CDP Institute

Has it already happened: autonomous cars ordering things for themselves, presumably to be delivered by self-guided drones? Not yet: the headline refers to anti-hacking technology to protect autonomous car guidance systems. Of course, the need to protect cars from hacking is itself a sign of the times. The headline makes more sense in Israel, where GPSdome is based, as a reference to the Iron Dome anti-missile system.

LookBookHQ uses customer data and behaviors to offer continuously updated content recommendations in each situation. It’s a bit tough to explain but pretty cool when you see it. They’ve just raised an $11 million Series B to help spread the word.

You probably know by now that information you reveal in one channel is available pretty much everywhere. So you won’t be concerned that survey compiler datadecisions Group has added a product to target direct mail, email, and Facebook ads at people who say they plan to buy a specific product. Not one bit creepy.

Maybe consumers aren’t as demanding as we all thought. A survey from the CMO Council found that by far the most commonly attribute mentioned for exceptional customer experience was fast response time (52%). Recognizing the customer’s history at every touchpoint trailed far behind at 12%. One quarter of customers said every touchpoint is already relevant and personalized while another 38% said brands are “almost there”. Happy campers indeed.

We’ve been toying with the idea of a podcast at the CDP Institute: frankly, it sounds like a lot of work. But enough people have taken the plunge that ad-supported podcast network HowStuffWorks has attracted a $15 million Series A investment and is becoming an independent company.

It’s easy to target advertising based on the topic of a podcast. Programmatic ad platform Simpli.fi tackles the harder challenge of targeting in broader media based on location and site content. They just sold a majority stake to private equity firm GTCR.

There’s one more funding announcement today but I know you don’t care. So here’s a little pre-Labor Day treat instead: a Target Marketing survey about the martech buying process. Worst news: just 47% of respondents said they create formal requirements before evaluating products. Better news: buyers take time for online research, demonstrations, and trial installations before making a final choice. (If you do care about funding: it was $21.4 million for VideoAmp.)

I haven’t obsessed recently about Google, Facebook and Amazon taking over the world, but that doesn’t mean I’m over it. ComScore just reported that Facebook and Google own eight of the top ten mobile apps, the top ten apps capture 53% of mobile app time, and mobile apps occupy more than half of all media time. Don’t cry for Amazon: their app was rated most essential by Millenials.,

Indeed, Amazon is nibbling at Google’s advertising business, taking something between $1 billion and $2.5 billion ad revenue in 2016. Google’s ad revenue was about $70 billion last year, so it’s not a big deal yet. But Amazon is famously persistent.

Google is invading Amazon’s turf in turn. They recently signed an alliance with no less than Walmart to make it easier to buy Walmart products through Google Express and the voice-powered Google Assistant. Costco and Target had already done similar deals. What’s that saying – when elephants dance, the ants get crushed? Look up!

B2B data compiler DiscoverOrg has acquired RainKing, which compiles technology sales intelligence. The firms will offer combined data sets immediately and a unified product sooner or later. This is DiscoverOrg’s first acquisition, although further consolidation in the data marketplace seems likely.

More on the data front: mobile media analytics vendor Kochava has launched a self-service data marketplace that lets marketers build custom audiences. The marketplace combines data collected Kochava’s analytics SDK with data from integrated mobile networks, publishing partners, and third party data providers. The Kochava SDK touches more than one billion devices globally.