Big Data? Let’s Take A Step Back.

Big data is the rage.  Big data companies are getting funded.  Big data scientists are getting hired.  A slew of blog posts are screaming for marketers to understand and use big data.  So what is Big data?  In a nutshell, it is doing what Google has been doing for over a decade.  Taking in, indexing and categorizing massive amount of data generated from the web.  It involves new hardware and software paradigms and new skill sets to further challenge us. 

Facebook Steals Page from “Old School” Acquisition Strategy

A shiver went down my spine this morning as I read the post “Facebook to Credit Newbies, Buy $1 get $4 free” on AllFacebook.com. Apparently, developers claim that Credits haven’t been reeling in enough paying users, so Facebook has come up with this promotion in an attempt to expand its base.

My thoughts immediately turned to the businesses of cable and wireless.  You know, the model where all the best deals go to NEW customers?  This is due to the massive competition of for lucrative monthly revenue streams of new subscribers.  And what happens when an existing subscriber calls in and asks for the same deal?  You know the answer, not much.  In reality, all that actually occurs is that subscribers are “trained” to follow these deals, and go to a new promotion from a different company when the current one ends.  

A Digital Sign of the Times

The Digital Out of Home (DOOH) Experience is exploding, and most people take it for granted. Why? Because digital signs are essentially familiar, flat panels TVs found in most homes-and signs, digital or not are seemingly everywhere these days. While there has been a push to make signs actionable through QR codes, an increasing amount of companies from retail, entertainment, and hospitality, to cabs and office building are investing in digital signage. Initially, this was because digital signage were simply more compelling visually and its inventory, more flexible.

Personalized Content is Something Consumers Want, but there is a Fine Line…

Mobile Marketer recently covered an interesting GfK MRI panel study-that shows the majority of tablet consumers want personalized ads- and the ability to buy products they are interested directly.

“Seventy percent of tablet magazine readers wish that digital magazines included tailored advertising, showing the need for more personalized experiences, according to research from GfK MRI iPanel.”

Why Is Consumer Engagement so Hard?

We know that consumers are empowered, and we know that they are not static targets to be blasted by the same messaging.  Yet companies continue to treat consumers as a mass of eyes, ears and wallets – forgetting each consumer’s unique experience with their brand.  With the proliferation  of channels and devices, customers may actually touch brands hundreds of times between purchases.  And the fact is any of those touches could cause the consumer to become frustrated and disengaged. 

The ABCs of ROI

ROI. Return on Investment. If you are even a casual reader of the marketing press, you will find yourself flooded with recommendations, tools and strategies that you “must use” if you are to achieve this holy grail. But before you become a lemming, you might want to consider what’s behind those three little letters, because it’s probably not what you (or those marketing articles) think. This is not child’s play.

DMA in Boston - What's Trending in Direct Marketing

Last week thousands of marketers met right here in Boston at the 2011 DMA Conference and we were there.  So what was everyone talking about?  There were 2 key, recurring themes that we noticed.