Category: pivot

3 Data-Related Challenges Brand Managers Face and How to Solve Them

by adminin Brand Manager, data analysis, data cuts, Data Exploration, data-related challenge, Excel, Explorazor, pivot

Tell us a better love story than Brand Managers and data.

Brand Managers possess some of the strongest number-crunching skills in the industry. Everything’s solved and managed in Excel; sales, logistics, marketing; development, execution, evaluation. Operations and decisions are dependent purely on data, and these invite data-related challenges as well.

Let’s look at 3 data-related challenges Brand Managers face, and the possible solution to each:

Data-Related Challenge 1 – Data Fragmentation

The swiftness of strategic decisions suffers the most when data is fragmented across files and sheets. The data currently residing in Excel is stored under different column headers and cannot be combined. Internal and external data reside separately, and pivots have to be repetitively extracted from each individual dataset to move further with the analysis.

Fragmented, unsynchronized datasets also affect the quality of insights derived. One reason we can think of is the sheer (and avoidable, as you will see in the solution) manual effort BMs put in, in bringing the data at one place to perform analysis on it.

Solution

We have a tailored method to organize your data. Explorazor by vPhrase Analytics is a data exploration platform built specifically for Brand Managers to query their data better and extract instant data cuts from it. What Explorazor does is combine all the datasets currently residing in Excel, and provide unified, single-view access for Brand Managers to explore. Examples of such datasets would be primary sales, secondary sales, Kantar, IQVIA, and more. 

Explorazor relieves Brand Managers from having to constantly switch between files and sheets to find relevant data cuts. Correlating reasons for market loss, estimating the right media budget spend, gauging discounting effectiveness, finding best-performing regions, etc. become much easier. We imagine that a seamless experience will encourage Brand Managers to explore further and deeper into event root causes, key focus areas, and other ad-hoc analyses.

Data-Related Challenge 2 – Data Standardization

Metric definition is the first hurdle in the data standardization process. What Nielsen defines as an Urban area and a Rural area and what internal company definitions for the same terms are, are mostly dissimilar. Information capturing done by field sales personnel contains numerous kinds of errors. The spellings are different, the name of a state is mentioned in a shorter form, capitalization issues, etc etc. 

Raw data standardization is a necessary prerequisite for efficient data analysis, and right now it is a task that Brand Managers would love to sweep off their table.

Solution

Our team at Explorazor ensures that all your data is modeled and standardized so data analysis can be conducted without having to worry about missing data points.

Redundant, duplicate, inaccurate, and irrelevant data is expelled, leaving a de-cluttered dataset that serves as a base for higher-quality analysis and insights extraction.

A clean dataset is also helpful when creating routine dashboards and presentations for senior management.     

Data-Related Challenge 3 – Large (and Clumsy) Data Dumps

The data dumps that Brand Managers work on are too large – Excel cannot output results fast on our laptops, as one would like. Loading – and ensuring that the data is saved – takes excessive time. An abundance of formula insertion slows the workbook down. 

Thinking about quick pivots? Think again. Then again, and then again, because your laptop is slow and you have lots of time on your hands…

Solution

Loading huge Excel files is no joke. To create pivots, and to create them now, is one of the prime reasons we believe a solution like Explorazor will go a long way in assisting Brand Managers save time. All data resides on servers and is accessible via a browser, so laptops breathe freely again. Brand Managers, using a simple search interface on Explorazor, can conduct ad-hoc analysis and test out hypotheses at accelerated speeds. 

If you want to take the pivots to Excel – permission granted. All pivots are downloadable as CSV files. Convert pivots into charts using simple customization options and pin them to pinboards. Each project within Explorazor allows its separate pinboard creation.

Explorazor is built for Brand Managers

Explorazor alleviates data-related challenges which Brand Managers face, as well as: 

  • Saves their time by taking the processing load off their laptops
  • Eases their data exploration journey by providing unified access to all their datasets
  • Enhances the quality of their insights by standardizing all current and incoming data
  • Increases their independence by letting them conduct ad-hoc analyses on their own, without over-reliance on BI/Insights teams 

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4 Common Expectations that Brand Managers Have from A Data Exploration Tool

by adminin Brand Managers, Data Exploration, Excel, Explorazor, pivot

Excel is all-prevailing. A 2022 survey by Microbizmag estimates that Microsoft Productivity Services, which includes Excel, are used by 1.1 billion people on the planet. That’s approximately 1 in every 8 people alive. Launched in 1985, Excel is still the ultimate number-crunching tool today, with little competition. Capture data, mix-and-match, collaborate with colleagues on complex issues – Excel does it all. 

But there’s another part to it 

People do face some problems using Excel. It is tedious to delve into the seemingly never-ending maze of rows and columns, day in and day out. Many have to make do with that, but for Brand Managers, things can be simplified. 

There are solutions in the market that can help ease the daily operations of Brand Managers who use Excel to explore data and arrive at decisions. The proposal here is a data exploration platform that allows Brand Managers to mitigate Excel’s shortcomings, without having to completely revolutionize the way they work currently. 

Let’s approach this on an assumption that a Brand Manager is interested in such a tool, and naturally has certain expectations of it. Can the tool fulfill these expectations?

After speaking with many Brand Managers.. 

From top firms like Unilever, Abbott, SC Johnson, Asian Paints, and many others, we found the following 4 common expectations that Brand Managers have from such a data exploration platform if they are to consider using it:

1 – Brand Managers want data exploration on integrated datasets 

The planning and strategizing components are strenuous enough, in addition to the many other responsibilities BMs shoulder. They don’t need another tool to come in and create a mess; if they do go for a tool, it ought to simplify their routine activities.

Solution –  A method of simplifying data exploration that tools like Explorazor offer is the integration of multiple data sources under a single roof. Brand Managers would then no longer have to scour through multiple Excel sheets to find a singular piece of data. Simply hop on a platform that unifies all datasets, and extract the desired responses from it. 

2 – Brand Managers want the data exploration tool to respond quickly

A fair question that BMs would ask now is ‘How long will it take me to extract the right data points to obtain a response?’ 

The basis for such a question is that Excel typically hosts enormous volumes of data, and the whole process from data uploading to insights extraction is very slow. 

Solution – Explorazor’s simple search function yields real-time responses. Ask for any specific data cut simply by posing a question to the system, and a relevant chart/graph/table is readily presented. Since the whole dataset is integrated, one is already at the right place – there is no need to spend time finding the right sheet. 

One can download these data cuts as CSV files too if needed

3 – Brand Managers want pivot tables 

Not much needs to be said regarding pivot’s importance, and it’s perfectly safe to say that no tool would be worth its value if it doesn’t support pivots.

Solution – Create pivots on Explorazor by simply mentioning the column names you want a pivot on. Additionally, Explorazor’s pivot feature empowers Brand Managers to obtain cross-sectional data tables by using metrics from multiple data sources at a time.

4 – Brand Managers want a data exploration tool! (hidden expectation)

Brand Managers are incredibly busy, resourceful individuals who would love to have technology ease their daily tasks. 

Solution – Explorazor does not require a radical shift in the current working method of Brand Managers. It is just a unifying platform that brings together diverse data and analytics that drive value for an organization and seeks to simplify a Brand Manager’s data exploration journey as well.

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Why not take some time to see Explorazor in action yourself? 

Take an interactive Product Tour of Explorazor.

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