CDP Institute

Marketers do have plenty systems of their own.

The CDP Institute has released a point-by-point comparison of 24 CDP products. The project is intended to help CDP buyers find the right products and to reduce confusion about how CDPs differ from other types of systems.

This isn’t the place to discuss gun control but #BoycottNRA illustrates much about corporate involvement in social issues in general and Amazon and Google in particular. Already under attack as monopolists, their response to demands they sever ties with the National Rifle Association may have a major impact on public attitudes. Facebook has largely been on the sidelines of this one.

Is it morally reprehensible to treat gun control as a business case study? Probably. But marketers have a long tradition of seeking private gain from public problems. Here’s one now: a study from IBM iX, the company’s “next-generation experience design and digital consultancy”, explaining how brands can take advantage of the “belonging deficit” plaguing modern society. Conveniently, they found “what’s good for people is also good for brands.” Two thumbs up.

Ok, blockchain marketplaces for consumers to sell their souls personal data are officially a thing. The latest is from Wibson, which will launch it at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week. We’ve previously see similar offerings from Thrive, Dabbl, and IOTA.

Or would marketers rather buy personal data the old fashioned way, from aggregators? Consumer media delivery company Valassis has added Valassis Remarketing Activation to its arsenal. It uses IP address and device IDs to identify anonymous Web site visitors, appends data about them from its files, and delivers personalized messages via email and direct mail.

Do consumers want marketers to have their data? One hint is that 41% in a RSA survey said they’ve given false information when filling out online forms. The most common reason was to avoid unsolicited communications. They also take direct action: 54% said they avoid buying from companies known to mishandle consumer data and 50% are more likely to shop with companies that take data protection seriously. Just 11% said they never give any thought to companies’ reputations for data protection.

Artificial intelligence has become so common that it barely registers as a product differentiator. That must be frustrating to AI pioneers. If the folks at TinyClues are feeling that pain, they’ve eased it a bit with a $18 million Series B investment in their system, which uses retailers’ first party data to choose the best product for each individual in email, mobile push, direct mail, and Facebook campaigns. The company says its clients have increased campaign revenue by an average of 49%.

Sticking with AI but closer to CDPs, “Self-Learning Data Platform” vendor Reltio has launched the next version of its system. Reltio gathers and unifies data like a CDP, but also uses its AI magic to organize non-customer data such as product and supplier information. And it generates automated predictions of customer behaviors such as churn.

Data integration specialist SnapLogic has also announced its latest release, including AI-powered recommendations to help build integration pipelines and, as it happens, Reltio integration. But I’m more intrigued by an announcement from Accenture of a service to train and test new AI systems. Sign of the times and all that. Amazingly, they don’t claim to use AI as part of the process.

Let’s look at some location-related items. Here’s a new self-service platform for location-based advertising from GroundTruth, which says it sees two-thirds of U.S. smartphone users. Just sign up, register a credit card, and start targeting ads to people near a specific location. Lots of possibilities here. I wonder if they take payment in rubles?

Factual also targets advertising by tracking mobile devices against a huge location database. They’ve launched two new analytical services that leverage their data. Geopulse Insights develops targeting strategies based on the visitor demographics and behaviors during the purchase process. Geopulse Measurement estimates campaign results by correlating ad campaigns with store visits. Fun!