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THERE IS A REVOLUTION UNDERWAY in database marketing and it's not about making computers go faster. It is about making people smarter. Bringing decision makers closer to the knowledge in their databases will enable better decisions. To do this, we are now seeing radical changes in how marketing decision support is done. Instead of computers that think for them, decision makers want the information brought to their desktop so they can make the best judgment calls possible. |
At one time, database marketers judged service bureaus based upon what they took away -- problems with data storage, programming and other technical areas that were quite irrelevant to a company's marketing strategy. Today, they are judged upon what they give back to the organization -- ideas, discoveries, ways to build new strategies. No longer are they the "back room" analysis. Database experts are becoming full-fledged partners in how the business plans its business.
Not too long ago, data interfaces for marketers were of the gerbil-on-a-treadmill variety. Yes, the screen looked nice, but all it did was feed requests to some programmer somewhere who would carry out the instructions. No real-time, real interaction -- just bells and whistles. Today, real analytical tools are becoming available for marketers that fit their way of thinking, interacting and probing. In other words, the programmers are doing their work before the questions are asked -- not after!
Statistical modeling capabilities have improved dramatically along with the increases in computing speed. With the greater capacity comes the chance to take modeling to the next level -- going beyond just selecting names from a list or scoring a file, to changing how and when customers are contacted. Going from a campaign-focused to a lifetime-value-focused database is making for better:
- Strategy
- Focus upon customer from different soruces.
- Communications from different types of customers.
This new "desktop database marketing" represents a new focus -- a focus upon the decision maker, not upon the computer. The computer is merely a tool to help make better decisions.
The effectiveness of any service bureau, software tool or piece of hardware should not be evaluated upon how large or efficient the computer resources might be. Rather, they should be judged by how effectively they produce better decisions.
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