Marketing Management: The Big Picture

chapter fourteen

MARKETING METRICS

“Every proverb is strictly true; indeed all of them are apothegms dictated by Experience herself, the mother of all science.”

Cervantes, Saavedra, M. de. (1793).

The history and adventures of the renowned Don Quixote. 6th ed. corr. London: Printed for A. Law, W. Miller, and R. Cater. Volume 1, page 139.

After studying this chapter you should be able to:

1. Describe the reasons companies set metrics
2. Develop metrics that reflect the Big Picture strategy
3. List the key steps in setting operational marketing metrics
4. Use evaluation metrics to evaluate the connection between our strategy and our execution
5. Relate key strategy and evaluation metrics to other elements of the Big Picture framework

FedEx and Time-Critical Metrics

FedEx, the largest global small-package shipping company, ships over 3.5 million packages on an average day. Ensuring that each one is correctly booked and delivered is the job of more than 300,000 employees, who use computer systems, miles of conveyor belts, and a fleet of planes and trucks to handle shipments. These tools alone cannot ensure FedEx is delivering packages accurately and on time, however. The company also relies on real-time data about its operations and a system that organizes that data into information to enable decision-making at all levels. Understanding how customers experience FedEx's service at each step ...