Mike Baranowski celebrates ten years at Collective Measures
A strategic leader who loves looking at the big picture, Collective Measures’ VP of Analytics + Data Engineering, Mike Baranowski, has the unique ability to take a group of data points and weave them into a story of what is happening with user behavior along a consumer journey. Mike has extensive experience in business insights and measurement and leads data engineering + analytics at Collective Measures. In this role, he oversees the agency’s analytics practice, expertly building complex measurement and data strategies and then working with clients to put those strategies to work.
To celebrate the last ten years with Mike, we sat down to reminisce about his tenure at Collective Measures.
Q: What made you decide to apply to Collective Measures ten years ago?
A: My first experience with Collective Measures (then Nina Hale) was as a client. I was working at Land O’Lakes during a period of digital transformation, and we partnered with the agency on several projects. I found it truly inspiring to work alongside subject matter experts who were able to dive deep into a single discipline. I realized I wanted that same opportunity — to focus exclusively on analytics and measurement — and Luke and Allison provided the pathway for me to do just that.
Beyond the technical expertise, one thing that truly stuck with me was the agency’s focus on “business karma.” As a client, these small, meaningful gestures made a difference in building deep trust. It was highly appealing to me to join a workplace where the values of doing the right thing and building genuine, positive relationships were woven directly into the company culture.
Q: Tell us about your first day.
A: While ten years doesn’t feel like a long time until you stop and reflect, my first day itself is a distant memory — though it feels like yesterday!
What I do remember is everyone being incredibly welcoming. I also clearly remember earning the early moniker of “Corporate Mike” during those first few weeks, primarily because I was slow to give up my corporate wardrobe of dress pants and button-ups!
Since I started, the company has grown, requiring us to take over more and more office space. Because of that massive growth, the office space I first stepped into is also a distant memory, a perfect metaphor for how much Collective Measures has evolved.
Q: How has the agency’s analytics team, or our approach to that work, changed over the years?
A: Well, since I started, we have been able to triple the team in size. Most noteworthy is the addition of an engineering practice. This commitment to growth transformed not only how our team worked but also how we could better service our clients. It opened up new opportunities through automations and peer scale. It has been a differentiating factor in accelerating our work and what we can provide to our clients. Because of this, our analytics team’s work has also changed. On the analytics side, the team does not simply focus on placing website tags and exporting data. The team is more strategic in our approach and sophisticated in our analysis.
Q: What is your greatest achievement during your time at Collective Measures?
A: I’ve been incredibly fortunate to witness the growth of individuals, seeing former interns blossom into team leads and principal engineers who are now leading some of our most impactful initiatives. Most of all, I am grateful every day to work alongside people who are passionate, dedicated, and above all, kind.
Q: What do you envision the next ten years at Collective Measures looking like?
A: I see more growth on the horizon. One consistent theme over the last ten years has been our ability to adjust to the market and deliver quality work to our clients. I continue to see this being the trend. We already have some exciting new work leveraging AI and advanced analytics that positions us well for what the future has to offer.
Thank you, Mike! We are honored to have you as a pillar of our collective.
