Category Archives: statistics

90% of statistics can be made to say anything 50% of the time*

Posted on Wednesday, August 5, 2009 by Rex Hammock

A couple of days ago, the the New York Times reported on findings from the new Veronis Suhler Stevenson Communications Industry Forecast that projects media expenditures from 2009-2013. From that NYT story, a game of “telephone” has rippled forth across … Continue reading →

Posted in magazines, statistics | 3 Comments

Designing the impossible – a simple chart that interprets a mountain of data

Posted on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 by Rex Hammock

Artists Shan Carter and Amanda Cox created the interactive chart in the video I’ve embedded below. (Added later: There is now a permanent spot for the graphic on NYTimes.com: here.) It is appearing this afternoon on the front page of … Continue reading →

Posted in design, statistics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

This chart doesn’t fit into the current narrative

Posted on Friday, May 30, 2008 by Rex Hammock

Friday Afternoon Pondering: Minonline.com is the source of the chart above that ranks the top performing publications (as measured by the number of pages of advertising) during the past quarter in the business-to-business vertical of marketing. … I can guess the theories: (A) Media companies are advertising aggressively because they have so much unsold inventory, (B) media companies are launching new properties and thus are buying more ads to promote them, (C) media companies are aggressively pushing the message that advertising in a recession is the mark of a savvy marketer, (D) none of the above, (E) all of the above. Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, b2b, magazines, statistics | Tagged | 3 Comments

Can magazine companies compete online?

Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 by Rex Hammock

I guess it’s theme week. And this week’s theme is all about magazines and the web. Yesterday, I pointed to an interview with the business editor of Wired magazine regarding magazines and the web. Today, the Wall Street Journal has … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, magazines, marketing, media, statistics | Tagged , | 1 Comment

My prediction: Holiday shopping stories will add 0% to our understanding of the economy

Posted on Sunday, November 25, 2007 by Rex Hammock

After a couple of decades of reading countless stories related to holiday sales, I can say one thing for certain: Retailers never, ever, predict they’re going to have a great holiday sales season. I’m not sure why — underpromising, I … Continue reading →

Posted in observation, statistics | 3 Comments