Breaking The Echo Chamber EP 1 - Experimentation Needs Rebooting with Jonny Longden
Jul 11, 2025
Jonny Longden, the Chief Growth Officer of Spiro and a seasoned expert in experimentation, dives deep into the flaws of current practices in the industry. He argues that much of what's labeled as 'experimentation' is simply tactical thinking without strategic value. Longden emphasizes the need for organizations to shift their cultural approach and integrate genuine innovation into their experimentation processes. He also addresses the challenges faced by product teams and calls for more effective collaboration to redefine responsibilities in conversion rate optimization.
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Experimentation Misconceptions Rooted in History
- The majority of what's called experimentation in business today doesn't make sense due to legacy misconceptions from early A-B testing consultants.
- Experimentation is wrongly treated as a tactical revenue generator rather than a strategic innovation process.
The ROI Trap in Experimentation
- ROI calculations for A-B tests create unrealistic expectations, misleading senior management about experimentation's real impact.
- Experimentation should focus on evidence-based business innovation, not simply revenue uplift from small front-end changes.
Manage Experimentation Like Apollo Mission
- Businesses should manage experimentation as a coordinated, strategic process aligned with clear goals, like the Apollo space mission example.
- Simply running experiments or having tools is not experimentation; governance and alignment to strategy are essential.