CDP Institute

Blockchain sometimes feels like a solution in search of a problem, but it does make sense as a tool to prevent illegitimate use of digital coupons. Industry cooperative The Coupon Bureau has set out a roadmap to deploy its Universal Positive Offer File, a central database of single-use offers that can be validated in real time. It will replace a bar code-based system.

Replacing glass doors on store coolers with a screen that blocks the view of what’s inside may sound more like creating a problem than solving one, but Cooler Screens argues it lets shoppers do useful things like read product information or search for particular items. The answer isn’t clear (get it?) but investors have just bet $80 million the company is right, bringing total funding past $100 million.

We have no actual news today, Dear Reader, so let’s look at some surveys about analytics. We’ll start with this SAS report that finds more “analytically mature” organizations show stronger customer engagement and use more data sources to do it. I’d offer specific statistics but the charts are exceptionally hard to interpret.

Next, this report from database company Exasol finds that companies make decisions faster when more people are involved in decision-making. Counter-intuitive but I think they’re talking about letting more people make decisions, not involving more people in each decision. Data silos and lack of single customer view are low-ranked obstacles but remember the answers came from a broad spectrum of decision-makers, not just marketers.

ThoughtSpot took a survey of data analysts, who rather glumly reported they spend too much time creating low-value reports and not enough on strategic business initiatives. They’d love to see more data-literate, AI-assisted business users who could answer their own damn questions.

Here’s a spoonful of CDP news to start your week: Lytics has added Predictive Audiences, a self-service interface to its existing tool for building lookalike models. Users just pick a target audience and the system builds a formula to find similar people.

Paris-based Sendinblue, an all-in-one digital marketing platform for small business, has closed a $160 million Series B, bringing its total funding to $198 million. The company claims $50 million revenue, 400 employees, and 180,000 users across 160 countries.

Martech financing in general has picked up since the first half of the year, according to LUMA Partner’s third quarter report. Deals are still lower than year except in the red-hot Direct-to-Consumer sector. Their recap of martech acquisitions includes the $35 million purchase of self-proclaimed CDP Retention Science by Web hosting company Endurance International group in July, which had slipped under our radar.

Sticking with connected TVs, Samsung has launched a self-service ad buying platform, Samsung DSP, to help sell ads on its TVs and mobile devices. Just a friendly reminder that even though paid good money for your device, Samsung is still helping itself to your data. Remember: while you’re watching them, they’re watching you back.

The news gods are in a generous mood today, Dear Reader. First we have SAP purchasing multi-channel customer interaction platform (and CDP) Emarsys. The main goal seems to be better B2C personalization, but SAP has been nosing around the CDP market for some time, so this could help in that area too.

Meanwhile, TransUnion announced a deal to buy Tru Optik, which helps advertisers address 80 million U.S. households on connected TVs and other devices. The deal extends TransUnion’s push into identity and audience products for marketers.

Remember how we decided on Monday that individually-targeted out-of-home ads are still science fiction? The line between fantasy and reality just got even thinner with news that Accretive Media can now send connected TV ads to people who saw a particular digital out-of-home ad. They don’t explain how this happens but apparently they’re tracking mobile devices to know who was near each screen.