This spring, scientists and local governments asked citizens to “flatten the curve” by staying home and limiting the spread of COVID-19. While the economic shutdown had many businesses scrambling to make up for lost profits, it could also provide more pivotal information for making wiser data- driven decisions, according to Columbia School of Business professor Oded Netzer. The pandemic skewed data that many business leaders rely on to make decisions about future marketing practices. How can you make valuable marketing moves when your data is undercut by a crisis and marred by unprecedented closures and business decisions? For Netzer, the answer lies in the past. In an article published by Columbia Business School, Netzer explains using data, which cannot provide the full story of the circumstances to make a marketing plan, requires human foresight and conceptualization. It’s our job to pick up on the patterns data from the past has given us. He explains, “Humans are good at pattern recognition; computers are good at data processing. At times like these, when data is limited, we need to combine both.” Netzer recommends analyzing the market crash of 2008, previous fallouts from past pandemics — such as MERS or even the Spanish flu more than 100 years ago — and changes or data pulled from countries further along in the COVID-19 fight. Because of the limited information experts have on COVID-19 and the lasting implications of the pandemic, Netzer believes those who look to the past to conceptualize current data will have the best idea of how to move forward. With this thinking in mind, Netzer recommends businesses run simulations and test marketing strategies now before fully deploying them in 2021. This can provide real-time data and identify pain points. In addition, Netzer advises businesses to establish multiple variations of their marketing plans so businesses can easily adapt as the times do. Now is the time to examine your skewed data, compare it to the past, test your 2021 marketing strategies, and create simple, effective hypothetical scenarios so you can be better prepared for marketing your business in the new year. This year’s data may be incomplete, but it can still be a powerful tool in building your future. FINDING THE TRUTH IN THE PAST HowHistory Can Help You Analyze COVID-19 Data and Plan for a Better 2021
Futures Are Made at Recovery Centers of Arkansas
Some years ago, a young woman was dropped off at Recovery Centers of Arkansas (RCA) by her parents. She was very young but already had a history of sadness, having lost custody of her only child. Recovery did not come easy for her. She challenged and manipulated her way through most of it. Then finally, her lightbulb moment came. It was her decision to make and her life to live. A few years after this woman finished treatment with RCA, the organization got a call from her mother, who was in tears of joy. The mother wanted to report that her daughter had just completed her bachelor’s degree in addiction study and had started a job at a treatment facility in the next town over. She was so grateful that her daughter was alive and sober. This story is one of many wonderful stories from RCA. An outgrowth of the first Alcoholics Anonymous chapter west of the Mississippi River, RCA came into being when two separate addiction treatment centers joined together in 1999. Since then, the organization has helped countless individuals on their journey to recovery and has become the largest substance abuse treatment provider in the state. This journey wasn’t easy, as RCA’s Executive Director, Carole Baxter, explains. “For a long time, people viewed substance abuse as a personal failing,” Baxter says. “So no one really tried to help with addiction. Through the years, the concept of being able to treat someone with a substance use disorder became a reality. People stopped viewing substance abuse as a personal failure, so treatment came into existence. A great deal of changes have occurred over the years because of the concept of being able to treat people.” With the shift in the way we view substance abuse came a wealth of possibilities. Research into the nature of substance abuse began, and with it came effective treatments. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is recognized as a leader in substance abuse research. RCA works closely with UAMS to stay on top of the latest research and best treatments, so they can continue to offer the best possible outcomes for the people who come through their doors. Helping people take back their lives and see a better future is the mission of RCA as a whole and every member of the staff. Baxter is not in recovery herself, but when she got out of college in 1974, she was offered a job in the field of recovery. “It’s been a very rewarding career,” Baxter says. “I’ve seen a lot of changes. When I first started out, there wasn’t a whole lot we knew how to do. Now, there’s so much more we know about what works and what to do … When people come for treatment, there will be bumps in the road, but they can be overcome. Everything can be okay, and you have the rest of your life ahead of you.”
To learn more about how the Recovery Centers of Arkansas helps people fight for a better future, visit their website at RCofA.org .
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