Marketing Metric Myopia.


The rise of Jeremy Lin continues unabated. Six games, six wins culminating last night in his scoring of the game-winning basket with 0.5 seconds left on the clock.

Ten days ago, he didn't have a contact and had spent two years struggling to find a team. Perhaps, that was because he graduated from Harvard rather than Kentucky, or perhaps it was because he is Asian-American.

As he became an international celebrity, the story was framed as an example of the triumph of perseverance, but it's really a story of managerial myopia. He didn't fit the normal profile, so he didn't get the role.

What is worse, in the age of Moneyball, he didn't get the role even though the metrics had been positively analysed over eighteen months ago.

Knowing your market is crucial, but you need to back up those instincts with a respect for and full understanding of the numbers. If you don't, you lay yourself open to running with the crowd and acting on conventional wisdom.

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