Here's how you can navigate a boss who doesn't value or understand Marketing Analytics.

Instead of explaining the concepts upfront, begin by creating a few sample dashboards. If your boss sees these dashboards on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis, along with comparisons to previous periods, and finds them valuable, they'll likely start requesting new reports or modifications to the existing ones. This creates an opportunity for you to discuss the details and suggest improvements. In a professional setting, you could even present this as an internal proposal with a use case demonstration.

Many leaders in companies want a direct correlation to ROI. This is how I would frame the metrics that you plan on presenting to any leader in your org. Each metric should be explained in a way that relates back to a specific financial goal. If you also have research that backs up your claims about a specific report, then I would also present this data in tandem so the full picture can be seen.

Your reports should also align with your companies goals. For example, if you want more sales, the metrics that you present need to relate back to the sales efforts. It won't be productive to pull metrics for retention or support if the focus is on new sales opportunities. Before pulling your metrics, understand the companies objectives on a deep level to provide the insights that your manager is looking for.

This is most important to build trust in data driven decision making. Highlight wins such correct prediction/estimation which will help people to believe in forecasting and slowly in marketing analytics. But be rest assured it is long journey to change perspective and patience is the key.

Bosses often see analytics as a cost center, not a profit driver. Change that by treating your projects like investments: The "Low-Risk, High-Reward" Pitch: Don't just propose a test, promise a quick ROI. "We can run this experiment for X budget, but it'll let us validate Y, which could lead to Z increase in [metric the boss cares about]." Data as a "De-Risking" Tool: "Before we commit big to [strategy], this small test lets us see if the market is responding as we expect." "MVP" Mindset: Don't aim for perfection out of the gate. Build the minimum viable version of your idea to prove the concept, then iterate based on feedback.

Do this to offer support, with a focus on being the calming force in the data-phobic storm: The "Translation" Service: Don't just hand over reports, offer to walk them through it. Explain what the numbers mean in plain language, tailored to their concerns. The "What Keeps You Up at Night?" Question: Get them to articulate their biggest fears. Then show how analytics can provide the answers they need to sleep soundly. "Done For You" Dashboards: Create custom dashboards highlighting the KPIs THEY care about most. Makes data feel instantly accessible and relevant. Many bosses resist analytics because they feel overwhelmed by it. By becoming their guide, you build trust and make data feel like a tool, not a threat.