A101 Hein

www.earley.com Copyright © 2019 Earley Information Science, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Agenda for • What is a Product Content Rulebook?
• Product Rulebook Scorecard
Today • Using Product Rulebooks to Manage
Complexity
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What is a Content
Rulebook?
Content Rulebooks
Are a collection of tools Exist to capture (and

that document the institutionalize) your
details about your “tribal knowledge” of
products the products you carry
Rulebooks Capture Beyond the “What?”
• What products you sell
• How your products are grouped
• How your products are defined
• How your products are related
• How your products are described
(TAXONOMY)
How your products are grouped
Each
rulebook
component (ATTRIBUTION)
How your products are defined
documents
different
aspects of (RELATIONSHIPS)
How your products are related
content
(ENRICHMENTS)
How your products are described
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Taxonomy – Definition
Supermarket
Grocery
Frozen
Deli & Prep.
Bakery Bread
Pastries
Produce
Rolls & Buns

Meat
Guidelines for Taxonomy:
Grocery Produce
Collectively Exhaustive
Breakfast Foods Nuts (Bulk) “A place for everything”
Pasta Fruit Mutual Exclusivity

“Everything in it’s place
Chips Vegetables
Parent Node Reasonable Families

Root Vegetables
Canned Goods
Tubers Classify to Terminal Nodes

Canned Fruit
Beans & Lentils

Canned Veggies Terminal
(“Leaf”)
Leafy Greens
Soup Nodes
Sauces
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WHAT is in a Taxonomy Rulebook WHY those Rules Matter
1) Category list (including category names) 1) Document all product types to be covered
in the product rulebook – define what is
“in scope”
1) Governance/compliance
2) Naming conventions
2) Category hierarchy
2) Document how product categories are
grouped together – foundation of product
relationships
3) Category definitions 3) Clarifies the intent for each category and

defines what products/entities should
(and should not) be classified to each
category
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Attribution – A Means for Comparison
Historically, product comparison was done

while interacting with the physical product
Many points of variation/difference were

implicit – they were assessed physically
“How heavy?”
“How big?”
“What color?”
“What is it made from?”
“How flexible/rigid?”
In digital – physical Implicit characteristics
comparisons are must be made explicit
impossible or through comprehensive lists of
impractical attributes
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Attribution Details
End Node Attribute Sample Value Data Type Navigation Order Definition
Shower Doors Door Type Folding, Sliding, Swinging, Hinged Text 1 Indicates the type of door opening
Shower Doors Theme/Style Contemporary, Modern, Traditional Design Text 2 To help match existing decor, we have determined what we feel to be the best style for this fixture
Shower Doors Series/Collection Enigma-Z, Fluence, Revel Text 3 A manufacturing grouping of items that match, complement or coordinate with one another
Shower Doors Frame Type Frameless, Framed Text 4 Indicates whether the product has a framed border or not
Shower Doors Installation Type Alcove, Corner, Single Wall Text 5 Indicates the manner in which this product can be installed
Shower Doors Door Installation Left, Right, Reversible Text 6 Indicates which side of wall the door installs on when standing on the outside looking in
Shower Doors Configuration Shower Door, Tub Door Text 7 Applied door configuration to the /product
Shower Doors Glass Design Clear, Frosted, Falling Lines Text 8 This is the type of glass that was used in construction of this product
Shower Doors Finish Bright Polished Silver, Anodized Dark Bronze Text 9 The type of finish/coating applied to the shower door handle or panel.
Shower Doors Glass Thickness 0.125, 0.1875, 0.25, 0.31, 0.312 in Text Glass thickness measured in inches/metric. Note: The Thicker the glass the stronger the fixture
Shower Doors Maximum Width 60 in Text This product maximum width measured in inches/metric
Shower Doors Minimum Width 56 in Text This product minimum width measured in inches/metric
Shower Doors Walk Through 21.625 in Text The dimensions of this products walkthrough measured in inch/metric
Shower Doors Number of Doors 1, 2 Text This is the number of doors that your product may come with
Shower Doors Material Tempered Glass, Glass, Stainless Steel Text The primary material used to construct the product
Shower Doors Panel Width 30. 75 in Text Left to Right dimension of side panel
Shower Doors Shower Door Width 27.5 in Text The horizontal (shortest) measurement for most products. This is the front-to-back measurement of sinks and tubs.
Shower Doors Shower Door Height 76 in Text The vertical measurement of the product or top-bottom.
Shower Doors Handle Type Curved, Flat Text Design of the handle of the item
Shower Doors ClearMax Coating (Yes/No) Yes, No Boolean Protective glass coating
Shower Doors Standards Met ADA, ANSI ASME (A112.18.1), CSA (B125.1) Text List any government or regulatory agency, industry or trade group, or testing organization whose standards or specif
Shower Doors Warranty Limited Life Time, 1 yr, 5 yr Text The type of warranty the manufacturer provides for this product
Shower Doors Includes Screws, Anchors, Handles, Grab Bar, Towel Bar Text Any additional items included with the shower door.
Shower Doors Weight 25 lb, 30 lb Text The actual weight of the product, without any shipping details
Attributes can “stretch” as needed
• Technical
• Application/Performance
based
As a result: not every

user/customer has the same
level of understanding of
attributes
In fact – not every *employee*

has the same understanding
either!
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WHAT is in an Attribution Rulebook WHY those Rules Matter
1) Attribute list 1) Document which attributes are relevant to

describing and differentiating all products
within a given category
2) Establish standardized naming conventions
2) Attribute names for attributes across the taxonomy
3) Document how product categories are
3) Attribute “metadata” grouped together – defines one aspect of
• Type, Sample Values, Units of Measure
product relationships
4) Prioritize attributes based on intended use

4) Attribute rankings
and importance to user
5) Defines exactly which feature each attribute

5) Attribute definitions is designed to document – the more
specific the better
Beyond The Data Model…
"What is Content?"
Content
Less
Subjective
Taxonomy
Attribution
Relationships
Copy
Enrichments
Images
More Rich Media

Subjective
Assessing Your
Content Rulebook
Library
How “Good” is Your Rulebook?
This question is usually asked using
a single, simple question:
Most firms don’t account
“Do users think my content is any for all four questions
good?”
before starting a digital
transformation
But that is neither a simple, nor a
single question.
Ask:
To determine the effectiveness
• Who is the “user”? of Content, firms must measure
• What is “content”? performance across all four
• What is “good”? aspects
• What is “my” content?
A Scorecard For Content Rulebooks
"What is Content?" "What is Good?"
Quality
“Four C’s” of Content "Who is the
Internal
External External
Content: User?"
Correct
Expert Novice
Less
Complete
Subjective Taxonomy
Consistent
Clear
“Is my content…” Correct
Complete
Attribution
Consistent
Clear
 Correct Correct
Complete
Relationships
Consistent
Clear
Correct
 Complete Copy
Complete
Consistent
Clear
Correct
Enrichments
 Consistent Images
Complete
Consistent
Clear
Correct
Complete
 Clear More Rich Media
Consistent
Subjective Clear
Scorecard For Content Rulebooks - Ownership
"What is Content?" "What is Good?" "What content is mine?"
Quality Ownership
Building original Content "Who is the
Internal
External External
Open
Shared Partner-
Original
content is expensive User?"
Correct
Expert Novice SKU Tier
Priority
Standard Exclusive
• Focus effort where it Taxonomy

Complete 80/20
Consistent Managed More
will to the most good Clear Long Tail Custom
Correct Priority
• Drive conversion Complete 80/20
Attribution
• Differentiate keywords Consistent Managed
Clear Long Tail
(SEO) Correct Priority
Complete 80/20
Less
Relationships
Consistent Managed Custom
Clear Long Tail
Don’t spend money Correct Priority
Complete 80/20
where it: Copy
Consistent Managed
Clear Long Tail
• Won’t be seen Enrichments Correct Priority
Complete 80/20
• Has little impact Images
Consistent Managed
Clear Long Tail
Correct Priority
Complete 80/20
Rich Media
Consistent Managed
Clear Long Tail
Less More
Custom Custom
Content Rulebooks –
Beyond Basics
Challenges of Content Rulebooks
• Keeping them current with selection
• Maintaining SKU compliance
• Matching optimization to metrics
• Balancing internal and market perspective
• Aligning with channel partner Rulebooks
Complex vs Complicated Problems
Complicated Problems: Complex Problems:
• Have many moving parts • Share traits with Complicated
Problems
• Different parts are interlinked
• Many moving parts
• Hard to solve – but it can be
done • Complexity comes from addition
of unknowns and external
(uncontrolled) factors
• Are fundamentally “addressable
with rules and scripts”
Content strategies are Complex…
…but individual components are Complicated
So Now What?
Takeaways
1) Content Strategy is difficult because it is a complex problem
• Often treated as though it was complicated (or even simple)
• “Manage, not Solve”
• “Try, Learn, Adapt”
2) Content Rulebooks “carve out” parts of complexity and make them complicated
• Segment and narrow focus as you mature
• Control what you can – when it becomes necessary
• Analytics is critical to prioritizing
3) Technology scales capabilities – it doesn’t write rules
Next Steps
1) Assess your current content state
2) Start with the less complex content types first, move into more complex ones when the
data warrants it
3) Each new “try” is most likely to success if the focus is narrow
4) Devote at least 1 person – full time
5) Build out analytics program
6) Content Strategy is a cycle; iterate, iterate, iterate….
7) Watch for shifts in complexity (customer, products, markets, regulations)
Thank you!
JASON.HEIN@EARLEY.COM
M: (920) 931-2875
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jasonhein/

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www.earley.com Copyright © 2019 Earley Information Science, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Are a collection of tools Exist to capture (and

Deli & Prep.

Rolls & Buns

Pasta Fruit Mutual Exclusivity

Parent Node Reasonable Families

Tubers Classify to Terminal Nodes

Beans & Lentils

3) Category definitions 3) Clarifies the intent for each category and

Historically, product comparison was done

Many points of variation/difference were

As a result: not every

In fact – not every *employee*

1) Attribute list 1) Document which attributes are relevant to

4) Prioritize attributes based on intended use

5) Defines exactly which feature each attribute

More Rich Media

• Focus effort where it Taxonomy

• Keeping them current with selection

• Maintaining SKU compliance

• Matching optimization to metrics

• Balancing internal and market perspective

• Aligning with channel partner Rulebooks

Content strategies are Complex…

…but individual components are Complicated

3) Technology scales capabilities – it doesn’t write rules

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In fact – not every employee