Marketers should understand the data science models that are increasingly being used in the discipline. We really need good advice on data science. As such it is helpful to find simple explanations of data science models. Numsence by Annalyn Ng and Kenneth Soo is an admirable attempt to clarify basic models used in data science.
Data Science Techniques
The authors cover a range of popular data science techniques. These range from the classics, e.g., regression and decision trees, through the more novel, e.g., Support Vector Machine and Random Forests.
The authors relate the techniques back to their uses which is helpful. For example, they use decision trees to analyze survival on the Titanic. “..you would have had a good chance of being rescued from the Titanic if you were either a male child or a female who was not residing in a 3rd class cabin” (Ng and Soo, 2017). The obvious point is that being poor was not good for survival. (Unfortunately it still isn’t.) This helps us get a grip on the data. The techniques that the authors outline can be very helpful in understanding the world. Interpreting data matters in business and beyond.
Their book is a great, and not too scary, short introduction to data science. Read it if you want some advice on data science.
For other advice on data science have a look here.
Read: Annalyn Ng and Kenneth Soo (2017) Numsense! Data Science for the Layman: No Math Added
