InformationWeek

November 17, 1997

One In A Million

ow do you provide the best service to your best customers? Try marketing directly to them-each of them. IT lets companies give specific customers special treatment through one-to-one marketing. Customer databases, interactive media, and systems that support mass customization are allowing companies to learn more about their customers' idiosyncrasies, form relationships with those customers, and provide customized products and services.

By tracking spending patterns, American Express, for example, can send customized offers and messages to the financial-services company's customers. Likewise, national retailer Sears, Roebuck and Co. uses a customer data warehouse to market specific products to newlyweds or new homeowners. British Airways uses similar technology that makes it possible for flight attendants to recognize frequent fliers.

"Companies spend a lot of money, time, and attention to acquire customers," said Alfred Kelly, executive VP and general manager of customer loyalty at American Exp ress. "It's critically important to protect that investment." For marketing and sales managers, one-to-one marketing presents innovative new opportunities, but for IS managers, it presents enormous challenges in assembling all of the technology pieces.

Cross-Discipline
The trend is perhaps one of the best examples of how IT and business units must work together. In fact, for some companies, one-to-one marketing has created a new breed of cross-discipline professionals who understand both technology and marketing.

For example, Peapod LP, a grocery delivery business, has created specialists with backgrounds in both database administration and computer graphics.

Similarly, overnight delivery specialist Federal Express business managers in the market planning and analysis group work alongside computer scientists to help integrate marketing and technology to get closer to customers.

Story's author: John Foley

Read it on the Web at: techweb.cmp.com/iw/618/18mttrn.htm

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