Matt and Andrew have been to several Adobe Summits in their day.  In this episode, Matt and Andrew preview the 2025 lineup for Adobe Summit 2025 taking place Week commencing 17th March, 2025.  Topics covered are:

• Adobe Summit Preparation: Andrew and Matt discussed their preparations for the Adobe Summit (although online only for us this year), including their experiences with previous summits.  We shared tips for choosing sessions and highlighted the importance of attending sessions that improve skills and knowledge.
• Adobe Podcast Tool: Andrew and Matt talked about their experiences with sound engineering for their podcast and their hopes that the Adobe Podcast tool will simplify the process.  The last podcast took nearly 2.5 months to publish due to time constraints, and hopefully Adobe Podcast would help get it out quicker.
• Adobe Summit Sessions: Andrew shared his top ten sessions for the Adobe Summit, explaining his reasons for choosing each one. He highlighted sessions that focus on skill improvement, innovative tools, and interesting speakers.  The order are, from the bottom of Andrew's top 10 to most excited to watch:
  • Data Distiller: Andrew expressed interest in the "Top Tips to Maximize Value with Adobe Experience Platform Data Distiller" session, as he wanted to learn more about the data distiller tool and its applications.
  • Too hot for the main stage: Andrew and Matt discuss their previous sessions attending the Too Hot for the Main Stage, where Adobe will be showing ideas for their products that are much further out.  These are normally really good fun, although not at the level of Sneaks.
  • Failed Implementation Costs: Andrew and Matt discussed the importance of learning from failed implementations and the potential costs associated with them. They emphasized the value of understanding what not to do in order to improve future projects.
  • Skill Exchange Session: Andrew highlighted the "Skill Exchange: Transform Digital Channels with Adobe Analytics" session, noting the value of learning from telecommunications companies like Three. He appreciated the focus on skill improvement and practical applications.
  • Sling TV Session: Andrew was interested in the "How Sling TV Turns Anonymous Visitors into Customers" session, as he wanted to learn more about their use of third-party data to enhance first-party data and their personalization strategies.
  • Advanced Metrics Session: Andrew looked forward to the "Adobe Analytics: Using Advanced Metrics to Level Up Your Reporting" session, led by Mandy George. He was excited to see how advanced metrics could be used creatively to improve reporting.
  • Adobe Analytics Playoff: Andrew was enthusiastic about the "Adobe Analytics Playoff: Tips and Tricks for Winning It All" session, led by Travis Sabin. He appreciated the theme and the focus on practical tips and tricks.
  • Trevor Sessions: Andrew highlighted two sessions by Trevor "Ask Me Anything: 8-Bit Insights, Customer Journey Analytics Tips" and "8-Bit Insights: Customer Journey Analytics Tips and Tricks Arcade." He praised Trevor's engaging presentation style and creative themes.
  • Adobe Analytics Rockstars: Andrew's top session was the "Adobe Analytics Rockstars" session, which he considered a must-attend event. He appreciated the opportunity to learn from top experts and the potential for audience participation.
• Andrew and Matt then wrapped up the podcast talking about Python and Andrew starting to dive back into Python.

In this episode, Matt and Andrew discuss the conference and webinars that we attended in 2024.  It took 77 days to record this second episode, and another 2 months to edit the podcast.   Hopefully, our next recording will be edited quicker.   

• Adobe Summit Experience: Matt and Andrew discussed their experiences at the Adobe Summit, highlighting the importance of the analytics rockstars session. Andrew shared how he got accepted to speak but couldn't attend, so Matt presented on his behalf. They emphasized the significance of providing actionable tips and the value of networking at such events.

This was the best Adobe Summit session I have ever seen discussed in the podcast. https://business.adobe.com/summit/2024/sessions/dashboards-dragons-customer-journey-analytics-tips-s101.html

• Measure Camp London: Andrew and Matt attended Measure Camp London, an unconference where attendees create the agenda. Andrew highlighted sessions on building trust as a data analyst, turbocharging adoption with data, and turning analytics from a cost center into a profit center. They emphasized the importance of starting with business objectives and the value of networking at Measure Camp.

• Measure Fest at Brighton SEO: Matt presented at Measure Fest, part of Brighton SEO, focusing on data layers. He discussed the technical implementation aspects and the importance of data layers in analytics. Despite travel challenges, Matt found the event valuable for networking and knowledge sharing.

• Observe Point Edge in Lisbon: Matt and Ethan attended the Observe Point Edge conference in Lisbon, where Matt presented on compliance monitoring, data layer schema validation, and tool rollout validation at scale. They highlighted the value of Observe Point in monitoring website data and the importance of networking at such events. 

• IAPP Webinar on Compliance Dashboard: Matt participated in an IAPP webinar, discussing the compliance dashboard they developed for a client. He explained how the dashboard helps answer compliance questions for C-Suite, legal, and marketing teams, and the importance of monitoring compliance across multiple websites.
• Importance of Networking and Conferences: Matt and Andrew emphasized the value of attending conferences and networking events for personal and professional growth. They encouraged colleagues to participate in such events to expand their knowledge, meet new people, and gain new perspectives.

Interview with Jon Crowder
This is the second part to Matt and Andrew’s discussion with Jon Crowder, Journey Further's (https://www.journeyfurther.com) Head of Digital Experience.  
The points covered in this podcast are: 

1. What is the one test you wish you could ban forever!
2. What is one test that you are surprised most companies are not testing?
3. What test surprised you the most?
4. Why should companies start an in-house team?
5. Why should companies hire an agency?
6. What is the biggest challenge / breakthrough / benefit coming to CRO in the near future?
7. If you could go back in time and give yourself one advice as you start your career; what would that advice be?

This podcast started took way too long to get out; we apologize for this.  We are working on a solution to make the process quicker without impacting personal life. 

This episode started with Jon asking to be on someone's podcast on LinkedIn.  If you would like to join a discussion on the podcast, let Matt and Andrew know; we will see the possibilities for a future podcast.  You can contact Matt and Andrew at: [email protected]

In the latest episode, we discuss Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) with Journey Further's (https://www.journeyfurther.com) Head of Digital Experience Jon Crowder.  Jon worked with Matt and Andrew at Sky, which we reminice a bit before we jump into the discussion points.  The points covered in this podcast are:

1. Are you going to Measurecamp London?
2. How did you get started in Digital?
3. How has GDPR impact your career?
4. What is the purpose of CRO / testing program?
5. What is the one thing most companies get wrong with their optimisation program?

We saw that this podcast was going very long and we were enjoying Jon's company so much, we asked Jon to come back for another recording.  We have already recorded this one, and should get it out shortly.

This episode started with Jon asking to be on someone's podcast on LinkedIn.  If you would like to join a discussion on the podcast, let Matt and Andrew know; we will see the possibilities for a future podcast.  You can contact Matt and Andrew at: [email protected]

In today's episode, Matt and Andrew explore Google's u-turn on the deprecation of 3rd party cookies and what does this mean in our industry.  As part of the discussion, we start off discussing what are cookies, the difference between 1st party and 3rd party cookies, the difference between using a cookie and browser storage, what does the u-turn actually mean and two of Google's other initiatives (Manifest V3 and Google AI Overview).

After the session, Matt found a LinkedIn post that was relevant for this conversation: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jonsuarezdavis_marketing-martech-data-activity-7232432383872897026-K97K?utm_source=share&utm_medium=DigitalAfterDark-Podcast 

Stay to the end to explore a section of the podcast that got cut for some humorous reasons.

What are your thoughts on Google's decision not to deprecate 3rd party cookies and all things Google?  Join the conversation in the comments section.  And as always, you can contact Matt and Andrew at: [email protected]

In today's episode, Matt and Andrew explore "The Ethics in Data Collection", exploring how we looked at ethics at the start of our career to current. We felt this reflection is important as the UK are discussing the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (DPDIB), which is currently in the House of Lords.  You can find more information about the bill from the same website Andrew references in the episode: https://www.dqmgrc.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-the-new-dpdi-data-protection-and-digital-information-bill 

We then end discussing the Code of Ethics that started nearly a decade ago by the Digital Analytics Association (https://www.digitalanalyticsassociation.org/codeofethics) and if there should be a renewed push for Ethical data collection.  Ultimately, if ethics does not play a part in our own career, it will be mandated by the government; shouldn't we get ahead of it while we still can? 

Andrew then talks about attending a webinar that Simo Ahava presented called "10 Game Changing Uses for Chrome DevTools" where you can use Chrome Functionality without the need of extensions.  You can watch the replay here: https://measuresummit.com/training/lunch-learn-replay What are your thoughts on the new DPDIB? 

Do you believe it is a step in the right direction, or a step back?  Join the conversation in the comments section.  And as always, you can contact Matt and Andrew at: [email protected]

Matt and Andrew discuss Adobe's WebSDK.

Topics covered are:

• What is WebSDK
• Summary of Results from implementing WebSDK
• Why WebSDK is important
• Our Approach for deploying it
• Our impression of the technology
• Noted benefits of WebSDK based on an implementation

Links from some of the topics we discussed:

• Matt's post about creating JS in Google Sheet
• Reverse Proxy on GCP

Any questions - E-mail the podcast

Two mates getting together to talk about all things Digital. In the introductory episode of Digital After Dark, Matt and Andrew briefly introduce themselves and how we met. We then discuss Google Consent V2; from what it is to our thoughts regarding the rollout. Then Matt discusses the outcomes of his test of deploying Advance Google Consent V2 on Loop Horizon’s website and the impact on the data collection. 

If you have any questions or suggestions of topics for Matt and Andrew to talk about, write to us at [email protected]. 

Links from the show: Simo Ahava Consent Mode V2 for Google Tags: https://www.simoahava.com/analytics/consent-mode-v2-google-tags/