    • Cron: https://cronhq.notion.site/

    • The Double Diamond framework for design thinking: https://www.fluxspace.io/resources/the-4-ds-double-diamond-design-thinking-model

    • CORE Sciences - Tips on Priming Great Meetings PDF: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/gm21cj0vi0bjosyu8kd69/CORE-Sciences-Tips-on-Priming-Great-Meetings.pdf?rlkey=6fznhv7bbsxm8nj8m4luej17t&st=2eduirad&dl=0

    • How to grow a subscription business | Yuriy Timen (Grammarly, Canva, Airtable): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/transform-your-subscription-growth

    • Brené Brown’s website: https://brenebrown.com/

    • The CORE personality test: https://www.core-sciences.com/new-core-identity

    • Burning Man: https://burningman.org/

    • Stripe: https://stripe.com/

    • Jony Ive: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jony_Ive

    • Albert Einstein quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7133605-make-things-as-simple-as-possible-but-no-simpler

    • Elden Ring: https://en.bandainamcoent.eu/elden-ring/elden-ring

    • Abilene paradox: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abilene_paradox

    The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation: https://www.amazon.com/Challenger-Sale-Control-Customer-Conversation/dp/1591844355

    • The surprising truth about what closes deals: Insights from 2.5m sales conversations | Matt Dixon (author of The Challenger Sale and The JOLT Effect): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/close-more-deals-matt-dixon

    • Siqi Chan on X: https://x.com/blader

    • Runway: https://runway.com/

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    • Wolfgang Puck’s website: https://wolfgangpuck.com/

    • Steven Spielberg on X: https://x.com/sspielberg93

    • John Williams’s website: https://www.johnwilliams.org/

    • The paths to power: How to grow your influence and advance your career | Jeffrey Pfeffer (author of 7 Rules of Power, professor at Stanford GSB): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-paths-to-power-jeffrey-pfeffer

    • Warby Parker: https://www.warbyparker.com/

    • Simon Sinek’s website: https://simonsinek.com/

    • What is the function of the various brainwaves?: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-function-of-t-1997-12-22/

    • CORE Sciences - Your Brain's 9 Modes PDF: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/figg8upeaawir1hnxv0ew/CORE-Sciences-Your-Brain-s-9-Modes.pdf?rlkey=u3zaonxvycvupurq6pwysckfq&st=os06xjnr&dl=0

    Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It: Unlock Your Persuasion Potential in Professional and Personal Life: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Depended/dp/0062407805

    The Person and the Situation: Perspectives of Social Psychology: https://www.amazon.com/Person-Situation-Perspectives-Social-Psychology/dp/1905177445

    Cambridge Fundamentals of Neuroscience in Psychology: https://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-Fundamentals-Neuroscience-Psychology/dp/B08QYNDNYX

    • Robert Greene’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robert-Greene/author/B001IGV3IS

    Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics: https://www.amazon.com/Misbehaving-Behavioral-Economics-Richard-Thaler/dp/039335279X

    • Beehiiv: https://www.beehiiv.com/

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    Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.



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    How embracing your emotions will accelerate your career | Joe Hudson (executive coach, Art of Accomplishment)

    How embracing your emotions will accelerate your career | Joe Hudson (executive coach, Art of Accomplishment)

    Joe Hudson is one of the most sought-after executive coaches in Silicon Valley. He is the founder of Art of Accomplishment, a transformational coaching program that has helped tens of thousands of people, including many tech executives and founders from companies like Apple, OpenAI, and Google. His unique method of transformation comes from over 25 years of exploring neurological, psychological, and spiritual traditions, tested against real-world challenges. In our conversation, Joe shares:

    • Why the critical voice in your head is always wrong, and how to change your relationship with that voice

    • Why authenticity trumps self-improvement

    • The importance of embracing all of your emotions

    • How to create more enjoyable and effective meetings

    • The power of gratitude in transforming your life

    • Practical experiments for personal growth

    • Much more

    Apply for Joe’s Connection Course:

    Thousands of students have taken Joe’s most popular experience, the Connection Course. Unlike most online courses, there is no reading, lectures, or written homework. It is a three-week experiential deep dive where you will apply your learnings to real-life problems—how to make your team more productive, communicate more effectively, and resolve conflicts with ease. Apply here and use the code LENNY for $300 off your enrollment: view.life/lenny.

    Brought to you by:

    BuildBetter—AI for product teams

    WorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUs

    Coda—The all-in-one collaborative workspace

    Find the transcript and references at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/embracing-your-emotions-joe-hudson

    Where to find Joe Hudson:

    • X: https://x.com/FU_joehudson

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-hudson/

    • Website: https://www.artofaccomplishment.com/

    • Podcast: https://www.artofaccomplishment.com/podcast

    • Linktree: https://linktr.ee/theartofaccomplishment

    Where to find Lenny:

    • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

    • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

    In this episode, we cover:

    (00:00) Joe’s background

    (02:31) The critical voice in your head

    (06:39) Changing your relationship with the critical voice

    (13:19) Understanding and embracing emotions

    (19:52) The importance of emotional fluidity

    (24:40) Questioning assumptions and self-perception

    (30:25) The consequences of avoiding emotions

    (36:57) Experimenting with self-improvement

    (39:42) Understanding efficiency and enjoyment

    (43:17) The power of enjoyment in daily tasks

    (45:03) Innate enjoyment vs. learned enjoyment

    (46:31) Authenticity vs. self-improvement

    (50:01) Embracing emotional experiences

    (55:49) How understanding your emotions helps you make better decisions

    (01:02:53) Creating effective teams and meetings

    (01:10:40) Gratitude practice for personal growth

    (01:15:36) Conclusion and final thoughts

    Referenced:

    Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain: https://www.amazon.com/Descartes-Error-Emotion-Reason-Human/dp/014303622X/

    • Joe’s quote about joy: https://x.com/FU_joehudson/status/1756837774743790030

    • “Emotional Inquiry”: https://www.artofaccomplishment.com/podcast/emotional-inquiry

    Inside Out 2: https://movies.disney.com/inside-out-2

    • “Question the Assumption”: https://www.artofaccomplishment.com/podcast/question-the-assumption

    • Bodega Bay: https://www.bodegabay.com/

    • Elon Musk reveals the interview question he asks every candidate to instantly spot a liar: https://www.good.is/elon-musk-reveals-the-one-job-interview-question-he-asks-every-candidate-to-instantly-spot-a-liar

    • Great Decisions course: https://www.artofaccomplishment.com/course/great-decisions-course

    • HBR Analytic Services: https://hbr.org/hbr-analytic-services

    • Connection Course: https://www.artofaccomplishment.com/course/the-connection-course

    Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

    Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.



    Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

    Lessons from scaling Uber and Opendoor | Brian Tolkin (Head of Product at Opendoor, ex-Uber)

    Lessons from scaling Uber and Opendoor | Brian Tolkin (Head of Product at Opendoor, ex-Uber)

    Brian Tolkin is the Head of Product at Opendoor. Previously, he was one of the early employees at Uber, where he was instrumental in launching and growing UberPool, UberHop, and UberExpress and started one of the first product operations teams in tech. In our conversation, we dive into:

    • How to enable product and ops to work well together

    • How to run great product reviews

    • How to make good decisions with limited data

    • How he uses the jobs-to-be-done framework at Opendoor

    • How to stay calm under pressure as a leader

    • Wild stories from his time at Uber

    • Challenges faced at Opendoor during the pandemic

    • Much more

    Brought to you by:

    Pendo—The only all-in-one product experience platform for any type of application

    Explo—Embed customer-facing analytics in your product

    Attio—The powerful, flexible CRM for fast-growing startups

    Find the transcript and references at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/scaling-uber-and-opendoor-brian-tolkin

    Where to find Brian Tolkin:

    • X: https://x.com/briantolkin

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briantolkin/

    Where to find Lenny:

    • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

    • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

    In this episode, we cover:

    (00:00) Brian’s background

    (02:14) Career beginnings at Uber

    (02:49) Transitioning from product operations to product management

    (06:47) Product and operations synergy

    (10:00) Surge pricing at Uber

    (12:18) Scaling challenges, and stories

    (15:47) Opendoor and Covid adaptations

    (25:38) Product reviews and Jobs to Be Done

    (40:30) The challenges of A/B testing

    (42:23) Increasing conviction in solutions

    (44:33) Leveraging intuition in product decisions

    (47:07) Partnering with Zillow

    (52:55) Staying calm under pressure

    (56:25) Finding the “kernel of truth” in product management

    (01:00:21) Failure corner: Early days of Uber Pool

    (01:06:11) Lightning round and final thoughts

    Referenced:

    • Twitter’s former Head of Product opens up: being fired, meeting Elon, changing stagnant culture, building consumer product, more | Kayvon Beykpour: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/twitters-former-head-of-product-kayvon-beykpour

    • Opendoor: https://sell.opendoor.com/

    • How to sell your ideas and rise within your company | Casey Winters, Eventbrite: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-sell-your-ideas-and-rise-within

    • Thinking beyond frameworks | Casey Winters (Pinterest, Eventbrite, Airbnb, Tinder, Canva, Reddit, Grubhub): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/thinking-beyond-frameworks-casey

    • Zigging vs. zagging: How HubSpot built a $30B company | Dharmesh Shah (co-founder/CTO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-30-years-of-building

    • FlashTags: A Simple Hack for Conveying Context Without Confusion: https://www.onstartups.com/flashtags-a-simple-hack-for-conveying-context-without-confusion

    • Jobs to Be Done Theory: https://www.christenseninstitute.org/theory/jobs-to-be-done

    • The ultimate guide to JTBD | Bob Moesta (co-creator of the framework): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-jtbd-bob-moesta-co-creator-of-the-framework/

    • Zillow: https://www.zillow.com/

    • Zillow, Opendoor announce multi-year partnership: https://investor.opendoor.com/news-releases/news-release-details/zillow-opendoor-announce-multi-year-partnership

    • Building product at Stripe: craft, metrics, and customer obsession | Jeff Weinstein (Product lead): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-product-at-stripe-jeff-weinstein

    • Stripe Atlas: https://stripe.com/atlas

    Founders podcast: https://www.founderspodcast.com/

    • Uber will deliver ice cream to you today: https://www.dispatch.com/story/lifestyle/food/2016/07/13/uber-will-deliver-ice-cream/24201840007/

    • UberKittens: https://www.uber.com/newsroom/uberkittens/

    • UberPuppies: https://www.uber.com/blog/uberpuppies-want-to-play/

    Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike: https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Dog-Memoir-Creator-NIKE/dp/1471146723

    The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Impact-Improbable-Incerto/dp/1400063515

    The Design of Everyday Things: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0465050654

    Shantaram: https://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-SHANTARAM-Paperback-GregoryDavidRoberts/dp/B00QPVJESC

    Full Swing on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81483353

    Formula 1: Drive to Survive on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80204890

    Break Point on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81569920

    Air on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/AIR-Matt-Damon/dp/B0B8Q3JMCG

    • Fi smart dog collar: https://tryfi.com/

    • Particle: https://particlenews.ai/

    • Sara Beykpour on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarabeykpour/

    • A new-parent gift guide for product managers: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/a-new-parent-gift-guide-for-product

    • Jeff Holden on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffholden/

    • Travis Kalanick on X: https://x.com/travisk

    Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

    Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.



    Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

    The ultimate guide to performance marketing | Timothy Davis (Shopify)

    The ultimate guide to performance marketing | Timothy Davis (Shopify)

    Timothy Davis has led performance marketing for all of Shopify for the past 2.5 years, and as a consultant has helped companies like Pinterest, LinkedIn, Redfin, and Eventbrite kickstart and scale their performance marketing teams. In every one of those cases, he got them so performant at paid growth that they significantly scale spend and investment in these channels. In our conversation, we cover:

    • When and how to start investing in performance marketing

    • Common mistakes companies make with paid ads

    • How to build and structure a performance marketing team

    • How to get your creatives performing better

    • Strategies for optimizing workflows and team efficiency

    • How AI will change performance marketing

    • Much more

    Brought to you by:

    BuildBetter—AI for product teams

    OneSchema—Import CSV data 10x faster

    Eppo—Run reliable, impactful experiments

    Find the transcript and references at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/performance-marketing-timothy-davis

    Where to find Timothy Davis:

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothypatrickdavis/

    Where to find Lenny:

    • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

    • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

    In this episode, we cover:

    (00:00) Timothy’s background 

    (02:31) Understanding performance marketing 

    (06:31) The importance of paid search 

    (08:39) Identifying growth potential 

    (09:54) Case studies: Hairstory and Ipsy 

    (12:22) Experimenting with new platforms 

    (18:57) Choosing the right platforms 

    (20:23) LinkedIn for B2B marketing 

    (27:56) When to start investing in paid growth 

    (33:33) Common mistakes in performance marketing 

    (37:41) Working with agencies and consultants 

    (40:36) Hiring for performance marketing 

    (47:33) Metrics that matter 

    (54:43) Competitor analysis and CPC insights 

    (56:15) Custom reports and data visualization

    (56:38) Understanding impression and click share 

    (59:10) True competition metrics 

    (01:02:14) Attribution and incrementality 

    (01:08:52) Building a performance marketing team 

    (01:10:53) Creative and ad copy collaboration 

    (01:15:48) Managing workload and hiring strategy 

    (01:20:52) Training and onboarding new hires 

    (01:24:41) Impact of ATT on performance marketing 

    (01:25:56) The power of creative in ads 

    (01:29:47) Using AI in performance marketing 

    (01:37:16) Lightning round 

    Referenced:

    • Shopify: https://www.shopify.com/

    • What Is Performance Marketing?: https://www.shopify.com/blog/performance-marketing

    • Google AI: https://ai.google/

    • Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/

    • Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/

    • Booking.com: https://www.booking.com/

    • Credit Karma: https://www.creditkarma.com/

    • Hairstory: https://hairstory.com/

    • Google Display Network: https://www.semrush.com/blog/google-display-network/

    • SoftLayer Becomes Part of IBM’s SmartCloud: https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/deals/softlayer-becomes-part-of-ibm-s-smartcloud

    • Coca-Cola Freestyle: https://www.coca-colafreestyle.com/

    • Monday.com: https://monday.com/

    • How to sell your ideas and rise within your company | Casey Winters, Eventbrite: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-sell-your-ideas-and-rise-within

    • Thinking beyond frameworks | Casey Winters (Pinterest, Eventbrite, Airbnb, Tinder, Canva, Reddit, Grubhub): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/thinking-beyond-frameworks-casey

    The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail—But Some Don’t: https://www.amazon.com/Signal-Noise-Many-Predictions-Fail-but/dp/0143125087

    • Courtney Wenneborg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cwenneborg/

    • PPC Hero: https://www.ppchero.com/

    • Another Deep Dive into Auction Insights, by Jacob Brown: https://www.ppchero.com/another-deep-dive-into-auction-insights/

    •Multitouch: https://multitouch.app/

    • What is time decay attribution?: https://growthmethod.com/what-is-time-decay-attribution/

    • Linear: https://linear.app/

    • Consumer Heterogeneity and Paid Search Effectiveness: A Large-Scale Field Experiment: https://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/stadelis/BNT_ECMA_rev.pdf

    • ADT: https://www.adt.com/

    • Shopify Bursts: https://focus.business/blog/shopify-bursts/

    The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter: https://www.amazon.com/First-90-Days-Strategies-Expanded/dp/1422188612

    • Kat Nguyen on Shopify: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katngy/

    • Dollar Shave Club ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUG9qYTJMsI

    The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living: https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Stoic-Meditations-Wisdom-Perseverance/dp/0735211736

    Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck—Why Some Thrive Despite Them All: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Choice-Uncertainty-Luck-Why-Despite/dp/0062120999

    X-Men ’97 on Disney+: https://www.disneyplus.com/series/x-men-97/vc1XIz90ZNH5

    RRR on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81476453

    The Playlist on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81186296

    Welcome to Wrexham on Hulu: https://www.hulu.com/series/welcome-to-wrexham-c6906d50-d06c-40d1-a57c-1885d9dc2fef

    The Billion Dollar Code on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81074012

    • Magic Mind: https://magicmind.com/

    Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

    Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.



    Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

    5 essential questions to craft a winning strategy | Roger Martin (author, advisor, speaker)

    5 essential questions to craft a winning strategy | Roger Martin (author, advisor, speaker)

    Roger Martin is one of the world’s leading experts on strategy and the author of Playing to Win, one of the most beloved books on strategy. He’s written extensively for the Harvard Business Review; consulted for dozens of Fortune 500 companies, including P&G, Lego, and Ford; and written 11 other books. In our conversation, we discuss:

    • The five key questions you need to answer to develop an effective strategy

    • Why most companies get strategy wrong

    • How to avoid “playing to play” instead of playing to win

    • Real-world strategy examples from Procter & Gamble, Southwest Airlines, Lego, and Figma

    • How to think about differentiation vs. low cost

    • Shortcomings of current strategy education

    • Much more

    Brought to you by:

    Webflow—The web experience platform

    WorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUs

    Cycle—Your feedback hub, on autopilot

    Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-ultimate-guide-to-strategy-roger-martin

    Where to find Roger Martin:

    • X: https://x.com/RogerLMartin

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roger-martin-9916911a9/

    • Website: https://rogerlmartin.com/

    Where to find Lenny:

    • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

    • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

    In this episode, we cover:

    (00:00) Roger’s background

    (02:20) The importance of strategy

    (07:00) Challenges in developing strategy

    (08:30) Critique of modern strategy education

    (14:00) Hamilton Helmer and Richard Rumelt

    (17:40) Defining strategy

    (19:12) The Strategy Choice Cascade

    (23:20) Playing to win vs. playing to play

    (24:57) Examples of strategic success

    (30:49) Differentiation and moats

    (40:23) Applying strategy to real-world scenarios

    (43:47) Customer-centric strategy

    (44:45) Defining the market and product

    (45:59) Value chain and distribution

    (48:28) Cost leadership vs. differentiation

    (53:16) Capabilities and management systems

    (57:14) Competitive advantage and market positioning

    (01:02:41) Counterpositioning and fault lines

    (01:05:53) Adapting to AI and market changes

    (01:14:11) Betterment over perfection

    (01:18:42) Final thoughts on strategy

    Referenced:

    • Nearly 10% of S&P 500 CEOs are alumni of Procter & Gamble: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/02/06/10-of-s-p-500-ceos-pg.html

    • FigJam: https://www.figma.com/figjam/

    • Figma: https://www.figma.com/

    • What Is Resource-Based Theory?: https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/the-impact-of-technological-governance-and-political-capabilities-on-firms-performances-under-economic-turbulence/67915

    • Michael Porter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/professorporter/

    Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors: https://www.amazon.com/Competitive-Strategy-Techniques-Industries-Competitors/dp/0684841487

    • VRIO Framework Explained: https://strategicmanagementinsight.com/tools/vrio/

    • Business strategy with Hamilton Helmer (author of 7 Powers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/business-strategy-with-hamilton-helmer

    • Good Strategy, Bad Strategy | Richard Rumelt: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/good-strategy-bad-strategy-richard

    7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy: https://www.amazon.com/7-Powers-Foundations-Business-Strategy/dp/0998116319

    • Boston Consulting Group: https://www.bcg.com/

    • Bruce Henderson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Henderson

    • Lego: https://www.lego.com

    • Vanguard: https://investor.vanguard.com/

    • Southwest Airlines: https://www.southwest.com/

    • How Amazon Managed to Dethrone Walmart: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/08/20/technology/how-amazon-beat-walmart.html

    • GM Lost a 10-Year Battle with Tesla, Pulling the Plug on a Long Line of EVs: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brookecrothers/2023/07/09/gm-killed-its-electric-cars-and-lost-a-10-year-battle-with-tesla/

    • Westlaw: https://www.westlawinternational.com/

    • What Is an Economic Moat? Why Warren Buffett Says It Matters for Investors: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/economic-moat-why-warren-buffett-160046125.html

    • Salomon Brothers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salomon_Brothers

    • US Airways: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways

    • Four Seasons: https://www.fourseasons.com/

    • Michael Dell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdell/

    • Bill Gates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamhgates/

    • Mandarin Oriental: https://www.mandarinoriental.com/en/

    • Continental Lite: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Lite

    • Ted (airline): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_(airline)

    • Case Study: Oil of Olay: https://www.studocu.com/es/document/universidad-de-murcia/estrategia-de-marketing/case-study-old-of-olay/95079369

    • AG Lafley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ag-lafley-2381b3201/

    • Jack Bogle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Bogle

    • Seven Ways Windows 95 Changed the World: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ianmorris/2015/08/24/windows-95-changed-the-world/

    • Where to Start with Strategy? Focus on Betterment: https://rogermartin.medium.com/where-to-start-with-strategy-bae40506304c

    • Brick by brick: The man who rebuilt the house of Lego shares his leadership secrets: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2016/12/08/brick-by-brick-the-man-who-rebuilt-the-house-of-lego-shares-his-leadership-secrets/

    A New Way to Think: Your Guide to Superior Management Effectiveness: https://www.amazon.com/New-Way-Think-Management-Effectiveness/dp/164782351X/

    Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works: https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Win-Strategy-Really-Works/dp/142218739X

    The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking Is the Next Competitive Advantage: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Business-Thinking-Competitive-Advantage/dp/1422177807

    The Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking: https://www.amazon.com/Opposable-Mind-Successful-Integrative-Thinking/dp/1422118924

    When More Is Not Better: Overcoming America’s Obsession with Economic Efficiency: https://www.amazon.com/When-More-Not-Better-Overcoming/dp/1647820065

    Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

    Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.



    Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

    What most people miss about marketing | Rory Sutherland (Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK, author)

    What most people miss about marketing | Rory Sutherland (Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK, author)

    Rory Sutherland is widely regarded as one of the most influential (and most entertaining) thinkers in marketing and behavioral science. He’s the vice chairman of Ogilvy UK, the author of Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life, and the founder of Nudgestock, the world’s biggest festival of behavioral science and creativity. He champions thinking from first principles and using human psychology—what he calls “thinking psycho-logically”—over mere logic. In our conversation, we cover:

    • Why good products don’t always succeed, and bad ones don’t necessarily fail

    • Why less functionality can sometimes be more valuable

    • The importance of fame in building successful brands

    • The importance of timing in product success

    • The concept of “most advanced, yet acceptable”

    • Why metrics-driven workplaces can be demotivating

    • Lots of real-world case studies

    • Much more

    Note: We encountered some technical difficulties that led to less than ideal video quality for this episode, but the lessons from this conversation made it impossible for me to not publish it anyway. Thanks for your understanding and for bearing with the less-than-ideal video quality. 

    Brought to you by:

    Pendo—The only all-in-one product experience platform for any type of application

    Cycle—Your feedback hub, on autopilot

    Coda—The all-in-one collaborative workspace

    Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/what-most-people-miss-about-marketing

    Where to find Rory Sutherland:

    • X: https://x.com/rorysutherland

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorysutherland

    • Book: Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life: https://www.amazon.com/Alchemy-Curious-Science-Creating-Business/dp/006238841X

    Where to find Lenny:

    • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

    • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

    In this episode, we cover:

    (00:00) Rory’s background

    (02:37) The success and failure of products

    (04:08) Why the urge to appear serious can be a disaster in marketing

    (08:05) The role of distinctiveness in product design

    (12:29) The MAYA principle

    (15:50) How thinking irrationally can be advantageous

    (17:40) The fault of multiple-choice tests

    (21:31) Companies that have successfully implemented out-of-the-box thinking

    (30:31) “Psycho-logical” thinking

    (31:45) The hare and the dog metaphor

    (38:51) Marketing’s crucial role in product adoption

    (49:21) The quirks of Google Glass

    (55:44) Survivorship bias

    (56:09) Balancing rational ideas with irrational ideas

    (01:06:19) The rise and fall of tech innovations

    (01:09:54) Consistency, distinctiveness, and clarity

    (01:21:12) Considering psychological, technological, and economic factors in parallel

    (01:23:35) Where to find Rory

    Referenced:

    • Google Glass: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Glass

    • Meta Portal TV: https://www.meta.com/portal/products/portal-tv/

    • Rory’s quote in a LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/brad-jackson-04766642_the-urge-to-appear-serious-is-a-disaster-activity-7093497742710210560-1LYN/

    • The MAYA Principle: Design for the Future, but Balance It with Your Users’ Present: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/design-for-the-future-but-balance-it-with-your-users-present

    • Ogilvy: https://www.ogilvy.com/

    • MCI: https://www.mci.world/

    • Veuve Clicquot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veuve_Clicquot

    • Why do the French call the British ‘the roast beefs’?: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/2913151.stm

    The Killing on Hulu: https://www.hulu.com/series/the-killing-f5da5c2d-4626-4ba9-bcf3-ff5f891771fb

    • Original The Killing on BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017h7m1

    • The Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong: https://www.mandarinoriental.com/en/hong-kong/victoria-harbour

    • SAT: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat

    • The Widening Racial Scoring Gap on the SAT College Admissions Test: https://www.jbhe.com/features/49_college_admissions-test.html

    • What is the age of the captain?: https://www.icopilots.com/what-is-the-age-of-the-captain/

    • Octopus Energy: https://octopus.energy/

    • Kraken: https://octopusenergy.group/kraken-technologies

    • Toby Shannan: https://theorg.com/org/shopify/org-chart/toby-shannan

    • Dunbar’s number: Why we can only maintain 150 relationships: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191001-dunbars-number-why-we-can-only-maintain-150-relationships

    • AO: https://ao.com/

    • Zappos: https://www.zappos.com/

    • Joe Cano on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeycano/

    • John Ralston Saul’s website: https://www.johnralstonsaul.com/

    Voltaire’s Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West: https://www.amazon.com/Voltaires-Bastards-Dictatorship-Reason-West/dp/0679748199

    • Psycho-Logic: Why Too Much Logic Deters Magic: https://coffeeandjunk.com/psycho-logic/

    • Herbert Simon’s Decision-Making Approach: https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/bitstream/2438/4995/1/Fulltext.pdf

    • Robert Trivers’s website: https://roberttrivers.com/Welcome.html

    • Crazy Ivan: https://jollycontrarian.com/index.php?title=Crazy_Ivan

    • The Joys of Being a Late Tech Adopter: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/28/technology/personaltech/joys-late-tech-adopter.html

    • Jean-Claude Van Damme: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Claude_Van_Damme

    • Tim Berners-Lee: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee

    • Edward Jenner and the history of smallpox and vaccination: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1200696/

    • The real story behind penicillin: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/the-real-story-behind-the-worlds-first-antibiotic

    • What Are Japanese Toilets?: https://www.bigbathroomshop.co.uk/info/blog/japanese-toilets/

    • reMarkable: https://remarkable.com/

    • Chumby: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumby

    • Survivorship bias: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias

    • Jony Ive: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jony_Ive

    • Marc Newson’s website: https://marc-newson.com/

    • Designing Men: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/business/2013/11/jony-ive-marc-newson-design-auction

    • Qantas A330: https://marc-newson.com/qantas-a330/

    • Herodotus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus

    • Big Decision? Consider It Both Drunk and Sober: https://www.forbes.com/sites/chunkamui/2016/03/22/wine-and-sleep-make-for-better-decisions/?sh=5c97fdc524b1

    • How Henry Ford and Thomas Edison killed the electric car: https://www.speakev.com/threads/how-henry-ford-and-thomas-edison-killed-the-electric-car.4270/

    • Watch Jay Leno get nostalgic and swoon over this 1909 EV: https://thenextweb.com/news/jay-leno-talk-about-electric-car-1909-baker

    Jay Leno’s Garage: https://www.youtube.com/@jaylenosgarage

    • Nudgestock: https://nudgestock.com/

    • Akio Morita: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akio_Morita

    • Don Norman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnorman/

    • What Makes Tesla’s Business Model Different: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/active-trading/072115/what-makes-teslas-business-model-different.asp

    • Monica Lewinsky on X: https://x.com/MonicaLewinsky

    Blindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains: azon.com/Blindsight-Mostly-Hidden-Marketing-Reshapes-ebook/dp/B07ZKZ5DWF

    Branding That Means Business: https://www.amazon.com/Branding-that-Means-Business-Economist-ebook/dp/B09QBCCH9N

    • PwC: https://www.pwc.com

    • Ryanair: https://www.ryanair.com

    • British Airways: https://www.britishairways.com/

    • Wrigley’s began as a soap business: know when to pivot: https://theamericangenius.com/entrepreneur/wrigleys-began-as-soap-know-when-to-pivot/

    Transport for Humans: https://www.amazon.com/Transport-Humans-Perspectives-Pete-Dyson/dp/1913019357

    Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

    Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.



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