I’ve spent a lot of time recently talking to Customer Data Platform vendors, or companies that looked like they might be. One that sits right on the border is Reltio, which fits the CDP criteria* but goes beyond customer data to all types of enterprise information. That puts it more in the realm of Master Data Management.

Acxiom has added self-service access to its massive Audience Cloud database of cross-channel customer data, Marketers can specify segments, set up test groups, and distribute audiences to their own systems or to advertisers through Acxiom’s LiveRamp partner network.  It’s just another step in making third party data more widely and easily available.

Just over half of consumers (54%) like to receive personalized messages because they show the consumers are known to the brand, plus they can be time savers. The rest (46%) find it at best unimportant, at worst creepy. Relevance far outstrips personalization when it comes to driving email opens (54% vs. 19%). Takeaway: treat each customer the way they prefer.