Vanity or KPI? Auditing MapmyIndia's Metrics List
Objective: Given a real-style 12-metric list MapmyIndia's marketing team tracks, apply the lesson's vanity-metric test to sort each into KPI or vanity metric, and name the KPI it should be replaced with.
You're a marketing analyst at MapmyIndia. The quarterly report lists 12 numbers and your VP asks which ones actually predict revenue.
Apply the '10x' vanity test to each metric, and use the lesson's vanity-to-KPI replacement logic where it applies.
Before you start
What you'll need
Free path (everything below is enough to finish)
Free, sufficient for a 12-row audit
Free source of truth for most of the web-side metrics on the list
The process
2 steps
Step 01 of 02
A metric answers 'what happened?' A KPI answers 'are we on track to hit our goal?' Not every number on a report is automatically a KPI.
MapmyIndia's Q3 report lists: app downloads, total map views, enterprise API calls, navigation sessions, ad impressions, brand search volume, enterprise contract value closed, churn rate, NPS, page views, social followers, and CAC. Which of these directly ties to a stated business goal?
Procedure
- List all 12 metrics
- For each, write the specific business goal it ties to, or 'none stated'
- Mark 'KPI' only if a real goal is written down
Enterprise contract value closed -> Goal: hit ₹40Cr enterprise ARR this year -> KPI App downloads -> Goal: none stated -> Metric CAC -> Goal: keep blended CAC under ₹1,800 -> KPI Social followers -> Goal: none stated -> Metric
Healthy
Every KPI on the final list traces to one written business goal.
Unhealthy
A number gets called a KPI just because it's easy to pull from a dashboard.
What this means
If you can't write the goal a number ties to, it isn't a KPI yet, no matter how important it feels.
So what do I do about it?
| Symptom | Action | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| A metric has no stated goal next to it | Either write the goal it should tie to, or move it out of the KPI list | 5 min |
Step 02 of 02
Test: 'If this number went up 10x tomorrow, would it guarantee the business grew?' If the answer is 'not necessarily,' it's a vanity metric, replace it with the metric one step closer to revenue.
Apply the 10x test to app downloads, total map views, ad impressions, page views, and social followers. Which replacement KPI should sit next to each on the final report?
Procedure
- Run the 10x test on each vanity candidate
- For each fail, name the metric one step closer to revenue
- Cross-check against the lesson's vanity-to-KPI table
App downloads (10x -> not necessarily) -> Replace with: Day-30 retention rate Ad impressions (10x -> not necessarily) -> Replace with: ROAS or CPA Total map views (10x -> not necessarily) -> Replace with: Enterprise API calls converted to paid contracts
Healthy
Every vanity metric on the report gets paired with the KPI it should be replaced by, not just deleted with nothing in its place.
Unhealthy
Vanity metrics stay on the report because 'the VP likes seeing that number.'
What this means
A vanity metric isn't wrong to look at, it's wrong to report as if it proves growth.
So what do I do about it?
| Symptom | Action | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| A metric fails the 10x test | Pair it with its revenue-adjacent replacement before the report goes out | 5 min |
Final deliverable
A scored 12-metric audit table marking each KPI vs. vanity metric, with a named replacement KPI for every vanity metric.
See a reference example
Slack, KPI audit (excerpt) KPI: Paid seat conversion rate -> Goal: grow paid seats 20% QoQ VANITY -> REPLACE: Total workspace signups -> Day-30 active-workspace rate
Success criteria
You're done when you can:
- Correctly separates all 12 metrics into KPI vs. vanity
- Names a valid replacement KPI for each vanity metric
- Ties every KPI to a specific stated goal