Research: When A/B Testing Doesn't Tell You the Whole Story

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Research: When A/B Testing Doesn't Tell You the Whole Story   When it comes to churn prevention, marketers traditionally start by identifying which customers are most likely to churn, and then running A/B tests to determine whether a proposed retention intervention will be effective at retaining those high-risk customers. While this strategy can be effective, the author shares new research based on field experiments with over 14,000 customers that suggests it isn’t always the best way to maximize ROI on marketing spend. Instead, the author argues that firms should use A/B test data alongside customers’ behavioral and demographic data to determine which subgroup of customers will be most sensitive to the specific intervention that’s being considered. Importantly, the data suggests that this subgroup doesn’t necessarily correspond to the “high-risk” customer group — in other words, it’s very possible that the intervention won’t be as effective at retaining high-risk customers as it will be at retaining some other group of customers. By identifying the characteristics that actually correlate with high sensitivity to a given intervention, marketers can proactively target their campaigns at the customers who will be most receptive to them, ultimately reducing churn rates and increasing ROI. Continued here

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B2B Sales Culture Must Change to Make the Most of Digital Tools   Today’s B2B sellers drive greater customer loyalty and business success by addressing customer pain points, creating value in every interaction, and stitching together the unpredictable pathways buyers use to reach a decision. To start, integrating digital technology and salespeople to achieve a superior customer experience requires a robust digital support system. Key elements include a foundational digital platform, data analytics, and tools that provide a holistic view of buyers and enable the coordination and orchestration of their journey. But equally important is the transformation of sales systems and culture, which involves continual adaptation of sales roles, success profiles, compensation, and management practices. In this article, we largely focus on these sales system and culture elements. Continued here

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10 Common Job Interview Questions and How to Answer Them   Interviews can be high stress, anxiety-driving situations, especially if it’s your first interview. A little practice and preparation always pays off. While we can’t know exactly what an employer will ask, here are 10 common interview questions along with advice on how to answer them. The questions include: Continued here

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How to Ask Great Questions   Asking questions is a uniquely powerful tool for unlocking value in organizations: It spurs learning and the exchange of ideas, it fuels innovation and performance improvement, it builds rapport and trust among team members. And it can mitigate business risk by uncovering unforeseen pitfalls and hazards. But few executives think of questioning as a skill that can be honed—or consider how their own answers to questions could make conversations more productive. Continued here

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How to Write a Job Proposal (and Land the Role You Want)   Years ago, when I was trying to transition from a job as managing editor at my family’s newspaper into the corporate world, I was doing a lot of informational interviews. One executive said to me, “You’re really smart, but there are a lot of smart people out there. How are you, specifically, going to add value to my company?” It was a turning point for me. I realized that employers needed more than a strong resume to hire me. They needed me to show them how I’d add value to their organization and why, together, we would make a good team. Continued here

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Stuck On a Big Decision? Neuroscience Says This 7-Word Question Helps You Make Much Better Choices   Having a hard time making a a big decision? This can help. Continued here

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The Ultimate Test of a Life Well-Lived Comes Down to 1 Simple Principle   How will you want to be remembered when it's all said and done? Continued here

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Need to Break a Bad Habit? Start by Accepting This Truth, Say Neuroscience Experts   Scolding yourself won't help, but this will. Continued here

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Elon Musk Just Took My Twitter Blue Check: 5 Questions I Asked to Decide Whether to Buy It Back   "I always want to say to people who want to be rich and famous: Try being rich first. See if that doesn't cover most of it." Continued here

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Six ways to lower your carbon emissions quickly   Many millions of people around the world are expected to participate in Earth Day on Saturday in support of environmental protection. Uppermost in the minds of many is climate change – and the need to rapidly cut global greenhouse gas emissions.Much of the change needed to curb climate change quickly goes well beyond what any individual can do – from improving renewable energy infrastructure, to a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels. But individual actions can add up too.  Continued here

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AI Can't Solve this Famous Murder Mystery Puzzle   The 1934 puzzle book Cain’s Jawbone stumped all but a handful of humans. Then AI took the caseArtificial intelligence programs that analyze and produce text are transforming how we read and learn. To parse writing, AI models sleuth through textual clues, such as word choices, to see their connections. But what happens when those clues are deliberately vague and confusing? I tried to answer this question when I challenged AI developers to solve the nearly century-old Cain’s Jawbone, a murder-mystery puzzle book from 1934. Continued here

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Environmental Policies Must Manage Climate Change and Biodiversity as One   Biodiversity loss and climate change are two sides of the same coin. Why can’t we treat them that way?Near the end of 2022, representatives from nearly every nation on Earth gathered in Montreal to negotiate a 30-year blueprint on how to save the world’s biodiversity. The meeting, called COP15, had been delayed for several years because of the COVID pandemic, but the delegates reached an agreement that promises a potential breakthrough for preserving nature, including an ambitious goal to better protect an area covering 30 percent of the world’s land and sea. Yet one crucial issue the representatives to this meeting failed to agree on is how to link efforts to protect biodiversity to efforts to address climate change. Continued here

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The Science of Melting Chocolate   Researchers used an artificial tongue to understand how chocolate changes from a solid to a smooth emulsionThe sensation of rich chocolate going gooey on your tongue is unlike any other. To understand how the process plays out on a molecular level, scientists created a biomimetic tongue that replicates the texture, surface distribution and mechanical properties of a human tongue. “We wanted to understand the main contributor to that smooth feeling of the chocolate as it melts,” says Siavash Soltanahmadi, a researcher at the University of Leeds in England. He and his collaborators, Anwesha Sarkar and Michael Bryant, placed chocolate on their ersatz tongue, then observed as the surfaces interacted. Their measurements allowed them to break down the chocolate-eating process into three stages: solid, molten and emulsion. The scientists discovered that the delectable feeling of chocolate depends on the snack releasing a fatty film that coats the tongue. “Where the fat is located in the chocolate is more important than how much of the fat we have,” Soltanahmadi says. This discovery suggests that by putting fat in the top layers of chocolate's surface and reducing fat in its interior, chefs could make a healthier treat that feels just as good in the mouth. Continued here

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Over-the-Counter Narcan Is a Small Win in the Overdose Crisis. We Need More   Requiring a prescription for all forms of naloxone holds the overdose-reversing medication hostage, kept from millions of Americans who should carry it in their purses and back pocketsA shiny circular pin on my purse reads “I CARRY NALOXONE,” proclaiming that I am ready to respond to an opioid overdose—an event that kills over 180 people every day in this country. That means when someone stops breathing, turns blue and isn’t responsive after an overdose, I can administer naloxone to reverse another tragedy. Continued here

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Biden Marks Earth Day with New Environmental Justice Orders   The president is creating an Office of Environmental Justice and expanding federal protections for communities that have been historically overburdened by pollutionCLIMATEWIRE | President Joe Biden will issue an executive order Friday afternoon to expand federal protections for communities historically overburdened by pollution. Continued here

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How Our Team Overturned the 90-Year-Old Metaphor of a 'Little Man' in the Brain Who Controls Movement   A pillar of every neuroscience textbook, the classic “homunculus” has just gone through a radical revisionIn my first neuroscience course at Columbia University, I learned about the homunculus. This “little man” is depicted as an upside-down representation of the human body moving from toe to head in a portion of the cerebral cortex that controls movement. Wilder Penfield, the trailblazing Canadian-American neurosurgeon, created the homunculus metaphor after mapping areas of the human brain by using direct electrical stimulation in awake patients in the 1930s. Continued here

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How My AI Image Won a Major Photography Competition   Boris Eldagsen submitted an AI-generated image to a photography contest as a “cheeky monkey” and sparked a debate about AI’s place in the art worldIn March the Sony World Photography Awards announced the winning entry in their creative photo category: a black-and-white image of an older woman embracing a younger one, titled “PSEUDOMNESIA: The Electrician.” The press release announcing the win describes the photograph as “haunting” and “reminiscent of the visual language of 1940s family portraits.” Continued here

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Supreme Court Preserves Access to Abortion Pill Pending Appeal   The nation’s highest court paused a lower court’s decision to nullify approval of the abortion drug mifepristone, keeping the medication available while an appeal moves forwardThe U.S. Supreme Court on Friday halted a Texas district judge’s ruling that would have restricted access to mifepristone, one of two drugs used together in medication abortion. The halt will last until the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals can hear an appeal in May. The outcome of that case could have major implications for abortion access in this country and—more broadly—for drug development and the pharmaceutical industry. Continued here

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Cool Transportation Hacks Cities Are Using to Fight Climate Change   Through “bike buses,” more pedestrian-friendly streets and electric vehicles, some cities are making strides in decarbonizing transportationMore than 270 million registered cars, trucks and buses currently drive along on U.S. roads, or about one for every U.S. resident aged 15 or older. Transportation is the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the country—and accounts for 15 percent of emissions globally. So transforming the way we get around is a crucial part of the effort to tackle the climate crisis. Continued here

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Leopards Are Living among People. And That Could Save the Species   Where the wild things are is a shifting concept influenced by culture, upbringing, environs, what we watch on our screens, and, for me, the tussle between my education as a wildlife biologist and my experiences in the field. Taking to heart a core tenet of conservation science—that wild animals, certainly large carnivores, belong in the wilderness—I began my career in the 1990s by visiting nature reserves in India to study Asiatic lions and clouded leopards. When in the new millennium I stumbled on leopards living in and around villages, I was shocked. “They shouldn't be here!” my training shouted. But there they were, leaping over the metaphysical walls scholars had constructed between nature and humankind as nonchalantly as they strolled past the physical boundaries of protected areas.Take the first leopard I collared with a GPS tag: a large male that had fallen into a well near Junnar, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, in the summer of 2009. He took refuge on a ledge just above the water, and forest department personnel rescued him by lowering a ladder with a trap cage at the top into the well. It had been a hot day, and the leopard was clearly old and very tired, but even after climbing up into the cage, he remained unruffled. My team—veterinarian Karabi Deka, a local farmer named Ashok Ghule who served as a translator and guide, me (a doctoral student at the time) and some others—made sure he was secure, and Deka shot a tranquilizer dart into him through the cage bars. He didn't even growl. His calm, gentle and elderly demeanor induced us to call him Ajoba, which means “grandfather” in Marathi, the area's local language. Continued here

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How to Responsibly Dispose of Your Electronics   Whether you have an old phone languishing in a desk drawer or a broken laptop gathering dust in the back of a closet, there will never be a better time to dispose of it. There’s a good chance your unwanted gadget can return to useful service, and it may even make you a little cash or help someone else. Recycling should be the last resort, but if there’s nothing else for your gadget, there are ways to recycle electronics responsibly.Global ewaste topped 50 million metric tons in 2019, according to the United Nations Global Ewaste Monitor, and just 17.4 percent of that waste was collected and recycled. Too many old electronics end up in landfills and hellish ewaste graveyards where they poison communities. The problem is only growing worse. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) forum estimates that 5.3 billion phones dropped out of use last year alone. Governments, companies, and people are waking up to the fact that we must do better. The big question is, how? Here are some resources, services, and ideas that can help.  Continued here

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How New Zealand's Pesky Pigs Turned Into a Cash Cow   Approximately 300 miles south of New Zealand, the Auckland Islands lie in a belt of winds known as the Roaring Forties. In the late 19th century, sailing ships departing Australasia would catch a ride back to Europe by plunging deep into the Southern Ocean to ride the westerlies home.Sometimes, navigators miscalculated the islands' position and, too late, found their vessels thrown upon the islands' rocky ramparts. Ships were torn to pieces and survivors cast ashore on one of the most remote and inhospitable places on the planet. These castaways soon found out they were not alone. Continued here

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Criminals Are Using Tiny Devices to Hack and Steal Cars   Employees of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) abused law enforcement databases to snoop on their romantic partners, neighbors, and business associates, WIRED exclusively revealed this week. New data obtained through record requests show that hundreds of ICE staffers and contractors have faced investigations since 2016 for attempting to access medical, biometric, and location data without permission. The revelations raise further questions about the protections ICE places on people’s sensitive information.Security researchers at ESET found old enterprise routers are filled with company secrets. After purchasing and analyzing old routers, the firm found many contained login details for company VPNs, hashed root administrator passwords, and details of who the previous owners were. The information would make it easy to impersonate the business that owned the router originally. Sticking with account security: The race to replace all your passwords with passkeys is entering a messy new phase. Adoption of the new technology faces challenges getting off the ground. Continued here

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Our Favorite Products Made of Upcycled and Recycled Materials   If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIREDHumans haven't been kind to the planet. Climate change is out of control, and microplastics are poisoning our oceans. But even when we try to reduce our footprint, we still need to wear shoes and clothes and occasionally drive vehicles. So it's important that we all make eco-friendly choices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the spread of plastic waste. Luckily, some companies have figured out how to use that waste to make new products. Continued here

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The Best Bags Made of Recycled Materials   If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIREDWIRED's gear team has tested dozens of backpacks, totes, purses, messengers, slings, and even reusable shopping bags. More and more of these bags are using recycled materials that come from plastic water bottles, old nylon, and even fishing nets retrieved from the ocean. It's important to find ways to reuse what would otherwise pollute our oceans and sit in landfills forever. Continued here

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'Avenue 5' Is Funny but Needs More Variety   Visit WIRED Photo for our unfiltered take on photography, photographers, and photographic journalism wrd.cm/1IEnjUHThe HBO series Avenue 5 is a sci-fi comedy about a cruise ship that gets knocked off course on its way to Saturn. Humor writer Tom Gerencer was impressed by the show’s witty dialogue. Continued here

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LHC, the world's most powerful particle accelerator, emerges from hibernation   As flowers peek their heads out of the soil and birds begin to fly north, a more scientific form of rebirth is beginning under the French and Swiss countryside. After a hiatus of about four months, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s highest energy particle accelerator, is resuming operations. Humanity is once again able to recreate conditions not common in the Universe since a tenth of a trillionth of a second after the Big Bang and to study the deepest and most fundamental laws of nature.Because electrical demand in Europe peaks in winter, the LHC shuts down usually from early December to late March every year. Researchers use this time for needed maintenance and upgrades. And now it’s back again. Continued here

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Scientists want to dump iron nanoparticles into the oceans to save the planet   This article is an installment of Freethink’s Future Explored, a weekly guide to world-changing technology. You can get stories like this one straight to your inbox every Thursday morning by subscribing here.Microscopic marine plants that pull CO2 from the air could play a huge role in helping stop climate change, according to proponents of a radical scheme to “fertilize” the world’s oceans with iron. Continued here

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When a plan comes together: Inside a massive Eve Online corporate heist   Player card for Sienna d'Orion, the original CEO of Eve Online's EHEXP.Dave/ Eve OnlineAs it turns out, Flam_Hill is just one alias of Dave (last name withheld), a long-time Eve player who previously served as the CEO of the Event Horizon Expeditionairies corporation (EHEXP). And Dave tells Ars that his recent "hostile takeover" started as an attempt to reclaim assets from a corporation he felt had lost its way. Continued here

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In the end, Picard became the fan-service TNG reunion it always should have been   Among the many sins of the 2002 film Star Trek Nemesis is the fact that its box-office bombing killed the still-nascent plans for a fifth and final The Next Generation outing, one that would have been designed as a finale in the same way that Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was for the original cast. Continued here

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A warmer planet, less nutritious plants and ... fewer grasshoppers?   It’s tough out there for a hungry grasshopper on the Kansas prairie. Oh, there’s plenty of grass to eat, but this century’s grass isn’t what it used to be. It’s less nutritious, deficient in minerals like iron, potassium and calcium. Continued here

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What the Battle in Bakhmut Has Done for Ukraine   For many months now, Ukrainian and Russian forces have been waging a bloody battle over what might look like the most insignificant of locations. On tiny patches of land around small cities in the Donbas region—such as Avdiivka, Vuhledar, and, most famously, Bakhmut—the combat has been so intense that many Western commentators and outlets have been second-guessing and criticizing the Ukrainian government’s insistence on continuing to fight in those areas. According to documents included in the recent Discord leak, U.S. intelligence officials have been warning Kyiv for months to withdraw from Bakhmut. Far better, the skeptics’ argument goes, for the Ukrainians to pull out of the cities and take up new, more easily defended positions in the countryside, leaving the Russians—who seem willing to devote enormous quantities of soldiers and equipment to the fight—only small gains of little military value. Some observers even claim that, in holding on to Bakhmut, the Ukrainians might be jeopardizing their expected counteroffensive, in part by using so many munitions to defend the city.But Ukraine does not have the luxury of choosing where it has to fight, precisely because it is preparing a counteroffensive. As it seeks to roll back the Russian forces that advanced farther into Ukrainian territory in last year’s Battle of the Donbas, Ukraine needs some time to master a wide variety of new equipment provided by its European allies and the United States, while simultaneously wearing down Russian troops and equipment. Continued here

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Chris Christie Doesn’t Want to Hear the Name Trump   “How many different ways are you gonna ask the same fucking question, Mark?” Chris Christie asked me. We were seated in the dining room of the Hay-Adams hotel. It’s a nice hotel, five stars. Genteel.Christie’s sudden ire was a bit jolting, as I had asked him only a few fairly innocuous questions so far, most of them relating to Donald Trump, the man he might run against in the presidential race. Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, was visiting Washington as part of his recent tour of public deliberations about whether to launch another campaign. Continued here

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The Great American Poet Who Was Named After a Slave Ship   A new biography of Phillis Wheatley places her in her era and shows the ways she used poetry to criticize the existence of slavery.The small, sickly African girl who arrived in Boston on a seafaring vessel in 1761 had already been stripped of her family and her home. She missed her father, who suffered after having his young child “snatched,” she would later lament in writing. She longed for her mother, whose morning libations to the sun had imprinted on her an enduring memory. She was naked beneath her only physical covering, a “dirty carpet.” She owned nothing, not even herself. Continued here

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The Social Power of Board Games   This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning.When I saw the headline on Gloria Liu’s recent article, I was immediately excited. Finally, someone else was admitting to disliking board games. Continued here

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The Ineluctable Logic of Gun Ownership   When we were in our 20s, my friend Jim Ferguson would say that if you find yourself living someplace where you need to own a gun, you should move. That made sense to me then; it’s not so easy now to find safe places. If you live in a remote area, it can take the sheriff an hour or more to get to you, so if there’s a deadly threat from an intruder, you are on your own. And the past few years—indeed, the past few weeks—have shown us that gun violence knows no boundaries of geography, socioeconomic status, or age. Wherever you are, violence can find you. This reality has pushed me toward a moral dilemma: I wish no one were armed, but because practically everyone else is, I have a gun myself.The problem with having a gun is that you can be tempted to use it. Guns also make committing acts of violence seem easier and less personal; if you’re not looking someone in the eye, it may not seem as real when you pull the trigger. To control that risk requires mental and emotional preparation, as well as rigorous training. As a reluctant gun owner, I continue to be baffled by the lack of regulation on gun ownership. Shouldn’t it be at least as difficult to get a gun license as a driver’s license—or better still, as difficult as it is to get a private pilot’s license? Gun owners should have to prove their competency and their ability to exercise good judgment, just as other licenses require. Responsible gun owners will consider every other alternative before pulling out a gun, even in states such as California that have a “castle doctrine” that permits, in certain circumstances, a homeowner to use force (including deadly force) in self-defense against an intruder. Gun owners’ first thought should always be to avoid confrontations in the first place, and they should have a clear understanding of when using a firearm for self-defense is acceptable. Continued here

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The Exhibit That Reveals Toni Morrison’s Obsessions   A display of personal materials from the late author’s archive shows her genius, the rigors of her research, and her capacious empathy.The last time I saw the late Toni Morrison speak was in 2016; she was on a panel with the poet Sonia Sanchez and the writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, and they talked about art and social change. The conversation was far-reaching, and I can’t recall everything discussed. What I do remember is how Morrison responded: She told a story with each reply. When asked about the inspiration behind her debut novel, The Bluest Eye, she recalled details about a childhood friend who didn’t believe in God; it felt as if we were right there with her in the memory. The expansiveness of her answers transformed the abstraction of faith into a tangible experience. Further, it demonstrated to me how Morrison built worlds—how she took ideas and turned them into places for audiences to inhabit—allowing readers to connect with the humanity in her characters. Continued here

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What Would You Do To Work From Home?   Hot takes about how working from home is the downfall of society are, quite frankly, getting old. Take a recent op-ed in The New York Times, for example, which questions whether the increase in hybrid and remote work has made "America go soft" (yes, really). Remote work is not a groundbreaking concept, especially since a significant number of people were forced to figure it all out - and fast - following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Non-essential workers who were required to stay home to quell the spread learned how to do their work to the best of their ability (and productively, I might add). Continued here

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Can the Climate Fight Be Won in Court?   Climate activists are increasingly using courts to effect change. In this segment from Getting Warmer With Kal Penn, climate storyteller Alice Aedy examines how the rise of climate litigation has created a shift in the balance of power, with small groups going head-to-head with huge corporations. But will long and expensive cases really create lasting change? Continued here

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Can Adani Redevelop India's Most Famous Slum?   India's slum Dharavi gained global attention from "Slumdog Millionaire." Billionaire Gautam Adani is now leading a $620-million urban renewal project there, but what happens to its residents? Bloomberg's P.R. Sanjai explains. Continued here

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The Satellite Hack Everyone Is Finally Talking About   When Viasat’s network was hacked at the start of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian government scrambled to connect troops— and the satellite internet industry got a wakeup call. Bloomberg's Katrina Manson tells us more. Continued here

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Hands On With a Smart Gun That Actually Works   It's taken more than a decade, but startup Biofire has created a Smart Gun that actually works. The gun uses fingerprints and facial recognition to register a primary user and hopefully prevent children and teens from picking up and accidentally discharging the weapon.Ashlee Vance visited Biofire's headquarters to test the Smart Gun out and talk with founder Kai Kloepfer about the complicated questions surrounding its creation – like, will anyone buy one? Continued here

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Henrik Lundqvist on Life Off the Ice   With his playing time behind him, New York Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist is still adjusting to post-hockey life. He talked with Scarlet Fu about the challenges of his new role as a broadcaster, having new experiences, and how he's keeping an open mind to what comes next. Continued here

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What China's Falling Population Means for Its Future   In 2022, China announced its first population decline in 60 years, a historic turning point for the world's most populous nation.Here's a look at what China's population crisis means for its future and why reversing the decline may be tough. Continued here

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The Russian Hack Everyone Is Finally Talking About   At the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a satellite network was hacked and tens of thousands lost access to the internet. And industry got a serious wakeup call. Bloomberg's Katrina Manson tells us more. Continued here

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Why the World Should Care About Credit Suisse's Downfall   Switzerland’s secret bank accounts and political neutrality turned the small Alpine nation into a financial giant. Now the demise of Credit Suisse, one of its two big banks, has shaken global finance and created a megabank in UBS that comes with new and potentially bigger risks. Bloomberg journalists trace the history of Swiss banking and how the ramifications of the Credit Suisse crisis extend far beyond the country’s borders. Continued here