There’s more to marketing today than talking to people. Covisint manages identities and messaging among machines as well as humans. It’s especially well connected in the automobile industry. The company just agreed to be bought for $103 million by enterprise information management vendor OpenText.
Back in April, Experian announced it was selling a majority stake its cross-channel marketing unit to Vector Capital and Peter McCormick, co-founder of ExactTarget. The new company just announced its name will be Cheetah Digital, restoring the CheetahMail brand that was the core of the Experian unit. The new operation will offer a SaaS-based digital marketing platform that assembles customer data and executes cross-channel campaigns.
I know what you’re thinking: we haven’t mentioned artificial intelligence yet this week and it’s already Tuesday. Never fear. Start-up Quantifi has launched a tool whose AI “coaches marketers through creating a successful digital strategy by providing insights and recommending the most effective next steps.” The system recommends, runs, and evaluates tests of audience segments, creative options and channels, drawing on an ever-expanding proprietary database of past results for many companies. They have more than $2 million in seed funding.
It’s all surveys today, Dear Reader. Marigold reports that consumers are eager for personalized content, with 79% saying they’re likely to engage with a personalized email tailored to their interests. Sadly, 33% feel their needs are unmet by current brand messages. Discounts and coupons (95%) top the list of what they want in exchange for personal data, followed closely by loyalty rewards at 94%. Content is last at 61%.