CDP Institute

This definitely doesn’t qualify as news but we’re told that David Raab’s half-day Customer Data Platform workshop at the MarTech Conference in Boston in October is likely to sell out. So register soon if you’re interested. Use coupon code CDPorg for a 10% discount. Rates go up September 1.

Identity resolution vendor Drawbridge has raised $15 million in new funding, bringing its total to almost $70 million. The company also announced a new partnership with LiveRamp, which will use Drawbridge’s probabilistic identity graph to supplement LiveRamp’s deterministic graph.

CRM vendor HubSpot has preannounced several changes ahead of its INBOUND conference on September 5. It will add more enterprise capabilities to its marketing, sales and service modules; rebundle features and pricing for its small and mid-size business packages; and offer a standalone version of its Web Content Management System. HubSpot started as a small business specialist but has been steadily creeping into enterprise clients.

Microsoft LinkedIn has expanded its Sales Navigator sales automation tool to include more sophisticated deal management and added closer integration of LinkedIn data with CRM systems from Microsoft, Adobe, Salesforce, and SalesLoft. Microsoft clearly recognizes that that LinkedIn’s value is its data, not the software.

Corporate IT departments manage 49% of Customer Data Platforms, according to a survey by The Relevancy Group.  Responsibility is often shared: 69% of respondents said marketing IT is involved, 54% said marketing operations is involved and 31% said online marketing operations is involved.  Much other interesting data in the survey, which is part of Relevancy’s CDP Buyer’s Guide. List price is $2,495 but you can get a free copy from RedPoint Global or Tealium. The report profiles a half-dozen CDP vendors; many others balked at paying Relevancy’s fee for inclusion.

This newsletter doesn’t usually cover analyst reports but since we’ve broached the subject, let’s note that MarTech Today has also recently issued its (free) Enterprise Customer Data Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide. It doesn’t include a survey, alas, but does have a good overview of the subject and profiles of 19 vendors who did not pay for the privilege. CDP Institute acted as editorial advisor but MarTech Today did all its own research and writing.

Having slipped this far down the slope, let’s finish with a link to MarTech Advisor’s CDP Explainer series, which has now reached the seventh of 12 planned installments. CDP Institute is advising on this one, too…hey, it’s what we do.

InsideSales has extended its AI-based sales management superpowers to find accounts with high purchase propensity that have not been contacted by sales reps. InsideSales combines a company’s own CRM data with insights based on data aggregated across all its clients.

RevJet, which automatically assembles, tests, and optimizes ad creative variations, announced a $21 million Series A, bringing total funding to $30 million. RevJet streamlines creation, approvals, and trafficking across display, programmatic, social, mobile, native, and video, removing bottlenecks that otherwise prevent end-to-end automation. Its modules are offered as apps on the Salesforce AppExchange.

Audience data vendor Viant has extended its existing partnership with retail sales data aggregator IRI to help consumer packaged goods advertisers optimize their online advertising programs. The new offering, Sales Tactic Optimization, uses Viant individual-level data to show performance by audience segment. The reports come weekly, a pace that’s glacial by digital standards but fast for in-store purchase data.

It’s come to this: people are hate automated customer service systems so much that T-Mobile is launching a major campaign around a promise that you’ll always be connected immediately with a person. Even more revolutionary, that person will be able to solve your problem without transferring you to someone else. Hurray for them; shame on the rest of the world for making this newsworthy.

Speaking of horrible customer service: airlines. Our Department of the Obvious intern Jamie offers this JD Power study showing that customers are unhappy when airline loyalty programs are confusing. In another sign how pitifully grateful consumers are for crumbs of humane treatment, satisfaction increases when airline staff recognizes a customer by name or remembers their preferences.