Data Strategy articles from March 2006

Data Strategy archives from March 2006

Why 'it's good to talk' in a brave new world.
March 14, 2006... Given the fact that the Internet achieved critical mass a few years ago, it may surprise some that it's taken so long for companies to start using the Web as a way to predict consumer trends (see Cover Story, page 16). Then again, with data...

Sky credits ClarityBlue for subscription surge.
March 14, 2006... BSkyB has attributed a recent surge in subscribers - which saw direct- to-home customers burst through the 8 million-mark - to the work of customer intelligence specialist ClarityBlue. The data company, recently bought by Experian for #85m...

UP Trips appoints Alchemetrics to boost customer data.
March 14, 2006... Thomas Cook subsidiary UP Trips is overhauling its customer database, by appointing Alchemetrics to design and implement a solution that will combine transactional marketing and customer data. The aim is to create a single view of prospects...

IBM to curb staff security breaches.
March 14, 2006... IBM is aiming to combat a rise in 'insider attacks' - for instance, where disgruntled employees steal confidential information - by launching a software package that uses behavioural analyses to detect questionable activity. The...

Doctors back plan to boost NHS IT system.
March 14, 2006... Doctors.net.UK, the electronic network for doctors, has revealed that the vast majority support the NHS' #6bn initiative to improve IT systems. In a survey of over 2,000 clinicians, the largest ever conducted, the network found that 80...

Topps Tiles picks Capscan tool to bolster instore data.
March 14, 2006... Topps Tiles is to implement software across its stores to speed up the collection of new customer details and help cleanse its trade customer database. Address management solutions firm Capscan will supply Zapcode software to capture...

Experian snaps up Catalist.
March 14, 2006... Experian has continued its exhaustive acquisition drive with the purchase of garage forecourt market specialist Catalist. Catalist has a team of over 200 surveyors who have collected data on over 130,000 retail sites in more than 20 countries....

FT drills down into online data.
March 14, 2006... The Financial Times is seeking to bolster its database of online customers by appointing analytics firm WebTrends to scrutinise FT.com. The FT is to implement WebTrends' On Demand product, which will analyse site activity and produce...

Equifax files to boost defaulter detection.
March 14, 2006... The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) has extended its contract with Equifax to assist with the recovery of outstanding court fines. All 42 of Her Majesty's Court Service (HMCS) areas across England and Wales use the company's...

Dunlop to launch data-capture assault.
March 14, 2006... Dunlop is launching a Europe-wide data-capture drive to coincide with the launch of its first motorcycle product in two years. Agency Republic has created an online push that will feature rich media ads on motorbike world championship website...

CPP in pursuit of customer insight.
March 14, 2006... Consumer assistance business CPP is employing a new solution from Acxiom as part of an overhaul of its direct marketing activity. The company is looking to improve the targeting of its direct mail and email campaigns. To this end, it has...

Aspective signs deal to refresh CRM data.
March 14, 2006... Aspective, a provider of Microsoft-based customer management solutions, has teamed up with Experian to launch Data Ready CRM. The system integrates Experian's Data Services into Microsoft CRM Version 3.0, giving users instant access to...

HelpIT links up with Equifax for suppression tool launch.
March 14, 2006... HelpIT is joining forces with Equifax to create a new suppression software package. The company has incorporated Equifax's Disconnect Goneaways file into its existing SuppressIT data-cleansing suite, which includes deduplication, address...

Experian targets savings market.
March 14, 2006... Experian is launching a product to help finance companies to take advantage of the expanding savings market. According to research by the global data giant, almost two-thirds of UK savers hold savings accounts with their current account...

CACI launches RSVP 'response detector'.
March 14, 2006... CACI is launching a product which it claims will improve the response rates for cold marketing activity. Dubbed RSVP, the software has been developed in response to a study by CACI, YouGov and The Customer Partnership (TCP) into the...

Corpdata adds e-prospect tool to Sales Turbine kit.
March 14, 2006... Corpdata has upgraded its Sales Turbine package with an online prospect management system, claiming it will enable greater control and analysis for both the user and manager. The company says that the system will offer users more flexible...

Neolane creates Workflow system.
March 14, 2006... Neolane, provider of customer marketing and communication solutions, is unveiling a product that allows companies to design, execute and monitor multiple campaigns from a single resource centre. Neolane Marketing Workflow Manager is fully...

We need to consider our preferences, too.
March 14, 2006... I've read a lot of conflicting views on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and other schemes lately. Having worked at big data- driven organisations - including BT, Royal Mail, Centrica/British Gas and now the AirMiles Travel Company -...

LETTER: Divide between creative and finance needs to go.(Letter to the Editor)
March 14, 2006... The blurring line between transactional and direct marketing communications represents a massive opportunity to heighten the effectiveness of all customer communications, by taking the best technology, thinking and working methods from both...

LETTER: Permission fails without a single customer view.(Letter to the Editor)
March 14, 2006... Without a single customer view (DS February), companies cannot carry out marketing campaigns cost-effectively. They also run the risk of showing their customers that one hand is ignorant of what the other is doing, let alone falling foul of...

FEATURE: Predictable response.
March 14, 2006... Getting the lowdown on how consumers think, as well as what they do, seems to be the key to predicting their next move. That is why brands are encouraging prospects to speak their minds. By David Reed Something very unusual happened in...

ADDRESS MANAGEMENT: Cheaper by the dozen.
March 14, 2006... The pay-as-you-go address management solution is supposed to be the more affordable option for SMEs and light direct mail users. Yet many of them still can't see beyond the initial costs. By Emma Rubach To say address management should be...

CASE STUDY: Poll position.
March 14, 2006... Research giant Mori was one of the first companies in its sector to implement QSR International's XSight system - with impressive results Research agency Mori wanted staff to stop relying on manual or basic computer-based methods of...

UK and US 'lost' when it comes to archiving.
March 14, 2006... UK companies are lagging behind their US counterparts in the data archiving department, according to a study that claims more than one- quarter of all British firms do not store any of their business information, compared with 23 per cent...

RFID tagging 'set to replace barcoding soon'.
March 14, 2006... Data industry experts are predicting that Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tagging will soon replace barcodes as retailers look to the technology to track stock from 'the depot to the dustbin'. Wal-Mart already insists suppliers use...

Debate rages over '#8bn' value of sales lead market.
March 14, 2006... A report claiming UK businesses spend more than #8bn a year generating over 1.5 billion sales leads, has sparked a major debate. The research, by response specialist RDP, is designed to help firms choose the best discipline for each...

TRANSACTIONAL DATA: Too much to swallow.
March 14, 2006... With transactional data growing faster than it can be processed, the obvious solution is more automation. But analysts need not fear for their jobs, says David Reed When you are facing a tidal wave, you have two choices: run or grab a...

Legal column.
March 14, 2006... Spencer Davis answers pressing legal questions Without doubt, one of the most important assets your company has is its database of individual's email addresses. This list of both businesses and individuals probably comprises all of the...

Software solutions becoming far too pointed.
March 14, 2006... Software vendors see the world in a very particular way. The best map out the processes used in business and design solutions that automate them, leading to higher productivity and perhaps a better working life. Most write applications...