DATABASE SCREAMS!
The DMSI e-NEWSLETTER... Rants and raves from the database pros at DMSI.
Serving 4000+ Marketing Pros Worldwide

In This Issue:

Dear Friends,

90210 means nothing to most people, but it means everything to a direct mail marketer: it is the zip code for Beverly Hills. Why should anyone care? We mention this to illustrate the difference between data and information - a topic we clarify this month in The Professor's Corner. Also, we are proud to abstract a recent article from Catalog Success magazine, with a discussion of our WiseGuys^TM Marketing Software. Finally, to explore our Database Marketing theme even further, we interviewed one of our valued clients: United Way Store of Alexandria, VA.

As always, please let us know how DMSI can fit into your database plans!

Bruce Gregoire,
President and founder,
Desktop Marketing Solutions, Inc (DMSI)

Adjunct Professor, Marketing Information Systems
Johns Hopkins University Graduate School

The Professor's Corner: Today's Forecast - The difference between Data and Information

Today’s Forecast: The difference between Data and Information My wife claims that TV weather forecasters must have a strong lobby in Washington: how else can they justify taking 5 minutes of every newscast to tell us stuff no one can understand? More importantly, it is the best example to explain the difference between data and information – a key difference which often gets lost by Database Marketers.

This is what the data looks like:
Today, a weak area of low pressure is going to slide by to our south. Tomorrow, cold high pressure will build into the area from the west and northwest. Then, a warm front from a developing storm in the midwest will serve as the dividing line between cold high pressure retreating to the north, and a "warm" high developing to our south. The warm front is likely to stay south of us during the day, and high clouds should increase late.

This is what information looks like:
    It is going to rain – bring an umbrella.

Notice the “noise level” in the data, versus the “call to action” in the information: (and why is it we are always told what the weather is like in every city except the one where we happen to be!!)

Three tips: There are many parallels for “foggy information” in direct marketing. Here are 3 tips to insure you convey meaningful information, not just data:

1. Filter your data, to avoid “apples and oranges” comparisons. For example, wholesale and consumer customers existing together in a marketing database will have entirely different buying patterns.
2. Less is more: avoid unending granularity in your marketing reports. Show the trend in the information, not all the “drill-down” data supporting it. Back to the weather analogy: if the forecast is for rain the next 3 days, do you really care how much each day?
3. Make sure your reporting is relevant. To say “my response report shows a peak of 11% of our responses are coming from California” may ignore the obvious (e.g. most of your house list resides in California). Consider a penetration analysis instead: a count of responses per 1000 mailings.

Learn more: The absolute master of this topic is Edward Tufte of Yale University. Read his text “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information”, Graphics Press.
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WiseGuys featured in Catalog Success magazine - March 2006
DMSI’s flagship application - WiseGuys Marketing Software – is featured again in an industry publication. The latest coverage in the March 2006 issue of Catalog Success magazine follows previous flattering pieces (see below), and has confirmed WiseGuys as the smart choice in database marketing software.

In a Special Report “Eight Lessons You Can Learn From a Matchback”, Catalog Success discusses the fine points of Response Analysis. It closes with the following:

“Matchback tools also can be added to your existing order management software. These programs offer immediate matchback capabilities by integrating mailing data and order information into a single database. When orders are received, they're automatically matched to a mailed record. Two examples of these software solutions are the Media Matchback Module, which runs in Response Direct Commerce Software by CoLinear Systems, and the Matchback Response Analysis feature of WiseGuys by Desktop Marketing Solutions. The latter links to several standard order management software programs.”

Learn More: See the entire article at Catalog Success. Read more WiseGuys product reviews from Catalog Age, 2004 and Inside Direct Mail, 2005 here.
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Database Marketing: Increasing Sales and Keeping Customers Happy
For this issue of the DMSI e-newsletter, we caught up with Bob Gradijan, Director of Marketing for United Way Store, a subsidiary of United Way of America. United Way Store's customer base spans all 1,340 United Ways as well as Fortune 500 companies and consumers, making it important to better understand and communicate with each market channel to maximize their marketing budget (and small team).

Hoping to automate a tedious and labor-intensive process, United Way Store looked to Desktop Marketing Solutions for help. "We needed a way to easily replicate what we'd done before," said Gradijan. "Rather than going through hours of recreating the same list every time we needed it, we wanted to be able to easily create lists from a dashboard."

But ensuring that the benefits of implementing the new system would be worth the investment had to be considered. "I tend to subscribe to the theory 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it,' but I knew if WiseGuys could deliver what it promised, it would be well worth it."

To minimize the learning curve, a step-by-step approach was taken. "We introduced the new system gradually, which allowed us to stay within our comfort zone." As they became comfortable with one process, they added another. "We first used WiseGuys to streamline list processing, and then moved to RFM. And since WiseGuys integrated well with our in-house system [Natural Solutions] we were able to make continued changes without losing comparisons to older customer sales data." Among the many benefits experienced from the automated WiseGuys system, United Way store realized greater sales after incorporating its RFM feature.

"Since implementing the new system over a year ago, we've seen an increase in purchases by those who are receiving more targeted mailings, and have received fewer complaints about mailing to those who are no longer buyers," Gradijan said, "and there's less waste, which is great for our budget. Since our customers are sensitive to excessive mailings, it pleases them as well"

Another benefit has been less expensive market testing. "With WiseGuys, it's much easier and less expensive for us to conduct market tests by using a 'hold back' list. For example, we're now able to determine the responsiveness of different list segments. What used to take us a couple of days can now be done in minutes." Gradijan is pleased that WiseGuys delivered what it promised: "Mailing list development takes less time and is more straightforward. Now we can determine a strategy and deliver."

United Way is about caring, and United Way Store has demonstrated the same attitude by running more efficient campaigns, cutting costs and keeping customers happy.

Learn More: See how WiseGuys Marketing Software can help your Database Marketing efforts.
Download the WiseGuys FAQ
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How Desktop Marketing Solutions, Inc. can help you!
DMSI is a full-service resource for database marketing software, programming, installation and applications. Whether you're considering a new software system or just need help assessing your current one, DMSI can help. The staff at DMSI offer the rare combination of database know-how and direct marketing expertise. Our niche is small to mid-size organizations who need the power of advanced database techniques to grow their business. We provide software product installation and customization for "best of breed" marketing database and CRM packages.

And now, pick up the phone! One call gets you 15 minutes of Free Database Advice
Step 1: Call DMSI offices anytime at (703) 941-8109
Step 2: "Ask the Experts" at DMSI - give us your toughest database question.
Step 3: No charge - no obligation. 15 minutes may be all the help you need to start solving your marketing database problem.
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